Software · head to head
Swagger vs Swagger/OpenAPI
Swagger
Software
API design and documentation platform for building, testing, and managing APIs
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Swagger/OpenAPI
Software
API specification and documentation framework using OpenAPI standard
- 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; Swagger/OpenAPI the OpenAPI Specification itself is licensed under Apache License 2.0 and free to use; SwaggerHub is a separate paid tool built on top of it
- They diverge on capability: Swagger covers API Specification, Swagger/OpenAPI covers OpenAPI Specification.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Swagger and Swagger/OpenAPI actually diverge.
| Attribute | Swagger | Swagger/OpenAPI |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2011 | 2001 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web, CLI, Desktop), 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
- Azure DevOps
- Jira
Only in Swagger/OpenAPI
- OpenAPI Specification
- Jenkins
- IDE plugins
Both cover
- Interactive Documentation
- Code Generation
- GitHub
- GitLab
- Web support
- CLI support
- Desktop 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
Swagger/OpenAPI
- 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
Swagger/OpenAPI
- The OpenAPI Specification itself is licensed under Apache License 2.0 and free to use; SwaggerHub is a separate paid tool built on top of it
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
Swagger/OpenAPI
Free- Open SourceFree
- OpenAPI specification
- Community tools
- SwaggerHub FreeFree
- Cloud editor
- API mocking
- API testing
- SwaggerHub Pro$75/monthly
- Team collaboration
- Advanced mocking
- Analytics
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 azure devops.
Choose Swagger/OpenAPI if
- You need openapi specification.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, CLI, Desktop.
- You also want jenkins.
Questions people ask
- Is Swagger or Swagger/OpenAPI better?
- Neither clearly leads. Swagger starts at Free and Swagger/OpenAPI at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Swagger or Swagger/OpenAPI?
- Swagger starts at Free and Swagger/OpenAPI at Free.
- Does Swagger or Swagger/OpenAPI run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, CLI, Desktop, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- 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 Swagger/OpenAPI cannot?
- Swagger covers API Specification, Azure DevOps, Jira. Swagger/OpenAPI covers OpenAPI Specification, Jenkins, IDE plugins. Both handle Interactive Documentation, Code Generation, GitHub, GitLab.