Software · head to head
Swagger vs GraphQL Playground
S
Swagger
Software
API design and documentation platform for building, testing, and managing APIs
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
GraphQL Playground
Software
GraphQL IDE and documentation tool for building GraphQL 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; GraphQL Playground apollo's own documentation states GraphQL Playground is officially retired and no longer recommended, directing users to Apollo Sandbox instead
- They diverge on capability: Swagger covers API Specification, GraphQL Playground covers Query building.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Swagger and GraphQL Playground actually diverge.
| Attribute | Swagger | GraphQL Playground |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | freemium | open-source |
| Platforms | Web, CLI, Desktop | Web, Electron, Self-hosted |
| Founded | 2011 | 2018 |
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
- CLI support
Only in GraphQL Playground
- Query building
- Schema introspection
- Real-time testing
- GraphQL servers
- Apollo Studio
- Custom servers
- Electron support
- Self-hosted support
Both cover
- Web 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
GraphQL Playground
- 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
GraphQL Playground
- Apollo's own documentation states GraphQL Playground is officially retired and no longer recommended, directing users to Apollo Sandbox instead
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
GraphQL Playground
Free- Open SourceFree
- Full GraphQL IDE
- Community support
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 GraphQL Playground if
- You need query building.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Electron, Self-hosted.
- You also want schema introspection.
Questions people ask
- Is Swagger or GraphQL Playground better?
- Neither clearly leads. Swagger starts at Free and GraphQL Playground at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Swagger or GraphQL Playground?
- Swagger starts at Free and GraphQL Playground at Free.
- Does Swagger or GraphQL Playground run on more platforms?
- Swagger runs on Web, CLI, Desktop. GraphQL Playground runs on Web, Electron, Self-hosted.
- 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 GraphQL Playground cannot?
- Swagger covers API Specification, Interactive Documentation, Code Generation, GitHub. GraphQL Playground covers Query building, Schema introspection, Real-time testing, GraphQL servers. Both handle Web support.