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APIs · head to head

AWS API Gateway vs Svix

AWS API Gateway logo

AWS API Gateway

APIs

Fully managed API gateway service for creating and managing APIs at scale

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Svix logo

Svix

APIs

Outbound webhook sending as a service, with retries, signing and a customer-facing portal

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: AWS API Gateway rEST APIs cost $3.50 per million calls against $1.00 for HTTP APIs, so the older and more featureful type is three and a half times dearer; Svix the Professional tier at 490 US dollars a month includes the same 50,000 messages as the free tier, so the upgrade buys SLA, throughput and retention rather than volume, which is a jarring step for a growing product.
  • They diverge on capability: AWS API Gateway covers REST APIs, Svix covers Automatic retries.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which AWS API Gateway and Svix actually diverge.

Attributes where AWS API Gateway and Svix differ
AttributeAWS API GatewaySvix
Pricing modelusage-basedPer month by message count
PlatformsAWS CloudWeb, Cloud, Docker
Founded2006Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (APIs).

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 AWS API Gateway

  • REST APIs
  • WebSocket APIs
  • HTTP APIs
  • Lambda
  • EC2
  • DynamoDB
  • CloudWatch
  • IAM

Only in Svix

  • Automatic retries
  • Payload signing
  • Consumer portal
  • Event types and filtering
  • Delivery logs and replay
  • Rate limiting
  • Static source IPs
  • Language SDKs

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

AWS API Gateway

  • Fronting Lambda functions with an HTTP endpointnot Svix
  • REST and HTTP API management with throttling and keysnot Svix
  • WebSocket APIs for real-time clientsnot Svix
  • Private APIs reachable only inside a VPCnot Svix
  • Publishing a developer portal for API consumersnot Svix

Svix

  • A SaaS company adding webhooks to its API that does not want to build retry, signing and a customer debugging UI from scratchnot AWS API Gateway
  • A payments or fintech product whose customers need signature verification libraries in several languages they did not writenot AWS API Gateway
  • An engineering team drowning in support tickets from customers whose endpoints silently failed and who need self-service delivery logsnot AWS API Gateway
  • A platform with a small number of very slow customer endpoints that must not delay deliveries to everyone elsenot AWS API Gateway

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

AWS API Gateway

  • REST APIs cost $3.50 per million calls against $1.00 for HTTP APIs, so the older and more featureful type is three and a half times dearer
  • Data transfer out is charged at $0.09 per GB on top of request pricing
  • WebSocket APIs bill connection minutes as well as messages, at $0.25 per million minutes
  • Private APIs avoid data transfer charges but incur AWS PrivateLink costs instead
  • The developer portal is $125 a month, with additional portal products at $12.50 each
  • The free tier lasts 12 months rather than being ongoing

Svix

  • The Professional tier at 490 US dollars a month includes the same 50,000 messages as the free tier, so the upgrade buys SLA, throughput and retention rather than volume, which is a jarring step for a growing product.
  • Only attempted messages count toward usage, but a customer with many subscribed endpoints multiplies a single event into many billable messages, and forecasting that fan-out before launch is difficult.
  • The open source server is MIT licensed but trails the hosted product in features, so self-hosting is a fallback position rather than a genuinely equivalent option.
  • Routing outbound customer traffic through a third party puts a vendor in the delivery path for events your customers may treat as contractual, which some security reviews will not accept.
  • Payload retention is 30 days on the free tier and 90 on Professional, so anyone needing longer delivery history for audit must pay for Enterprise or log independently.

Pricing, plan by plan

AWS API Gateway

Free
  • Free Tier (12 months)Free
    • 1M REST API calls per month
    • 1M HTTP API calls per month
    • 1M WebSocket messages plus 750K connection minutes per month
  • HTTP APIs$1/per million requests (first 300M)
    • First 300M: $1.00 per million
    • Next 132M: $0.90 per million
    • Data transfer varies by volume
  • REST APIs$3.5/per million API calls
    • Edge Optimized and Regional: $3.50 per million (first tier)
    • Higher volumes: $2.80 then $2.38 per million
    • Data transfer: $0.09 per GB
  • WebSocket APIs$1/per million messages
    • Messages: $1.00 per million
    • Connection minutes: $0.25 per million minutes

Svix

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 50,000 messages a month included
    • Overage at $0.0001 per message
    • 99.9% uptime SLA
  • Professional$490/month
    • 50,000 messages included, same as free
    • 99.99% uptime SLA
    • 800 messages per second
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Custom volume and rate limits
    • 99.999% uptime SLA
    • Custom retention

Which should you pick?

Choose AWS API Gateway if

  • You need rest apis.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on AWS Cloud.
  • You also want websocket apis.
AWS API Gateway review

Choose Svix if

  • You need automatic retries.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Cloud, Docker.
  • You also want payload signing.
Svix review

Questions people ask

Is AWS API Gateway or Svix better?
Neither clearly leads. AWS API Gateway starts at Free and Svix at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, AWS API Gateway or Svix?
AWS API Gateway starts at Free and Svix at Free.
Does AWS API Gateway or Svix run on more platforms?
AWS API Gateway runs on AWS Cloud. Svix runs on Web, Cloud, Docker.
Can I use AWS API Gateway for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is AWS API Gateway best used for?
AWS API Gateway is most often used for fronting lambda functions with an http endpoint, rest and http api management with throttling and keys, websocket apis for real-time clients, private apis reachable only inside a vpc. Of those, fronting lambda functions with an http endpoint and rest and http api management with throttling and keys are not what Svix is typically brought in for.
What can AWS API Gateway do that Svix cannot?
AWS API Gateway covers REST APIs, WebSocket APIs, HTTP APIs, Lambda. Svix covers Automatic retries, Payload signing, Consumer portal, Event types and filtering.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

AWS API Gateway: How much does AWS API Gateway cost?

AWS API Gateway pricing varies by API type. HTTP APIs cost $1.00 per million requests for the first 300M monthly, then $0.90 per million. REST APIs cost $3.50 per million, and WebSocket APIs cost $1.00 per million messages plus $0.25 per million connection minutes. Data transfer charges ($0.09 per GB) apply separately.

Source
Svix: How much does Svix cost?

Free up to 50,000 messages a month; Professional starts at 490 US dollars a month with the same included volume but better SLA and throughput.

AWS API Gateway: Is AWS API Gateway free?

New AWS customers receive 12 months of free tier access including 1 million REST API calls, 1 million HTTP API calls, and 1 million WebSocket messages plus 750,000 connection minutes per month. Starting July 15, 2025, new customers receive up to $200 in AWS Free Tier credits.

Source
Svix: Can I self-host it?

Yes, there is an MIT licensed server, but it lags the hosted service in features and has no SLA.

AWS API Gateway: What is the price difference between HTTP and REST APIs?

HTTP APIs are significantly cheaper at $1.00 per million requests compared to REST APIs at $3.50 per million (first tier). REST API pricing decreases to $2.80 and $2.38 per million for higher volumes, while HTTP API pricing drops to $0.90 per million after 300M monthly requests.

Source
Svix: What counts as a message?

Attempted or transformed deliveries. Retries and messages filtered out because no endpoint subscribed are not charged.

AWS API Gateway: How much does an API Gateway Portal cost?

API Gateway Portals require a base fee of $125 per month (includes 10 PortalProducts with 40 endpoints each) plus $12.50 per month for each additional PortalProduct beyond the included 10.

Source
Svix: Does it handle inbound webhooks?

Its focus is outbound sending on behalf of API providers, not receiving webhooks from third parties.

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