# Absinthe vs Apollo GraphQL

**Leader by Vioscale score:** Apollo GraphQL

| Attribute | Absinthe | Apollo GraphQL |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 44.8 (35% (low)) | 64.3 (59% (medium)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 1 | 1 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 1,257 | 76,434 |
| adoption.github_stars | 4,399 | 13,947 |
| adoption.package_downloads_weekly | - | 2,958,758 |
| deployment.options | `{"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | - | 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. |
| features.capabilities | `{"role":"server","language":"Elixir","managed_cloud":false,"self_hostable":true,"subscriptions":true}` | `{"role":"gateway","caching":true,"language":"API-agnostic (supports any GraphQL API regardless of implementation language)","federation":true,"managed_cloud":true,"self_hostable":true,"subscriptions":true,"auth_directives":true,"schema_approach":"introspection","type_generation":true,"db_introspection":false}` |
| integrations.count | - | 4 |
| integrations.list | - | `[{"name":"Apollo Connectors"},{"name":"Apollo MCP Server"},{"name":"GraphQL APIs"},{"name":"REST APIs"}]` |
| language.primary | Elixir | TypeScript |
| license.spdx | - | MIT |
| market.availability | - | `{"hqCountry":"US","primaryMarkets":["US"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | - | `{"cli":true,"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","sourceUrl":"https://absinthe-graphql.org/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-21T13:20:08.370Z"}` | `{"type":"hybrid","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Free","summary":"Forever free, no credit card required","features":["GraphOS platform","Any GraphQL API support","Self-hosted Router","GraphQL Federation","Response Caching","Schema Proposals","SSO","Audit logging"],"minSeats":3,"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":0,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"For students or hobbyists learning GraphQL","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"developers":"Up to 3","data_retention":"1 day","router_rate_limit":"60 requests per minute"}},{"free":false,"name":"Developer","summary":"$5 per million requests, billed monthly with volume discounts. $50 credit on signup.","features":["GraphOS platform","Any GraphQL API support","Self-hosted Router","GraphQL Federation","Response Caching","Schema Proposals","SSO","Audit logging"],"minSeats":10,"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"million_requests"},"kind":"metered","amount":5,"currency":"USD"}],"description":"For small teams operating production GraphQL APIs","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"developers":"Up to 10","data_retention":"7 days"}},{"free":false,"name":"Standard","summary":"Custom pricing","features":["GraphOS platform","Any GraphQL API support","Self-hosted Router","GraphQL Federation","Response Caching","Schema Proposals","SSO","Audit logging"],"minSeats":30,"description":"For scaling a GraphQL platform across multiple teams","contactSales":true,"includedLimits":{"developers":"Up to 30","data_retention":"90 days"}},{"free":false,"name":"Enterprise","summary":"Custom pricing","features":["GraphOS platform","Any GraphQL API support","Self-hosted Router","GraphQL Federation","Response Caching","Schema Proposals","SSO","Audit logging"],"description":"For large-scale GraphQL initiatives","contactSales":true,"includedLimits":{"developers":"Unlimited","data_retention":"18 months"}}],"addOns":[{"name":"Premium Support Packages"},{"name":"Professional Services Packages"}],"summary":"From $5 per million requests. Free tier with no credit card required.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.apollographql.com/pricing","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T21:31:14.928Z","startingPrice":{"amount":5,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | - | yes |
| pricing.model | open_source | freemium |
| pricing.price_level | free | low |
| pricing.transparent | - | yes |
| release.cadence_days | 24 | - |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/absinthe-graphql/absinthe/releases/tag/v1.11.0","date":"2026-06-04T19:07:22Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.11.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/absinthe-graphql/absinthe/releases/tag/v1.10.0","date":"2026-04-03T16:08:48Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.10.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/absinthe-graphql/absinthe/releases/tag/v1.9.0","date":"2025-11-21T15:08:24Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.9.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/absinthe-graphql/absinthe/releases/tag/v1.8.0","date":"2025-11-06T13:26:50Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.8.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/absinthe-graphql/absinthe/releases/tag/v1.7.11","date":"2025-10-30T13:52:04Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.7.11"},{"url":"https://github.com/absinthe-graphql/absinthe/releases/tag/v1.7.10","date":"2025-06-09T16:38:08Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.7.10"},{"url":"https://github.com/absinthe-graphql/absinthe/releases/tag/v1.7.9","date":"2025-03-14T12:16:19Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.7.9"},{"url":"https://github.com/absinthe-graphql/absinthe/releases/tag/v1.7.8","date":"2025-03-14T12:09:12Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.7.8"},{"url":"https://github.com/absinthe-graphql/absinthe/releases/tag/v1.7.7","date":"2024-07-11T20:29:51Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.7.7"},{"url":"https://github.com/absinthe-graphql/absinthe/releases/tag/v1.6.6","date":"2021-09-28T21:41:45Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.6.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/absinthe-graphql/absinthe/releases/tag/v1.6.5","date":"2021-08-03T16:35:10Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.6.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/absinthe-graphql/absinthe/releases/tag/v1.6.4","date":"2021-04-16T21:34:35Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.6.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/absinthe-graphql/absinthe/releases/tag/v1.6.3","date":"2021-04-16T21:34:27Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.6.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/absinthe-graphql/absinthe/releases/tag/v1.6.2","date":"2021-02-05T07:13:44Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.6.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/absinthe-graphql/absinthe/releases/tag/v1.6.1","date":"2021-02-01T19:20:46Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.6.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/absinthe-graphql/absinthe/releases/tag/v1.6.0","date":"2021-01-15T23:24:08Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.6.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/absinthe-graphql/absinthe/releases/tag/v1.6.0-rc.1","date":"2021-01-14T22:25:31Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.6.0-rc.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/absinthe-graphql/absinthe/releases/tag/v1.6.0-rc.0","date":"2021-01-02T21:49:41Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.6.0-rc.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/absinthe-graphql/absinthe/releases/tag/v1.5.5","date":"2020-12-08T22:55:46Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.5.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/absinthe-graphql/absinthe/releases/tag/v1.5.4","date":"2020-11-28T21:56:56Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.5.4"}]` | `[{"url":"https://github.com/apollographql/apollo-server/releases/tag/%40apollo/server%405.5.1","date":"2026-05-05T16:06:05Z","type":"stable","version":"@apollo/server@5.5.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/apollographql/apollo-server/releases/tag/%40apollo/server-integration-testsuite%405.5.1","date":"2026-05-05T16:06:02Z","type":"stable","version":"@apollo/server-integration-testsuite@5.5.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/apollographql/apollo-server/releases/tag/%40apollo/usage-reporting-protobuf%404.1.2","date":"2026-05-04T16:35:44Z","type":"stable","version":"@apollo/usage-reporting-protobuf@4.1.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/apollographql/apollo-server/releases/tag/%40apollo/server%405.5.0","date":"2026-03-24T19:49:16Z","type":"stable","version":"@apollo/server@5.5.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/apollographql/apollo-server/releases/tag/%40apollo/server-integration-testsuite%405.5.0","date":"2026-03-24T19:49:19Z","type":"stable","version":"@apollo/server-integration-testsuite@5.5.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/apollographql/apollo-server/releases/tag/%40apollo/server%405.4.0","date":"2026-02-04T10:58:26Z","type":"stable","version":"@apollo/server@5.4.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/apollographql/apollo-server/releases/tag/%40apollo/server%404.13.0","date":"2026-02-04T10:56:52Z","type":"stable","version":"@apollo/server@4.13.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/apollographql/apollo-server/releases/tag/%40apollo/server-integration-testsuite%405.4.0","date":"2026-02-04T10:58:23Z","type":"stable","version":"@apollo/server-integration-testsuite@5.4.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/apollographql/apollo-server/releases/tag/%40apollo/server-integration-testsuite%404.13.0","date":"2026-02-04T10:56:49Z","type":"stable","version":"@apollo/server-integration-testsuite@4.13.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/apollographql/apollo-server/releases/tag/%40apollo/server%405.3.0","date":"2026-01-21T11:46:10Z","type":"stable","version":"@apollo/server@5.3.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/apollographql/apollo-server/releases/tag/%40apollo/server-integration-testsuite%405.3.0","date":"2026-01-21T11:46:07Z","type":"stable","version":"@apollo/server-integration-testsuite@5.3.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/apollographql/apollo-server/releases/tag/%40apollo/server%405.2.0","date":"2025-11-21T23:19:03Z","type":"stable","version":"@apollo/server@5.2.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/apollographql/apollo-server/releases/tag/%40apollo/server-integration-testsuite%405.2.0","date":"2025-11-21T23:19:00Z","type":"stable","version":"@apollo/server-integration-testsuite@5.2.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/apollographql/apollo-server/releases/tag/%40apollo/server%405.1.0","date":"2025-10-28T15:47:16Z","type":"stable","version":"@apollo/server@5.1.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/apollographql/apollo-server/releases/tag/%40apollo/server-integration-testsuite%405.1.0","date":"2025-10-28T15:47:13Z","type":"stable","version":"@apollo/server-integration-testsuite@5.1.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/apollographql/apollo-server/releases/tag/%40apollo/server%405.1.0-rc.0","date":"2025-10-21T17:16:53Z","type":"prerelease","version":"@apollo/server@5.1.0-rc.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/apollographql/apollo-server/releases/tag/%40apollo/server-plugin-response-cache%405.0.1-rc.0","date":"2025-10-21T17:16:50Z","type":"prerelease","version":"@apollo/server-plugin-response-cache@5.0.1-rc.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/apollographql/apollo-server/releases/tag/%40apollo/server-integration-testsuite%405.1.0-rc.0","date":"2025-10-21T17:16:47Z","type":"prerelease","version":"@apollo/server-integration-testsuite@5.1.0-rc.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/apollographql/apollo-server/releases/tag/%40apollo/server%405.0.0","date":"2025-07-17T16:58:26Z","type":"stable","version":"@apollo/server@5.0.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/apollographql/apollo-server/releases/tag/%40apollo/server-plugin-response-cache%405.0.0","date":"2025-07-17T16:58:23Z","type":"stable","version":"@apollo/server-plugin-response-cache@5.0.0"}]` |
| reliability.status_page | - | yes |
| security.gdpr | - | yes |
| security.scorecard | 4.5 | 5.8 |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":4,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=hex&package_name=absinthe&per_page=100","last_12m":4,"max_severity":"HIGH"}` | `{"count":5,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=apollo-server-core&per_page=100","last_12m":1,"max_severity":"MODERATE"}` |

## Capabilities (GraphQL Tools)

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

*Source: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T15:19:31.945Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*