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APIs · head to head

Thunder Client vs Yapily

Thunder Client logo

Thunder Client

APIs

Lightweight REST API client built as VSCode extension

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Yapily logo

Yapily

APIs

Open banking API infrastructure for account data and pay-by-bank payments across Europe

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Thunder Client paid plans are billed annually only: Starter is $3 per user per month and capped at a maximum of 10 seats, Business is $7 per user per month with 500 monthly collection runs per user, and Enterprise is $16 per user per month for unlimited runs; Yapily production pricing itself is not published; only the resulting typical merchant transaction cost is publicly known, so the underlying platform fee still requires a sales conversation.
  • They diverge on capability: Thunder Client covers REST Client, Yapily covers Unified open banking API.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Thunder Client and Yapily actually diverge.

Attributes where Thunder Client and Yapily differ
AttributeThunder ClientYapily
Pricing modelfreemiumFree sandbox, pay-as-you-go production
PlatformsVSCode extension, WebWeb, API
Founded2021Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (APIs).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Thunder Client

  • REST Client
  • Environment variables
  • Response testing
  • VSCode
  • GitHub
  • Webhook support
  • VSCode extension support
  • Web support

Only in Yapily

  • Unified open banking API
  • Account information access
  • Payment initiation
  • Free sandbox
  • Multi-country bank coverage
  • Webhooks and reconciliation tooling

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Thunder Client

  • API Developmentnot Yapily
  • API Gatewaynot Yapily
  • API Testingnot Yapily
  • API Documentationnot Yapily
  • Microservicesnot Yapily

Yapily

  • A merchant wanting a lower-cost payment method alongside card acceptancenot Thunder Client
  • A lending or budgeting product needing bank account data for affordability checksnot Thunder Client
  • A business wanting one API instead of separate integrations to each bank's own open banking standardnot Thunder Client
  • A company prototyping open banking features for free in sandbox before committing budgetnot Thunder Client

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Thunder Client

  • Paid plans are billed annually only: Starter is $3 per user per month and capped at a maximum of 10 seats, Business is $7 per user per month with 500 monthly collection runs per user, and Enterprise is $16 per user per month for unlimited runs

Yapily

  • Production pricing itself is not published; only the resulting typical merchant transaction cost is publicly known, so the underlying platform fee still requires a sales conversation.
  • Consumer adoption of pay-by-bank still lags card payments, so merchants offering it as a checkout option typically see it used as a secondary rather than primary payment method.
  • Coverage depends on the banks in each country maintaining reliable open banking APIs, and inconsistent bank-side reliability across markets is a known category-wide weakness, not unique to Yapily but not solved by it either.
  • As infrastructure for both account data and payments, a company only needing one of those two capabilities is still evaluating a broader platform than it may need.
  • Regulatory dependence on PSD2 and UK open banking rules means the underlying legal framework, not just Yapily's product, could shift and affect what is possible on the platform.

Pricing, plan by plan

Thunder Client

Free
  • FreeFree
    • REST client
    • Collection management
    • Local testing
  • Pro$8/monthly
    • Cloud sync
    • Team collaboration
    • Advanced features

Yapily

Free
  • SandboxFree
    • Free testing environment
    • UK and European bank connections for development
  • Production$undefined/month
    • Pay-as-you-go pricing, exact rates not published
    • Typical pay-by-bank cost of 0.1 to 0.5% or a flat 5 to 30 pence per transaction

Which should you pick?

Choose Thunder Client if

  • You need rest client.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on VSCode extension, Web.
  • You also want environment variables.
Thunder Client review

Choose Yapily if

  • You need unified open banking api.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want account information access.
Yapily review

Questions people ask

Is Thunder Client or Yapily better?
Neither clearly leads. Thunder Client starts at Free and Yapily at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Thunder Client or Yapily?
Thunder Client starts at Free and Yapily at Free.
Does Thunder Client or Yapily run on more platforms?
Thunder Client runs on VSCode extension, Web. Yapily runs on Web, API.
Can I use Thunder Client for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Thunder Client best used for?
Thunder Client is most often used for api development, api gateway, api testing, api documentation. Of those, api development and api gateway are not what Yapily is typically brought in for.
What can Thunder Client do that Yapily cannot?
Thunder Client covers REST Client, Environment variables, Response testing, VSCode. Yapily covers Unified open banking API, Account information access, Payment initiation, Free sandbox.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Thunder Client: How much does Thunder Client cost?

Thunder Client publishes a free plan at no cost, then Starter at $3, Business at $7 and Enterprise at $16, all priced annually.

Source
Yapily: Is there a free way to try it?

Yes, sandbox access is free for development and testing.

Thunder Client: Is Thunder Client free?

Yes, there is a free plan. It is used through the Thunder Client extension for VS Code, available from the marketplace, with limits applied compared with the paid tiers.

Source
Yapily: How much cheaper is pay-by-bank than card payments?

Typically 0.1 to 0.5% of transaction value, or a flat 5 to 30 pence, against 1.5 to 3.5% for card scheme fees.

Yapily: Is production pricing published?

No, production access is pay-as-you-go but exact rates require a sales conversation.

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