Software · head to head
Swagger vs Microsoft Azure API Management
S
Swagger
Software
API design and documentation platform for building, testing, and managing APIs
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Microsoft Azure API Management
Software
Hybrid, multi-cloud API management service on Azure
- 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; Microsoft Azure API Management prices are not shown on the pricing page itself; every tier renders as a placeholder and routes to the calculator or sales
- They diverge on capability: Swagger covers API Specification, Microsoft Azure API Management covers API Gateway.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Swagger and Microsoft Azure API Management actually diverge.
| Attribute | Swagger | Microsoft Azure API Management |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | freemium | subscription |
| Platforms | Web, CLI, Desktop | Cloud, Hybrid, Multi-cloud |
| Founded | 2011 | 1975 |
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
- API Specification
- Interactive Documentation
- Code Generation
- GitHub
- GitLab
- Azure DevOps
- Jira
- Web support
Only in Microsoft Azure API Management
- API Gateway
- Developer Portal
- API Policies
- Azure services
- AWS
- Google Cloud
- On-premises
- Cloud support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Swagger
- API Developmentnot Microsoft Azure API Management
- API Gatewaynot Microsoft Azure API Management
- API Testingnot Microsoft Azure API Management
- API Documentationnot Microsoft Azure API Management
- Microservicesnot Microsoft Azure API Management
Microsoft Azure API Management
- API gateway and lifecycle management on Azurenot Swagger
- Throttling, keys and policies in front of backend servicesnot Swagger
- Developer portal for internal and partner APIsnot Swagger
- Hybrid deployments using self-hosted gatewaysnot Swagger
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
Microsoft Azure API Management
- Prices are not shown on the pricing page itself; every tier renders as a placeholder and routes to the calculator or sales
- Two parallel generations of tiers, classic and v2, so the choice is which lineage before which size
- The Developer tier is explicitly not for production
- Self-hosted gateways and workspace gateways are charged separately from the service
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
Microsoft Azure API Management
Free- FreeFree
- 1M calls/month
- Community support
- Developer$50/monthly
- 10M calls/month
- Email support
- Premium$500/monthly
- Unlimited calls
- Priority support
- SLA
Which should you pick?
Choose Swagger if
- You need api specification.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, CLI, Desktop.
- You also want interactive documentation.
Choose Microsoft Azure API Management if
- You need api gateway.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Cloud, Hybrid, Multi-cloud.
- You also want developer portal.
Questions people ask
- Is Swagger or Microsoft Azure API Management better?
- Neither clearly leads. Swagger starts at Free and Microsoft Azure API Management at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Swagger or Microsoft Azure API Management?
- Swagger starts at Free and Microsoft Azure API Management at Free.
- Does Swagger or Microsoft Azure API Management run on more platforms?
- Swagger runs on Web, CLI, Desktop. Microsoft Azure API Management runs on Cloud, Hybrid, Multi-cloud.
- 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. Of those, api development and api gateway are not what Microsoft Azure API Management is typically brought in for.
- What can Swagger do that Microsoft Azure API Management cannot?
- Swagger covers API Specification, Interactive Documentation, Code Generation, GitHub. Microsoft Azure API Management covers API Gateway, Developer Portal, API Policies, Azure services.