Trustly

Trustly is a Pay by Bank service for merchants that want customers to pay and move money directly through bank accounts. It is best suited to businesses building bank payments, recurring collections or payouts into their customer journeys. Its breadth and integration choices are strengths; custom pricing makes it harder to assess cost before contacting sales.

Overview

Trustly connects merchants with customers’ bank accounts for payments and related services. Customers authorize online payments through a bank app or eID. Merchants can integrate through Trustly’s JSON-RPC-based API or activate the service through a payment service provider or checkout solution, allowing a direct build or a provider-led route.

Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Stockholm, Trustly says it serves 33 markets and connects to 12,000 banks. That network is relevant for merchants operating across borders, but businesses should confirm coverage for the specific markets and banks their customers use.

Key features

Payments and deposits

Trustly Payment supports online bank payments, while Trustly Deposit supports transfers for deposits, top-ups, transfers and investments. These services suit checkout or funding flows built around direct bank transfers. Instant settlement, refunds and payment webhooks can support payment operations, though merchants should assess how these fit their own workflows.

Recurring payments, data and payouts

Recurring Payments connects to a verified bank account to collect funds on a chosen cadence, making it relevant for subscriptions and other repeat billing. Data Services uses Open Banking and KYC data to verify, assess and create customer accounts in one flow, which may suit businesses combining onboarding with account checks. Trustly Payout sends funds directly to bank accounts, with standalone, bulk and scheduled options for different payout routines.

Integration and security

Direct API integration includes a sandbox, developer documentation and dedicated support; merchants can instead use a payment service provider or checkout solution. The direct route offers technical access for teams building their own integration, while the provider route may fit merchants already working through a supported checkout stack. Trustly says it encrypts data in transit, does not store banking credentials and uses SSL/TLS-only communication. It also states that it is ISO 27001-certified, GDPR-compliant and conducts third-party penetration testing. Trustly Group AB says it is an authorized Swedish payment institution supervised by Finansinspektionen and can provide cross-border services in the EU/EEA. Its security page describes 24/7 incident support.

Pricing

Merchant Trustly products: custom pricing. Trustly’s pricing model is paid, and merchants need to contact sales for details. There are no published plan tiers or prices to compare, so businesses should establish costs and terms directly before choosing it.

Platforms

Trustly supports Android, iOS, web and API. That combination covers customer-facing mobile and web experiences as well as merchant integrations, but the API route requires technical implementation or a provider/checkout solution.

Who it's for

Trustly presents its services for merchants in travel, e-commerce, financial services, gaming, utilities, subscription services and the public sector. It is a stronger fit for businesses that need several bank-based flows—such as payments, recurring collections, account verification or payouts—than for a merchant seeking only a simple payment option with a price that can be compared upfront.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Payments, deposits, recurring collections, data services and payouts cover several bank-based customer and merchant flows.
• Pro: Direct API and provider-based integration give merchants alternative implementation routes.
• Pro: Trustly says its network spans 33 markets and 12,000 banks, which can matter to merchants serving multiple regions.
• Pro: Instant settlement, refunds and payment webhooks support payment operations.
• Con: Custom pricing requires a sales conversation, limiting upfront cost comparison.
• Con: The network figures do not establish that a particular merchant’s markets and banks are covered; those need to be confirmed.

Alternatives

Open Banking Payment Platforms is a useful starting point for comparing services in this category. Consider TrueLayer Data API if a free testing sandbox matters: its Sandbox costs nothing, uses mock data and has no production access, while production pricing is based on volume and use case. Lean Payments is another paid option across Android, API, iOS and web. Pay by Bank from allpay is a paid option for Android, iOS and web. Volt is a paid option for Android, API, iOS and web, with price not listed. Brite Payments is a paid option for Android, iOS and web. Finexer is a paid API and web option with Standard and Enterprise plans at unlisted prices. Finshark is another paid API and web option. Noda is a paid API and web option with transaction-based pricing tailored to business needs rather than fixed plans.

Verdict

Choose Trustly if your business needs bank-based payments alongside related flows such as recurring collections, account verification or payouts, and can work with custom pricing. Its range of services and direct or provider-based integration routes are the main reasons to consider it. Look elsewhere if you need a clear published price before engaging a provider or cannot confirm coverage for your target markets and banks.