API Management · head to head
REST Client VSCode vs Akana
REST Client VSCode
API Management
VSCode extension for making HTTP requests and testing REST APIs
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Akana
API Management
Enterprise API lifecycle management platform
- From
- $2500/monthly
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only REST Client VSCode has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: REST Client VSCode limited to Visual Studio Code; not available as a standalone application; Akana owned by Perforce and sold within their portfolio rather than independently, and akana.com redirects to perforce.com
- They diverge on capability: REST Client VSCode covers REST Client, Akana covers API Lifecycle Management.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which REST Client VSCode and Akana actually diverge.
| Attribute | REST Client VSCode | Akana |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | $2500/monthly |
| Pricing model | Unknown | subscription |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Cloud, On-premise, Hybrid |
| Founded | 2016 | 2001 |
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 REST Client VSCode
- REST Client
- HTTP requests
- Response viewing
- VSCode
- Environment variables
- Custom headers
- VSCode extension support
Only in Akana
- API Lifecycle Management
- API Security
- Governance Controls
- OAuth
- SAML
- LDAP
- Active Directory
- Cloud support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
REST Client VSCode
- API Developmentnot Akana
- API Gatewaynot Akana
- API Testingnot Akana
- API Documentationnot Akana
- Microservicesnot Akana
Akana
- API lifecycle management across REST, SOAP and GraphQLnot REST Client VSCode
- Applying OAuth, JWT and SAML policies at the gatewaynot REST Client VSCode
- Running the same platform on-premises, in Kubernetes or across cloudsnot REST Client VSCode
- Developer portal and API monetisationnot REST Client VSCode
- Monitoring API traffic and enforcing quotasnot REST Client VSCode
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
REST Client VSCode
- Limited to Visual Studio Code; not available as a standalone application
- No support for WebSocket, gRPC, or other advanced protocols
- No cloud sync or team server features; requires Git-based workflow
Akana
- Owned by Perforce and sold within their portfolio rather than independently, and akana.com redirects to perforce.com
- Pricing is not published; only a 30 day trial is offered
Pricing, plan by plan
REST Client VSCode
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the REST Client VSCode review.
Akana
$2500/monthly- Professional$2500/monthly
- API Gateway
- Developer Portal
- Basic analytics
- Enterprise$5000/monthly
- Advanced governance
- Multi-cloud support
- Premium support
- Custom$undefined/monthly
- Custom solutions
- Dedicated support
- SLA guarantee
Which should you pick?
Choose REST Client VSCode if
- You need rest client.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Windows, macOS, Linux.
- You also want http requests.
Choose Akana if
- You need api lifecycle management.
- You work on Cloud, On-premise, Hybrid.
- You also want api security.
Questions people ask
- Is REST Client VSCode or Akana better?
- Neither clearly leads. REST Client VSCode starts at Free and Akana at $2500/monthly, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, REST Client VSCode or Akana?
- REST Client VSCode has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for REST Client VSCode and $2500/monthly for Akana.
- Does REST Client VSCode or Akana run on more platforms?
- REST Client VSCode runs on Windows, macOS, Linux. Akana runs on Cloud, On-premise, Hybrid.
- Can I use REST Client VSCode for free?
- Yes. REST Client VSCode has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Akana starts at $2500/monthly.
- What is REST Client VSCode best used for?
- REST Client VSCode is most often used for api development, api gateway, api testing, api documentation. Of those, api development and api gateway are not what Akana is typically brought in for.
- What can REST Client VSCode do that Akana cannot?
- REST Client VSCode covers REST Client, HTTP requests, Response viewing, VSCode. Akana covers API Lifecycle Management, API Security, Governance Controls, OAuth.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
REST Client VSCode: How much does REST Client VSCode cost?
REST Client VSCode is completely free and open source. It is available on the Visual Studio Code Marketplace with no subscription or licensing fees.
SourceREST Client VSCode: What authentication methods does REST Client support?
REST Client supports Basic Auth, Digest Auth, SSL certificates, Azure AD, and AWS Signature v4 authentication for API requests.
SourceREST Client VSCode: Can I save and manage multiple requests?
Yes. REST Client supports multiple requests per file using ### delimiters, request history with auto-save, environment variables for different configurations, and code snippet generation for multiple programming languages.
SourceREST Client VSCode: How do teams collaborate with REST Client?
REST Client requests are stored as text files that can be version-controlled in Git repositories. Teams collaborate by sharing requests through Git, making the API specs part of the codebase.
SourceREST Client VSCode: What protocols does REST Client support?
REST Client primarily supports HTTP/HTTPS and GraphQL. It does not support WebSocket, gRPC, or other advanced protocols available in desktop clients like Insomnia.
SourceREST Client VSCode: Is there cloud sync for REST Client requests?
No. REST Client has no built-in cloud sync or team server features. All collaboration and sharing relies on Git repository management.
Source