Plaid alternatives are bank data and open banking APIs that let an app connect to users' bank accounts, verify them, read transactions and, in some cases, start payments. Coverage is regional, so the right pick depends on where your users bank: the US, Canada, Europe and the UK, Latin America or Australia. Ten options follow in no particular order.
Here's the short version. If you're building a lending, accounting or personal finance app, you need a way to read bank data with your users' consent. Plenty of providers do it, but each one is strongest in its home market, and that matters more than any feature list.
The ten providers below are listed alphabetically and in no particular order, and every description comes from each vendor's own website, read as of Oct 2026.
Plaid alternatives at a glance
I checked the free plan column on each vendor's own website, as of Oct 2026. Yes means the page names a free plan, a free version or an open source edition. Trial only means it names a time-limited free trial. Not stated means the page I read named neither, so check the vendor's own site before you sign up.
| Tool | Type | Good for | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Akoya | Data access network (US) | Permissioned data sharing between banks and fintechs | Not stated |
| Basiq | Open banking API (AU and NZ) | Consumer Data Right access in Australia | Not stated |
| Belvo | Open finance platform (LatAm) | Banking, employment and tax data in Latin America | Not stated |
| Flinks | Embedded finance platform (Canada) | Account connections and fraud checks for lenders | Not stated |
| MX | Financial data platform (US) | Aggregation and insights for banks | Not stated |
| Powens | Open finance platform (Europe) | Aggregation plus pay by bank in Europe | Not stated |
| Salt Edge | Global open banking platform | Bank connections across many countries | Not stated |
| Tink | European open banking platform | Bank data for credit decisions in Europe | Not stated |
| TrueLayer | Open banking payments (Europe) | Pay by bank for merchants | Not stated |
| Yodlee | Financial data aggregator | Connected account data for banks and wealth firms | Not stated |
Ten bank data and open banking providers
Akoya
Best for: US banks and fintechs that want consumer-permissioned data sharing through one network connection, with regulatory compliance in mind.
Basiq
Best for: Australian and New Zealand apps that need account and transaction history from 135+ institutions, plus affordability and income reports.
Belvo
Best for: Latin American fintechs needing banking, employment and tax data in one platform, with tools to connect AI agents to open finance.
Flinks
Best for: Canadian lenders and institutions wanting account connections, document fraud checks, data enrichment and managed open banking infrastructure.
MX
Best for: Credit unions and banks wanting account aggregation, verification and data enhancement, plus personal financial management and deposit switching.
Powens
Best for: European platforms that want data aggregation together with pay by bank, virtual IBANs, instant transfers and direct debit.
Salt Edge
Best for: Global teams connecting to banks in many countries, with merchant identification, data enrichment and open banking compliance services.
Tink
Best for: Lenders and fintechs across Europe wanting open banking data for instant credit decisions, from a provider with thousands of bank connections.
TrueLayer
Best for: Merchants in Europe moving payments to pay by bank, including fiat on-ramp and off-ramp flows for crypto businesses.
Yodlee
Best for: Banks and wealth firms using connected financial data for personal finance tools, alternative-data lending and business financial management.
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Coverage is regional, and the page titles say so
Here's the thing most comparison posts skip. Almost every provider here puts its region in its page title. Belvo calls itself the leading open finance platform in Latin America, Tink lists 6,000 connections as a European open banking platform, and Basiq connects to 135+ institutions in Australia and New Zealand.
Plaid has moved too. Its UK page now calls it Europe's leading open banking platform, with 12,000+ institutions across 20 countries, so the old idea that it only works in the US no longer fits. At the global end, Salt Edge says it connects to over 5,000 banks, and Yodlee's page cites 601M+ connected consumer accounts.
Data aggregator, open banking API or pay by bank?
- US data aggregators. Built to read account and transaction data for lenders, banks and money apps, often with insights and categorisation added. In the US, much of this now runs through network connections to financial institutions.
- Open banking APIs in regulated markets. In the UK, Europe and Australia, consent-based access runs through regulated APIs, and one provider here describes its Australian access as Consumer Data Right capabilities.
- Pay by bank. Several European providers now lead with payments straight from a bank account, not just data. If you want to take payments as well as read data, check this first.
What to ask a bank data provider before you integrate
- Where are your users? Pick a provider whose own page names your main market.
- Data, payments or both? Some providers read accounts only; others add pay by bank, direct debit or virtual IBANs.
- What extra data do you need? Employment records, tax returns and document fraud checks now appear on some providers' pages.
- Who carries compliance? In regulated markets, ask whether you work under the provider's licence or need your own.
- How will you handle failed connections? Ask for connection success data for the banks your users hold.
Bank data often ends up in a bookkeeping package, and my roundup of accounting software tools covers the receiving end.
Do you make a bank data or open banking API? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
My plain advice on replacing Plaid
Map your users by country before you look at any demo. If most are in one region, shortlist the providers built for that region and test connection rates on the banks your users hold. If you're spread across several regions, compare a global aggregator against two regional specialists, because you may end up running two providers anyway. And if you'll also take payments, give pay by bank a serious look, since it can replace a separate checkout step.
Most of these sit behind an API gateway in production, which my guide to API management platforms covers. For card payments alongside bank data, see my list of payment processors for small business.
Want your tool on this list? Featured spots and reviews here are paid partnerships. Here's how to partner with me.
Frequently asked questions
What's the best alternative to Plaid?
It depends on where your users bank. Regional providers lead in Europe, Latin America and Australia, while US aggregators and global platforms cover wider ground. Pick the one whose own page names your main market.
Does Plaid work outside the US?
Yes. Plaid's UK page, read in Oct 2026, calls it Europe's leading open banking platform, with 12,000+ institutions across 20 countries.
What's the difference between bank data and pay by bank?
Bank data APIs read balances and transactions with the user's consent. Pay by bank uses the same kind of connection to start a payment straight from the user's bank account.
Is there an open banking API for Latin America?
Yes. One provider on this list calls itself the leading open finance data and payments platform in Latin America, covering banking, employment and tax data.
Which bank data providers work in Australia?
One provider here connects to 135+ institutions in Australia and New Zealand and offers Consumer Data Right access, as part of Cuscal's data offering.
