Is Hasura or Portkey better?

Neither clearly leads. Hasura starts at Free and Portkey at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Hasura or Portkey?

Hasura has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Hasura and On request for Portkey.

Does Hasura or Portkey run on more platforms?

Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.

Can I use Hasura for free?

Yes. Hasura has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Portkey starts at On request.

What is Hasura best used for?

Hasura is most often used for automatic graphql api generation from existing databases, real-time data subscriptions for modern applications, backend infrastructure for web and mobile applications, event-triggered webhooks for database changes. Of those, automatic graphql api generation from existing databases and real-time data subscriptions for modern applications are not what Portkey is typically brought in for.

What can Hasura do that Portkey cannot?

Hasura covers GraphQL API, Real-time subscriptions, Access control, PostgreSQL.

APIs · head to head

Hasura vs Portkey

Hasura

APIs

GraphQL engine that instantly creates production-ready GraphQL API from databases

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Portkey

APIs

Observe, govern, and secure every AI interaction across your enterprise

From: On request
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only Hasura has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: Hasura active model definition: model/command accessed more than 1,000 times monthly; Portkey the free Developer tier records only 10,000 logs per month with 3 day log retention; the $49 per month Production tier raises that to 100,000 logs with $9 per additional 100,000 requests, as of August 2026.
Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Hasura and Portkey actually diverge.

Attributes where Hasura and Portkey differ
Attribute	Hasura	Portkey
Starting price	Free	On request
Pricing model	freemium	Unknown
Free tier	Yes	No
Founded	2017	Unknown

Identical on both: platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (APIs).

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 Hasura

GraphQL API
Real-time subscriptions
Access control
PostgreSQL
MySQL
Webhooks
REST APIs
Cloud support

Only in Portkey

Nothing recorded that Hasura does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

Hasura

Automatic GraphQL API generation from existing databasesnot Portkey
Real-time data subscriptions for modern applicationsnot Portkey
Backend infrastructure for web and mobile applicationsnot Portkey
Event-triggered webhooks for database changesnot Portkey

Portkey

Accessing 1,600+ language models through unified API gatewaynot Hasura
Monitoring and observing LLM behavior in production environmentsnot Hasura
Managing costs and setting budget limits for AI spendingnot Hasura
Implementing guardrails and PII redaction for secure AI interactionsnot Hasura

Where each one falls short

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

Hasura

Active model definition: model/command accessed more than 1,000 times monthly
Private DDN requires Base or Advanced plan

Portkey

The free Developer tier records only 10,000 logs per month with 3 day log retention; the $49 per month Production tier raises that to 100,000 logs with $9 per additional 100,000 requests, as of August 2026.

Pricing, plan by plan

Hasura

Free

DDN FreeFree
- Unlimited models
- 1 supergraph developer
- 15-minute observability retention
DDN Base$5/month
- Per active model billing
- Unlimited developers
- 30-day observability retention
DDN Advanced$30/month
- Per active model billing
- Federated collaboration
- Multi-repo CI/CD

Portkey

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Portkey review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Hasura if

You need graphql api.
You want to start without paying.
You also want real-time subscriptions.

Hasura review

Choose Portkey if

Nothing in the data separates Portkey from Hasura on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Portkey review

Questions people ask

Is Hasura or Portkey better?: Neither clearly leads. Hasura starts at Free and Portkey at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Hasura or Portkey?: Hasura has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Hasura and On request for Portkey.
Does Hasura or Portkey run on more platforms?: Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Hasura for free?: Yes. Hasura has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Portkey starts at On request.
What is Hasura best used for?: Hasura is most often used for automatic graphql api generation from existing databases, real-time data subscriptions for modern applications, backend infrastructure for web and mobile applications, event-triggered webhooks for database changes. Of those, automatic graphql api generation from existing databases and real-time data subscriptions for modern applications are not what Portkey is typically brought in for.
What can Hasura do that Portkey cannot?: Hasura covers GraphQL API, Real-time subscriptions, Access control, PostgreSQL.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Hasura: How much does Hasura cost?

Hasura DDN Free is free. DDN Base starts at $5/active model/month, and DDN Advanced starts at $30/active model/month.

Source

Portkey: What happens if I exceed my Portkey plan's request limit?

Production tier ($49/month) charges $9 per additional 100,000 requests beyond the included 100,000. Enterprise customers have custom limits determined through their service agreement. Source: https://portkey.ai/pricing

Source

Hasura: What is an active model in Hasura pricing?

An active model is defined as any model or command accessed more than 1,000 times monthly.

Source

Portkey: Can I self-host Portkey to avoid per-request billing?

Yes. Portkey offers an Open Source self-hosted version with unlimited requests at no cost, including universal API, routing, guardrails, and load balancing features. Source: https://portkey.ai/pricing

Source

Hasura: Is there a free version of Hasura?

Yes, Hasura DDN Free is always free and includes unlimited models, 1 supergraph developer, and 15-minute observability retention.

Source

Portkey: How long does Portkey retain my logs and metrics?

Free Developer tier retains logs 3 days and metrics 30 days. Production tier retains logs 30 days and metrics 90 days. Enterprise tier offers custom retention periods. Source: https://portkey.ai/pricing

Source

Portkey: What compliance features are included in the Enterprise plan?

Enterprise tier includes SOC2 Type 2 certification, GDPR compliance, HIPAA compliance, VPC hosting, SSO, advanced guardrails, and dedicated support. Custom pricing required. Source: https://portkey.ai/pricing

Source

Hasura vs Portkey

Hasura

Portkey

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Hasura

Only in Portkey

What people use each for

Hasura

Portkey

Where each one falls short

Hasura

Portkey

Pricing, plan by plan

Hasura

Portkey

Which should you pick?

Choose Hasura if

Choose Portkey if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Hasura

More on Portkey

Keep looking

Other head to heads