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API Management · head to head

Apigee vs GitHub Actions

Apigee logo

Apigee

API Management

API management platform for designing, securing, and scaling APIs

From
$500/monthly
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
GitHub Actions logo

GitHub Actions

Testing & QA

Automate your software workflows

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only GitHub Actions 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; GitHub Actions private repository usage is capped at 2,000 minutes per month on GitHub Free and 3,000 on Pro and Team, with anything beyond billed

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Apigee and GitHub Actions actually diverge.

Attributes where Apigee and GitHub Actions differ
AttributeApigeeGitHub Actions
Starting price$500/monthlyFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsCloud, Hybrid, On-premisesWeb
CategoryAPI ManagementTesting & QA
Founded20062008

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 Apigee

  • API Gateway
  • API Analytics
  • Developer Portal
  • Google Cloud services
  • Azure
  • AWS
  • Okta
  • Cloud support

Only in GitHub Actions

Nothing recorded that Apigee does not also cover.

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 GitHub Actions
  • Monetizing APIs and running a developer portalnot GitHub Actions
  • Analyzing API traffic and defending APIs against bots and abusenot GitHub Actions

GitHub Actions

  • Running CI builds and tests on pushes and pull requestsnot Apigee
  • Automating releases, container image builds and deployments from a repositorynot Apigee
  • Scheduled maintenance jobs and repository automationnot 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

GitHub Actions

  • Private repository usage is capped at 2,000 minutes per month on GitHub Free and 3,000 on Pro and Team, with anything beyond billed
  • Artifact storage is only 500 MB on GitHub Free and 2 GB on Team, and it is shared with GitHub Packages storage
  • Larger runners are always charged for, even on public repositories and even when plan quota remains
  • Windows runners cost $0.010 per minute against $0.006 for a 2-core Linux runner, so the same workflow costs more per platform
  • macOS runners are charged at a higher per-minute rate than Linux runners
  • Failed runs consume minutes, so a job that fails after 5 minutes and is re-run for 10 uses 15 minutes of quota
  • Storage is billed on hourly accrual in GB-Hours, so deleting artifacts stops future charges but does not remove charges already accrued in the cycle
  • Cache storage is a separate 10 GB per repository allowance and peak hourly usage above it is charged
  • Minutes are charged to the repository owner, not the person who triggered the run, and anyone with write access can trigger runs
  • Without a valid payment method on file, workflows are blocked as soon as the quota is exhausted

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

GitHub Actions

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the GitHub Actions review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Apigee if

  • You need api gateway.
  • You work on Cloud, Hybrid, On-premises.
  • You also want api analytics.
Apigee review

Choose GitHub Actions if

  • You want to start without paying.
GitHub Actions review

Questions people ask

Is Apigee or GitHub Actions better?
Neither clearly leads. Apigee starts at $500/monthly and GitHub Actions at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Apigee or GitHub Actions?
GitHub Actions has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $500/monthly for Apigee and Free for GitHub Actions.
Does Apigee or GitHub Actions run on more platforms?
Apigee runs on Cloud, Hybrid, On-premises. GitHub Actions runs on Web.
Can I use GitHub Actions for free?
Yes. GitHub Actions 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 GitHub Actions is typically brought in for.
What can Apigee do that GitHub Actions cannot?
Apigee covers API Gateway, API Analytics, Developer Portal, Google Cloud services.
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Related pages

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