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APIs · head to head

GraphQL Apollo vs Longhorn

GraphQL Apollo logo

GraphQL Apollo

APIs

Complete platform for building GraphQL APIs

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Longhorn logo

Longhorn

Cloud

Open source distributed block storage for Kubernetes, incubating at the CNCF

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: GraphQL Apollo standard and Enterprise plans require sales contact for custom pricing; Longhorn there is no vendor and no SLA, so a production incident at three in the morning is your own problem unless you buy SUSE Rancher Prime support separately.
  • They diverge on capability: GraphQL Apollo covers Apollo Server, Longhorn covers Per-volume controllers.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where GraphQL Apollo and Longhorn differ
AttributeGraphQL ApolloLonghorn
Pricing modelfreemiumOpen source, no licence fee
PlatformsJavaScript, Node.js, Web, MobileLinux, Kubernetes
CategoryAPIsCloud
Founded2016Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 GraphQL Apollo

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

Only in Longhorn

  • Per-volume controllers
  • Synchronous replication
  • Snapshots and backups
  • Volume expansion
  • Disaster recovery volumes
  • Web interface

What people use each for

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

GraphQL Apollo

  • GraphQL API managementnot Longhorn
  • Schema federationnot Longhorn
  • API analytics and monitoringnot Longhorn
  • Developer-focused infrastructurenot Longhorn

Longhorn

  • An on-premises Kubernetes cluster with local disks and no SAN that needs replicated persistent volumesnot GraphQL Apollo
  • Edge sites where shipping a storage array is impractical and three nodes is the whole clusternot GraphQL Apollo
  • A K3s deployment where the storage layer must be light enough to run alongside the workloadsnot GraphQL Apollo
  • A team that wants snapshots and S3 backups of persistent volumes without paying per-node storage licencesnot 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 plans require sales contact for custom pricing
  • Free plan limited to 3 developers and 1-day retention
  • Self-hosted router on free tier heavily rate-limited to 60 requests/minute

Longhorn

  • There is no vendor and no SLA, so a production incident at three in the morning is your own problem unless you buy SUSE Rancher Prime support separately.
  • Synchronous replication across nodes means write latency depends on the slowest replica and the network between nodes, which makes it a poor fit for latency-sensitive databases.
  • Every replica is a full copy, so three-way replication consumes three times the raw capacity, unlike erasure-coded systems that are far more space efficient.
  • It is designed for block storage on modest clusters and does not scale to the node counts or throughput that Ceph or a commercial array handles, so growth eventually forces a migration.
  • Recovery from certain degraded states, such as a volume stuck detaching or replicas failing to rebuild, requires manual intervention and knowledge of Longhorn internals that is not widely held.

Pricing, plan by plan

GraphQL Apollo

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 3 developers
    • 1-day data retention
    • Community support only
  • Developer$5/per million requests
    • $50 usage credit for new signups
    • Up to 10 developers
    • 7-day data retention
  • Standard$null/custom
    • Up to 30 developers
    • 90-day data retention
    • Standard support with SLA (8x5)
  • Enterprise$null/custom
    • Unlimited developers
    • 18-month data retention
    • Business support 24x7x365 with SLA

Longhorn

Free
  • LonghornFree
    • Apache 2.0 licensed, no licence fee
    • Community support via GitHub and Slack only
    • No vendor SLA or escalation path

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 Longhorn if

  • You need per-volume controllers.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Kubernetes.
  • You also want synchronous replication.
Longhorn review

Questions people ask

Is GraphQL Apollo or Longhorn better?
Neither clearly leads. GraphQL Apollo starts at Free and Longhorn at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, GraphQL Apollo or Longhorn?
GraphQL Apollo starts at Free and Longhorn at Free.
Does GraphQL Apollo or Longhorn run on more platforms?
GraphQL Apollo runs on JavaScript, Node.js, Web, Mobile. Longhorn runs on Linux, Kubernetes.
Can I use GraphQL Apollo for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is GraphQL Apollo best used for?
GraphQL Apollo is most often used for graphql api management, schema federation, api analytics and monitoring, developer-focused infrastructure. Of those, graphql api management and schema federation are not what Longhorn is typically brought in for.
What can GraphQL Apollo do that Longhorn cannot?
GraphQL Apollo covers Apollo Server, Apollo Client, GraphQL Federation, REST APIs. Longhorn covers Per-volume controllers, Synchronous replication, Snapshots and backups, Volume expansion.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

GraphQL Apollo: How much does Apollo GraphQL cost?

Apollo GraphQL is free for up to 3 developers. Paid plans start at $5 per million GraphQL requests on the Developer plan, which includes $50 usage credit for new signups. Standard and Enterprise plans require custom pricing via sales contact.

Source
Longhorn: Who do we call when it breaks?

Nobody, unless you buy SUSE Rancher Prime, which includes commercial support for Longhorn. This is the decisive question for production use.

GraphQL Apollo: Is there a free version of Apollo GraphQL?

Yes, Apollo GraphQL offers a forever-free plan with no credit card required for up to 3 developers, including 1-day data retention, community support, and self-hosted GraphOS Router rate-limited to 60 requests per minute.

Source
Longhorn: How much capacity does replication cost?

Full copies, so three replicas means three times the raw capacity. Budget accordingly rather than assuming erasure coding efficiency.

GraphQL Apollo: What does Apollo's Enterprise plan include that Standard does not?

The Enterprise plan offers unlimited developers versus 30 on Standard, 18-month data retention versus 90 days, and 24x7x365 business support with SLA instead of 8x5 support. It also includes premium and professional services add-ons and custom MSA agreements. Both require custom pricing.

Source
Longhorn: Is it suitable for production databases?

For modest workloads yes, but synchronous replication adds write latency and high-transaction databases usually want something faster.

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