What is the Plaid API base URL?

The Plaid API base URL is https://production.plaid.com

Does Plaid API have a free tier?

Yes. 100 items free in sandbox/development

Plaid API — Base URL, Auth & Endpoints

Plaid is the leading financial data network, powering connections to 12,000+ banks and financial institutions in the US, Canada, UK, and Europe. The API covers: bank account verification and instant auth, real-time transaction data and categorization, balance checks, identity verification, income verification, payroll data, liabilities (student loans, mortgages), and investment holdings. Used by Venmo, Robinhood, Coinbase, and thousands of fintech apps.

Quick Reference

Base URL https://production.plaid.com Auth type API Key Header Auth header {"client_id": "YOUR_CLIENT_ID", "secret": "YOUR_SECRET", "access_token": "..."} Rate limit 30 requests/min (development) · Higher in production Pricing Free tier available Free quota 100 items free in sandbox/development Documentation https://plaid.com/docs/api/ Endpoint status Server online — HTTP 411 — server is online but path returned an error (may require auth)766ms (checked Mar 29, 2026) Builder score B 73% builder-friendly

Pricing

Latency

Depth

Authentication

Include your client_id and secret in the JSON request body (not a header). A user's access_token is obtained via the Link flow and must be included for user-specific endpoints.

{"client_id": "YOUR_CLIENT_ID", "secret": "YOUR_SECRET", "access_token": "..."}

Pricing

Model freemium Starting price Free tier available Free quota 100 items free in sandbox/development

Sandbox/Development: free. Production pricing: Auth $0.60/item/month, Transactions $0.75/item/month, Balance $0.10/call, Identity $1.00/item/month. Volume discounts apply. Contact Plaid for enterprise pricing.

Key Endpoints

Method	Path	Description
POST	`/link/token/create`	Create a Link token to initialize Plaid Link UI
POST	`/item/public_token/exchange`	Exchange a public token for an access token
POST	`/accounts/get`	Get account details (name, type, balance)
POST	`/transactions/get`	Get categorized transaction history
POST	`/auth/get`	Get bank account and routing numbers
POST	`/identity/get`	Get verified account owner info

Sample Request

curl "https://sandbox.plaid.com/accounts/get" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "client_id": "$PLAID_CLIENT_ID",
    "secret": "$PLAID_SECRET",
    "access_token": "$PLAID_ACCESS_TOKEN"
  }'

Sample Response

{
  "accounts": [{
    "account_id": "BxBXxLj1m4HMXBm9WZZmCWVbPjX16EHwv99vp",
    "name": "Plaid Checking",
    "type": "depository",
    "subtype": "checking",
    "balances": {
      "available": 100.00,
      "current": 110.00,
      "iso_currency_code": "USD"
    }
  }]
}