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Amazon Connect vs AWS API Gateway

Amazon Connect logo

Amazon Connect

Software

Cloud contact center from AWS

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
AWS API Gateway logo

AWS API Gateway

Software

Fully managed API gateway service for creating and managing APIs at scale

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Amazon Connect telephony is charged separately from the platform, so the $0.038 per minute voice rate is not the whole cost of a call; AWS API Gateway rEST APIs cost $3.50 per million calls against $1.00 for HTTP APIs, so the older and more featureful type is three and a half times dearer
  • They diverge on capability: Amazon Connect covers Voice, AWS API Gateway covers REST APIs.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Amazon Connect and AWS API Gateway actually diverge.

Attributes where Amazon Connect and AWS API Gateway differ
AttributeAmazon ConnectAWS API Gateway
PlatformsWebAWS Cloud

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (usage-based), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown), founded (2006).

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 Amazon Connect

  • Voice
  • Chat
  • Tasks
  • ML-powered analytics
  • Contact Lens
  • Outbound campaigns
  • Forecasting
  • Salesforce

Only in AWS API Gateway

  • REST APIs
  • WebSocket APIs
  • HTTP APIs
  • Lambda
  • EC2
  • DynamoDB
  • CloudWatch
  • IAM

What people use each for

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

Amazon Connect

  • Cloud contact centre with no per-seat licencenot AWS API Gateway
  • Voice, chat, email and SMS in one queuenot AWS API Gateway
  • Conversational analytics and agent assistnot AWS API Gateway
  • Outbound campaigns and automated contactnot AWS API Gateway
  • Workforce scheduling for contact centre agentsnot AWS API Gateway

AWS API Gateway

  • Fronting Lambda functions with an HTTP endpointnot Amazon Connect
  • REST and HTTP API management with throttling and keysnot Amazon Connect
  • WebSocket APIs for real-time clientsnot Amazon Connect
  • Private APIs reachable only inside a VPCnot Amazon Connect
  • Publishing a developer portal for API consumersnot Amazon Connect

Where each one falls short

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

Amazon Connect

  • Telephony is charged separately from the platform, so the $0.038 per minute voice rate is not the whole cost of a call
  • Every channel is metered individually: $0.010 per chat message, $0.080 per email and $0.014 per SMS
  • Rates vary by region and by third-party provider, so a published figure is indicative rather than final
  • Cost tracks contact volume, which makes forecasting hard for a queue with seasonal peaks

AWS API Gateway

  • REST APIs cost $3.50 per million calls against $1.00 for HTTP APIs, so the older and more featureful type is three and a half times dearer
  • Data transfer out is charged at $0.09 per GB on top of request pricing
  • WebSocket APIs bill connection minutes as well as messages, at $0.25 per million minutes
  • Private APIs avoid data transfer charges but incur AWS PrivateLink costs instead
  • The developer portal is $125 a month, with additional portal products at $12.50 each
  • The free tier lasts 12 months rather than being ongoing

Pricing, plan by plan

Amazon Connect

Free
  • Pay-as-you-go$0.018/minute
    • Voice minutes
    • Free tier available
    • No upfront costs

AWS API Gateway

Free
  • Free TierFree
    • 1M requests per month
    • Basic API management
  • Pay-as-you-go$3.5/per 1M requests
    • Unlimited requests
    • HTTP APIs
    • REST APIs

Which should you pick?

Choose Amazon Connect if

  • You need voice.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want chat.
Amazon Connect review

Choose AWS API Gateway if

  • You need rest apis.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on AWS Cloud.
  • You also want websocket apis.
AWS API Gateway review

Questions people ask

Is Amazon Connect or AWS API Gateway better?
Neither clearly leads. Amazon Connect starts at Free and AWS API Gateway at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Amazon Connect or AWS API Gateway?
Amazon Connect starts at Free and AWS API Gateway at Free.
Does Amazon Connect or AWS API Gateway run on more platforms?
Amazon Connect runs on Web. AWS API Gateway runs on AWS Cloud.
Can I use Amazon Connect for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Amazon Connect best used for?
Amazon Connect is most often used for cloud contact centre with no per-seat licence, voice, chat, email and sms in one queue, conversational analytics and agent assist, outbound campaigns and automated contact. Of those, cloud contact centre with no per-seat licence and voice, chat, email and sms in one queue are not what AWS API Gateway is typically brought in for.
What can Amazon Connect do that AWS API Gateway cannot?
Amazon Connect covers Voice, Chat, Tasks, ML-powered analytics. AWS API Gateway covers REST APIs, WebSocket APIs, HTTP APIs, Lambda.
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