Apiary vs IBM API Connect comparison

Oracle and IBM are both solutions in the API Management category. Oracle is ranked #38, while IBM is ranked #9 with an average rating of 8.0. Oracle holds a 0.6% mindshare in APIM, compared to IBM’s 5.0% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Oracle users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 91% of IBM users who would recommend it.

Apiary

Read 4 Apiary reviews

564 Views
564 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

IBM API Connect

Read 79 IBM API Connect reviews

6,218 Views
5,907 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

Apiary

IBM API Connect

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 17, 2024

IBM API Connect and Apiary compete in the API management space. IBM API Connect seems to have the upper hand with its enterprise-grade security and extensive feature set, while Apiary excels in user-friendly design and efficient collaboration tools.

Features: IBM API Connect includes robust security, lifecycle management, and detailed analytics capabilities. Apiary offers a streamlined design with outstanding API documentation, mock server functionalities, and strong team collaboration features. IBM focuses on enterprise-level security and control, whereas Apiary prioritizes user engagement and ease of use.

Room for Improvement: IBM API Connect could enhance user interface simplicity, reduce complexity for smaller projects, and increase integration support with third-party tools. Apiary might improve by enhancing security features, expanding deployment options for larger enterprises, and improving scalability for high-volume traffic.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: IBM API Connect supports hybrid cloud environments with comprehensive technical assistance, making it ideal for large organizations. Apiary’s cloud-based platform offers quick setups and focuses on easy customer engagement. Apiary is known for rapid deployment, while IBM provides extensive configurations and support for complex environments.

Pricing and ROI: IBM API Connect requires a higher initial investment but promises significant ROI with its features for large-scale operations. Apiary attracts startups and small teams with lower setup costs and efficient team collaboration, providing cost-effective ROI. Apiary is budget-friendly for SMEs, while IBM is a long-term investment for established enterprises.

To learn more, read our detailed Apiary vs. IBM API Connect Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Apiary vs. IBM API Connect

December 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Apiary

Ranking in API Management

38th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

IBM API Connect

Ranking in API Management

9th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS) (12th)

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the API Management category, the mindshare of Apiary is 0.6%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM API Connect is 5.0%, down from 6.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

API Management Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
IBM API Connect	5.0%
Apiary	0.6%
Other	94.4%

API Management

Featured Reviews

Phil Wilkins

Enterprise Integration Architect at Capgemini

The ability to configure rules to check for consistency has helped

Apiary provides a free tier of the platform which allows a small group of developers to collaborate easily on the design of open source APIs. In addition to this, it provides mock endpoints allowing people to experiment with the API without depending or having to stand up a real backend. With our clients, using Apiary allows us to very quickly pull together an API definition (particularly when using API Blueprint). The whole API design process for the simpler use cases can be done in a relatively short workshop which makes it a lot easier to agree, publish, version-manage an API definition with suitable documentation. This can then be evolved and enhanced (particularly in the documentation aspects). With the ability to support Swagger (Open API v2 and introducing/ed support for v3) and API Blueprint makes it a very versatile tool.

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Sairathish Murugesan

Works at a outsourcing company with 5,001-10,000 employees

Have addressed performance challenges while benefiting from flexible subscription models and reliable user access

To improve IBM API Connect, based on customer experience, you could work on latency. You can increase scalability and availability. If you're connecting with any other cloud, it connects to the infrastructure which needs to be managed with the customers and cloud providers, so if you have a setup, we can handle it easily. I have faced latency issues on the server, related to our management. If you need to stabilize your server based on peak traffic, you need to configure the scalability model. You need to know when traffic peaks, so use auto-scaling when traffic comes. If the application is not in use, the value should be zero, and it starts from zero. Based on customer experience, the value will increase, and when there is no customer servicing, the peak would be reduced, making the value remain zero. Following this approach, you should be able to optimize costs and satisfy customer experience.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"Quick and easy way to share a new API design with teams."

"I do like the overall performance of the solution."

"In two years, there was one time the service was down for an hour or so."

"Git integration"

"I find the generation of mock services very useful, especially when demonstrating for new consumers."

"The centralized management: this provides a management module that can deploy and apply security policies to all APIs, including all the gateways that are deployed on-premises and on any cloud because the gateway component can run at a VMware or in a Kubernetes cluster."

"The services that I consume through IBM API Connect are beneficial. It can handle multiple API management."

"What's best about IBM API Connect is the excellent administration. The development tool that builds the API is also very simple, and user-friendly, and it doesn't consume too much time. Another valuable feature in IBM API Connect is its good reporting feature, particularly for operations, but the most valuable feature of the solution for the customer is security. IBM API Connect provides a DMZ and a security gateway between the external and internal environment, so you can publish your API safely. IBM API Connect can also integrate with any tool or middleware that works on open standards without the need for development or coding, so integration with the solution is easier."

"Scalable and stable API platform for creating and managing APIs."

"This solution is ready to scale and already supports our agile CICD."

"API Connect is a very good platform for the development of APIs."

"It is easy to use and stable."

"The best features IBM API Connect offers in my experience are the middleware capabilities, as it can connect the front end, and you can be more secure using JWT tokens with IBM API Connect."

More IBM API Connect pros

Cons

"Swagger (OpenAPI Specification) and Blueprint Support"

"The Oracle release cycle is very bad because the patches only update once a year."

"I would like an integrated option to download a Swagger version of the definition."

"The integration of an API gateway that implements the sidecar pattern, which can be deployed in cloud applications, and expose the microservices directly in each pod, this can be more decentralized components."

"The solution is overly complex."

"There are issues with upgrading in the cloud version. The cloud version is extremely buggy. We prefer to use the on-premise version."

"There is room for improvement regarding the connectivity of the DevOps."

"Documentation for the CLI is not very complete. Also, the support could be improved, and we have had several problems with backing up and restoring the product."

"Extracting the data could be improved."

"I have faced latency issues on the server, related to our management."

"It's based on a little bit dated architecture. A lot of evolution has happened after that. It's an evolving field. Kong is a Kubernetes-based platform. Kong runs on Kubernetes, but all the other ones are in microservices. So, there's a lot of improvement that can be done."

More IBM API Connect cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is easy to get started with personal (free) accounts, but a subscription is required for additional features."

"There is a free subscription option to start and try the service."

"It is an expensive solution. The licensing model is based on a per-subscription and per-subscriber end-user basis, meaning the price is determined by the end-users of the platform."

"This is a licensed product. If your company is looking to obtain a license, you have to work with IBM partners."

"It is expensive when compared to other products in this class. There were no extra fees for add-ons or technical support."

"I rate the product price a seven on a scale of one to ten, where one is a low price, and ten is a high price."

"API Connect is quite pricey."

"The pricing is significantly high."

"The price of the solution is very expensive, it can turn many customers away."

"API Connect's license cost could be a little lower. But, unfortunately, there aren't many open-source API gateways. Ideally, some new developers could come up with a minimum-functionality open-source solution."

More IBM API Connect pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

No data available

Financial Services Firm

20%

Insurance Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	19
Midsize Enterprise	10
Large Enterprise	61

Questions from the Community

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What do you like most about IBM API Connect?

Publishers can easily identify, create, and publish APIs on the developer portal, defining plans, packages, and potentially billing rules.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM API Connect?

I do not handle the pricing, setup cost, and licensing details.

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What needs improvement with IBM API Connect?

We are relatively new to IBM API Connect, so I do not have significant improvements to suggest at this time.

See all answers

Comparisons

Apigee vs Apiary

Compared 38% of the time

Postman Enterprise vs Apiary

Compared 37% of the time

SwaggerHub vs Apiary

Compared 25% of the time

More Apiary Competitors

IBM DataPower Gateway vs IBM API Connect

Compared 31% of the time

Apigee vs IBM API Connect

Compared 17% of the time

Microsoft Azure API Management vs IBM API Connect

Compared 11% of the time

Amazon API Gateway vs IBM API Connect

Compared 5% of the time

MuleSoft API Manager vs IBM API Connect

Compared 5% of the time

More IBM API Connect Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

API Management

January 2026

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Buyer's Guide

IBM API Connect

January 2026

Download IBM API Connect product report

Overview

Apiary's pioneering APIFlow solution provides the framework and tools for developing application programming interfaces (APIs) that share enterprise services and data and help create modern, cloud-based applications and experiences. APIFlow spans the API creation lifecycle, including design, governance, testing, and documentation, while supporting API Blueprint and OpenAPI industry standardsץ

Oracle

IBM API Connect is an API management tool providing robust security, seamless REST and SOAP conversion, and flexible deployment options for diverse cloud environments. It aids organizations in securing and monetizing their APIs while streamlining the development process.

IBM API Connect offers features like a security gateway, API lifecycle management, and integration with DataPower. Its intuitive interface enhances ease of use, supporting extensive analytics and traffic management. However, there are areas for improvement in automation, system integration, and user configuration. Organizations can deploy API Connect on-premises or in the cloud, delivering secure access control and analytics for banking, financial services, and government sectors. Compliance with standards like PSD2 ensures secure external API exposure and integration with multiple systems.

What are the most important features of IBM API Connect?

Security Gateway: Provides robust protection and data security for APIs.
Seamless Conversion: Facilitates easy conversion between REST and SOAP protocols.
API Management: Supports full API lifecycle management for efficient development.
DataPower Integration: Integrates seamlessly with DataPower for enhanced functionality.
Developer Portal: Offers a user-friendly interface for managing APIs and developers.
Analytics: Delivers powerful insights through comprehensive API analytics.
Flexible Deployment: Supports deployment on different cloud platforms for versatility.

What benefits and ROI can users expect from IBM API Connect?

Traffic Management: Efficiently manages high volumes of API traffic without compromising performance.
Data Protection: Ensures data is protected during API communication.
API Monetization: Facilitates API monetization strategies to drive revenue.
Scalability: Provides scalable solutions to handle growing demands seamlessly.

In specific industries like banking, financial services, and government sectors, IBM API Connect plays a crucial role in API management, orchestration, and regulation tasks. It provides secure access, control, and compliance with industry standards, serving as an essential gateway for data exchange and integration across multiple systems.

IBM

Sample Customers

Microsoft, salesforce.com, Bloomberg, GoodData, Viacom, Akamai Technologies, DigitalGlobe

Heineken, Tine, Finologee, Axis Bank

Buyer's Guide

Apiary vs. IBM API Connect

December 2025

Free Report: Apiary vs. IBM API Connect

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