If you've been building on GoCardless Bank Account Data (formerly Nordigen's free tier), you may have noticed something concerning: new signups are disabled. The official page at bankaccountdata.gocardless.com/new-signups-disabled now blocks all new integrations.
Existing users can continue, but if you're starting a new project or evaluating options, you need alternatives — today.
What happened
GoCardless acquired Nordigen in 2023 and integrated its free bank-data API as "Bank Account Data." The free tier was hugely popular with indie developers, hobbyist projects, and small fintech tools — it offered EU PSD2 coverage without the upfront cost of enterprise providers.
Now that door is closing for new users. This mirrors a broader pattern: free open banking tiers are disappearing across the industry. Plaid tightened its free tier, Tink went enterprise-only under Visa, and now Nordigen's free legacy is being sunset for new signups.
The question isn't just "what's the alternative" — it's "what alternative doesn't lock me into the same cycle?"
The alternatives compared
| Provider | eIDAS cert required? | Pricing model | EU coverage | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| open-banking.io | ❌ No | Free tier + paid plans | EU (PSD2) | Devs who want no certificate hassle |
| Tink (Visa) | ✅ Yes | Enterprise pricing | EU + global | Large-scale production |
| Plaid | ✅ Yes (EU) | Pay-per-call | Global | US-first teams needing EU too |
| Yapily | ✅ Yes | Custom pricing | EU | Enterprise integrations |
| Enable Banking | ✅ Yes | Custom pricing | EU | Budget-conscious teams |
The key differentiator isn't coverage or pricing — it's the certificate requirement. Most providers require you to hold an eIDAS QWAC/QSeal certificate to call their APIs directly.
Why certificate-free matters more than you think
An eIDAS qualified certificate costs €2,000–10,000 per year, depending on the issuer and type. You need to renew every 1–2 years, maintain audit trails, and handle the operational overhead of certificate rotation.
For an indie developer or small SMB tool, the certificate cost can exceed the entire app's revenue. This is the hidden tax that makes "free" open banking APIs expensive in practice — you're paying for the cert even if the API calls are free.
Certificate-free alternatives work differently: they use end-to-end encryption through regulated partner infrastructure, so you get PSD2-compliant bank data access without holding the certificate yourself. You interact with a standard REST API; the regulated partner handles the compliance layer.
How to migrate from GoCardless BAD
If you've been using the Nordigen/GoCardless Bank Account Data REST API, the migration path is straightforward:
API surface is similar. Most PSD2 providers expose endpoints for accounts, transactions, and balances. Endpoint structures differ slightly but the data model is consistent across PSD2.
Re-map bank identifiers. Each provider uses slightly different bank ID schemas. You'll need to update your bank selection/lookup logic.
Consent flow is similar. PSD2 mandates a redirect-based consent flow (ASPSP → callback). The mechanics are the same; the redirect URLs and token formats differ.
Test incrementally. Start with one bank, verify transaction data quality, then expand coverage.
The simplest path: pick a cert-free provider, spin up a sandbox, and point your existing integration at the new endpoints. If you were using Nordigen's Python SDK, the migration is mostly changing base URLs and auth headers.
What to do right now
- Check your current integration status. If you're an existing GoCardless BAD user, confirm your access is still active and understand the sunset timeline.
- Evaluate cert-free alternatives before your access ends. Don't wait until the last minute — consent flows, bank mappings, and testing take time.
- If you're starting fresh, skip the cert entirely. There's no reason to buy a €2,000+/year certificate when cert-free options exist with the same PSD2 coverage.
Disclosure: I'm affiliated with open-banking.io, a certificate-free EU open banking API. This comparison is based on publicly available information about each provider as of July 2026.
Top comments (0)