Increase vs Synctera: Features, Coverage and Pricing Compared (2026)
Updated November 10, 2026 · Reviewed by Benjamin Margolis
Increase and Synctera both sell banking infrastructure to fintechs. Increase gives engineering teams direct access to ACH, wires, FedNow, RTP, and checks, and announced its own bank in 2026. Synctera is a managed layer between fintechs and sponsor banks, with cards and compliance tooling.
Our analysts compared the two on November 10, 2026, using each company's own product, pricing, and company pages and our full reviews of Increase and Synctera.
Choose Increase if
- you want direct control of US payment rails
- you want a bank of the provider's own
- your team is engineering-led
Choose Synctera if
- you want a managed path to sponsor banks
- you want debit and credit cards on the same stack
- you want shared compliance tooling
Increase scores 77 and Synctera scores 76 in our ratings. Increase is for teams that want the rails themselves. Synctera manages the bank and compliance side.
Key Features Compared
Increase vs Synctera at a Glance, November 2026
| Feature |  Increase |  Synctera |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | ||
| Fintech Index score | 77 / 100Higher score | 76 / 100 |
| Overview | ||
| What it is | Banking API company that lets fintechs and software platforms move money, hold deposits, and use US payment rails through one interface | Banking-as-a-service platform that helps fintechs and banks launch accounts, cards, and money movement with sponsor banks |
| Who uses it | Fintechs and software platforms, with customers such as Ramp, Check, and Pipe | Fintechs and banks; Bolt is its largest customer |
| Main products | ACH, wires, FedNow, RTP, checks, card issuing, and accounts through one API | Accounts, wallets, debit and credit cards, money movement, and compliance testing tools |
| Where it operates | United States | United States and Canada |
| Products and features | ||
| Card issuing | Cards for product use cases | Debit and credit cards |
| Bank partner model | Direct rail access, now with its own bank | Managed path to sponsor banks |
| Pricing | ||
| How pricing works | Sales-led, priced by volume and rails | Quote-based, by product |
| Published prices | Quote only | Quote only |
| Technology and compliance | ||
| Licenses and account protection | Partners with FDIC-insured banks; announced Increase Bank, Member FDIC, in July 2026 | Works through sponsor banks with shared compliance tooling |
| Apps and API | API with direct access to US payment rails | Banking-as-a-service API |
| Integrations and partners | Payroll, bill pay, wallets, and lending use cases | Connects fintechs to sponsor banks |
| Onboarding and support | Sales-led technical onboarding with compliance review | Sponsor-bank and compliance setup before launch |
| Company | ||
| Founded | 2019 | 2020 |
| Headquarters | Bend, Oregon | Palo Alto, California |
| Ownership | Private company | Private company |
| Funding | Self-funded after a Y Combinator convertible note; Forbes describes the company as self-funded and profitable in 2025 | ~$94M equity raised; $15M extension in March 2025 co-led by Fin Capital and Diagram Ventures, with Lightspeed and others as earlier investors |
| Key leader | Darragh Buckley | Peter Hazlehurst |
| Scale | Profitable in 2025; monthly payment volume tripled over the past year | $94M of equity raised |
Fintech Index Scores Compared
We rate every company on eight criteria from 0 to 100, four tied to what buyers in its sector need and four shared by every company, and the rating is their average. Increase scores 77 and Synctera scores 76.
Criterion Scores Out of 100
Key Differences Between Increase and Synctera
Model
Increase connects directly to US payment rails and announced Increase Bank, Member FDIC, in July 2026. Synctera orchestrates programs across sponsor banks.
Cards
Synctera offers debit and credit cards as a core product. Increase issues cards for product use cases next to its money movement.
Funding
Increase is self-funded and was profitable in 2025. Synctera has raised $94M of equity, including $15M in March 2025.
Pros and Cons
Increase
Pros
- Direct access to ACH, wires, FedNow, and RTP
- Its own bank, announced in 2026
- Profitable and self-funded
- Cards and accounts in the same API
Cons
- No posted rate card
- Built for engineering teams, not small businesses
- Sales-led onboarding
Synctera
Pros
- Accounts and cards on one stack
- Compliance tooling for banks and fintechs
- Expanded into Canada
- Signed Bolt in 2025
Cons
- No posted prices
- More than a business needs for a plain checking account
- Launches need sponsor-bank setup
Who Each Is Best For
Increase
A fintech or vertical software company that wants programmatic ACH, wires, FedNow, RTP, checks, cards, and accounts without building every bank connection itself.
Synctera
A fintech or embedded banking team that wants accounts, cards, and money movement through sponsor banks on one platform.
Alternatives to Increase and Synctera
These companies, all reviewed and rated on The Fintech Index, cover some of the same ground as Increase and Synctera.
Other Card Issuing and Processing Companies
| Company | Score | Best for | Comparisons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Treasury Prime | 73 | Fintechs that want a choice of sponsor banks | Increase vs Treasury Prime Synctera vs Treasury Prime |
| Moov | 77 | Platforms that want one stack for acceptance, wallets, and payouts | None yet |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Increase a bank?
Increase announced Increase Bank, Member FDIC, in July 2026, and also works with FDIC-insured partner banks.
Does Synctera post its prices?
No. Pricing is quoted by product.
Which offers credit cards?
Synctera offers debit and credit cards.
Sources
- The Fintech Index analysis of Increase and Synctera, conducted November 2026 (As of November 10, 2026)
- Increase home page: https://increase.com/ (As of November 10, 2026)
- Increase updates: https://increase.com/updates (As of November 10, 2026)
- Forbes, Increase: https://www.forbes.com/companies/increase/ (As of November 10, 2026)
- TechCrunch, July 2025: https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/03/stripes-first-employee-the-founder-of-fintech-increase-sort-of-bought-a-bank/ (As of November 10, 2026)
- Synctera home page: https://www.synctera.com/ (As of November 10, 2026)
- Synctera, about: https://www.synctera.com/about (As of November 10, 2026)
- Synctera, funding news: https://www.synctera.com/news/banking-as-a-service-leader-synctera-raises-15m-and-signs-bolt-its-largest-customer-to-date (As of November 10, 2026)
- TechCrunch, March 2025: https://techcrunch.com/2025/03/11/baas-startup-synctera-raises-15m-signs-bolt-as-a-customer/ (As of November 10, 2026)