vioscale
Comparison

Apollo GraphQL vs Nexus

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.

Apollo GraphQL full profile →Nexus full profile →
Machine formatsJSONMarkdownGraphQLor send Accept: application/json
★Apollo GraphQL64
Nexus47
Score
Vioscale score
Apollo GraphQL64 / 100medium · 59%
Nexus47 / 100medium · 65%
Pricing
Free tier
Apollo GraphQL✓
Nexus✓
Model
Apollo GraphQLfreemium
Nexusopen_source
Price level
Apollo GraphQLlow
Nexusfree
Transparent
Apollo GraphQL✓
Nexus–
Integrations
Count
Apollo GraphQL4
Nexus2
Security
Gdpr
Apollo GraphQL✓
Nexus–
Scorecard
Apollo GraphQL5.8
Nexus3.5
Vulnerabilities
Reliability
Status page
Apollo GraphQL✓
Nexus–
Adoption
Dependent repos
Apollo GraphQL76,434
Nexus2,363
Github stars
Apollo GraphQL13,947
Nexus3,430
Package downloads weekly
Apollo GraphQL2,958,758
Nexus224,130
Activity
Commits last 30d
Apollo GraphQL1
Nexus0
Release
Cadence days
Apollo GraphQL–
Nexus27
History
Apollo GraphQL20 items
Nexus18 items
License
Spdx
Apollo GraphQLMIT
NexusMIT
Language
Primary
Apollo GraphQLTypeScript
NexusTypeScript
Market
Availability

Capabilities

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

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

What each one is

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

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

Nexus

An open-source GraphQL schema library that enables developers to define GraphQL types programmatically in TypeScript/JavaScript with full type safety and IDE intellisense. It bridges the simplicity of schema-definition-language approaches with the flexibility and long-term maintainability of code-based construction.

Independently observed

Pricing

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

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 ↗

Nexus

Open sourceFree tier
as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

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

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

Integrations

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

Apollo GraphQL

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

Nexus

2 total
  • Prisma
  • Next.js
Independently observed

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