Comparison · 2026 edition
Lithic vs Marqeta: card issuing compared 2026.
Lithic and Marqeta side by side in the Card Issuing Index 2026: scores, evidence, published facts and awards.
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Lithic and Marqeta side by side in the Card Issuing Index 2026: scores, evidence, published facts and awards.
In the Card Issuing Index, Marqeta scores higher overall: 3.1 out of 5 (63 out of 100) against 2.9 (58), ranking 2 and 5 of 11. Marqeta also scores higher in every segment.
Overall and segment scores out of 100, and the score out of 5.
| Score | Lithic | Marqeta |
|---|---|---|
| Score out of 5 | 2.9 | 3.1 |
| Score out of 100 | 58 | 63 |
| Overall rank | 5 of 11 | 2 of 11 |
| For fintechs and e-money firms (out of 100) | 60, rank 4 | 62, rank 2 |
| For expense and B2B payment platforms (out of 100) | 54, rank 6 | 59, rank 2 |
| For banks and lenders (out of 100) | 60, rank 5 | 67, rank 2 |
| Type | Card issuing processor | Card issuing processor |
Each score with the evidence behind it.
| Criterion | Lithic | Marqeta |
|---|---|---|
| Card range | 5/5 Credit, debit, prepaid, virtual and physical cards and digital wallet provisioning published. | 5/5 Virtual, physical, tokenised, debit, prepaid and credit cards published. |
| Published pricing | 1/5 Pricing described in words without figures. | 0/5 Not published on the pages read. |
| Issuing countries | 0/5 Not published on the pages read. | 5/5 40+ countries published; no country list. |
| Integration | 4/5 API, sandbox and self-serve sign-up; no launch time published. | 3/5 API and private sandbox; no self-serve sign-up or launch time published. |
| Regulatory standing | 2/5 SOC 2 Type 2 published; PCI DSS without level counts as half; sponsor banks not named. | 3/5 SOC 2 Type 2 published; PCI DSS without level and an e-money licence without a named regulator count as half. |
| Programme support | 5/5 Bank sponsorship, programme management, KYC, fraud tools and dispute handling all published. | 2/5 Programme management and UK and EU BIN sponsorship published; KYC, fraud and dispute services not described on the pages read. |
Each criterion is scored 0 to 5 against the best published offer in the Card Issuing Index. 0 means not offered or not published. How it is scored
What each provider publishes on its own pages, read on 26 October 2026.
| Fact | Lithic | Marqeta |
|---|---|---|
| Card range | "Credit, debit, and prepaid cards for individuals and businesses"; virtual and physical cards with custom printing and instant issuance; digital wallet provisioning for Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay. | "Physical, virtual, and tokenized cards"; prepaid and debit programmes, and credit programmes for consumers and businesses; flexible credentials let one card work as debit, credit or buy now pay later. |
| Pricing | No pricing page. Launch post: "Create active cards for a few cents each, with no expensive monthly fees", with a share of interchange paid back. | Not published on the pages read. |
| Issuing countries | Not published on the pages read. | "40+ countries certified to operate"; no country list on the pages read. |
| Integration | API, sandbox and self-serve sign-up at app.lithic.com/signup; no launch time published. | Open APIs with 370+ endpoints, real-time webhooks and a private sandbox for testing and simulating transactions; no self-serve sign-up or launch time published. |
| Regulatory standing | Homepage lists "SOC 1 Type 1, SOC 2 Type 2, PCI DSS, and ISO 27001" (PCI DSS level not stated); Trust Center says the programme "aligns with" these frameworks. Sponsor banks not named: "can be shared during engagement". "Lithic is a fintech company, not a bank." | Trust Center lists ISO/IEC 27001, PCI DSS (level not stated), PCI 3DS, SOC 1 Type 2 and SOC 2 Type 2. States it is not a bank; bank partners not named. TransactPay, now acquired, is described as an "E-Money Institution and BIN Sponsor" in the UK and EEA; regulator not named. |
| Programme support | Program Management covers bank and network relationships, regulatory oversight, "AML, KYC/KYB, OFAC, and ongoing risk monitoring"; fraud and disputes as Program Services, with a stated "90% win rate" on eligible chargebacks. Named clients include Mercury, MoonPay and Novo. | Programme management support "from planning through execution"; UK and EU card programme management through TransactPay. Platform figures: $400B+ processed in the four quarters to 30 June 2026 and 99.99% uptime in 2025. Named clients include Klarna and Affirm. |
| Date read | 26 October 2026 | 26 October 2026 |
Not published or not stated by Lithic: issuing countries, integration and regulatory standing.
Not published or not stated by Marqeta: pricing, integration, regulatory standing and programme support.
Facts read on 26 October 2026 from: lithic.com, lithic.com/blog/introducing-lithic, lithic.com/services/program-management, trust.lithic.com/resources; and marqeta.com/platform/card-issuing, trust.marqeta.com, marqeta.com/blog/…, marqeta.com/uk/demystifying-cards-guide/….
Awards follow from the published scores and cannot be bought.
From each provider's strongest criteria and published terms.
Developers wanting a self-serve sandbox and full programme management.
Large programmes needing high volumes across many countries.
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