API Radar Methodology

API Radar uses a structured, segment-specific methodology to evaluate financial APIs. Our goal is to provide neutral, research-driven comparisons that help you understand what each provider actually exposes—across card schemes, PSPs, cross-border platforms, banking infrastructure, and network-level systems.

Unlike generic comparison tools, API Radar recognises that different categories operate at different layers of the financial stack. A PSP is not a card network. A cross-border platform is not a clearing system. Therefore, capabilities and tiers are defined within each segment, not across segments.

What We Measure

  • •
    Sandbox Fidelity: Does a test/sandbox environment exist? Is it publicly accessible? Does it use real or synthetic data?
  • •
    Segment-Specific Capability Tier: Each provider is assigned a tier within its segment only. Example: Visa → Tier C0, Stripe → Tier P0, Wise → Tier X1, SWIFT → Tier I2. Tiers are not comparable across segments.
  • •
    Routing & reference metadata: For network and banking infrastructure providers, we also note whether they expose directory, validation, or pre-validation APIs (e.g. BIC directory, IBAN structure validation, payment tracking).
  • •
    API Documentation & DX: Quality of developer documentation, SDK availability, code examples, and overall developer experience.
  • •
    Access Requirements: Registration process, contract requirements, pricing tiers, and any barriers to accessing the API.
  • •
    Data Fidelity: Whether sandbox/test data reflects real-world scenarios, or if it's purely synthetic/mock data.

Segment-Specific Capability Tiers

Capabilities differ dramatically across provider types. To avoid misleading comparisons, API Radar uses segment-specific tier models, each with its own progression.

A PSP's Tier P1 is not comparable to a network provider's Tier I1.

🔵 Card Schemes — C-Tiers

Reflects maturity across payments, risk, insights, and network metadata.

Tier C0— Core Payments APIs
  • Payments (auth/capture/refund)
  • Tokenisation
  • Basic risk signals
Tier C1— Payments + Advanced Risk
  • Enhanced fraud scoring
  • Identity checks / 3DS metadata
Tier C2— Disputes + Merchant Insights
  • Chargeback/dispute APIs
  • Merchant analytics
  • Enhanced reporting
Tier C3— Network-Level Metadata & Services
  • BIN intelligence
  • Merchant category metadata
  • Network routing metadata

🟣 PSPs / Processors — P-Tiers

Reflects breadth of transactional, operational, and optimisation capabilities.

Tier P0— Core Transactional APIs
  • Payments
  • Payouts
  • Webhooks
Tier P1— Billing & Platform Components
  • Billing/subscriptions
  • Disputes
  • Customer vault
Tier P2— Operational Infrastructure
  • Reconciliation
  • Reports & settlements
  • Merchant onboarding (KYB)
Tier P3— Routing & Optimisation Layer
  • Smart routing
  • Retry logic APIs
  • Payment optimisation metadata

🟡 Cross-Border / FX Platforms — X-Tiers

Reflects depth of transfer, FX, treasury, and payout-network capabilities.

Tier X0— Core FX & Transfers
  • Transfers
  • FX quotes
  • Basic tracking
Tier X1— Multi-Currency Infrastructure
  • Multi-currency accounts
  • Wallets
  • Statements
Tier X2— Advanced FX Tooling
  • Hedging
  • Forward contracts
  • Treasury APIs
Tier X3— Corridor Intelligence & Local Rails
  • Regional payout rail intelligence
  • Local corridor metadata
  • Routing hints at corridor level

🟤 Banking Infrastructure Providers — B-Tiers

Reflects depth of account, settlement, compliance, and banking operational APIs.

Tier B0— Accounts & Payments
  • Account creation
  • Virtual IBANs
  • Domestic/SEPA/FPS payments
Tier B1— Banking Operations
  • Statementing
  • Transaction metadata
  • Reconciliation
Tier B2— Compliance Layer
  • KYC/KYB APIs
  • AML screening
  • Identity verification
Tier B3— Bank-Grade Infrastructure
  • Clearing access
  • Ledger APIs
  • Settlement systems & operational metadata

🔴 Network & Payment Infrastructure — I-Tiers

Applies to networks such as SWIFT, clearing houses, and directory providers.

Tier I0— Messaging Only
  • Basic messaging
  • Status APIs
Tier I1— Directory Metadata
  • BIC directory
  • IBAN structure
  • Routing tables
Tier I2— Validation & Pre-Validation
  • Payment pre-validation
  • IBAN checks
  • Compliance screening

Example: SWIFT (SwiftRef, Payment Pre-validation)

Tier I3— Full Routing & Settlement Intelligence
  • Payment path prediction
  • Settlement metadata
  • Network efficiency scoring

Neutrality & Source Policy

API Radar is an independent research project. Our evaluations are based solely on information from official developer portals, API documentation, and publicly accessible resources.

  • We only use official developer portals and API documentation as sources
  • We do not rely on press releases, blog posts, or marketing materials
  • No paid placement or affiliate relationships influence our classifications
  • Methodology-first approach: capabilities are documented as they exist, not as they're marketed

Future Extensions

API Radar will gradually expand beyond the initial coverage of card schemes, PSPs, and networks. Planned extensions include:

  • Open banking APIs (PSD2, Open Banking UK, etc.)
  • Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) providers
  • Banking APIs and core banking infrastructure
  • Clearing networks and settlement systems
  • Identity and KYC/AML APIs
  • Regional payment rails and local schemes
  • Cryptocurrency and digital asset APIs