Merge and Apideck both offer unified APIs that let B2B SaaS companies ship integrations faster. Both promise to reduce the engineering overhead of building and maintaining connections to third-party systems. But their pricing models operate on fundamentally different assumptions about how your product will scale.

Merge charges per linked account, meaning every connection between your customer and an external system is a billable unit. Apideck charges per active consumer (your customer using integrations), meaning you pay based on customer count rather than connection count.

This distinction matters more than it might appear. The model you choose can mean the difference between integration costs that stay proportional to your revenue and costs that spike unpredictably as customers adopt more connectors. It also shapes engineering decisions: per-account pricing means you'll optimize for fewer connections, while consumer-based pricing means customers can connect to as many platforms as they need without inflating your bill.

This guide breaks down both pricing structures with real numbers, scaling scenarios, and the math you need to forecast total cost of ownership.

Pricing Models: How Each Platform Charges

Merge Pricing Model

Merge bills based on Linked Accounts, where each account your customer connects (for example, NetSuite, BambooHR, or Xero) counts as a paid connection.

Key characteristics:

• $650/month covers up to 10 Linked Accounts
• Each additional linked account costs $65/month
• Whether your customer sends 1 request or 100,000, you pay the same
• You're charged for the existence of the connection, not what it does
• Professional and Enterprise tiers require custom contracts

If your customer connects their QuickBooks account, that's one linked account. If the same customer also connects their Xero account, that's two linked accounts. Connect their HRIS system? Three linked accounts.

The math is straightforward at a small scale: you know exactly what each connection costs. But this model creates a direct relationship between the breadth of your integration offering and your monthly bill.

Merge may offer volume-based discounts depending on usage or contract terms.

Apideck Pricing Model

Apideck uses a consumer-based pricing model. A consumer is one of your end customers who has at least one active integration, regardless of how many integrations they use.

Launch plan:

• 25 consumers: $599/month
• 50 consumers: $999/month

Scale plan:

• 100 consumers: $1,299/month
• 150 consumers: $1,799/month
• 200 consumers: $2,199/month
• 250 consumers: $2,499/month

Enterprise plan: Custom pricing with volume discounts available

10% discount for annual billing on all plans.

The critical difference: a consumer using one integration or five integrations is still one consumer. If your customer connects QuickBooks, Xero, BambooHR, and Salesforce, they count as a single consumer. Customer count drives the cost, not connection count.

Plan-by-Plan Comparison

Merge Plans

Plan	Linked Accounts	Monthly Cost	Per Additional Account	Key Features
Launch	Up to 10	$650	$65/account	Core unified API access, standard support
Professional	Custom	Contract-based	Volume pricing	Advanced scopes, sandbox environments, priority support
Enterprise	Custom	Contract-based	Custom	SLAs, audit logging, dedicated support, custom data retention

Apideck Plans

Plan	Consumers	Monthly Cost	Annual Cost (10% off)	Key Features
Launch	25	$599	$539	Core APIs, webhook support, embeddable UI
Launch	50	$999	$899	Same features, higher consumer limit
Scale	100	$1,299	$1,169	Custom field mapping, data scopes
Scale	150	$1,799	$1,619	Same features, higher consumer limit
Scale	200	$2,199	$1,979	Same features, higher consumer limit
Scale	250	$2,499	$2,249	Full API access, priority support
Enterprise	Custom	Custom	Custom	SLA, SSO, whitelabel, dedicated support

Real-World Scaling Examples

The difference between per-linked-account and per-consumer pricing becomes stark as your product scales and customers adopt multiple integrations.

Startup with Light Usage

Setup:

• 10 customers
• Each connects to 2 integrations
• Total linked accounts: 20

Merge: 20 linked accounts = $650 + (10 × $65) = $1,300/month → $15,600/year

Apideck: 10 customers fits under the 25-consumer Launch plan = $599/month → $7,188/year (or $6,468/year with annual billing at $539/month)

Annual savings with Apideck: $9,132 (with annual billing)

Growing SaaS Platform

Setup:

• 25 customers
• 2 integrations each
• Total linked accounts: 50

Merge: 50 linked accounts = $650 + (40 × $65) = $3,250/month → $39,000/year

Apideck: 25 consumers on Launch plan = $599/month → $7,188/year (or $6,468/year with annual billing)

Annual savings with Apideck: $32,532 (with annual billing)

Scaling Product

Setup:

• 50 customers
• Each connects 2 systems (accounting + HRIS)
• Total: 100 linked accounts

Merge:

• First 10 linked accounts: $650/month
• Additional 90 accounts: 90 × $65 = $5,850/month
• Total: ~$6,500/month ($78,000/year)

Apideck:

• 50 consumers on Launch plan: $999/month
• Total: $999/month ($11,988/year) or $10,788/year with annual billing

Annual savings with Apideck: $67,212 (with annual billing)

Enterprise Scale

Setup:

• 100 customers
• Each connects 3 systems
• Total: 300 linked accounts

Merge:

• First 10 linked accounts: $650/month
• Additional 290 accounts: 290 × $65 = $18,850/month
• Total: ~$19,500/month
• (At this volume, Merge would likely offer contract pricing—expect $10,000–$15,000/month with negotiated discounts)

Apideck:

• 100 consumers on Scale plan: $1,299/month
• Total: $1,299/month ($15,588/year) or $14,028/year with annual billing

Annual savings with Apideck: $105,000+ (compared to list price)

Cost Comparison Summary

Customers	Integrations/Customer	Linked Accounts	Merge Estimate	Apideck Cost	Annual Difference
10	2	20	$1,300/mo	$599/mo	$8,412
25	2	50	$3,250/mo	$599/mo	$31,812
50	2	100	$6,500/mo	$999/mo	$66,012
100	2	200	$13,000/mo*	$1,299/mo	$140,412
100	3	300	$19,500/mo*	$1,299/mo	$218,412
250	3	750	$49,000/mo*	$2,499/mo	$558,012

*Enterprise contracts with volume discounts assumed; actual pricing varies.

What Real SMB Usage Data Shows

Most companies don't know how many API calls to expect from their customers until they're deep into integration. We analyzed usage data from hundreds of SMBs across industries to establish realistic benchmarks.

Typical SMB profile:

• Most companies use 1 API category (e.g., Accounting)
• 25 active customers with integrations
• Average of 2 integrations per customer

With this profile:

Platform	Cost Calculation	Annual Total
Merge	$650 base + (40 extra × $65) = $3,250/mo	$39,000
Apideck	Launch plan at $599/mo	$7,188

Net savings with Apideck: $31,812/year

That's not a small difference. That's room to hire, reinvest, or extend your runway.

The Integration Breadth Problem

Here's the core issue with per-linked-account pricing for products that want to offer multiple integration categories:

Every new integration category you support multiplies your costs.

If you're building a vertical SaaS platform for restaurants and want to offer integrations with accounting systems, POS systems, and payroll providers, each customer who adopts all three categories triples your linked account count versus a customer who only uses one.

With Merge's model, the business case for adding new integration categories must account for the marginal cost of linked accounts. If you add HRIS integrations and 40% of your customers adopt them, your linked account costs increase by 40%.

With Apideck's model, adding new integration categories doesn't change your consumer count. A customer using one integration or five integrations is still one consumer. The cost driver is API usage, which typically correlates with actual value delivered rather than breadth of options offered.

Hidden Costs and Rate Limits

Merge Considerations

Rate limits: Merge implements rate limits per linked account. The default is 3 sync requests per hour per linked account for polling-based syncs. For products that need near-real-time data, this can impact architecture decisions.

Passthrough requests: Custom API calls that don't fit Merge's unified model are counted separately and may have their own limits.

Contract variability: Professional and Enterprise pricing requires negotiation. Costs can vary significantly based on your negotiation leverage, timing, and account executive.

Apideck Considerations

Consumer counting: Your costs are based on active consumers. Make sure you understand what counts as an “active consumer” for billing purposes, which typically means any customer with at least one connected integration.

Category access: Different plans may include different API categories. If you need Accounting, HRIS, CRM, and File Storage, verify that your plan includes all the categories you need.

Real-time data: Apideck delivers real-time data with minimal latency, ensuring fresh data across integrations, which is essential for many use cases. There are no caching delays to work around.

Debunking Common Myths About Consumer-Based Pricing

"Consumer-based pricing gets expensive as you scale"

With Apideck's tiered model, costs increase predictably as your customer base grows. The key difference: your costs scale with revenue (more customers), not with feature adoption (more integrations per customer). This alignment means your integration costs stay proportional to your business growth.

"Per-connection pricing is more predictable and easier to forecast"

Per-connection pricing gives you fixed costs per link, but that predictability often comes at the expense of flexibility. You'll pay the same regardless of whether customers use the integration actively or not. With consumer-based pricing, once you know your customer count, forecasting is straightforward, and you’re never penalized for customers who adopt multiple integrations.

"Flat pricing per account avoids surprise bills"

Flat per-connection pricing favors the vendor, not you. You might be paying hundreds per connection even when usage is minimal. For companies serving SMBs or offering integrations as a value-add rather than a core feature, consumer-based pricing ensures you're paying based on actual customer engagement.

"Charging per linked account better reflects customer value"

Per-account pricing may feel intuitive, but it penalizes exactly what you want: customers deeply adopting your integration features. With consumer-based pricing, a customer connecting one system or five systems represents the same cost to you, which aligns with how SaaS value typically works.

How Pricing Impacts Your Engineering Strategy

Your pricing model doesn’t only affect your finance team, it also shapes engineering choices.

With per-connection pricing:

• You may discourage power users to avoid cost spikes
• Engineers build custom throttling logic to stay under limits
• You often delay integration rollouts to justify the cost
• Adding new integration categories requires business case for marginal linked account costs

With consumer-based pricing:

• You optimize for value, not cost avoidance
• Your team can release more integrations confidently
• No engineering workarounds for connection limits
• Adding integration categories doesn't change your cost structure

Apideck's model gives you that freedom. No guessing games about how integration breadth will affect your bill.

Forecasting Total Cost of Ownership

Step 1: Estimate Your Consumer Count

Count the number of customers who will have at least one active integration. For Apideck, this is your primary cost driver.

Step 2: Estimate Integrations Per Consumer

How many different systems will the average customer connect? This is Merge's primary cost driver.

Step 3: Calculate Linked Accounts

Multiply consumers by integrations per consumer. This gives you the total linked account count for Merge pricing.

Step 4: Project Growth

Model your expected growth over 12–24 months. Integration adoption often follows product adoption with a lag, as customers connect integrations after they’ve already gotten value from your core product.

Step 5: Run the Math

Start by estimating your current consumer count and how many integrations each consumer typically connects. Multiply these to get your total linked accounts for Merge pricing. Then project your growth over the next 12 months, including both your expected consumer count and your average integrations per consumer, and calculate your projected linked accounts.

Merge 12-month cost:

• If < 10 linked accounts: $650/month × 12 = $7,800
• If > 10 linked accounts: $650 + ($65 × additional accounts) × 12
• If > 100 linked accounts: Assume Professional contract, estimate $0.50–$0.65 per linked account per month after negotiation

Apideck 12-month cost:

• Find the plan tier that covers your projected consumer count
• Multiply monthly cost × 12 (or apply 10% discount for annual billing)

When Merge Might Make Sense

Merge's pricing model works better in specific situations:

Very narrow integration scope: If your product only needs one or two integrations per customer and you don't plan to expand integration categories, per-linked-account pricing is predictable.

Enterprise negotiation power: If you're a large buyer with negotiation leverage, you can likely secure significant volume discounts that change the math.

Low customer count with many connections: If you have very few customers but each customer needs many integrations, per-connection pricing might work in your favor, though these scenarios are rare.

Cost-insensitive, speed-first organizations: If you have a very large budget and prioritize time-to-market over long-term unit economics, Merge can be a rational shortcut. For teams that want to avoid building and staffing an integrations org, accept higher ongoing costs, and externalize complexity (maintenance, breaking changes, compliance), Merge lets you “buy speed” rather than optimize for efficiency.

Why Apideck Works Better for Broad Integration Products

For SaaS products building customer-facing integrations across multiple categories, Apideck's model aligns costs with how integration value actually scales:

No penalty for breadth: Adding new integration categories doesn't increase your per-consumer cost. You can offer accounting, HRIS, CRM, and file storage integrations without multiplying your bill every time a customer adopts another category.

Costs track revenue: As you add customers (consumers), your costs increase. As existing customers adopt more integrations, your costs stay flat. This means integration costs scale with your revenue growth rather than your feature growth.

Predictable scaling: You can model costs based on customer count and API usage patterns. There's no uncertainty about how integration breadth will affect your bill.

Better unit economics for multi-integration products: If your product's value proposition includes comprehensive integration coverage, Apideck's model lets you deliver that without per-connection overhead.

Real-time data: Unlike platforms that cache data, Apideck delivers real-time data with minimal latency, which is essential for use cases requiring data freshness.

Developer experience: Robust SDKs, comprehensive documentation, streamlined onboarding, and sandbox environments reduce friction for engineers and accelerate integration timelines.

Consumer-Based Pricing: Pay for Customers, Not Connections

Apideck's consumer-based model is built around a simple principle: you pay based on how many of your customers use integrations, not how many integrations each customer uses.

How it works:

• You're charged per active consumer (your customer with at least one integration)
• Consumers can use multiple API categories (CRM, HRIS, Accounting) without increasing your cost
• Pricing tiers scale with your customer base: 25, 50, 100, 150, 200, 250+ consumers
• 10% discount available for annual billing

This means you're never paying for inactive connections or penalized for offering more integration options. A customer connecting to one platform or five platforms counts the same.

Why this matters for your product strategy:

• You can confidently expand your integration catalog without budget anxiety
• Customer success with integrations doesn't spike your costs
• Your integration costs grow proportionally with your revenue (more customers = more cost, but also more revenue)

Side-by-Side Comparison

Factor	Merge	Apideck
Billing Basis	Per Linked Account	Active Consumers
Base Price	$650/month (up to 10 accounts)	$599/month (up to 25 consumers)
Additional Cost	$65 per linked account	Tiered by consumer count
Connector Access	Paid per connection	All included in Unified API category
Growth Alignment	Flat per connection	Scales with customer count
Multiple Integrations	Multiplies cost	No additional cost
Real-time Data	Varies	Yes
Annual Discount	Negotiated	10% off

Real-World Decision Framework

Use this framework to evaluate which model fits your product:

Choose Merge if:

• You need 1–2 integrations per customer maximum
• You're certain integration scope won't expand
• You have strong enterprise negotiation leverage
• Your customer count is very low but API usage is extremely high

Choose Apideck if:

• You're building a product that supports 2+ integrations per customer
• You plan to expand integration categories over time
• Cost predictability based on customer count matters
• You want to offer comprehensive integration options without cost penalties
• You need real-time data access
• Developer experience and time-to-integration matter

Conclusion

Both Merge and Apideck deliver on the core promise of unified APIs: faster integration development, standardized data models, and reduced maintenance burden. But their pricing models optimize for different growth patterns.

Merge's per-linked-account model is simple to understand but creates a direct cost relationship between integration breadth and your monthly bill. For products where customers use multiple integrations, costs can escalate quickly, and every new integration category you add multiplies your expenses.

Apideck's consumer-based model decouples connection count from cost. You pay based on how many of your customers use integrations, not how many integrations each customer uses. For products building comprehensive integration offerings, this model provides more predictable economics and doesn't penalize feature expansion.

Your Unified API costs should match how customers actually use your product. Before committing to either platform, run the math with your specific numbers. Estimate your consumer count, your expected integrations per consumer, and your growth trajectory.

The right choice depends on how your product scales, and the difference in total cost over 24 months can easily reach six figures.