API Management · head to head
3scale vs Directus
3scale
API Management
API management platform for designing, securing, and monetizing APIs
- From
- $300/monthly
- Rated
- -
Directus
API Management
Open-source data platform providing REST and GraphQL APIs
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Directus has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- 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; Directus free permissive use of the self hosted product is limited to organisations under $5M annual revenue with fewer than 50 employees, so crossing either threshold turns a free dependency into a paid licence
- They diverge on capability: 3scale covers API Gateway, Directus covers REST API.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which 3scale and Directus actually diverge.
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (API Management).
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 Gateway
- Developer Portal
- API Monetization
- Red Hat OpenShift
- AWS
- Azure
- Kubernetes
- On-premises support
Only in Directus
- REST API
- GraphQL API
- Database management
- PostgreSQL
- MySQL
- SQLite
- Webhooks
- Node.js support
Both cover
- Cloud support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
3scale
- API gateway and lifecycle managementnot Directus
- Rate limiting and traffic control across API consumersnot Directus
- Developer portal and access key managementnot Directus
- Monetising APIs with usage-based plansnot Directus
- Hybrid deployment across on-premises and cloudnot Directus
Directus
- Wrapping an existing SQL database in a REST and GraphQL API with an admin interfacenot 3scale
- Running a self hosted headless CMS over a schema you already ownnot 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
Directus
- Free permissive use of the self hosted product is limited to organisations under $5M annual revenue with fewer than 50 employees, so crossing either threshold turns a free dependency into a paid licence
- The free Core tier is a hard limit of 3 seats, 25 collections and 5 flows
- The Team plan is $499 a month billed annually, or $599 monthly, with extra seats at $50 each
- Team caps collections at 50, expandable to 100, and flows at 20
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
Directus
Free- CommunityFree
- Self-hosted Directus
- Community support
- Cloud$25/monthly
- Managed cloud
- Automatic updates
- Backups
Which should you pick?
Choose 3scale if
- You need api gateway.
- You work on Cloud, On-premises, Hybrid.
- You also want developer portal.
Choose Directus if
- You need rest api.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Node.js, Cloud, Self-hosted, Docker.
- You also want graphql api.
Questions people ask
- Is 3scale or Directus better?
- Neither clearly leads. 3scale starts at $300/monthly and Directus at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, 3scale or Directus?
- Directus has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $300/monthly for 3scale and Free for Directus.
- Does 3scale or Directus run on more platforms?
- 3scale runs on Cloud, On-premises, Hybrid. Directus runs on Node.js, Cloud, Self-hosted, Docker.
- Can I use Directus for free?
- Yes. Directus has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. 3scale starts at $300/monthly.
- 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 Directus is typically brought in for.
- What can 3scale do that Directus cannot?
- 3scale covers API Gateway, Developer Portal, API Monetization, Red Hat OpenShift. Directus covers REST API, GraphQL API, Database management, PostgreSQL. Both handle Cloud support.