Column vs Swan Cards
Column
column.comSwan Cards
swan.ioSide by side
| Figure | Column | Swan Cards |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | €900/mo |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 0 | 4 |
| Spec score · Banking-as-a-Service Platforms | 7.7 (#12) | 8.8 (#1) |
| Card programs | Column says customers can launch debit, credit, unsecured, charge, or secured card programs and use their own balance sheet or Column’s. | Partners can create branded and compliant card programs under their own user experience. |
| Company history | Column says it began building the bank in 2019 and launched in 2022. | Swan’s company history page says it was born in 2019, when its three co-founders began writing the first lines of code. |
| Founded | 2019 | 2019 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, United States | Paris, France |
| Integrations | Column says its card issuing connects to Visa and Mastercard and supports mobile wallets including Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, and Garmin Pay. | Swan offers a GraphQL API, a ready-made web banking interface, and an open-source Swan Banking Frontend for customized web banking. |
| Security | Column says its security program follows guidance from NIST and FFIEC and is subject to governmental audits and independent third-party assessments. | Sensitive card-related changes require consent, and Swan cards support 3-D Secure for online payments. |
| Support | Column’s developer documentation lists [email protected] for feedback and [email protected] for technical support. | The support center covers onboarding, identifications, accounts, cards, transfers, direct debit, merchants and Tap to Pay. |
| What it does | Column provides banking infrastructure and APIs for companies building financial products, including payment processing and lending platforms. | Swan lets companies embed bank accounts, cards and payments inside their own products. |
Plans
Swan Cards
- SandboxFree
- Swan€900 a month
- Swan on demand€2,990 a month
- Swan EnterprisePriced on request
In their own words
Column
Column is a nationally chartered bank providing banking infrastructure and APIs for companies building financial products. Its payment connections include the Federal Reserve, The Clearing House, SWIFT and card networks, for moving money in the United States and globally. APIs support checking, savings, trust, subledger, clearing and sweep accounts, including multiple account numbers for a single account. Column says its programmatically created bank accounts are FDIC-insured.
Companies can launch debit, credit, unsecured, charge or secured card programs, using their own balance sheet or Column’s. Lending offerings include credit origination, warehouse and forward flow facilities, with dedicated funding for lending programs. Column also describes support for USDC and USDT, accounts and cards for verified customers globally, and foreign-currency accounts with conversion to and from U.S. dollars. Its card issuing connects to Visa and Mastercard and supports Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay and Garmin Pay. Developers can use API documentation, a sandbox and payment workflow guides. Column says its security program follows NIST and FFIEC guidance and is subject to governmental audits and independent third-party assessments. Pricing is on request; prospective customers are directed to contact sales.
Swan Cards
Swan Cards provides embedded banking features—accounts, cards, and payments—for companies integrating financial services into their own products. Swan presents its platform to European software companies adding white-labeled banking. Its Mastercard debit cards come in virtual, physical, and digital formats, including single-use virtual cards. They can be added to Apple Wallet and Google Wallet for NFC payments; other digital wallets are not supported. Partners can set spending limits and payment rules based on amount, currency, merchant, city, or country. Card packages have different spending limits and FX fees: Standard, Essential, and Premium list €10,000, €40,000, and €100,000 limits, with fees of 2%, 1%, and 0%, respectively. Swan offers a GraphQL API, a ready-made web banking interface, and an open-source frontend for customization. API calls must originate from a partner’s backend, not a frontend app. The free Sandbox uses fake accounts, cards, and payments. Paid service starts at €2,990/mo.