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APIs · head to head

Tink vs TrueLayer

Tink logo

Tink

APIs

European open banking platform for account data and payment initiation

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
TrueLayer logo

TrueLayer

APIs

Open banking payments and data across the UK and Europe, with the largest share of UK variable recurring payments

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Tink visa owns Tink, and pay-by-bank exists to move payments off card rails, so the roadmap and pricing of the product you are using to reduce interchange are set by the company that earns the interchange.; TrueLayer variable recurring payments, the strongest reason to choose TrueLayer, is a UK construct, and European businesses expecting the same capability in their market will not get it on the same timetable.
  • They diverge on capability: Tink covers Account data access, TrueLayer covers Pay by bank.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Tink and TrueLayer actually diverge.

Attributes where Tink and TrueLayer differ
AttributeTinkTrueLayer
PlatformsAPI, WebWeb, iOS, Android

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), 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 Tink

  • Account data access
  • Payment initiation
  • EEA passporting
  • Categorisation
  • Account verification
  • Risk and affordability signals
  • Variable recurring payments support
  • Consent management

Only in TrueLayer

  • Pay by bank
  • Variable recurring payments
  • Payouts and refunds
  • Account information
  • Account name verification
  • Signup and KYC support
  • Multi-country coverage
  • Hosted payment page

What people use each for

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

Tink

  • A European lender that needs verified income and expense data from a borrower bank account across several EEA markets under one licencenot TrueLayer
  • A merchant offering pay-by-bank at checkout to avoid card acceptance costs on high value basketsnot TrueLayer
  • A fintech that does not hold its own PSD2 licence and needs to operate under an authorised provider passported across the EEAnot TrueLayer
  • A bank building an account aggregation view of a customer external accounts without negotiating with each institution individuallynot TrueLayer

TrueLayer

  • A UK subscription or top-up business that wants card-like recurring collection over bank rails using variable recurring paymentsnot Tink
  • A trading or crypto platform funding accounts instantly by bank transfer where card deposits carry chargeback risknot Tink
  • A marketplace paying sellers out to verified bank accounts with name checking to reduce misdirected paymentsnot Tink
  • A lender verifying income and affordability from bank transaction data rather than uploaded statementsnot Tink

Where each one falls short

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

Tink

  • Visa owns Tink, and pay-by-bank exists to move payments off card rails, so the roadmap and pricing of the product you are using to reduce interchange are set by the company that earns the interchange.
  • Coverage is Europe only, so a product serving both European and United States users runs a second aggregator with a different data model and a separate contract.
  • PSD2 connection quality varies sharply by bank, and headline connection counts hide wide differences in success rate, consent lifetime and re-authentication frequency that determine what users actually experience.
  • Consent under PSD2 expires and requires periodic re-authentication, so any product depending on continuous data access has a recurring user friction it cannot design away, and drop-off at re-consent is a real product problem.
  • Pricing is quoted with data access and payment initiation priced separately, and there is no published rate card, so small merchants cannot compare pay-by-bank economics against card acceptance without a sales process.

TrueLayer

  • Variable recurring payments, the strongest reason to choose TrueLayer, is a UK construct, and European businesses expecting the same capability in their market will not get it on the same timetable.
  • Payment conversion varies substantially by bank, and a bank with a slow or broken authentication journey drags results down regardless of vendor, so aggregate coverage numbers say little about your actual mix.
  • Pay by bank has no chargeback mechanism, which merchants like until a customer disputes a purchase and finds no scheme protection, making it a poor fit for categories where buyers expect card style recourse.
  • Pricing is unpublished and varies by market and product, so multi-country merchants cannot model cost without a full sales engagement and often find rates differ significantly between countries.
  • Open banking authentication requires the customer to leave the checkout and authorise in their banking app, and that redirect remains the largest source of drop-off compared with a stored card.

Pricing, plan by plan

Tink

On request
  • Tink Platform$undefined/year
    • Priced by product, market and volume
    • Data access and payment initiation priced separately
    • Annual commitments typical for enterprise agreements

TrueLayer

On request
  • TrueLayer Payments and Data$undefined/year
    • Per-payment fees quoted by volume, market and product
    • Separate commercial terms for payment initiation, VRP and account information
    • Platform and minimum commitment terms negotiated per contract

Which should you pick?

Choose Tink if

  • You need account data access.
  • You work on API, Web.
  • You also want payment initiation.
Tink review

Choose TrueLayer if

  • You need pay by bank.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want variable recurring payments.
TrueLayer review

Questions people ask

Is Tink or TrueLayer better?
Neither clearly leads. Tink starts at On request and TrueLayer at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Tink or TrueLayer?
Tink starts at On request and TrueLayer at On request.
Does Tink or TrueLayer run on more platforms?
Tink runs on API, Web. TrueLayer runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is Tink best used for?
Tink is most often used for a european lender that needs verified income and expense data from a borrower bank account across several eea markets under one licence, a merchant offering pay-by-bank at checkout to avoid card acceptance costs on high value baskets, a fintech that does not hold its own psd2 licence and needs to operate under an authorised provider passported across the eea, a bank building an account aggregation view of a customer external accounts without negotiating with each institution individually. Of those, a european lender that needs verified income and expense data from a borrower bank account across several eea markets under one licence and a merchant offering pay-by-bank at checkout to avoid card acceptance costs on high value baskets are not what TrueLayer is typically brought in for.
What can Tink do that TrueLayer cannot?
Tink covers Account data access, Payment initiation, EEA passporting, Categorisation. TrueLayer covers Pay by bank, Variable recurring payments, Payouts and refunds, Account information.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Tink: Who owns Tink?

Visa, since 2022. That is directly relevant if you are adopting pay-by-bank specifically to reduce card costs.

TrueLayer: Is VRP available outside the UK?

No. Variable recurring payments are a UK capability. EU adoption is on a slower path, with UK commercial VRP expanding into ecommerce during 2026.

Tink: Do I need my own PSD2 licence?

No. Tink holds AIS and PIS licences from the Swedish FSA passported across the EEA, and customers can operate as its agent rather than obtaining their own authorisation.

TrueLayer: What does TrueLayer cost?

Not published. Per-payment fees are quoted by volume, market and product, usually with a platform component and a minimum commitment.

Tink: Does Tink cover the United States?

No. It is a European platform. US coverage requires a separate provider.

TrueLayer: Are there chargebacks on pay by bank?

No. Bank transfers have no card scheme chargeback mechanism, which removes that cost but also removes buyer recourse, so it suits some categories and not others.

Tink: How reliable are the bank connections?

It varies by institution far more than the headline count of roughly 6,000 connections suggests. Ask for per market and per bank success rates and consent lifetimes for the banks your users actually hold accounts with.

TrueLayer: Which countries are covered?

The UK plus a substantial set of European markets under PSD2, though bank-level coverage and conversion vary by country and should be checked for your specific mix.

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