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Apigee vs Swagger/OpenAPI

Apigee logo

Apigee

Software

API management platform for designing, securing, and scaling APIs

From
$500/monthly
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
S

Swagger/OpenAPI

Software

API specification and documentation framework using OpenAPI standard

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Swagger/OpenAPI 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; Swagger/OpenAPI the OpenAPI Specification itself is licensed under Apache License 2.0 and free to use; SwaggerHub is a separate paid tool built on top of it
  • They diverge on capability: Apigee covers API Gateway, Swagger/OpenAPI covers OpenAPI Specification.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Apigee and Swagger/OpenAPI actually diverge.

Attributes where Apigee and Swagger/OpenAPI differ
AttributeApigeeSwagger/OpenAPI
Starting price$500/monthlyFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsCloud, Hybrid, On-premisesWeb, CLI, Desktop
Founded20062001

Identical on both: 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 Gateway
  • API Analytics
  • Developer Portal
  • Google Cloud services
  • Azure
  • AWS
  • Okta
  • Cloud support

Only in Swagger/OpenAPI

  • OpenAPI Specification
  • Interactive Documentation
  • Code Generation
  • GitHub
  • GitLab
  • Jenkins
  • IDE plugins
  • Web 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 Swagger/OpenAPI
  • Monetizing APIs and running a developer portalnot Swagger/OpenAPI
  • Analyzing API traffic and defending APIs against bots and abusenot Swagger/OpenAPI

Swagger/OpenAPI

  • 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

Swagger/OpenAPI

  • The OpenAPI Specification itself is licensed under Apache License 2.0 and free to use; SwaggerHub is a separate paid tool built on top of it

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

Swagger/OpenAPI

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • OpenAPI specification
    • Community tools
  • SwaggerHub FreeFree
    • Cloud editor
    • API mocking
    • API testing
  • SwaggerHub Pro$75/monthly
    • Team collaboration
    • Advanced mocking
    • Analytics

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 Swagger/OpenAPI if

  • You need openapi specification.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, CLI, Desktop.
  • You also want interactive documentation.
Swagger/OpenAPI review

Questions people ask

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