# Apollo GraphQL vs gqlgen

| Attribute | Apollo GraphQL | gqlgen |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 64.3 (59% (medium)) | 62.8 (36% (low)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 1 | 20 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 76,434 | 3,167 |
| adoption.github_stars | 13,947 | 10,753 |
| adoption.package_downloads_weekly | 2,958,758 | - |
| deployment.options | `{"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. | A schema-first code generation library for Go that lets developers define GraphQL APIs using the schema definition language and automatically generates type-safe server implementations. It eliminates boilerplate by handling code generation while enforcing type safety throughout. |
| features.capabilities | `{"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}` | `{"role":"server","caching":false,"language":"Go","federation":true,"managed_cloud":false,"self_hostable":true,"subscriptions":true,"auth_directives":false,"schema_approach":"schema_first","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 | TypeScript | Go |
| license.spdx | MIT | MIT |
| market.availability | `{"hqCountry":"US","primaryMarkets":["US"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | - |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"web":true}` | `{"cli":true}` |
| pricing | `{"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"]}` | `{"type":"open_source","sourceUrl":"https://gqlgen.com","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T21:39:40.951Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | - |
| pricing.model | freemium | open_source |
| pricing.price_level | low | free |
| pricing.transparent | yes | - |
| release.cadence_days | - | 15 |
| release.history | `[{"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"}]` | `[{"url":"https://github.com/99designs/gqlgen/releases/tag/v0.17.94","date":"2026-07-09T15:29:06Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.17.94"},{"url":"https://github.com/99designs/gqlgen/releases/tag/v0.17.93","date":"2026-06-25T23:54:10Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.17.93"},{"url":"https://github.com/99designs/gqlgen/releases/tag/v0.17.92","date":"2026-06-21T13:23:58Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.17.92"},{"url":"https://github.com/99designs/gqlgen/releases/tag/v0.17.91","date":"2026-06-11T14:33:01Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.17.91"},{"url":"https://github.com/99designs/gqlgen/releases/tag/v0.17.90","date":"2026-04-25T19:11:01Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.17.90"},{"url":"https://github.com/99designs/gqlgen/releases/tag/v0.17.89","date":"2026-03-24T18:45:49Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.17.89"},{"url":"https://github.com/99designs/gqlgen/releases/tag/v0.17.88","date":"2026-03-09T00:10:30Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.17.88"},{"url":"https://github.com/99designs/gqlgen/releases/tag/v0.17.87","date":"2026-02-19T14:14:40Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.17.87"},{"url":"https://github.com/99designs/gqlgen/releases/tag/v0.17.86","date":"2026-01-12T01:28:31Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.17.86"},{"url":"https://github.com/99designs/gqlgen/releases/tag/v0.17.85","date":"2025-12-17T02:21:31Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.17.85"},{"url":"https://github.com/99designs/gqlgen/releases/tag/v0.17.84","date":"2025-11-24T16:56:20Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.17.84"},{"url":"https://github.com/99designs/gqlgen/releases/tag/v0.17.83","date":"2025-11-11T02:05:44Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.17.83"},{"url":"https://github.com/99designs/gqlgen/releases/tag/v0.17.82","date":"2025-11-07T01:29:47Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.17.82"},{"url":"https://github.com/99designs/gqlgen/releases/tag/v0.17.81","date":"2025-09-25T23:00:54Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.17.81"},{"url":"https://github.com/99designs/gqlgen/releases/tag/v0.17.80","date":"2025-09-17T16:13:26Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.17.80"},{"url":"https://github.com/99designs/gqlgen/releases/tag/v0.17.79","date":"2025-09-14T19:35:25Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.17.79"},{"url":"https://github.com/99designs/gqlgen/releases/tag/v0.17.78","date":"2025-07-27T23:09:18Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.17.78"},{"url":"https://github.com/99designs/gqlgen/releases/tag/v0.17.77","date":"2025-07-27T03:26:30Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.17.77"},{"url":"https://github.com/99designs/gqlgen/releases/tag/v0.17.76","date":"2025-06-28T23:25:19Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.17.76"},{"url":"https://github.com/99designs/gqlgen/releases/tag/v0.17.75","date":"2025-06-16T14:42:20Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.17.75"}]` |
| reliability.status_page | yes | - |
| security.gdpr | yes | - |
| security.scorecard | 5.8 | 6.6 |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"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"}` | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=go&package_name=github.com%2F99designs%2Fgqlgen&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` |

## Capabilities (GraphQL Tools)

| Capability | Apollo GraphQL | gqlgen |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Role | Gateway / federation | Server |
| Primary language | API-agnostic (supports any GraphQL API regardless of implementation language) | Go |
| **Modelling** |  |  |
| Schema approach | DB introspection | Schema-first |
| **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 2026-09-01T16:56:58.958Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*