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APIs · head to head

Vodeno vs Yapily

Vodeno logo

Vodeno

APIs

Banking-as-a-service platform running on a partner bank licence, backing NatWest's UK BaaS venture

From
On request
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

  • Only Yapily has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Vodeno its actual regulatory backing differs by geography, Aion Bank in continental Europe versus NatWest in the UK, so a customer must understand which entity and licence they are actually contracting under rather than assuming one uniform Vodeno product.; 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: Vodeno covers Core banking infrastructure, 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 Vodeno and Yapily actually diverge.

Attributes where Vodeno and Yapily differ
AttributeVodenoYapily
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquoteFree sandbox, pay-as-you-go production
Free tierNoYes

Identical on both: platforms (Web, API), 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 Vodeno

  • Core banking infrastructure
  • Card issuance via Mastercard
  • Lending and BNPL modules
  • White-label mobile apps
  • Digital onboarding and compliance
  • UK entity backed by NatWest

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.

Vodeno

  • A European retailer or e-commerce business wanting to embed savings, lending or BNPL products under its own brandnot Yapily
  • A UK business wanting banking-as-a-service backed specifically by NatWest's banking technology and licencenot Yapily
  • A fintech wanting white-label mobile banking app infrastructure rather than building its own from scratchnot Yapily
  • A company comparing banking-as-a-service providers that want to understand which underlying bank licence actually backs the product in their marketnot Yapily

Yapily

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

Where each one falls short

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

Vodeno

  • Its actual regulatory backing differs by geography, Aion Bank in continental Europe versus NatWest in the UK, so a customer must understand which entity and licence they are actually contracting under rather than assuming one uniform Vodeno product.
  • Pricing is entirely unpublished across both the European and UK businesses.
  • The scale of NatWest's investment (up to roughly £120 million) signals a business still working toward profitability, with NatWest itself targeting breakeven within five years of the venture launching, which is a meaningful timeline risk for a customer building long-term infrastructure dependency on it.
  • As banking-as-a-service infrastructure, any customer remains dependent on Vodeno's underlying bank partner maintaining its own licence and risk appetite, which is a layer of dependency beyond Vodeno's own commercial terms.
  • Product scope, such as lending and BNPL availability, may differ between the UK and European entities, so a company operating in both markets should not assume identical capability across the two.

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

Vodeno

On request
  • Vodeno$undefined/year
    • Platform licensing fee, not published
    • Terms differ between the European (Aion Bank) and UK (NatWest) entities

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 Vodeno if

  • You need core banking infrastructure.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want card issuance via mastercard.
Vodeno 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 Vodeno or Yapily better?
Neither clearly leads. Vodeno starts at On request and Yapily at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Vodeno or Yapily?
Yapily has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Vodeno and Free for Yapily.
Does Vodeno or Yapily run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, API, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Yapily for free?
Yes. Yapily has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Vodeno starts at On request.
What is Vodeno best used for?
Vodeno is most often used for a european retailer or e-commerce business wanting to embed savings, lending or bnpl products under its own brand, a uk business wanting banking-as-a-service backed specifically by natwest's banking technology and licence, a fintech wanting white-label mobile banking app infrastructure rather than building its own from scratch, a company comparing banking-as-a-service providers that want to understand which underlying bank licence actually backs the product in their market. Of those, a european retailer or e-commerce business wanting to embed savings, lending or bnpl products under its own brand and a uk business wanting banking-as-a-service backed specifically by natwest's banking technology and licence are not what Yapily is typically brought in for.
What can Vodeno do that Yapily cannot?
Vodeno covers Core banking infrastructure, Card issuance via Mastercard, Lending and BNPL modules, White-label mobile apps. Yapily covers Unified open banking API, Account information access, Payment initiation, Free sandbox.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Vodeno: Does Vodeno hold its own banking licence?

No, it operates through partner banks, Aion Bank in continental Europe and NatWest in the UK.

Yapily: Is there a free way to try it?

Yes, sandbox access is free for development and testing.

Vodeno: Is the UK business the same as the European business?

They are related but distinct entities backed by different bank partners, with different investment structures.

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.

Vodeno: How much has NatWest invested?

A capped commitment of up to roughly £120 million into the UK entity, plus a separate roughly €58 million investment in Vodeno Group for an 18% stake.

Yapily: Is production pricing published?

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

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