Frends vs Layer7 API Management comparison

Frends Enterprise iPaaS and Broadcom are both solutions in the API Management category. Frends Enterprise iPaaS is ranked #23 with an average rating of 8.7, while Broadcom is ranked #11 with an average rating of 7.6. Frends Enterprise iPaaS holds a 0.2% mindshare in APIM, compared to Broadcom’s 2.8% 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

275 Views
270 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Layer7 API Management

Read 112 Layer7 API Management reviews

3,814 Views
3,814 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

Frends

Layer7 API Management

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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: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Frends vs. Layer7 API Management

July 2025

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Helped 865,384 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

23rd

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

11th

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 August 2025, in the API Management category, the mindshare of Frends is 0.2%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Layer7 API Management is 2.8%, down from 3.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

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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NikhilChaudhari

Senior Associate Software at Intelliswift Software

Valued for its drag-and-drop functionalities, the available policy options, and the excellent security features

I work as a PG developer, primarily dealing with Layer7 API Management and MuleSoft API management. My focus is mainly on VM management platforms such as Layer7 and Apigee Layer7 API Management is most valued for its drag-and-drop functionalities, the available policy options, and the excellent…

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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

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

"The product has valuable features for version control."

"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."

"API Enhanced Portal 4.1 looks very promising. API Gateway policy manager for writing policies is excellent. It is the best in the industry for policy writing."

"Every API that we get from external or from internal goes through this layer first, and it should not be a bottleneck. That was the problem we had before. Now it's no longer a bottleneck. It's more like a throughput, this process is less than 10 milliseconds for any particular API."

"It is helpful to have a central API that is hosted and managed."

"It has improved API governance and gives analytics to API performance."

"We can get more visibility into our data."

"It can be scaled as we need. And it can be used in different regions. We have different data centers in the U.S. and Beijing. We use it on-premise, on-cloud, and it can be hosted and used at any place and scaled across the regions."

"We definitely get good responses from the technical team and they are quite responsive."

"The most valuable feature is that it enables me to present data in the format that the client wants to consume it. That client might be a visualization tool, that client might be a report, that client might be a customer's API requirements."

More Layer7 API Management pros

Cons

"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."

"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."

"We are looking for improvements related to integration. We want to see them add integration tools to the CA bundle. That would be helpful."

"There could be more integration options included in the product."

"More developer focused tools. They have a nice debugger inside of the program, but when you are developing code with their policies, it is tough to visualize that sometimes as a developer."

"feel like Apigee's API product is more interactive. You can drag and drop with those, but it's a little more difficult in Layer7. It's less user-friendly compared to that Apigee product."

"The development toolkit used for creating APIs should be more online and user-friendly. Deployment and tracking could also be improved. Tools like Apigee provide a complete online experience along with RESTful APIs, to manage all activities. It is a very nice and user-friendly solution compared to CA."

"The CA API Management solution has good security features, but when it comes to being used in areas like enterprise integration, where it is being used as middleware for all the IT environments, that particular feature is quite limited. It doesn't support as many protocols as an industry standard, competing product should."

"Layer7 API Management could have a live API creator feature, so my team can easily create APIs. Right now, the product doesn't have that feature."

"As the number of instances increases, its complexity of installation increases if you do not use the OVA."

More Layer7 API Management cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"The pricing is quite fair."

"At the time we bought the product it was a perpetual users license and there has been no need for additional licensing fees."

"It was very high at that time. We are a Broadcom CA partner, and we got it only for testing purposes. We didn't pay anything for it."

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

"Be aware of additional licenses for your warm standby. Ensure you get plenty of non-production licenses."

"There are various licensing models for Layer7 API Management. We have to buy additional licenses to get new versions."

"The price of Layer7 API Management is too high and should be reduced. However, it is a good solution in the market."

"Pricing is competitive. CA is ready to offer attractive discounts."

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

More Layer7 API Management pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Comms Service Provider

56%

Computer Software Company

13%

University

Construction Company

Financial Services Firm

18%

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Healthcare Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Frends?

The product has valuable features for version control.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Frends?

The pricing is quite fair. It is quite low compared to competitors, especially when you consider that Frends is a US-based company. So, it's almost cheap compared to them. But, we have an unlimited...

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What needs improvement with Frends?

It is a new application and lacks some essential features compared to competitors. Basic features like reading and editing into Excel file format could be included.

See all answers

What do you like most about Layer7 API Management?

The solution's technical support is good.

See all answers

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.

See all answers

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...

See all answers

Comparisons

Microsoft Azure API Management vs Frends

Compared 61% of the time

MuleSoft API Manager vs Frends

Compared 39% of the time

More Frends Competitors

Apigee vs Layer7 API Management

Compared 26% of the time

Kong Gateway Enterprise vs Layer7 API Management

Compared 14% of the time

MuleSoft API Manager vs Layer7 API Management

Compared 13% of the time

Amazon API Gateway vs Layer7 API Management

Compared 12% of the time

Microsoft Azure API Management vs Layer7 API Management

Compared 8% of the time

More Layer7 API Management Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

API Management

July 2025

Download Frends product report

Buyer's Guide

Layer7 API Management

August 2025

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

July 2025

Free Report: Frends vs. Layer7 API Management

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