Comparison
Free African bank codes API: options and tradeoffs
Several services offer African bank data for free, but they cover different things. Here is an honest breakdown so you pick the right one — or combine them.
MansaAPI free tier
Free — 100 req/day
Covers: Bank codes, SWIFT/BIC, USSD, mobile networks, NUBAN validation, 8 countries
Limits: No account name resolution (roadmap)
Best for: Bank reference data across multiple African countries
Paystack bank list
Free with Paystack account
Covers: Nigerian + Ghanaian bank list with codes
Limits: Tied to Paystack; Nigeria/Ghana focused; no SWIFT, USSD, or markets data
Best for: Teams already using Paystack for payments
NubAPI free tier
Limited free, then paid
Covers: Account name resolution (the core product)
Limits: Nigeria-only; verification-focused; limited reference data
Best for: Account verification specifically
The honest take: if you need bank codes, SWIFT, and USSD across multiple African countries, MansaAPI's free tier covers the most. If you need account name resolution, that's NubAPI's strength. If you're already on Paystack, their bank list is free and convenient for Nigeria/Ghana. Many teams use more than one.
Try the free tier
No credit card. 100 requests/day across every endpoint.
curl "https://mansaapi.com/api/v1/identity/banks?country=NG" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"