Unit vs Stripe Issuing
Unit and Stripe Issuing compete in the same bracket: coverage, certifications and integration time-to-market decide it. On compliance Stripe Issuing documents more certifications (2 vs 0). In our editorial rating Stripe Issuing leads (5.0 vs 4.2). For a serious B2B comparison request custom pricing from both: public terms are only the starting point.
| Unit | Stripe Issuing | |
|---|---|---|
| Tier | A | S |
| Rating | ★ 4.2 | ★ 5.0 |
| Service type | Card issuing / BaaS | Card issuing / BaaS |
| Pricing model | Not disclosed | Per transaction |
| Card networks | Visa, Mastercard | Visa, Mastercard |
| Card types | virtual, physical, debit, credit, prepaid | virtual, physical, debit, credit, prepaid |
| Fiat rails | ACH, Wire | ACH, SEPA, Wire |
| SDK | TypeScript, Node.js, React, React Native, Python | Node, Python, Ruby, PHP, Go, Java, .NET |
| Fund custody | Self-custody (funds in your control) | Self-custody (funds in your control) |
| KYC | Full | Full |
| Supported countries | US · 1+ countries | US, EEA, UK, APAC · 22+ countries |
| Regulator | OCC / FDIC (via partner banks) | FCA |
| OAM Italy registration | No | — |
| Segment | B2B | B2B |
| Spread | — | 20 bps |
| Per-card fee | — | $0.10 virtual · $3.50 physical |
| Settlement time | — | T+1 |
| Stablecoins | — | USDC |
| Customer type | — | Fintech, Developers, Platforms |
| Certifications | — | SOC2-T2, PCI-DSS-L1 |
| Processed volume | — | $1.4T |
| Currencies | — | USD, EUR, GBP |
| Regions | US | US, EU/EEA, UK, APAC |
| Licences & safety | N/A |
Frequently asked questions
Unit vs Stripe Issuing: which is better?
Unit and Stripe Issuing compete in the same bracket: coverage, certifications and integration time-to-market decide it. On compliance Stripe Issuing documents more certifications (2 vs 0). In our editorial rating Stripe Issuing leads (5.0 vs 4.2). For a serious B2B comparison request custom pricing from both: public terms are only the starting point.
Is Unit custodial or self-custody?
Unit is self-custody: you keep the keys, while Stripe Issuing is self-custody.