GoCardless, Enable Banking, or Synci?
These are three routes to using European bank data, not three identical products. GoCardless and Enable Banking provide banking APIs. Synci uses upstream connectivity and adds a managed layer for your accounts, rules, apps, and AI assistants.
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Start with the outcome you need
| Topic | GoCardless Bank Account Data | Enable Banking | Synci |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product model | Account information API | Open-banking API | Managed connections, destinations, and API |
| Actual Budget route | Existing GoCardless credentials | Experimental native integration | SimpleFIN setup token |
| New setup consideration | Actual reports new signups stopped in July 2025 | Application, redirect URL, and credentials | Synci signup, bank consent, account selection |
| Downstream applications | Build or use a compatible integration | Build or use a compatible integration | Choose supported destinations or use the Synci API |
| AI use | Add your own AI integration | Add your own AI integration | Read-only MCP access |
| Best fit | Existing access or a direct provider integration | Control over your application’s bank integration | Less setup work and multiple destinations |
Sources: GoCardless: Bank Account Data documentation · Actual Budget: GoCardless setup and signup notice · Enable Banking: API reference · Actual Budget: Enable Banking setup
For an Actual Budget user
If GoCardless already works, check whether you have a reason to move. If you need a new connection, compare Actual’s experimental Enable Banking flow with the Synci SimpleFIN flow. The first requires application configuration; the second starts with a managed Synci connection.
Before switching, back up the budget and record the last reconciled transaction date. A new data source can supply different identifiers or an overlapping history window, so review account mapping and duplicates after the first import.
For a developer
Decide whether your project needs to own the provider integration or just consume usable account data. Compare authentication, schema, error handling, production eligibility, and maintenance. A managed API can save application work; a direct API can offer provider-specific control.
Do not decide from a bank count alone. Test the institutions and data fields your application will actually use.
Building an app for your users?
For budgeting, personal finance and consumer apps, include Synci Managed apps in the comparison. Synci Managed apps connect your users’ bank and brokerage accounts through a Synci-hosted portal. Your users do not need a Synci account.
Register users from your backend through the Managed Users API and receive transactions and connection events by webhook. Managed apps are priced per active connection, with no provider application, AISP licence or bank integration work on your side.
Synci uses upstream bank providers
Synci uses GoCardless as one of its upstream providers. Choosing Synci changes how you manage and use your bank data; it does not create an independent route around every GoCardless or bank limitation. Bank availability, consent renewal, history depth, and request limits still apply.
The added product layer includes managed connections, normalized account and transaction data, rules, optional enrichment, account selection, API access, and destinations such as SimpleFIN and MCP.
Questions and answers
- Are these independent bank networks?
- No. Synci uses upstream providers including GoCardless. Its role is the managed data and destination layer. Enable Banking is a separate provider to evaluate directly.
- Which option is cheapest?
- Compare current access terms and pricing for your own use case, including the work of building and maintaining integrations. This comparison does not assume a universal free tier or a fixed price across providers.
Sources and verification
Checked on 25 September 2026. Provider details can change; follow the linked documentation for current setup requirements.
Synci uses GoCardless Bank Account Data as one of its connectivity providers. This guide is independent and is not endorsed by GoCardless. Synci is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Enable Banking. All product names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
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