API Management · head to head
Paw vs Directus
Paw
API Management
Full-featured REST client for macOS with powerful scripting and testing
- From
- $99/one-time
- Rated
- -
Directus
API Management
Open-source data platform providing REST and GraphQL APIs
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Directus has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Paw now distributed as RapidAPI for Mac; the vendor's own page states it is "exclusively built for macOS" and requires macOS 10.15+, with no Windows or Linux client; Directus free permissive use of the self hosted product is limited to organisations under $5M annual revenue with fewer than 50 employees, so crossing either threshold turns a free dependency into a paid licence
- They diverge on capability: Paw covers REST Client, Directus covers REST API.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Paw and Directus actually diverge.
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 Paw
- REST Client
- Scripting
- Dynamic Values
- Slack
- GitHub
- Custom extensions
- MacOS support
Only in Directus
- REST API
- GraphQL API
- Database management
- PostgreSQL
- MySQL
- SQLite
- Webhooks
- Node.js support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Paw
- API Developmentnot Directus
- API Gatewaynot Directus
- API Testingnot Directus
- API Documentationnot Directus
- Microservicesnot Directus
Directus
- Wrapping an existing SQL database in a REST and GraphQL API with an admin interfacenot Paw
- Running a self hosted headless CMS over a schema you already ownnot Paw
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Paw
- Now distributed as RapidAPI for Mac; the vendor's own page states it is "exclusively built for macOS" and requires macOS 10.15+, with no Windows or Linux client
Directus
- Free permissive use of the self hosted product is limited to organisations under $5M annual revenue with fewer than 50 employees, so crossing either threshold turns a free dependency into a paid licence
- The free Core tier is a hard limit of 3 seats, 25 collections and 5 flows
- The Team plan is $499 a month billed annually, or $599 monthly, with extra seats at $50 each
- Team caps collections at 50, expandable to 100, and flows at 20
Pricing, plan by plan
Paw
$99/one-time- Standard$99/one-time
- Full REST client
- Advanced scripting
- Extensions
- Annual License$49/yearly
- All features
- Updates
- Priority support
Directus
Free- CommunityFree
- Self-hosted Directus
- Community support
- Cloud$25/monthly
- Managed cloud
- Automatic updates
- Backups
Which should you pick?
Choose Directus if
- You need rest api.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Node.js, Cloud, Self-hosted, Docker.
- You also want graphql api.
Questions people ask
- Is Paw or Directus better?
- Neither clearly leads. Paw starts at $99/one-time and Directus at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Paw or Directus?
- Directus has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $99/one-time for Paw and Free for Directus.
- Does Paw or Directus run on more platforms?
- Paw runs on MacOS. Directus runs on Node.js, Cloud, Self-hosted, Docker.
- Can I use Directus for free?
- Yes. Directus has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Paw starts at $99/one-time.
- What is Paw best used for?
- Paw is most often used for api development, api gateway, api testing, api documentation. Of those, api development and api gateway are not what Directus is typically brought in for.
- What can Paw do that Directus cannot?
- Paw covers REST Client, Scripting, Dynamic Values, Slack. Directus covers REST API, GraphQL API, Database management, PostgreSQL.