Softwr

API Management · head to head

Apigee vs RudderStack

Apigee logo

Apigee

API Management

API management platform for designing, securing, and scaling APIs

From
$500/monthly
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
RudderStack logo

RudderStack

Automation & Integration

The open-source customer data platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only RudderStack 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; RudderStack on the free plan data processing stops after a second consecutive overage rather than being billed, so exceeding 250,000 events twice breaks the pipeline
  • They diverge on capability: Apigee covers API Gateway, RudderStack covers Data collection.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Apigee and RudderStack actually diverge.

Attributes where Apigee and RudderStack differ
AttributeApigeeRudderStack
Starting price$500/monthlyFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionusage-based
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsCloud, Hybrid, On-premisesWeb, Self-hosted
CategoryAPI ManagementAutomation & Integration
Founded20062018

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 RudderStack

  • Data collection
  • Event tracking
  • Audience segmentation
  • Warehouse ingestion
  • Real-time sync
  • Data transformation
  • Privacy controls
  • 200+ destinations

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

RudderStack

  • Collecting event data from apps and websites and routing it to warehouses and toolsnot Apigee
  • Building a warehouse first customer data pipelinenot 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

RudderStack

  • On the free plan data processing stops after a second consecutive overage rather than being billed, so exceeding 250,000 events twice breaks the pipeline
  • The free plan allows 250,000 events a month
  • Growth starts at $265 a month for 1 million events, with volume sold in tiers up to 25 million
  • Overage is charged as the gap to the next tier's price rather than per event, so a small excess costs a full tier step

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

RudderStack

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Self-hosted
    • Community support
  • Cloud$100/month
    • Cloud hosted
    • Email support
  • Enterprise$500/month
    • Dedicated support
    • Advanced features

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 RudderStack if

  • You need data collection.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Self-hosted.
  • You also want event tracking.
RudderStack review

Questions people ask

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