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APIs · head to head

3scale vs Apigee

3scale logo

3scale

APIs

API management platform for designing, securing, and monetizing APIs

From
$300/monthly
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Apigee logo

Apigee

APIs

API management platform for designing, securing, and scaling APIs

From
$500/monthly
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: 3scale red Hat's managed 3scale services end on 30 June 2027, so anyone adopting the hosted option now is choosing a product with a published end date; Apigee the free evaluation is a sandbox limited to 60 days
  • They diverge on capability: 3scale covers API Monetization, Apigee covers API Analytics.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which 3scale and Apigee actually diverge.

Attributes where 3scale and Apigee differ
Attribute3scaleApigee
Starting price$300/monthly$500/monthly
PlatformsCloud, On-premises, HybridCloud, Hybrid, On-premises
Founded19932006

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (APIs).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in 3scale

  • API Monetization
  • Red Hat OpenShift
  • Kubernetes

Only in Apigee

  • API Analytics
  • Google Cloud services
  • Okta

Both cover

  • API Gateway
  • Developer Portal
  • AWS
  • Azure
  • Cloud support
  • On-premises support
  • Hybrid support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

3scale

  • API gateway and lifecycle managementnot Apigee
  • Rate limiting and traffic control across API consumersnot Apigee
  • Developer portal and access key managementnot Apigee
  • Monetising APIs with usage-based plansnot Apigee
  • Hybrid deployment across on-premises and cloudnot Apigee

Apigee

  • Publishing, securing and versioning APIs for an enterprise API programnot 3scale
  • Monetizing APIs and running a developer portalnot 3scale
  • Analyzing API traffic and defending APIs against bots and abusenot 3scale

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

3scale

  • Red Hat's managed 3scale services end on 30 June 2027, so anyone adopting the hosted option now is choosing a product with a published end date
  • Sold as part of Red Hat middleware rather than standalone, and 3scale.net redirects into redhat.com
  • Pricing is not published and a subscription is required for some services

Apigee

  • The free evaluation is a sandbox limited to 60 days
  • Pay-as-you-go has no SLA available at all
  • Pay-as-you-go bills environments separately from API calls, with a Base environment costing $365 per month per region
  • The Base environment is capped at 50 QPS with an SLA of up to 99%
  • Standard API Proxy calls are billed at $20 per 1M calls up to 50M, and Extensible API Proxy calls at $100 per 1M calls up to 50M
  • API Analytics is a paid add-on at $20 per 1M API calls and cannot be bought on a Base environment
  • Advanced API Security is a paid add-on at $350 per 1M API calls and cannot be bought on a Base environment
  • Monetization is unavailable on pay-as-you-go and requires a subscription tier
  • Additional API proxy deployments beyond those included cost $0.04 per hour per region on a Comprehensive environment
  • Subscription tiers Standard, Enterprise and Enterprise Plus are quote only with no published price
  • Google Cloud networking charges for IP addresses, data transfer out and forwarding rules are billed on top of Apigee usage

Pricing, plan by plan

3scale

$300/monthly
  • Starter$300/monthly
    • API gateway
    • Developer portal
    • Basic analytics
  • Professional$750/monthly
    • Advanced features
    • API monetization
    • Enhanced support
  • Enterprise$undefined/monthly
    • Custom deployment
    • Dedicated support
    • Premium SLA

Apigee

$500/monthly
  • Starter$500/monthly
    • API gateway
    • Analytics
    • Developer portal
  • Professional$2500/monthly
    • Advanced security
    • Traffic management
    • Monetization
  • Enterprise$undefined/monthly
    • Custom deployment
    • SLA
    • Dedicated support

Which should you pick?

Choose 3scale if

  • You need api monetization.
  • You work on Cloud, On-premises, Hybrid.
  • You also want red hat openshift.
3scale review

Choose Apigee if

  • You need api analytics.
  • You work on Cloud, Hybrid, On-premises.
  • You also want google cloud services.
Apigee review

Questions people ask

Is 3scale or Apigee better?
Neither clearly leads. 3scale starts at $300/monthly and Apigee at $500/monthly, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, 3scale or Apigee?
3scale starts at $300/monthly and Apigee at $500/monthly.
Does 3scale or Apigee run on more platforms?
3scale runs on Cloud, On-premises, Hybrid. Apigee runs on Cloud, Hybrid, On-premises.
What is 3scale best used for?
3scale is most often used for api gateway and lifecycle management, rate limiting and traffic control across api consumers, developer portal and access key management, monetising apis with usage-based plans. Of those, api gateway and lifecycle management and rate limiting and traffic control across api consumers are not what Apigee is typically brought in for.
What can 3scale do that Apigee cannot?
3scale covers API Monetization, Red Hat OpenShift, Kubernetes. Apigee covers API Analytics, Google Cloud services, Okta. Both handle API Gateway, Developer Portal, AWS, Azure.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

3scale: Does Red Hat 3scale require a subscription?

Yes. The page states a subscription may be required for some services, though specific subscription details and costs are not published on this page.

Source
Apigee: Does Apigee offer a free tier?

Yes, Apigee offers an always-free tier with access to 20+ products for common API management use cases, and a separate free trial providing $300 in credit for proof-of-concept projects.

Source
3scale: Is a trial available for 3scale?

A 'Start a trial' link is mentioned in navigation, but trial duration, included features, and limitations are not specified on this page.

Source
Apigee: What is Apigee's pricing model?

Apigee uses a pay-as-you-go pricing model where customers pay based on API calls and usage, with a new pay-as-you-go model designed to optimize costs.

Source
3scale: When will Red Hat 3scale end support?

Red Hat 3scale API Management maintenance and managed services will end on June 30, 2027. Customers should plan migrations accordingly.

Source
Apigee: Is there a commitment required to start with Apigee?

No. The free trial provides $300 in credit with no automatic charges or commitment required, allowing customers to evaluate the platform risk-free.

Source
Apigee: Are there usage limits I should know about?

Apigee documentation includes a limits page covering usage constraints, though specific limits are not detailed in the pricing section.

Source
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