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Software · head to head

Airbyte vs Apigee

Airbyte logo

Airbyte

Software

The open-source ELT platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Apigee logo

Apigee

Software

API management platform for designing, securing, and scaling APIs

From
$500/monthly
Rated
-

The short version

  • Only Airbyte has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Airbyte the self-managed open source Core edition has no SSO or RBAC, no multiple workspaces, no row filtering or encryption, and no monitoring integrations; Apigee the free evaluation is a sandbox limited to 60 days
  • They diverge on capability: Airbyte covers Data replication, Apigee covers API Gateway.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Airbyte and Apigee actually diverge.

Attributes where Airbyte and Apigee differ
AttributeAirbyteApigee
Starting priceFree$500/monthly
Pricing modelopen-sourcesubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Self-hostedCloud, Hybrid, On-premises
Founded20202006

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Airbyte

  • Data replication
  • Schema detection
  • ELT pipelines
  • Real-time sync
  • Data transformation
  • Monitoring
  • Custom connectors
  • 300+ connectors

Only in Apigee

  • API Gateway
  • API Analytics
  • Developer Portal
  • Google Cloud services
  • Azure
  • AWS
  • Okta
  • Cloud support

What people use each for

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

Airbyte

  • Replicating data from SaaS applications into a warehousenot Apigee
  • Self-hosting an open source ELT pipelinenot Apigee
  • Managed data replication without running infrastructurenot Apigee
  • Building connectors for sources without an off-the-shelf integrationnot Apigee

Apigee

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

Where each one falls short

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

Airbyte

  • The self-managed open source Core edition has no SSO or RBAC, no multiple workspaces, no row filtering or encryption, and no monitoring integrations
  • Sync frequency on Core is limited compared with the managed tiers, which offer 15 minute syncs
  • Support on the free tier is community and AI only; premium support requires Pro or Enterprise
  • The free Agents plan stops at 1,000 agent operations a month and pauses capacity until the next month once hit
  • Agent overages are billed per operation at $0.004 to $0.005 once past the plan allowance

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

Airbyte

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Self-hosted
    • Community support
    • Full features
  • Cloud$50/month
    • Cloud hosted
    • Email support
  • Enterprise$500/month
    • Dedicated support
    • Advanced features

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 Airbyte if

  • You need data replication.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Self-hosted.
  • You also want schema detection.

Choose Apigee if

  • You need api gateway.
  • You work on Cloud, Hybrid, On-premises.
  • You also want api analytics.

Questions people ask

Is Airbyte or Apigee better?
Neither clearly leads. Airbyte starts at Free and Apigee at $500/monthly, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Airbyte or Apigee?
Airbyte has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Airbyte and $500/monthly for Apigee.
Does Airbyte or Apigee run on more platforms?
Airbyte runs on Web, Self-hosted. Apigee runs on Cloud, Hybrid, On-premises.
Can I use Airbyte for free?
Yes. Airbyte has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Apigee starts at $500/monthly.
What is Airbyte best used for?
Airbyte is most often used for replicating data from saas applications into a warehouse, self-hosting an open source elt pipeline, managed data replication without running infrastructure, building connectors for sources without an off-the-shelf integration. Of those, replicating data from saas applications into a warehouse and self-hosting an open source elt pipeline are not what Apigee is typically brought in for.
What can Airbyte do that Apigee cannot?
Airbyte covers Data replication, Schema detection, ELT pipelines, Real-time sync. Apigee covers API Gateway, API Analytics, Developer Portal, Google Cloud services.

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