vioscale
Comparison

Absinthe vs Apollo GraphQL

On the evidence we track, Apollo GraphQL leads this comparison with a composite score of 64/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

Absinthe full profile →Apollo GraphQL full profile →
Machine formatsJSONMarkdownGraphQLor send Accept: application/json
Absinthe45
★Apollo GraphQL64
Score
Vioscale score
Absinthe45 / 100low · 35%updating
Apollo GraphQL64 / 100medium · 59%updating
Pricing
Free tier
Absinthe–
Apollo GraphQL✓
Model
Absintheopen_source
Apollo GraphQLfreemium
Price level
Absinthefree
Apollo GraphQLlow
Transparent
Absinthe–
Apollo GraphQL✓
Integrations
Count
Absinthe–
Apollo GraphQL4
Security
Gdpr
Absinthe–
Apollo GraphQL✓
Scorecard
Absinthe4.5
Apollo GraphQL5.8
Vulnerabilities
Reliability
Status page
Absinthe–
Apollo GraphQL✓
Adoption
Dependent repos
Absinthe1,257
Apollo GraphQL76,434
Github stars
Absinthe4,399
Apollo GraphQL13,947
Package downloads weekly
Absinthe–
Apollo GraphQL2,958,758
Activity
Commits last 30d
Absinthe1
Apollo GraphQL1
Release
Cadence days
Absinthe24
Apollo GraphQL–
History
Absinthe20 items
Apollo GraphQL20 items
License
Spdx
Absinthe–
Apollo GraphQLMIT
Language
Primary
AbsintheElixir
Apollo GraphQLTypeScript
Market
Availability

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for graphql tools. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Core
Role
AbsintheServer
Apollo GraphQLGateway / federation
Primary language
AbsintheElixir
Apollo GraphQLAPI-agnostic (supports any GraphQL API regardless of implementation language)
Modelling
Schema approach
Absinthe-
Apollo GraphQLDB introspection
Scale
Federation / subgraph composition
Absinthe-
Apollo GraphQL✓
Realtime
Real-time subscriptions
Absinthe✓
Apollo GraphQL✓
Performance
Response / edge caching
Absinthe-
Apollo GraphQL✓
DX
Typed code generation
Absinthe-
Apollo GraphQL✓
Automation
Generates API from a database
Absinthe-
Apollo GraphQL✗
Security
Built-in authz / permissions
Absinthe-
Apollo GraphQL✓
Deployment
Official hosted offering
Absinthe✗
Apollo GraphQL✓
Self-hostable
Absinthe✓
Apollo GraphQL✓

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

Absinthe

Not documented yet.

Apollo GraphQL

Leader

A complete API orchestration and governance platform that enables teams to build, deploy, and scale GraphQL APIs with support for federation, real-time subscriptions, schema management, and compliance across cloud and self-hosted environments.

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

Absinthe

Open source
as of verify ↗

Apollo GraphQL

Leader
from $5/moHybridFree tier

From $5 per million requests. Free tier with no credit card required.

  • FreeFree
    • GraphOS platform
    • Any GraphQL API support
    • Self-hosted Router
    • GraphQL Federation
    • Response Caching
    • +3 more
  • Developer$5 per million requests, billed monthly with volume discounts. $50 credit on signup.
    • GraphOS platform
    • Any GraphQL API support
    • Self-hosted Router
    • GraphQL Federation
    • Response Caching
    • +3 more
  • StandardContact sales
    • GraphOS platform
    • Any GraphQL API support
    • Self-hosted Router
    • GraphQL Federation
    • Response Caching
    • +3 more
  • EnterpriseContact sales
    • GraphOS platform
    • Any GraphQL API support
    • Self-hosted Router
    • GraphQL Federation
    • Response Caching
    • +3 more
as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platforms
Web
Absinthe–
Apollo GraphQL✓
CLI
Absinthe–
Apollo GraphQL✓
Deployment
Cloud / SaaS
Absinthe✗
Apollo GraphQL✓
Self-hosted
Absinthe✓
Apollo GraphQL✓

Integrations

What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.

Absinthe

Not documented yet.

Apollo GraphQL

Leader
4 total
  • Apollo Connectors
  • Apollo MCP Server
  • GraphQL APIs
  • REST APIs
Independently observed

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.