Planky Review for Data Aggregation and Alternatives in the UK (2025 Guide)

Data aggregation plays a key role in how UK businesses collect, interpret, and act on financial data. Platforms like Planky allow firms to connect securely to customers’ bank accounts, view transactions, and analyse affordability or liquidity insights — all within the FCA’s Open Banking framework.

However, many UK companies now need more than standard aggregation. They want faster deployment, flexible pricing, wider bank coverage, and deeper integration options.
That’s why businesses are exploring UK-based alternatives to Planky such as Bud Financial and Finexer, both offering advanced connectivity and developer-friendly APIs built for Open Banking use cases.

This guide reviews how these alternatives compare and which platform fits best depending on your business model.

1. Planky

Best for: Credit, affordability, and financial insight applications that rely on verified bank data.

Planky is an FCA-authorised Account Information Service Provider (AISP) and Credit Reference Agency (CRA) that helps UK lenders, credit platforms, and analytics firms retrieve real-time financial data.
It enables instant access to customers’ account balances, transactions, and income details directly from their UK banks.

Key Features

• FCA-regulated AIS and CRA solution.
• Connects to UK retail and business bank accounts.
• Delivers insights on affordability, cash flow, and liquidity.
• API documentation available for developer integration.

Limitations

• UK-only coverage, limited expansion outside the region.
• Fixed pricing model with less flexibility for usage-based scaling.
• May not offer custom dashboards or white-label options.

2. Bud Financial

Best for: Firms needing detailed categorisation, merchant identification, and customer insight reports.

Bud Financial, headquartered in London, is one of the UK’s most established Open Banking providers. It focuses on helping financial institutions and fintechs extract contextual insights from customer banking data — transforming transactions into categories like rent, groceries, or bills.

Key Features

• FCA-authorised AISP with strong UK bank coverage.
• Advanced categorisation and merchant recognition.
• Built-in insights for spending, income, and affordability analysis.
• Comprehensive enrichment engine for custom scoring models.

Pros

• Deep data enrichment capabilities for credit and risk analysis.
• Suitable for lenders, budgeting apps, and personal finance platforms.
• Partnerships with major UK banks and financial institutions.

Considerations

• Primarily focused on insights, not on payments or real-time settlements.
• Pricing may vary depending on data volume and enrichment level.
• Implementation can take longer for firms needing tailored categorisation logic.

3. Finexer

Best for: Accounting, payroll, legal, and fintech platforms needing both live bank data and instant payments.

Finexer is a UK-based Open Banking API provider offering secure data aggregation and instant payment initiation across 99% of UK banks.
It’s fully PSD2 and designed for businesses that want a fast, reliable, and flexible alternative to Planky — particularly those looking to automate payments or financial verification.

Key Features

• Unified API for Account Information (AIS) and Payments (PIS).
• Real-time data from 99% of UK banks and building societies.
• Supports Pay-by-Bank, batch disbursements, and refunds.
• Fully white-labelled API and dashboard for branded deployment.
• Hands-on onboarding support for 3–5 weeks.
• Usage-based pricing model with no setup fees.

Pros

• Covers nearly all UK banks under Open Banking.
• Combines data aggregation with payment functionality.
• Deploys 2–3x faster than most providers in the UK market.
• White-labelling and developer-ready design.
• Cost-efficient for scaling firms through usage-based billing.

Considerations

• UK-only solution — not built for international markets.
• API-first setup requires minimal developer involvement during onboarding.

Comparison Overview

How to Choose the Right UK Data Aggregation Platform

When comparing Planky, Bud Financial, and Finexer, consider your specific business goals and client workflows:

• For affordability or credit analytics: Planky’s CRA-level data and lending models suit this best.
• For deep customer insights: Bud Financial is ideal for data enrichment and consumer behaviour mapping.
• For clean, complete bank data access: Finexer offers extended account visibility with up to seven years of data and no access limits.

If your firm relies heavily on Open Banking for payments, onboarding, or reconciliation, Finexer provides the most flexible path to scale — while keeping full control of branding and data flow.