vioscale
Comparison

Apache APISIX vs IBM API Connect

On the evidence we track, Apache APISIX leads this comparison with a composite score of 56/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

Apache APISIX full profile →IBM API Connect full profile →
Machine formatsJSONMarkdownGraphQLor send Accept: application/json
★Apache APISIX56
IBM API Connect48
Score
Vioscale score
Apache APISIX56 / 100medium · 54%updating
IBM API Connect48 / 100low · 40%updating
Pricing
Free tier
Apache APISIX✓
IBM API Connect✓
Model
Apache APISIXopen_source
IBM API Connectfreemium
Price level
Apache APISIXfree
IBM API Connectlow
Transparent
Apache APISIX✓
IBM API Connect✗
Integrations
Count
Apache APISIX13
IBM API Connect–
Security
Disclosure policy
Apache APISIX✓
IBM API Connect✓
Scorecard
Apache APISIX7.5
IBM API Connect–
Vulnerabilities
Reliability
Sla pct
Apache APISIX–
IBM API Connect99.9
Adoption
Dependent repos
Apache APISIX1
IBM API Connect–
Github stars
Apache APISIX17,037
IBM API Connect–
Activity
Commits last 30d
Apache APISIX61
IBM API Connect–
Release
Cadence days
Apache APISIX61
IBM API Connect–
History
Apache APISIX20 items
IBM API Connect–
License
Spdx
Apache APISIXApache-2.0
IBM API Connect–
Language
Primary
Apache APISIXLua
IBM API Connect–
Market
Availability
Apache APISIX–
IBM API ConnectAvailable worldwide

Capabilities

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

Deployment
Hosting
Apache APISIXCloud + self-hosted
IBM API ConnectCloud + self-hosted
Kubernetes-native
Apache APISIX✓
IBM API Connect-
Traffic
Rate limiting
Apache APISIX✓
IBM API Connect-
Request/response transformation
Apache APISIX✓
IBM API Connect-
Security
OAuth2 / OIDC / JWT
Apache APISIX✓
IBM API Connect-
Mutual TLS
Apache APISIX✓
IBM API Connect-
Protocols
GraphQL gateway
Apache APISIX✗
IBM API Connect-
gRPC support
Apache APISIX✓
IBM API Connect-
Delivery
Developer portal
Apache APISIX✓
IBM API Connect✓
Monetization
Apache APISIX✓
IBM API Connect✓
Ecosystem
Plugin ecosystem
Apache APISIXExtensive
IBM API Connect-
Insight
Observability
Apache APISIX✓
IBM API Connect✓

What each one is

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

Apache APISIX

Leader

A dynamic, high-performance gateway that routes and secures API traffic with built-in plugins for authentication, rate limiting, and observability. Runs anywhere from bare metal to Kubernetes with no vendor lock-in.

Independently observed

IBM API Connect

An agentic AI-powered API management solution that empowers developers to build and manage APIs more efficiently, with AI-agents assisting in securely scaling API infrastructure across hybrid 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.

Apache APISIX

Leader
Open sourceFree tier
as of verify ↗

IBM API Connect

HybridFree tier30-day trial

Pay-as-you-go usage-based, SaaS subscriptions (Standard, Premium, Reserved), or self-managed software. 30-day free trial.

  • Pay-as-You-GoUsage-based SaaS pricing on AWS
    • Multi-tenant
    • 1 instance
    • Unlimited API calls
    • 30 days analytics retention
    • 24x7x365 support
    • +1 more
  • Standard Tier (SaaS)Annual SaaS commitment for standard multi-tenant deployment
    • Multi-tenant
    • 1 instance
    • 100,000+ API calls/year
    • 90 days analytics retention
    • 24x7x365 support
    • +1 more
  • Premium Tier (SaaS)Annual SaaS commitment for premium single-tenant deployment
    • Single-tenant
    • 1-3 instances
    • 100M+ API calls/year
    • Custom analytics retention
    • 24x7x365 support
    • +1 more
  • Reserved Instance (SaaS)Contact sales
    • Single-tenant
    • Customer-determined instances
    • 120M+ API calls/year
    • Custom analytics retention
    • Customer-determined support
    • +1 more
  • Software (Self-Managed)Contact sales
    • On-premises/hybrid/multi-cloud deployment
    • Customer-determined instances
    • Customer-determined API call volume
    • Customer-determined analytics retention
    • Installation and deployment assistance
    • +1 more
as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

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

Platforms
Linux
Apache APISIX✓
IBM API Connect–
CLI
Apache APISIX✓
IBM API Connect–
Deployment
Cloud / SaaS
Apache APISIX✓
IBM API Connect✓
Self-hosted
Apache APISIX✓
IBM API Connect✓
On-premise
Apache APISIX✗
IBM API Connect✓
Hybrid
Apache APISIX✗
IBM API Connect✓

Integrations

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

Apache APISIX

Leader
21 total
  • OpenAI
  • Anthropic
  • AWS Bedrock
  • DeepSeek
  • Ollama
  • gRPC
  • gRPC-Web
  • Open Policy Agent
  • Spring Boot
  • OAuth2
  • OpenID Connect
  • Keycloak
  • Istio
  • Kuma
  • AWS Lambda
  • Azure Serverless Function
  • Apache OpenWhisk
  • Vault
  • Dubbo
  • MQTT
  • etcd
Independently observed

IBM API Connect

Not documented yet.

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