IBM API Connect vs KrakenD API Gateway
IBM API Connect
ibm.com
KrakenD API Gateway
krakend.ioSide by side
| Figure | IBM API Connect | KrakenD API Gateway |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $83/mo | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 5 | 2 |
| Spec score · API Security & Management Platforms | 6.5 (#8) | 7.6 (#5) |
| Spec score · Rest Apis | 6.5 (#22) | 7.7 (#11) |
| Spec score · Apis | 6.5 (#22) | 7.7 (#16) |
| Spec score · Api 1 | 6.6 (#22) | 7.8 (#13) |
| Founded | 1911 | 2016 |
| Headquarters | Armonk, New York, United States | Barcelona, Spain |
Plans
IBM API Connect
- Pay-as-you-goPriced on request
- Standard Tier (SaaS)$83 a month
- Premium Tier (SaaS)Priced on request
- Reserved Instance (SaaS)Priced on request
- SoftwarePriced on request
KrakenD API Gateway
- Community EditionFree
- Enterprise EditionPriced on request
In their own words
IBM API Connect
IBM API Connect has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
KrakenD API Gateway
KrakenD API Gateway is a stateless, distributed gateway for connecting, securing, aggregating, and transforming APIs and AI workloads. It can combine data from multiple services into one response shaped for client needs. Traffic controls include rate limiting, circuit breaking, IP filtering, bot detection, and load balancing. Connectivity includes REST, RabbitMQ, SNS, SQS, Kafka, GraphQL, gRPC, SOAP, and Lambda; listed protocols also include HTTP, WebSockets, AMQP, and NATS. Authentication options include JWT, OAuth2, OpenID Connect, client credentials, API keys, Basic Authentication, and mTLS. KrakenD is self-hosted, with deployment choices including Docker, Kubernetes, cloud marketplace virtual machines, and Linux packages or binaries. The maker says the development Docker image can be used on Windows, Mac, or Linux, and KrakenD runs natively on Linux and Mac OS. Community Edition costs nothing and includes unlimited requests, APIs, and AI workloads. AI Gateway and AI security are Enterprise features.