Comparison
How Does CASParser Compare?
An honest comparison of CASParser vs Account Aggregator, MFcentral, and building your own solution.
| Factor | CASParser | Account Aggregator | MFcentral | Build In-House |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time to Market | 5 minutes | 5-10 months | Shut down | 3-6 months |
| Cost | From ₹999/mo | ₹5-25 lakhs+ (setup + recurring) | N/A | ₹10-50 lakhs+ (setup + team) |
| Regulatory Approval | None needed | Required | N/A | None |
| Data Coverage | 9 asset classes (MF, Equity, Bonds, AIFs, NPS, Insurance) | Banking, MF, demat, insurance (bonds/G-Secs still proposed) | Mutual Funds only | Custom |
| Gmail Integration | Yes | No | No | No |
| CAS Generator | Yes | No | No | No |
| White-label UI | Yes | Limited | No | Custom build |
| Multi-asset Support | Yes | Yes | No | Custom |
Detailed Comparison
CASParser vs Account Aggregator
Account Aggregator provides broader financial data access with government backing, but requires significant time and investment. CASParser is the faster, cheaper alternative for investment portfolio data.
Choose CASParser when:
- You need portfolio import in days, not months
- Your budget is limited (start at ₹999/month)
- You only need investment data (not banking, insurance, etc.)
- You want to avoid regulatory approvals
Consider Account Aggregator when:
- You need banking data alongside investment data
- You need real-time data access
- You have 5-10 months and ₹5-25 lakhs+ budget
- Regulatory compliance is a core requirement
Pro tip: For investment portfolio data, CASParser gives you everything AA does (and more: 50+ years of transaction history, joint accounts, no regulatory approvals) at a fraction of the cost and timeline. AA only adds value if you specifically need banking transaction data.
CASParser vs MFcentral
MFcentral provided real-time mutual fund data but was shut down by SEBI and AMFI in September 2025. CASParser is broader in scope, still operational, and supports all 9 asset classes.
What CASParser adds over MFcentral:
- 9 asset classes (MFcentral was MF only)
- Gmail inbox integration (unique)
- White-label Portfolio Connect UI SDK
- CAS Generator for 50+ years of transaction history
- Contract note parsing (broker documents)
Migration from MFcentral:
- Integrate in 5 minutes (REST API or SDK)
- Discounted MFcentral Migration Package
- Dedicated migration support engineer
- Same unified JSON format for easy integration
CASParser vs Building In-House
Building a CAS parser in-house gives you full control, but consumes 3-6 months of developer time and ₹10-50 lakhs+ in costs. CASParser lets you integrate in 5 minutes.
Development Time
5 min vs 3-6 months
Cost
₹999/mo vs ₹10-50L+
Maintenance
Zero vs ongoing
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CASParser a replacement for Account Aggregator?
CASParser extracts investment data from CAS PDFs (equities, mutual funds, bonds, AIFs, NPS, insurance). Account Aggregator aims to provide broader financial data access but has significant coverage gaps and requires your company to be a regulated entity. Most platforms that evaluated both chose CASParser for investment portfolio data because it covers 9 asset classes with 50+ years of transaction history (via CAMS/KFintech CAS), without the regulatory overhead.
Why did MFcentral shut down?
SEBI and AMFI shut down MFcentral API in September 2025 as part of the regulatory push toward Account Aggregator as the official data-sharing framework in India. MFcentral was operated by CAMS and KFintech as a joint venture and only supported mutual fund data.
How long does Account Aggregator take to implement?
Account Aggregator typically takes 5-10 months. Your company must first be a regulated entity (registered with RBI, SEBI, IRDAI, or PFRDA). Then: FIU registration, mandatory FIP integration (if you hold financial data), Sahamati certification by an empanelled auditor, quarterly self-tests, and IS audits every 2 years. The RBI Master Direction has been updated 9 times since 2016, and each spec change can trigger re-certification.
Can I use CASParser and Account Aggregator together?
You can, but most platforms find CASParser covers everything they need for investment data. CASParser supports 9 asset classes with 50+ years of transaction history from CAMS/KFintech. AA covers banking, MF, demat, and insurance, but bonds/G-Secs/EPF/PPF are still proposed, joint accounts are excluded, and demat history is capped at 2 years. The only reason to add AA is if you specifically need banking transaction data.
Does CASParser require any regulatory approval?
No. CASParser is a pure API service that parses PDF documents. It does not access any regulated financial data infrastructure. No RBI approval, no TSP contracts, no FIU registration needed. CASParser is SEBI-compliant and production-ready.
Read more: CASParser vs Account Aggregator | MFcentral Shutdown
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