Frends vs Layer7 API Management comparison

Frends Enterprise iPaaS and Broadcom are both solutions in the API Management category. Frends Enterprise iPaaS is ranked #37, while Broadcom is ranked #15 with an average rating of 8.0. Frends Enterprise iPaaS holds a 0.6% mindshare in APIM, compared to Broadcom’s 2.0% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Frends Enterprise iPaaS users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 90% of Broadcom users who would recommend it.

Frends

Read 3 Frends reviews

683 Views
683 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Layer7 API Management

Read 112 Layer7 API Management reviews

5,332 Views
5,279 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

Frends

Layer7 API Management

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 17, 2024

Layer7 API Management and Frends compete in the API management space. Frends appears to have the upper hand due to its comprehensive feature set and cost-effectiveness, making it suitable for businesses prioritizing swift deployment and integration.

Features: Layer7 API Management offers robust security, an extensive policy library, and strong integration capabilities, providing a platform for managing APIs. Frends features an innovative low-code integration platform, ease of process automation, and flexibility in handling hybrid and cloud environments.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Frends provides a straightforward deployment model that enhances accessibility, especially for companies new to API management, along with proactive customer service. Layer7's deployment is more complex but is backed by extensive customer service that supports its comprehensive features.

Pricing and ROI: Layer7 incurs a higher initial setup cost but offers substantial ROI through its powerful features. Frends provides a more cost-effective setup with flexible pricing, delivering rapid ROI, beneficial to small and medium businesses.

To learn more, read our detailed Frends vs. Layer7 API Management Report (Updated: April 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Frends vs. Layer7 API Management

April 2026

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Helped 894,738 peers since 2012

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

Frends

Ranking in API Management

37th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Layer7 API Management

Ranking in API Management

15th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

112

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the API Management category, the mindshare of Frends is 0.6%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Layer7 API Management is 2.0%, down from 2.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

API Management Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Layer7 API Management	2.0%
Frends	0.6%
Other	97.4%

API Management

Featured Reviews

Kalle Reponen

Senior Integration Architect at Visma

Offers simplicity, ease of customization, and visibility of integrations

One thing is that Frends keep the integration, and that is something I know that it's coming, like, a later version; that is something we will be currently missing. So the end-users could take an interest in use by themselves, with the release thing some result flow. That is the most wanted and requested feature for now. Another enhancement includes the monitoring part. It would be nice to have some sort of maybe mobile app on which we can see how integrations are running if there are some problems, and getting those alerts on the mobile would be really nice.

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C Vvanigalla

Works

Integration capabilities excel and support for varied platforms enhances communication across backend systems

We mainly use REST APIs, and the solution's integration capabilities are excellent. It allows communication with a number of back-end providers and data consolidation. The flexibility to develop APIs for various platforms, from front-end applications to ATM machines, is valuable. Code changes and migration are straightforward, and it supports identity and access management integration.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The product has valuable features for version control."

"The user-friendly interface for constructing integration solutions is also a notable benefit."

"One of the benefits is the speed of creating something new. Second, it's replacing the old integration quite fast. Then it is like the visibility of the integration and the possibility to see what is happening in the integration."

"CA API Management powers the next generation of mobile and Internet of Things (IoT) applications by providing reliable connectivity between data, people, apps and devices."

"Overall, it's a great tool and they keep building in more and more capabilities."

"The actual management of APIs is fundamental to us, as we're a heavy API user/provider. So, obviously, a centralised management platform is important."

"It is flexible in how it creates custom policies and uses builds with impressive methods."

"Overall, this is a good product."

"Mobile app capabilities is good for building mobile apps to consume developed APIs. Also, the API Portal capabilities are very nice, up to and including the ability to do monetization. Security features are exhaustive, with several adapters to all leading identity suites."

"Layer7 API Management's availability on an on-premises deployment model, actually decreases the production time if its users have any issues at the server level."

"This improved our organization, because it gives the management data to discuss for the next course of action and it suggests what to work on, as the next thing."

More Layer7 API Management pros

Cons

"It is a new application and lacks some essential features compared to competitors."

"One of the primary areas for improvement is a more mobile-friendly interface for the control center."

"Another enhancement includes the monitoring part. It would be nice to have some sort of maybe mobile app on which we can see how integrations are running if there are some problems, and getting those alerts on the mobile would be really nice."

"I would like for the new release to allow us to speed up code generation. The integration with CICD could also be more seamless."

"We have experienced technical difficulties with the product in the past."

"we cannot add gateways on the fly because there are a lot of moving parts; endpoint connectivity is one of them. If we add more nodes then the rate-limiting feature is affected. This kind of gateway always has the scalability issue. But, I think CA is coming up with its Microgateway, which is in Beta. If they stabilize their Microgateway platform, we could do very well in terms of scalability."

"However, we are facing challenges in scaling the CA API Management software so we have seriously faced certain challenges when if your API usage goes beyond a certain limit, say 100,000 transactions per minute, I am just throwing out a number, I cannot provide you the real number but we are facing serious challenges in scaling, in clustering the CA API Management software and then making sure that we can reliably meet our transactions as your usage grows on the Cloud."

"I was hoping that there would be some deeper dive Gateway training than their two day workshop and the self-paced study provided."

"The products developer portals can be better."

"The architecture of the solution does not allow for flexibility in using different components for the gateway architecture."

"In my opinion, the policies need to be simplified so that developers are able to understand and taking that into consideration they can build their APIs."

More Layer7 API Management cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing is quite fair."

"Recent changes in their pricing have removed this benefit, moving towards process-specific pricing."

"The price of Layer7 API Management is reasonable compared to Apigee."

"This solution is a bit more expensive than competitors."

"Keep in mind the non-product licensing, e.g., if you opt not to use the embedded SQL."

"It's my manager who takes care of the pricing. But I keep on hearing that it's a little pricey, it's on the higher side. That is what he says."

"It has a reasonable pricing model by instance."

"Do not buy piecemeal."

"I do not have experience with the pricing or licensing of the product."

"Licenses are required to operate the product, but I don't know much about the validity periods attached to it."

More Layer7 API Management pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

No data available

Financial Services Firm

13%

Construction Company

Marketing Services Firm

Healthcare Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	23
Midsize Enterprise	13
Large Enterprise	84

Questions from the Community

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Layer7 API Management?

Pricing is more than average. While I am used to Layer7 API Management ( /products/layer7-api-management-reviews ), seeing other products makes the tool's pricing seem high.

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What needs improvement with Layer7 API Management?

Broadcom's push for upgrades from version nine to ten, ten to 10.3, and onwards to twelve needs improvement in migration processes, especially with service dependencies. The migration path sometime...

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What is your primary use case for Layer7 API Management?

I am not the client. I implement Layer7 API Management ( /products/layer7-api-management-reviews ) for the clients. I have worked on multiple projects as a developer, implementing for Hydro Tasmani...

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Comparisons

Microsoft Azure API Management vs Frends

Compared 31% of the time

MuleSoft API Manager vs Frends

Compared 26% of the time

Boomi AtomSphere API Management vs Frends

Compared 20% of the time

Traefik Enterprise vs Frends

Compared 12% of the time

SAP Integration Suite vs Frends

Compared 10% of the time

More Frends Competitors

Apigee vs Layer7 API Management

Compared 15% of the time

MuleSoft API Manager vs Layer7 API Management

Compared 9% of the time

Kong Gateway Enterprise vs Layer7 API Management

Compared 8% of the time

Amazon API Gateway vs Layer7 API Management

Compared 7% of the time

Microsoft Azure API Management vs Layer7 API Management

Compared 6% of the time

More Layer7 API Management Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

API Management

May 2026

Download Frends product report

Buyer's Guide

Layer7 API Management

May 2026

Download Layer7 API Management product report

Also Known As

No data available

CA API Management, CA Live API Creator, Espresso Logic, CA API Gateway

Overview

Frends is a versatile integration platform tailored for streamlined business operations, facilitating seamless automation and connectivity across systems. It effectively addresses integration challenges, providing a reliable foundation for efficient data flow and process enhancement.

Built to cater to complex business environments, Frends offers a comprehensive suite of integration solutions. Users appreciate its capability to simplify integration processes, leveraging robust tools and functionalities that enhance connectivity and automation. This adaptability makes it a preferred choice for enterprises aiming to boost efficiency in data management and workflow automation. Users value its easy-to-use yet powerful features that help bridge various IT systems and improve operational performance. Frends provides meaningful insights into data interactions, fostering informed decision-making and enabling strategic business growth.

What are the key features of Frends?

Intuitive Workflow Designer: Simplifies the creation and management of complex workflows through a user-friendly interface.
API Management: Offers comprehensive tools for designing, deploying, and monitoring APIs efficiently.
Scalability: Ensures the ability to grow with business needs by efficiently handling increasing data volumes.
Security: Provides robust security features to protect data and ensure compliance with industry standards.

What should users look for in terms of benefits and ROI?

Improved Efficiency: Automates processes reducing manual intervention and increasing productivity.
Reduced Costs: Streamlines operations to save resources and reduce operational expenses.
Enhanced Flexibility: Adapts to changing business environments and requirements smoothly.
Increased Data Accuracy: Ensures seamless data flow, enhancing the reliability and accuracy of business information.

In specific industries, Frends is implemented to address distinct challenges in sectors such as healthcare, finance, and logistics. In healthcare, it automates patient data management, enabling efficient record handling. Finance sectors utilize Frends for secure data exchange and compliance, while logistics firms leverage it for optimizing supply chain operations and enhancing tracking capabilities.

Frends Enterprise iPaaS

Layer7 API Management is a comprehensive solution that enables organizations to securely expose, manage, and monetize their APIs.

It provides features such as API gateway, developer portal, analytics, and security to ensure seamless integration and control over API traffic.

With Layer7 API Management, businesses can streamline their API operations and drive innovation.

Broadcom

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

1. IBM 2. Microsoft 3. Oracle 4. Salesforce 5. SAP 6. Cisco 7. Dell 8. HP 9. Adobe 10. VMware 11. Accenture 12. Capgemini 13. Deloitte 14. PwC 15. Ernst & Young 16. Infosys 17. TCS (Tata Consultancy Services) 18. Wipro 19. Cognizant 20. HCL Technologies 21. Tech Mahindra 22. Fujitsu 23. Hitachi 24. NEC 25. NTT Data 26. Ericsson 27. Nokia 28. Siemens 29. AT&T 30. Verizon 31. Vodafone 32. Orange

Buyer's Guide

Frends vs. Layer7 API Management

April 2026

Free Report: Frends vs. Layer7 API Management

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