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APIs · head to head

Akana vs Prisma

Akana logo

Akana

APIs

Enterprise API lifecycle management platform

From
$2500/monthly
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Prisma logo

Prisma

APIs

Modern ORM and API client for Node.js and TypeScript

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Prisma 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; Prisma prisma Postgres is billed per operation, with the free tier at 100,000 operations and 500 MB of storage
  • They diverge on capability: Akana covers API Lifecycle Management, Prisma covers ORM.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Akana and Prisma actually diverge.

Attributes where Akana and Prisma differ
AttributeAkanaPrisma
Starting price$2500/monthlyFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionusage-based
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsCloud, On-premise, HybridNode.js, TypeScript
Founded20012016

Identical on both: 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 Akana

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

Only in Prisma

  • ORM
  • Query builder
  • Auto-migrations
  • Node.js
  • TypeScript
  • GraphQL
  • REST APIs
  • Node.js support

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

Prisma

  • Using a type safe ORM and query layer against a Postgres databasenot Akana
  • Adding a managed connection pool and edge cache in front of an existing databasenot 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

Prisma

  • Prisma Postgres is billed per operation, with the free tier at 100,000 operations and 500 MB of storage
  • Starter at $10 a month includes 1M operations then charges $0.0080 per 1,000
  • Storage overage runs from $2.00 per GB on Starter down to $1.00 per GB on Business, so the unit cost depends on the plan
  • Accelerate charges separately per operation and per GiB of query egress beyond the first 1 KiB
  • Cache tag invalidations are not included below the Pro plan and are billed per thousand above it

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

Prisma

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 1M requests/month
    • 360 GB-hours memory
    • 4 vCPU-hours
  • Starter$10/month
    • 5M requests/month
    • 1M database operations ($8 per million overage)
    • 10 GB storage ($2/GB overage)
  • Pro$49/month
    • 20M requests/month
    • 10M operations ($2 per million overage)
    • 50 GB storage ($1.50/GB overage)
  • Business$129/month
    • 100M requests/month
    • 50M operations ($1 per million overage)
    • 100 GB storage

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 Prisma if

  • You need orm.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Node.js, TypeScript.
  • You also want query builder.
Prisma review

Questions people ask

Is Akana or Prisma better?
Neither clearly leads. Akana starts at $2500/monthly and Prisma at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Akana or Prisma?
Prisma has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $2500/monthly for Akana and Free for Prisma.
Does Akana or Prisma run on more platforms?
Akana runs on Cloud, On-premise, Hybrid. Prisma runs on Node.js, TypeScript.
Can I use Prisma for free?
Yes. Prisma 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 Prisma is typically brought in for.
What can Akana do that Prisma cannot?
Akana covers API Lifecycle Management, API Security, Governance Controls, OAuth. Prisma covers ORM, Query builder, Auto-migrations, Node.js.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Akana: What does Akana API Platform include?

Akana provides mediation and integration capabilities for creating easy-to-consume API products from API code, with features for API governance, security, and operational management.

Source
Prisma: How much does Prisma cost?

Prisma is free to start with 1M requests/month. The Starter plan costs $10/month with 5M requests, the Pro plan $49/month with 20M requests, and the Business plan $129/month with 100M requests. All plans have usage-based overages.

Source
Akana: How does Akana help secure APIs?

Akana addresses the security challenges that come with more APIs and more endpoints, providing tools for enterprise API governance and compliance management.

Source
Prisma: What is Prisma's overage pricing?

Prisma charges $1 per million requests over the included amount (Starter), $2 per million database operations overage (Pro and Starter), and $1.50-$2 per GB for storage overages depending on the plan. All plans include a hard spend limit on by default.

Source
Prisma: Does Prisma include data transfer costs?

No, Prisma includes unlimited data transfer with no egress fees on all plans. Prisma ORM remains free across all tiers.

Source
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