APIs · head to head
Prisma vs Stoplight
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Prisma prisma Postgres is billed per operation, with the free tier at 100,000 operations and 500 MB of storage; Stoplight the free plan allows one project and one user
- They diverge on capability: Prisma covers ORM, Stoplight covers API Design.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Prisma and Stoplight actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Prisma
- ORM
- Query builder
- Auto-migrations
- Node.js
- TypeScript
- GraphQL
- REST APIs
- Node.js support
Only in Stoplight
- API Design
- API Documentation
- Governance
- GitHub
- GitLab
- Jenkins
- Azure DevOps
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Prisma
- Using a type safe ORM and query layer against a Postgres databasenot Stoplight
- Adding a managed connection pool and edge cache in front of an existing databasenot Stoplight
Stoplight
- API design and documentationnot Prisma
- API governance and standardsnot Prisma
- Team collaboration on API developmentnot Prisma
- API mocking and testingnot Prisma
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Prisma
- Prisma Postgres is billed per operation, with the free tier at 100,000 operations and 500 MB of storage
- Starter at $10 a month includes 1M operations then charges $0.0080 per 1,000
- Storage overage runs from $2.00 per GB on Starter down to $1.00 per GB on Business, so the unit cost depends on the plan
- Accelerate charges separately per operation and per GiB of query egress beyond the first 1 KiB
- Cache tag invalidations are not included below the Pro plan and are billed per thousand above it
Stoplight
- The free plan allows one project and one user
- Private projects, multi branch support and custom domains start at the Startup plan, $113 a month billed annually
- SSO and shared style guides are Pro Team only, at $362 a month billed annually
- Seats beyond each plan's allowance are $11 to $27 each per month depending on tier and billing period
Pricing, plan by plan
Prisma
Free- FreeFree
- 1M requests/month
- 360 GB-hours memory
- 4 vCPU-hours
- Starter$10/month
- 5M requests/month
- 1M database operations ($8 per million overage)
- 10 GB storage ($2/GB overage)
- Pro$49/month
- 20M requests/month
- 10M operations ($2 per million overage)
- 50 GB storage ($1.50/GB overage)
- Business$129/month
- 100M requests/month
- 50M operations ($1 per million overage)
- 100 GB storage
Stoplight
Free- FreeFree
- 1 project
- 1 user
- Basic API design and documentation features
- Basic$56/month
- Annual: $44/user/year
- 3 included users; $14 per additional user (monthly)
- Unlimited projects
- Startup$147/month
- Annual: $113/user/year
- 8 included users; $14 per additional user (monthly)
- Private projects
- Pro Team$453/month
- Annual: $362/user/year
- 15 included users; $27 per additional user (monthly)
- Up to 20 teams
Which should you pick?
Choose Prisma if
- You need orm.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Node.js, TypeScript.
- You also want query builder.
Choose Stoplight if
- You need api design.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Cloud.
- You also want api documentation.
Questions people ask
- Is Prisma or Stoplight better?
- Neither clearly leads. Prisma starts at Free and Stoplight at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Prisma or Stoplight?
- Prisma starts at Free and Stoplight at Free.
- Does Prisma or Stoplight run on more platforms?
- Prisma runs on Node.js, TypeScript. Stoplight runs on Web, Cloud.
- Can I use Prisma for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Prisma best used for?
- Prisma is most often used for using a type safe orm and query layer against a postgres database, adding a managed connection pool and edge cache in front of an existing database. Of those, using a type safe orm and query layer against a postgres database and adding a managed connection pool and edge cache in front of an existing database are not what Stoplight is typically brought in for.
- What can Prisma do that Stoplight cannot?
- Prisma covers ORM, Query builder, Auto-migrations, Node.js. Stoplight covers API Design, API Documentation, Governance, GitHub.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Prisma: How much does Prisma cost?
Prisma is free to start with 1M requests/month. The Starter plan costs $10/month with 5M requests, the Pro plan $49/month with 20M requests, and the Business plan $129/month with 100M requests. All plans have usage-based overages.
SourceStoplight: How much does Stoplight cost?
Stoplight starts with a free plan (1 project, 1 user), then Basic at $56/month per user (or $44/year), Startup at $147/month per user (or $113/year), Pro Team at $453/month per user (or $362/year), and Enterprise at custom pricing.
SourcePrisma: What is Prisma's overage pricing?
Prisma charges $1 per million requests over the included amount (Starter), $2 per million database operations overage (Pro and Starter), and $1.50-$2 per GB for storage overages depending on the plan. All plans include a hard spend limit on by default.
SourceStoplight: How many included users are in each Stoplight plan?
Basic includes 3 users, Startup includes 8 users, and Pro Team includes 15 users. Additional users beyond the included count cost $14/month for Basic and Startup, or $27/month for Pro Team.
SourcePrisma: Does Prisma include data transfer costs?
No, Prisma includes unlimited data transfer with no egress fees on all plans. Prisma ORM remains free across all tiers.
SourceStoplight: Does Stoplight offer a free trial?
Yes, all paid Stoplight plans include a 14-day free trial. The free plan has no trial period as it is always available.
SourceStoplight: Does Stoplight's free plan have limitations?
Yes, the free plan includes only 1 project and 1 user. Users viewing public documentation anonymously are not counted toward the 1-user limit.
SourceRelated pages
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