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API Management · head to head

Akana vs Census

Akana logo

Akana

API Management

Enterprise API lifecycle management platform

From
$2500/monthly
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Census logo

Census

Automation & Integration

The reverse ETL infrastructure for data activation

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Census has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Akana owned by Perforce and sold within their portfolio rather than independently, and akana.com redirects to perforce.com; Census census was folded into Fivetran Activations, per the vendor: "Previously, this was called a sync in Census", and its own pricing page redirects to Fivetran pricing rather than showing Census plans
  • They diverge on capability: Akana covers API Lifecycle Management, Census covers Reverse ETL.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Akana and Census actually diverge.

Attributes where Akana and Census differ
AttributeAkanaCensus
Starting price$2500/monthlyFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionusage-based
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsCloud, On-premise, HybridWeb, Api
CategoryAPI ManagementAutomation & Integration
Founded20012020

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

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 Akana

  • API Lifecycle Management
  • API Security
  • Governance Controls
  • OAuth
  • SAML
  • LDAP
  • Active Directory
  • Cloud support

Only in Census

  • Reverse ETL
  • Data syncing
  • Transformation
  • Real-time activation
  • Error handling
  • Monitoring
  • Analytics
  • 150+ destinations

What people use each for

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

Akana

  • API lifecycle management across REST, SOAP and GraphQLnot Census
  • Applying OAuth, JWT and SAML policies at the gatewaynot Census
  • Running the same platform on-premises, in Kubernetes or across cloudsnot Census
  • Developer portal and API monetisationnot Census
  • Monitoring API traffic and enforcing quotasnot Census

Census

  • Syncing customer data from a warehouse into marketing and sales tools (reverse ETL)not Akana

Where each one falls short

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

Akana

  • Owned by Perforce and sold within their portfolio rather than independently, and akana.com redirects to perforce.com
  • Pricing is not published; only a 30 day trial is offered

Census

  • Census was folded into Fivetran Activations, per the vendor: "Previously, this was called a sync in Census", and its own pricing page redirects to Fivetran pricing rather than showing Census plans
  • Free Fivetran Activations tier caps at 3,500 monthly active rows

Pricing, plan by plan

Akana

$2500/monthly
  • Professional$2500/monthly
    • API Gateway
    • Developer Portal
    • Basic analytics
  • Enterprise$5000/monthly
    • Advanced governance
    • Multi-cloud support
    • Premium support
  • Custom$undefined/monthly
    • Custom solutions
    • Dedicated support
    • SLA guarantee

Census

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Basic syncing
    • Limited destinations
  • Pro$250/month
    • Advanced syncing
    • Email support
  • Enterprise$1500/month
    • Unlimited syncing
    • Dedicated support

Which should you pick?

Choose Akana if

  • You need api lifecycle management.
  • You work on Cloud, On-premise, Hybrid.
  • You also want api security.
Akana review

Choose Census if

  • You need reverse etl.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want data syncing.
Census review

Questions people ask

Is Akana or Census better?
Neither clearly leads. Akana starts at $2500/monthly and Census at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Akana or Census?
Census has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $2500/monthly for Akana and Free for Census.
Does Akana or Census run on more platforms?
Akana runs on Cloud, On-premise, Hybrid. Census runs on Web, Api.
Can I use Census for free?
Yes. Census has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Akana starts at $2500/monthly.
What is Akana best used for?
Akana is most often used for api lifecycle management across rest, soap and graphql, applying oauth, jwt and saml policies at the gateway, running the same platform on-premises, in kubernetes or across clouds, developer portal and api monetisation. Of those, api lifecycle management across rest, soap and graphql and applying oauth, jwt and saml policies at the gateway are not what Census is typically brought in for.
What can Akana do that Census cannot?
Akana covers API Lifecycle Management, API Security, Governance Controls, OAuth. Census covers Reverse ETL, Data syncing, Transformation, Real-time activation.
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Related pages

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