API Management · head to head
Apigee vs Backendless
Apigee
API Management
API management platform for designing, securing, and scaling APIs
- From
- $500/monthly
- Rated
- -
Backendless
API Management
Visual app development platform with REST APIs and cloud backend
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Backendless 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; Backendless free tier limited to 50 API requests per minute and 20 database tables
- They diverge on capability: Apigee covers API Gateway, Backendless covers REST API.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Apigee and Backendless actually diverge.
| Attribute | Apigee | Backendless |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $500/monthly | Free |
| Pricing model | subscription | Unknown |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Cloud, Hybrid, On-premises | Cloud, Visual builder |
| Founded | 2006 | 2012 |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (API Management).
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 Gateway
- API Analytics
- Developer Portal
- Google Cloud services
- Azure
- AWS
- Okta
- Hybrid support
Only in Backendless
- REST API
- Real-time database
- Cloud code
- Custom integrations
- Webhooks
- Cloud functions
- Visual builder support
Both cover
- Cloud 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 Backendless
- Monetizing APIs and running a developer portalnot Backendless
- Analyzing API traffic and defending APIs against bots and abusenot Backendless
Backendless
- API Developmentnot Apigee
- API Gatewaynot Apigee
- API Testingnot Apigee
- API Documentationnot Apigee
- Microservicesnot 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
Backendless
- Free tier limited to 50 API requests per minute and 20 database tables
- Smaller community and integration ecosystem compared to Firebase or AWS
- Customization beyond codeless tools requires developer expertise
- Limited documentation for advanced use cases and edge cases
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
Backendless
Free- FreeFree
- 50 API requests/minute
- 20 database tables
- 1 GB file storage
- Scale Variable$15/month
- Unlimited API requests/month
- 100 database tables
- 10 GB file storage
- Scale Fixed$15/month
- Same as Scale Variable
- Fixed monthly pricing
Which should you pick?
Choose Apigee if
- You need api gateway.
- You work on Cloud, Hybrid, On-premises.
- You also want api analytics.
Choose Backendless if
- You need rest api.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Cloud, Visual builder.
- You also want real-time database.
Questions people ask
- Is Apigee or Backendless better?
- Neither clearly leads. Apigee starts at $500/monthly and Backendless at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Apigee or Backendless?
- Backendless has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $500/monthly for Apigee and Free for Backendless.
- Does Apigee or Backendless run on more platforms?
- Apigee runs on Cloud, Hybrid, On-premises. Backendless runs on Cloud, Visual builder.
- Can I use Backendless for free?
- Yes. Backendless 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 Backendless is typically brought in for.
- What can Apigee do that Backendless cannot?
- Apigee covers API Gateway, API Analytics, Developer Portal, Google Cloud services. Backendless covers REST API, Real-time database, Cloud code, Custom integrations. Both handle Cloud support.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Backendless: Does Backendless have a free tier?
Backendless Free plan ($0/month) includes 50 API requests per minute, 20 database tables, 1 GB file storage, 1 visualization, 2 security roles, and basic cloud code capabilities.
SourceBackendless: What features does the Scale plan include?
Scale plan ($15+/month) provides unlimited API requests per month, 100 database tables, 10 GB file storage, 5 visualizations, 10 custom API keys, daily backups, free SSL certificates, and 1,000 real-time connections.
SourceBackendless: Can I add more storage or increase API limits?
Yes, Backendless offers Function Packs ranging from $5-$399/month to increase specific limits such as storage, API requests, or security features.
SourceBackendless: Does Backendless support offline functionality?
Backendless supports real-time sync and offline capabilities for mobile apps, allowing data to sync when connectivity is restored.
SourceBackendless: Is Backendless Pro available for self-hosting?
Yes, Backendless Pro Community Edition is available under free licensing for core functionality. Managed Backendless is a paid option for self-hosted deployments with request-based pricing.
SourceBackendless: What are Backendless's integration limitations?
While Backendless supports many integrations, it has a smaller integration library compared to competitors. Finding solutions to edge cases or complex setups may require more development effort.
Source