Software · head to head
Swagger vs Asyncapi
Swagger
Software
API design and documentation platform for building, testing, and managing APIs
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Asyncapi
Software
Specification and tools for defining asynchronous APIs
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Swagger swaggerHub, the commercial layer over the free open source Swagger tools, is sold in Free, Team and Enterprise tiers with the Enterprise tier requiring a sales contact and no public price, per the vendor pricing page; Asyncapi complex to implement and debug asynchronous operations due to their non-linear and concurrent nature
- They diverge on capability: Swagger covers Interactive Documentation, Asyncapi covers Code generation.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Swagger and Asyncapi actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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 Swagger
- Interactive Documentation
- Code Generation
- GitHub
- GitLab
- Azure DevOps
- Jira
- Web support
- Desktop support
Only in Asyncapi
- Code generation
- Documentation
- Multiple messaging protocols
- Code generators
- Specification support
- Tools support
Both cover
- API Specification
- CLI support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Swagger
- API Development
- API Gateway
- API Testing
- API Documentation
- Microservices
Asyncapi
- API Development
- API Gateway
- API Testing
- API Documentation
- Microservices
Both are used for api development, api gateway, api testing, api documentation, microservices, on those jobs the choice comes down to price and fit rather than capability.
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Swagger
- SwaggerHub, the commercial layer over the free open source Swagger tools, is sold in Free, Team and Enterprise tiers with the Enterprise tier requiring a sales contact and no public price, per the vendor pricing page
Asyncapi
- Complex to implement and debug asynchronous operations due to their non-linear and concurrent nature
- Keeping AsyncAPI documents up to date is challenging as systems evolve
- Tracing and debugging asynchronous operations is more difficult than synchronous request-response patterns
Pricing, plan by plan
Swagger
Free- FreeFree
- OpenAPI specification
- Swagger UI
- API documentation
- Professional$20/monthly
- Advanced features
- Team collaboration
- API testing
- Enterprise$undefined/monthly
- Custom deployment
- Advanced security
- Dedicated support
Asyncapi
Free- Open SourceFree
- AsyncAPI specification
- Tools
- Community support
Which should you pick?
Choose Swagger if
- You need interactive documentation.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, CLI, Desktop.
- You also want code generation.
Choose Asyncapi if
- You need code generation.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, CLI, IDE Extensions.
- You also want documentation.
Questions people ask
- Is Swagger or Asyncapi better?
- Neither clearly leads. Swagger starts at Free and Asyncapi at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Swagger or Asyncapi?
- Swagger starts at Free and Asyncapi at Free.
- Does Swagger or Asyncapi run on more platforms?
- Swagger runs on Web, CLI, Desktop. Asyncapi runs on Web, CLI, IDE Extensions.
- Can I use Swagger for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Swagger best used for?
- Swagger is most often used for api development, api gateway, api testing, api documentation.
- What can Swagger do that Asyncapi cannot?
- Swagger covers Interactive Documentation, Code Generation, GitHub, GitLab. Asyncapi covers Code generation, Documentation, Multiple messaging protocols, Code generators. Both handle API Specification, CLI support.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Asyncapi: What is AsyncAPI used for?
AsyncAPI is an open-source specification for defining and documenting asynchronous APIs, message-driven systems, and event-driven architectures. It serves the same purpose for async APIs as OpenAPI does for REST APIs, providing standardized documentation, code generation, and tooling.
SourceAsyncapi: Is AsyncAPI free to use?
Yes, AsyncAPI is completely free and open-source. It is hosted by the Linux Foundation and supported by community contributions and sponsorships from companies like Postman, IBM, IQVIA Technology, and Solace.
SourceAsyncapi: What protocols and technologies does AsyncAPI support?
AsyncAPI supports multiple protocols and technologies including Kafka, RabbitMQ, MQTT, Socket.IO, AWS EventBridge, and others. It provides language support for JavaScript/TypeScript, Python, Java, Go, C#/.NET, Kotlin, and PHP.
SourceAsyncapi: Does AsyncAPI have IDE support?
Yes, AsyncAPI has IDE extensions available for VSCode and IntelliJ, along with CLI utilities and GitHub Actions integration for developers.
Source