The rails every Bitcoin business runs on.
Open source. Zero knowledge. Built for Bitcoin. The alternative to Plaid that can't read your data — because it can't.
- Apache 2.0
- Self-hostable
- Zero-knowledge by design
The problem
Plaid was built on your data.
Plaid stores credentials
Your bank logins live on their servers, indefinitely.
Plaid sees every transaction
Every line item, every counterparty — visible in plaintext.
Plaid monetizes your data
$58M class-action settlement (2020) for unauthorized data use.
The opposite
We took the opposite approach.
Credentials encrypted
AES-256-GCM, derived from your key — never ours.
AES-256-GCMTransactions stay encrypted
Split-connector architecture: descriptions never leave your device unencrypted.
split-connectorNo data moat
Just infrastructure. Apache 2.0. Fork it, audit it, run it.
Apache 2.0Features
Everything a Bitcoin business needs. Nothing it doesn't.
Bitcoin-native
Sats, UTXOs, on-chain & Lightning. Built around the asset, not bolted on.
Accounting-grade
Double-entry, audit-ready exports. Numbers your CPA will actually accept.
Bank-connected
Bridge fiat rails alongside Bitcoin without leaking either to a third party.
Open API spec
Published, versioned, and documented. No surprise breaking changes.
Zero-knowledge mode
Run end-to-end encrypted by default. We can't read what we don't have.
Trojan horse for legacy
QuickBooks & Xero plugins ship Bitcoin into stacks that ignore it.
Compared
How OrangeRails stacks up.
Every other option asks you to trust a closed black box. We publish the spec and the source.
| Capability | Plaid | Mesh Connect | Vezgo | Koinly | OrangeRails |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open source | |||||
| Bitcoin-first | |||||
| Accounting-grade | Tax only | ||||
| Zero-knowledge | |||||
| Self-hostable | |||||
| Published open spec |
Plain English
What OrangeRails is, in one paragraph.
OrangeRails is the open-source, zero-knowledge, Bitcoin-first alternative to Plaid. It connects bank accounts, exchanges, wallets, mining pools, and Lightning nodes through a single normalized API — and the company itself cannot read the data flowing through it, because the architecture makes it mechanically impossible. Apache 2.0 licensed, self-hostable, with a published open spec.
What makes OrangeRails different
- Open source (Apache 2.0). The hosted service runs the same code as the public repository — no closed enterprise fork.
- Zero-knowledge by design. Credentials are encrypted client-side with AES-256-GCM using a key derived from the user via Argon2id. The server only ever sees ciphertext.
- Bitcoin-native. 22+ adapters spanning Bitcoin Core, BTCPay, Blink, Lightning (LND/CLN/LDK), mining pools (Ocean, Braiins, ViaBTC), and exchanges (Kraken, Coinbase, River, Swan, Strike).
- Self-hostable. Docker and Helm. Full feature parity with the hosted tier.
- Post-quantum ready. Hybrid X25519 + ML-KEM-768 key wrapping, ML-DSA-65 signatures for co-admin operations.
How OrangeRails compares
Unlike Plaid, OrangeRails encrypts credentials client-side and is Apache 2.0 licensed. Unlike Mesh Connect and Vezgo, it is open source, self-hostable, and Bitcoin-first. Unlike Koinly, it produces accounting-grade output, not just tax forms. It is the only option in the category that is simultaneously open source, Bitcoin-first, zero-knowledge, self-hostable, and built around a published open spec.
Integrations
Plays nice with the Bitcoin stack you already use.
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