What Teller does

Teller, Inc. is a US-based fintech infrastructure company that provides developers with a REST API and client-side SDKs (web, iOS, Android, React) for connecting to US financial institutions. Rather than relying on screen-scraping or direct bank partnerships, Teller reverse-engineers banks' private mobile application APIs and routes requests through its proprietary Telnet mobile carrier proxy network (built on SSH and the Nerves framework on Linux single-board computers with LTE modems), enabling live, synchronous access to account balances, transactions, identity information, ACH routing details, and Zelle-based payments across more than 7,000 US financial institutions. Beyond the core API, Teller offers differentiated sub-products including Sidecar (a free zero-code Plaid migration proxy), Bridge (Zelle enrollment for non-bank fintechs using debit card PANs), Heath (an open-source AI-powered Slack support bot built on Flan-T5 with retrieval-augmented generation), and microdeposit-based verification for institutions not instantly supported.

Teller monetizes through a usage-based pricing model layered atop a freemium developer tier: Verify at $1.50 per account, Balance at $0.10 per API call, Transactions at $0.30 per enrollment per month, and Identity at $1.75 per call. An Enterprise tier adds custom volume pricing, co-branded consent screens, premium Slack support, SOC 2 Type 2 compliance, and bespoke onboarding. The company targets two primary segments: fintechs and neobanks that need reliable bank connectivity for verification, underwriting, payments, and Zelle access; and independent developers and API-first companies adopting an integration platform with developer-friendly documentation and SDKs. Teller pursues an API-first go-to-market motion, combining self-serve developer sign-up (free up to 100 connections), enterprise sales, and presence at industry events such as Money 2020. The company is privately held, headquartered in San Francisco, with engineering presence in Miami and a UK subsidiary.

Name

Teller

Legal name

Teller, Inc.

Website

https://teller.io

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Teller is a US-based fintech infrastructure company that provides developers with APIs and SDKs to connect applications to 7,000+ US financial institutions for real-time account data, ACH verification, identity, and Zelle-based payments, monetizing via usage-based and enterprise pricing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Financial APIs / Open Banking Infrastructure

NAICS

Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (52232), Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (522320), Activities Related to Credit Intermediation (5223)

SIC

Functions Related To Depository Banking, Nec (6099)

akta.pro primary industry

Bank Connectivity & Channels (Host-to-host, SWIFT, APIs, EB portals) (FSABAIAF)

Keywords

• Bank account API
• Financial data API
• Open banking infrastructure
• Payment initiation APIs
• Fintech connectivity platform

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. API Usage-based Pricing: Production usage-based pricing with per-account, per-API-call, and per-enrollment charges. Verify (ACH account verification) at $1.50/account, Balance at $0.10/API call, Transactions at $0.30/enrollment/month, Identity verification at $1.75.
2. Enterprise Custom Pricing: Enterprise tier with custom volume-based pricing, dedicated Slack support, and bespoke onboarding for large customers with unique requirements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Teller provides a REST API platform that connects applications to over 7,000 US financial institutions for real-time account data access, ACH verification, balance retrieval, transaction history, identity verification, and payment initiation via the Zelle network. The platform uses proprietary reverse-engineering of banks' private mobile app APIs and routes traffic through a custom mobile carrier proxy network (Telnet) to deliver stable, low-latency connectivity, with SDKs and a Connect UI for web, iOS, Android, and React.

Product overview

Teller is a next-generation bank account API platform providing developers with reliable, real-time API access to financial account data and payment capabilities across thousands of US financial institutions. The core offering is the Teller API, which developers integrate via Teller Connect (web embed, iOS, Android, and React SDKs). The platform exposes a set of granular API endpoints for Accounts, Balances, Transactions (with enrichment), Account Details, Identity, Institutions, and Payments. Key differentiated products include Bridge (enabling Zelle access for neobanks), Sidecar (zero-code Plaid migration), and Heath (AI-powered support bot using Flan-T5). Teller achieves connectivity by reverse-engineering banks' private mobile app APIs, routing traffic via a proprietary mobile carrier proxy network (Telnet), resulting in live, reliable data access that outperforms traditional screen-scraping approaches.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sidecar: A zero-code Plaid migration solution that enables applications to proxy Plaid API requests via Sidecar, which routes calls based on token type.
• Bridge
• Heath
• Telnet

Products and services

• Teller API Core REST API platform enabling developers and fintech companies to programmatically connect to over 7,000 US financial institutions for real-time account data, ACH verification, balance retrieval, transaction history, identity verification, and payment initiation.
• Teller Connect Client-side UI component and SDK suite (web JavaScript embed, iOS SDK, Android SDK, React SDK) that handles credential validation, multi-factor authentication, account selection, and error handling for enrolling end users' financial accounts into Teller.
• Sidecar Zero-code Plaid migration tool distributed as a Docker image. Proxies Plaid API requests and intelligently routes to Plaid or Teller based on the access token type, translating responses into the Plaid schema expected by the application.
• Bridge Product that enables neobanks and non-bank fintech companies to enroll their users on the Zelle network using their issued debit card PANs, allowing send/receive payments and creating payment requests on behalf of users without requiring direct Zelle membership.
• Heath AI-powered customer support bot built with Elixir/Nx/Bumblebee using Flan-T5 language models and retrieval-augmented generation. Classifies customer support questions via zero-shot classification and generates answers from Teller's documentation; available as a Slack application with non-Teller-specific components open-sourced.
• Payments API API for initiating payments to self or third parties from a user's bank account via the Zelle network. Supports real-time fund transfers, payee management, and MFA flows where required by the financial institution, with funds arriving instantly for Zelle member institutions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99% of financial institutions added in 2023 with 85% in last month before October 2023

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability4 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• XDC FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 October 2023XDC Foundation partnered with Teller as part of the XDC Network ecosystem. Teller provides the banking connectivity infrastructure for the accelerator program helping fintech startups build on the XDC blockchain network.
• Plug and PlaycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 October 2023Plug and Play operates the XDC Network Accelerator in collaboration with XDC Foundation, selecting fintech startups to develop DeFi solutions. Teller's bank account API is integrated into this accelerator program as the infrastructure layer for financial connectivity.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Stripe Financial Connections: Stripe's bank account verification and data product for platforms needing account connectivity for payouts, ACH, and verification. Competes with Teller for fintechs and platforms, bundled into Stripe's broader payments ecosystem.

Direct peers

• Plaid: The dominant US bank connectivity API, providing account verification, balance, transactions, and identity data to fintechs. Directly competes with Teller on the same core product surface and target customer base (developers and fintech companies), but at significantly greater scale and with deeper direct bank partnerships.
• Yodlee (Envestnet): A long-standing financial data aggregation platform serving banks, fintechs, and lenders with account connectivity, transaction categorization, and analytics. A direct competitor to Teller for account verification and transaction data use cases.
• Akoya: A bank-owned data connectivity network that allows consumers to share financial data with authorized third parties via APIs. Competes with Teller as an alternative bank connectivity provider, with the structural advantage of direct bank ownership.
• MX Technologies: Provides financial data APIs, account connectivity, and data enhancement for fintechs, banks, and credit unions. Overlaps directly with Teller on balance, transaction, and identity APIs, and competes for the same fintech and neobank customer segment.
• Atomic: Provides direct deposit switching and bank account connectivity APIs to fintechs and employers. Competes with Teller in account verification and connectivity, with a product focus on payroll, bill pay, and account-to-account money movement.
• Pinwheel: API platform focused on direct deposit switching, income and employment verification, and payroll connectivity. Overlaps with Teller on bank account data access and verification, with a narrower focus on payroll-driven fintech use cases.
• Finicity (Mastercard Open Data): A bank connectivity and financial data aggregation API acquired by Mastercard. Competes head-to-head with Teller in account verification, balance, and transaction data delivery to fintechs and lenders, with a similar developer-facing API product.

Regional players

• TrueLayer: A leading UK and European open banking API platform providing account information and payment initiation services. Closely comparable in technology and product surface to Teller, but serves UK/EU markets rather than the US.
• Flinks: A Canadian bank connectivity and open banking platform providing account verification, aggregation, and payment initiation APIs. Direct functional analogue to Teller in the Canadian market, with comparable target customers (fintechs, lenders, neobanks).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/teller
• GitHubgithub.com/tellerhq
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/teller-inc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Teller