Best offer on record: Free tier: Wise API sandbox with pre-funded £1,000,000 test credit. 3 verified findings, checked 2026-10-22.
Offers
Free tier: Wise API sandbox with pre-funded £1,000,000 test credit high confidence
Sandbox is a fully free test environment of the Wise Business/Personal API. Every new sandbox account is pre-funded with 1,000,000 GBP of test credit (confirmed in the official Help Centre article; the API page says 'Start building for free today' and 'It only takes a few minutes to get a sandbox account'). V2 sandbox UI is at https://wise-sandbox.com with API base URLs https://api.wise-sandbox.com (TLS) or https://api-mtls.wise-sandbox.com (mTLS). Personal API tokens can be created for free from Settings → API tokens; 2-step verification is required and token creation is web-only. No per-call API pricing exists; there is no subscription. The sandbox also includes a Simulation API for testing money-movement flows and webhooks. No student, .edu, or startup criteria apply — it is open to anyone.
Eligibility
Open to everyone (personal or business), any region, with just an email address. No .edu email required, no credit card, no identity verification, no startup age/funding cap. Caveat: Wise's most stable sandbox test flows are UK regions (UK personal, UK sole-trader business) with GBP, USD, EUR; other currencies/regions may misbehave. Sandbox does not support real money, real financial controls, or load/performance testing.
How to claim
1) Register a free sandbox account at the sandbox URL (email + password; phone verification code in sandbox is the literal 111111; your real Wise account will NOT work in sandbox). 2) Log into the sandbox, go to Settings → API tokens, and add a new personal token (2FA must be set up; web only). 3) Build against api.wise-sandbox.com. 4) When ready, open a separate verified Wise Business account and create live API tokens from its Settings page.
Expiry
No published expiry for sandbox accounts. IMPORTANT: Sandbox V1 (sandbox.transferwise.tech / sandbox.wise.tech) is deprecated June 30, 2026; use V2 (wise-sandbox.com). Test data created after April 1, 2025 was not migrated to V2 and must be re-seeded; V1 tokens/credentials created after April 1, 2025 do not work in V2 (request new ones via api@wise.com or your delivery contact).
Gotchas
Test credit is virtual only — it is not withdrawable, spendable, or convertible to a live balance. Sandbox has higher latency than production and no load-testing support. Do not put real personal data in sandbox (weaker access controls). Going live is a separate step requiring a verified Wise Business account; in the US a one-time account setup fee (e.g., $31) can apply to unlock account details. Personal API tokens have endpoint limitations: in EU/UK, PSD2 means you cannot fund transfers or view balance statements via API with a personal token. API access is per-account; OAuth 2.0 partner credentials (client ID/secret) are only issued to Wise Platform partners.
Live Wise API at no extra API fee (Wise Business account, personal token) medium confidence
Official docs FAQ: 'For business accounts accessing the Wise API with a personal token, there are no additional charges to use the available API features. For these accounts, Wise applies the regular pricing system for customers.' The account itself is free to register and free to hold money (pricing page lists no monthly fee). What you pay is the regular per-transfer fee: sending/converting 'from 0.23%' (route-specific fixed + %; e.g., wire transfers from $1.13; receiving USD wires fixed $6.11, GBP $2.16, EUR 2.39 per payment). Technical support for business-account API users is free via api@wise.com (60-minute response target); API status at status.wise.com. Wise US is a FinCen-registered MSB, not an FDIC bank.
Eligibility
Anyone with a verified Wise Business account in a supported region; no student or startup-specific gate, no .edu requirement, no credit card required for the account (funding happens via bank transfer/card per normal Wise rules). Large enterprises and partner integrations instead use OAuth 2.0 with partner-issued client credentials. Personal tokens are meant for small-business users automating their own account.
How to claim
1) Open a Wise Business account (free; 'Register for a Wise account: Free', 'Holding money: Free'; US one-time account setup fee of e.g. $31 may apply to unlock account details). 2) Verify the account and enable 2-step verification. 3) Settings → API tokens → Add new token; pass it as Authorization: Bearer against https://api.wise.com (mTLS: https://api-mtls.transferwise.com). 4) Fund transfers through normal Wise channels and pay route-specific fees. For partner/enterprise OAuth access, email api@wise.com.
Expiry
No published expiry or sunset for API access. Sandbox-side change to note: V1 sandbox deprecates June 30, 2026 (see other finding). No 2025–2026 removal of free API access found.
Gotchas
'Free API' ≠ 'free transfers' — real money movement costs the normal route fee (from ~0.23% + fixed) and, in the US, a one-time ~$31 account setup fee can apply. Personal-token endpoint limits: EU/UK cannot fund transfers or view balance statements via API (PSD2); payment links and 'receive money in your checkout' are NOT supported by the public API. No load/performance testing on sandbox. The pricing FAQ text was confirmed via an official docs search snippet; the docs page fetch itself truncated, so treat exact wording as medium-confidence.
Wise for Startups — startup solution page (no free startup credits or grants) high confidence
The official 'Wise for Startups' page markets the standard Wise Business account to founders: 'Extend your runway with Wise', receive investor funding in local currencies, Swift receiving in 22+ currencies, 'Earn 3.39% (variable) APY on USD' with passthrough FDIC insurance up to $250,000 on USD/GBP/EUR balances, 'fees from 0.33%', volume pricing 'Get discounts on monthly volumes over 25,000 USD or equivalent' (worked example: $88.83 fee less a $4.91 volume discount), and claims '77% of transfers arrive in seconds' (accurate as of Q1 2026). It bundles API integrations ('Explore API integrations') and accounting integrations (Xero, QuickBooks, Sage, Zoho, FreeAgent, Oracle NetSuite), plus an expert account manager and 24/7 support for eligible businesses. There is NO named startup program, no grant, no free-transfer allocation, and no startup-exclusive fee waiver anywhere on the page — a startup gets exactly the same free account + free-API-access terms as any other business.
Eligibility
Open to startups generally ('from seed-stage startups to public companies'); no startup-age threshold, funding cap, or revenue limit is stated. Availability is region-dependent ('Certain features may not be available in all regions and plans'). Not a student offer; no .edu requirement; no credit card requirement.
How to claim
Sign up for a Wise Business account via the 'Sign up in minutes' CTA on the startups page, or 'Contact sales' for an account manager. No separate application, cap, or verification of startup status.
Expiry
No sunset date published. Figures are dated: APY 'true as of 17 December 2025'; transfer-speed stat 'Accurate as of Q1, 2026' — treat APY as variable and re-check. The volume discount is a standing program, not a trial.
Gotchas
The only 'discount' on the page is the >$25,000 USD/month volume discount — that is not a free offer and requires significant volume. A one-time account setup fee (e.g., $31 in the US) may apply. APY is variable, not guaranteed. This is a marketing solution page, not a funding program: if you were expecting startup API credits or a founder grant, Wise does not offer one.