API Management · head to head
Gravitee vs Thunder Client

Gravitee
API Management
Open source API management platform for event-native APIs
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -

Thunder Client
API Management
Lightweight REST API client built as VSCode extension
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Gravitee the entry paid API management tier is $2,500 a month and includes a single production gateway; Thunder Client paid plans are billed annually only: Starter is $3 per user per month and capped at a maximum of 10 seats, Business is $7 per user per month with 500 monthly collection runs per user, and Enterprise is $16 per user per month for unlimited runs
- They diverge on capability: Gravitee covers API Gateway, Thunder Client covers REST Client.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Gravitee and Thunder Client actually diverge.
| Attribute | Gravitee | Thunder Client |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Cloud, On-premise, Kubernetes | VSCode extension, Web |
| Founded | 2015 | 2021 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), 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 Gravitee
- API Gateway
- Developer Portal
- Analytics Dashboard
- Kubernetes
- Docker
- Kafka
- LDAP
- Cloud support
Only in Thunder Client
- REST Client
- Environment variables
- Response testing
- VSCode
- GitHub
- Webhook support
- VSCode extension support
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Gravitee
- API gateway and lifecycle managementnot Thunder Client
- Exposing Kafka event streams as managed APIsnot Thunder Client
- Protocol mediation between event brokers and clientsnot Thunder Client
- Self-hosting an open source API gatewaynot Thunder Client
- Access control and authentication in front of internal APIsnot Thunder Client
Thunder Client
- API Developmentnot Gravitee
- API Gatewaynot Gravitee
- API Testingnot Gravitee
- API Documentationnot Gravitee
- Microservicesnot Gravitee
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Gravitee
- The entry paid API management tier is $2,500 a month and includes a single production gateway
- Event management is priced separately, starting at $1,250 a month for the Comet tier
- Tiers are gated on gateway and broker counts, so scaling horizontally means moving tier rather than paying incrementally
- Data logging masking and other enterprise features are withheld from the lowest paid tier
- 24/7 support requires the top Universe tier
Thunder Client
- Paid plans are billed annually only: Starter is $3 per user per month and capped at a maximum of 10 seats, Business is $7 per user per month with 500 monthly collection runs per user, and Enterprise is $16 per user per month for unlimited runs
Pricing, plan by plan
Gravitee
Free- CommunityFree
- API Gateway
- Basic analytics
- Community support
- Enterprise$1500/monthly
- Advanced features
- SLA support
- SSO integration
- Custom$undefined/monthly
- Custom deployment
- Dedicated support
- Premium SLA
Thunder Client
Free- FreeFree
- REST client
- Collection management
- Local testing
- Pro$8/monthly
- Cloud sync
- Team collaboration
- Advanced features
Which should you pick?
Choose Gravitee if
- You need api gateway.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Cloud, On-premise, Kubernetes.
- You also want developer portal.
Choose Thunder Client if
- You need rest client.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on VSCode extension, Web.
- You also want environment variables.
Questions people ask
- Is Gravitee or Thunder Client better?
- Neither clearly leads. Gravitee starts at Free and Thunder Client at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Gravitee or Thunder Client?
- Gravitee starts at Free and Thunder Client at Free.
- Does Gravitee or Thunder Client run on more platforms?
- Gravitee runs on Cloud, On-premise, Kubernetes. Thunder Client runs on VSCode extension, Web.
- Can I use Gravitee for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Gravitee best used for?
- Gravitee is most often used for api gateway and lifecycle management, exposing kafka event streams as managed apis, protocol mediation between event brokers and clients, self-hosting an open source api gateway. Of those, api gateway and lifecycle management and exposing kafka event streams as managed apis are not what Thunder Client is typically brought in for.
- What can Gravitee do that Thunder Client cannot?
- Gravitee covers API Gateway, Developer Portal, Analytics Dashboard, Kubernetes. Thunder Client covers REST Client, Environment variables, Response testing, VSCode.
Related pages
More on Thunder Client
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