Software · head to head
GraphQL Playground vs Swagger
GraphQL Playground
Software
GraphQL IDE and documentation tool for building GraphQL APIs
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
S
Swagger
Software
API design and documentation platform for building, testing, and managing APIs
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: GraphQL Playground apollo's own documentation states GraphQL Playground is officially retired and no longer recommended, directing users to Apollo Sandbox instead; Swagger swaggerHub, the commercial layer over the free open source Swagger tools, is sold in Free, Team and Enterprise tiers with the Enterprise tier requiring a sales contact and no public price, per the vendor pricing page
- They diverge on capability: GraphQL Playground covers Query building, Swagger covers API Specification.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which GraphQL Playground and Swagger actually diverge.
| Attribute | GraphQL Playground | Swagger |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | open-source | freemium |
| Platforms | Web, Electron, Self-hosted | Web, CLI, Desktop |
| Founded | 2018 | 2011 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 GraphQL Playground
- Query building
- Schema introspection
- Real-time testing
- GraphQL servers
- Apollo Studio
- Custom servers
- Electron support
- Self-hosted support
Only in Swagger
- API Specification
- Interactive Documentation
- Code Generation
- GitHub
- GitLab
- Azure DevOps
- Jira
- CLI support
Both cover
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
GraphQL Playground
- API Development
- API Gateway
- API Testing
- API Documentation
- Microservices
Swagger
- API Development
- API Gateway
- API Testing
- API Documentation
- Microservices
Both are used for api development, api gateway, api testing, api documentation, microservices, on those jobs the choice comes down to price and fit rather than capability.
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
GraphQL Playground
- Apollo's own documentation states GraphQL Playground is officially retired and no longer recommended, directing users to Apollo Sandbox instead
Swagger
- SwaggerHub, the commercial layer over the free open source Swagger tools, is sold in Free, Team and Enterprise tiers with the Enterprise tier requiring a sales contact and no public price, per the vendor pricing page
Pricing, plan by plan
GraphQL Playground
Free- Open SourceFree
- Full GraphQL IDE
- Community support
Swagger
Free- FreeFree
- OpenAPI specification
- Swagger UI
- API documentation
- Professional$20/monthly
- Advanced features
- Team collaboration
- API testing
- Enterprise$undefined/monthly
- Custom deployment
- Advanced security
- Dedicated support
Which should you pick?
Choose GraphQL Playground if
- You need query building.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Electron, Self-hosted.
- You also want schema introspection.
Choose Swagger if
- You need api specification.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, CLI, Desktop.
- You also want interactive documentation.
Questions people ask
- Is GraphQL Playground or Swagger better?
- Neither clearly leads. GraphQL Playground starts at Free and Swagger at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, GraphQL Playground or Swagger?
- GraphQL Playground starts at Free and Swagger at Free.
- Does GraphQL Playground or Swagger run on more platforms?
- GraphQL Playground runs on Web, Electron, Self-hosted. Swagger runs on Web, CLI, Desktop.
- Can I use GraphQL Playground for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is GraphQL Playground best used for?
- GraphQL Playground is most often used for api development, api gateway, api testing, api documentation.
- What can GraphQL Playground do that Swagger cannot?
- GraphQL Playground covers Query building, Schema introspection, Real-time testing, GraphQL servers. Swagger covers API Specification, Interactive Documentation, Code Generation, GitHub. Both handle Web support.