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Apollo Server vs Hot Chocolate

Apollo Server

apollographql.com

Hot Chocolate

chillicream.com

Side by side

FigureApollo ServerHot Chocolate
Price from—Free
Free plan—Yes
Free trial——
Open source——
Web—Yes
API—Yes
Self-hosted—Yes
Plans published01
Spec score · GraphQL Tools5.8 (#27)8.1 (#6)

Plans

Apollo Server

No plans published.

Apollo Server pricing →

Hot Chocolate

  • Hot ChocolateFree

Hot Chocolate pricing →

In their own words

Apollo Server

Apollo Server has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.

Visit apollographql.com

Hot Chocolate

Hot Chocolate is an open-source GraphQL server for.NET that runs on ASP.NET Core and builds a GraphQL schema from C# types and resolvers. Developers can define typed schemas through implementation-first or code-first methods. It supports GraphQL over HTTP and WebSocket, plus Server-Sent Events for streaming responses. Documentation describes schema downloads, a Nitro GraphQL IDE endpoint, and a command-line interface for schema export. Data integrations include Entity Framework, MongoDB, and Marten; DataLoaders and batch resolvers help batch and cache related requests. OpenTelemetry instrumentation covers server, execution, and DataLoader activity. Security guidance recommends query cost analysis, pagination and execution-depth limits, and timeouts for public APIs; trusted documents can restrict private APIs to registered operations. Servers can act as Fusion subgraphs. Hot Chocolate implements the GraphQL 2025 specification and GraphQL over HTTP, and supports spec-compliant clients including Strawberry Shake, Relay, and Apollo Client. It is MIT licensed for commercial or private use. Community support is free; paid Startup support starts at $450 per month and includes two critical incidents.

Visit chillicream.com