Software · head to head
Apigee vs Microsoft Azure API Management
Apigee
Software
API management platform for designing, securing, and scaling APIs
- From
- $500/monthly
- Rated
- -
Microsoft Azure API Management
Software
Hybrid, multi-cloud API management service on Azure
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Microsoft Azure API Management has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Apigee the free evaluation is a sandbox limited to 60 days; Microsoft Azure API Management prices are not shown on the pricing page itself; every tier renders as a placeholder and routes to the calculator or sales
- They diverge on capability: Apigee covers API Analytics, Microsoft Azure API Management covers API Policies.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Apigee and Microsoft Azure API Management actually diverge.
| Attribute | Apigee | Microsoft Azure API Management |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $500/monthly | Free |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Cloud, Hybrid, On-premises | Cloud, Hybrid, Multi-cloud |
| Founded | 2006 | 1975 |
Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), 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 Apigee
- API Analytics
- Google Cloud services
- Azure
- Okta
- On-premises support
Only in Microsoft Azure API Management
- API Policies
- Azure services
- Google Cloud
- On-premises
- Multi-cloud support
Both cover
- API Gateway
- Developer Portal
- AWS
- Cloud support
- Hybrid support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Apigee
- Publishing, securing and versioning APIs for an enterprise API programnot Microsoft Azure API Management
- Monetizing APIs and running a developer portalnot Microsoft Azure API Management
- Analyzing API traffic and defending APIs against bots and abusenot Microsoft Azure API Management
Microsoft Azure API Management
- API gateway and lifecycle management on Azurenot Apigee
- Throttling, keys and policies in front of backend servicesnot Apigee
- Developer portal for internal and partner APIsnot Apigee
- Hybrid deployments using self-hosted gatewaysnot Apigee
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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
Microsoft Azure API Management
- Prices are not shown on the pricing page itself; every tier renders as a placeholder and routes to the calculator or sales
- Two parallel generations of tiers, classic and v2, so the choice is which lineage before which size
- The Developer tier is explicitly not for production
- Self-hosted gateways and workspace gateways are charged separately from the service
Pricing, plan by plan
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
Microsoft Azure API Management
Free- FreeFree
- 1M calls/month
- Community support
- Developer$50/monthly
- 10M calls/month
- Email support
- Premium$500/monthly
- Unlimited calls
- Priority support
- SLA
Which should you pick?
Choose Apigee if
- You need api analytics.
- You work on Cloud, Hybrid, On-premises.
- You also want google cloud services.
Choose Microsoft Azure API Management if
- You need api policies.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Cloud, Hybrid, Multi-cloud.
- You also want azure services.
Questions people ask
- Is Apigee or Microsoft Azure API Management better?
- Neither clearly leads. Apigee starts at $500/monthly and Microsoft Azure API Management at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Apigee or Microsoft Azure API Management?
- Microsoft Azure API Management has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $500/monthly for Apigee and Free for Microsoft Azure API Management.
- Does Apigee or Microsoft Azure API Management run on more platforms?
- Apigee runs on Cloud, Hybrid, On-premises. Microsoft Azure API Management runs on Cloud, Hybrid, Multi-cloud.
- Can I use Microsoft Azure API Management for free?
- Yes. Microsoft Azure API Management has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Apigee starts at $500/monthly.
- What is Apigee best used for?
- Apigee is most often used for publishing, securing and versioning apis for an enterprise api program, monetizing apis and running a developer portal, analyzing api traffic and defending apis against bots and abuse. Of those, publishing, securing and versioning apis for an enterprise api program and monetizing apis and running a developer portal are not what Microsoft Azure API Management is typically brought in for.
- What can Apigee do that Microsoft Azure API Management cannot?
- Apigee covers API Analytics, Google Cloud services, Azure, Okta. Microsoft Azure API Management covers API Policies, Azure services, Google Cloud, On-premises. Both handle API Gateway, Developer Portal, AWS, Cloud support.