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API Management · head to head

GraphQL Apollo vs Apigee

GraphQL Apollo logo

GraphQL Apollo

API Management

Complete platform for building GraphQL APIs

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Apigee logo

Apigee

API Management

API management platform for designing, securing, and scaling APIs

From
$500/monthly
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only GraphQL Apollo has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: GraphQL Apollo standard and Enterprise tiers publish no figures and require contacting sales through a Talk to Sales link, while paid usage is metered at $5 per million requests rather than by seat; Apigee the free evaluation is a sandbox limited to 60 days
  • They diverge on capability: GraphQL Apollo covers Apollo Server, Apigee covers API Gateway.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which GraphQL Apollo and Apigee actually diverge.

Attributes where GraphQL Apollo and Apigee differ
AttributeGraphQL ApolloApigee
Starting priceFree$500/monthly
Pricing modelopen-sourcesubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsJavaScript, Node.js, Web, MobileCloud, Hybrid, On-premises
Founded20162006

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 GraphQL Apollo

  • Apollo Server
  • Apollo Client
  • GraphQL Federation
  • REST APIs
  • Microservices
  • Databases
  • JavaScript support
  • Node.js support

Only in Apigee

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

What people use each for

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

GraphQL Apollo

  • API Developmentnot Apigee
  • API Gatewaynot Apigee
  • API Testingnot Apigee
  • API Documentationnot Apigee
  • Microservicesnot Apigee

Apigee

  • Publishing, securing and versioning APIs for an enterprise API programnot GraphQL Apollo
  • Monetizing APIs and running a developer portalnot GraphQL Apollo
  • Analyzing API traffic and defending APIs against bots and abusenot GraphQL Apollo

Where each one falls short

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

GraphQL Apollo

  • Standard and Enterprise tiers publish no figures and require contacting sales through a Talk to Sales link, while paid usage is metered at $5 per million requests rather than by seat
  • Developer plan caps at 10 users and Standard caps at 30 users before requiring the sales-gated Enterprise tier

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

Pricing, plan by plan

GraphQL Apollo

Free
  • CommunityFree
    • Apollo Server
    • Apollo Client
    • Community support
  • Studio Starter$49/monthly
    • Apollo Studio
    • GraphQL monitoring
    • Collaboration
  • Studio Professional$399/monthly
    • Advanced analytics
    • Priority support
    • SLA

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

Which should you pick?

Choose GraphQL Apollo if

  • You need apollo server.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on JavaScript, Node.js, Web, Mobile.
  • You also want apollo client.
GraphQL Apollo review

Choose Apigee if

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

Questions people ask

Is GraphQL Apollo or Apigee better?
Neither clearly leads. GraphQL Apollo starts at Free and Apigee at $500/monthly, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, GraphQL Apollo or Apigee?
GraphQL Apollo has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for GraphQL Apollo and $500/monthly for Apigee.
Does GraphQL Apollo or Apigee run on more platforms?
GraphQL Apollo runs on JavaScript, Node.js, Web, Mobile. Apigee runs on Cloud, Hybrid, On-premises.
Can I use GraphQL Apollo for free?
Yes. GraphQL Apollo has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Apigee starts at $500/monthly.
What is GraphQL Apollo best used for?
GraphQL Apollo is most often used for api development, api gateway, api testing, api documentation. Of those, api development and api gateway are not what Apigee is typically brought in for.
What can GraphQL Apollo do that Apigee cannot?
GraphQL Apollo covers Apollo Server, Apollo Client, GraphQL Federation, REST APIs. Apigee covers API Gateway, API Analytics, Developer Portal, Google Cloud services.
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