IBM DataPower Gateway vs Magic xpa Application Platform comparison

IBM and Magic Software are both solutions in the Application Infrastructure category. IBM is ranked #7 with an average rating of 8.2, while Magic Software is ranked #16 with an average rating of 7.0. IBM holds a 3.3% mindshare in AIS, compared to Magic Software’s 2.0% mindshare. Additionally, 96% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Magic Software users who would recommend it.

IBM DataPower Gateway

Read 31 IBM DataPower Gateway reviews

5,122 Views
615 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

Magic xpa Application Platform

Read 10 Magic xpa Application Platform reviews

1,035 Views
414 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

IBM DataPower Gateway

Magic xpa Application Platform

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 5, 2025

Magic xpa Application Platform and IBM DataPower Gateway compete in application development and integration solutions. While Magic xpa is valued for its simplicity and rapid setup, IBM DataPower Gateway has a strong advantage in security and integration features.

Features: Magic xpa offers rapid application development, cross-platform compatibility, and flexibility, ideal for varied environments. IBM DataPower Gateway provides significant integration capabilities, robust security features, and allows handling complex transactions, making it suitable for large enterprises.

Room for Improvement: Magic xpa could enhance its security and scale for larger enterprise use. The platform can also benefit from expanded integration with third-party tools. IBM DataPower could streamline its deployment process and reduce its learning curve, appealing more to resource-constrained teams. Enhanced user interfaces and simplified management tools would further improve user experience.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Magic xpa supports quick deployment with strong customer support, making it a fit for businesses seeking a swift start. IBM DataPower, while offering robust security, has a more complex deployment landscape and excellent support channels, appealing to organizations prioritizing security and comprehensive support.

Pricing and ROI: Magic xpa presents competitive pricing with lower initial costs, offering a fast ROI for smaller businesses. IBM DataPower, seen as a premium product, involves higher upfront investment, justified by its advanced features and long-term benefits, essential for larger enterprises aiming for enhanced capabilities.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM DataPower Gateway vs. Magic xpa Application Platform Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM DataPower Gateway vs. Magic xpa Application Platform

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

IBM DataPower Gateway

Ranking in Application Infrastructure

7th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) (5th), SOA Application Gateways (1st), API Management (11th)

Magic xpa Application Platform

Ranking in Application Infrastructure

16th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Application Server (10th), Mobile Development Platforms (12th)

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Application Infrastructure category, the mindshare of IBM DataPower Gateway is 3.3%, down from 4.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Magic xpa Application Platform is 2.0%, up from 1.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Application Infrastructure Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
IBM DataPower Gateway	3.3%
Magic xpa Application Platform	2.0%
Other	94.7%

Application Infrastructure

Featured Reviews

AkshaySawant

Manager at CSB Bank Ltd

Security features excel but development limitations emerge

We are using the IBM DataPower Gateway for security purposes. As per the development perspective, there are some limitations with IBM DataPower Gateway because it only supports XML and XSLT language, but it does not support the Java language. This is the only limitation of the IBM DataPower Gateway. For the authentication and authorization purpose, we can use the IBM DataPower Gateway. It's a very good product. We are mostly using the IBM DataPower Gateway for security purposes and load balancing purposes. If we are handling the load for a particular server, then we can use the IBM DataPower Gateway. The IBM DataPower Gateway is mostly used for security purposes. If we have some APIs and we are using some security for those APIs, then we can use it. It can also be used as a load balancer. It's also used for certificate management, user management purposes, authentication, and authorization. For routing, the IBM DataPower Gateway has multiple URL-based routing and content-based routing capabilities. If we have multiple URLs, then we can use an XML script. Using the XSLT language, we can configure multiple URLs and implement URL-based routing. Content-based routing means if we have multiple requests, we can route the request to a particular URL. For this, we need to use the XSLT language only. We can't use XML, Java, or other scripting languages. With IBM DataPower Gateway, we are using all the APIs. All APIs have been configured on the gateway. We have configured the particular TLS profile and some TLS client profiles as well. Using that TLS profile, we have configured the APIs and authentication. We have configured some tokens also, including JWT tokens and different types of auth tokens. There is also a rate limiting feature which we use for handling API loads.

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Mylsamy T.

Senior Associate - IT at Himalaya Wellness Company

Enables us to develop more than 90 applications in-house, which are used across our organization

It's a bit difficult to work with purely web-based applications to get the data and display it. There have been a few times when the connection was disconnected between the server and your browser. The connectivity on browser-built applications needs to be improved. The mobile application development could be easier. They could include different external applications, like finger sensors. I'm not sure whether it's in version 3.8 or not.

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 MPGW (Multi-Protocol Gateway) is great because it allows you to easily expose services using various protocols – web services, REST (JSON), and others. This flexibility simplifies things."

"Its initial setup was straightforward."

"It is easy to use, easy to install, and it's resilient for high availability."

"I like the tool's security. Also, all functionalities are integrated within on platform."

"I like the API Gateway feature."

"Since it is a gateway, it provides a lot of security features."

"My company has a good impression of IBM DataPower Gateway. What I like about it is that because it's an appliance, it's a turnkey solution that's very fast and out of the box. Compared to other gateways, I also like that IBM DataPower Gateway is function-rich. For example, for one of the projects, there was a need for specific transformation and security features available in IBM DataPower Gateway out of the box, so my team just needed to configure the appliance. There was no need for separate development, and I found it quite neat. Another valuable feature of IBM DataPower Gateway is that it's easy to integrate with other products."

"The performance is good. It's been very stable."

More IBM DataPower Gateway pros

"The ability to use the same development environment for both Windows and Android applications. Magic xpa also supports iOS applications."

"Speed of development and database connectivity (MS SQL, Oracle, DB2, Btrieve/Pervasive PSQL, ODBC, MySql, and SQLite)."

"The solution makes the managing and adapting of the software very easy."

"The speed of development is the quickest for any tool on the market."

"What I found most valuable in the Magic xpa Application Platform is that it has a client-server and web browser technology that's perfect for company users."

"xpa gives us a fast development speed."

"Typically an experienced Magic developer can do the work of two to three experienced C#/.NET developers. Customers are amazed at how quickly most new features can be added and bug fixes implemented. I have worked for four employers - including myself - using Magic, and in most instances, bug fixes are addressed and deployed in under six hours."

"Magic’s Database Gateway allows the logic of the program to be isolated from the underlying database. This provides the flexibility not only to move existing programs to different database environments without the need to change the logic in the program but also allows the programmer access to different databases without the need to know how to "talk" to them."

More Magic xpa Application Platform pros

Cons

"In the next release, I would like to see the product price reduced. It should be cheaper."

"The IBM community does not have much engagement from the IT community in Saudi Arabia and developers for this solution are difficult to find."

"My experience with the pricing of this product is that pricing is too high and should be reduced."

"The product's cost for data appliances or hardware is quite high. It needs improvement."

"The product should be more adapted to the DevOps process."

"The DCDR process should be less complex."

"The programming language is only supported in XSLT and Gateway script."

"The solution requires a lot of training manuals in order to get to know it better and to be able to use it effectively."

More IBM DataPower Gateway cons

"The user interface could be improved to be more friendly for developers."

"When you have several tasks, you open a screen in a task in developing mode, and you don't see the parent screens. Debugging lacks the effects to solve problems. You have to do it first in a kind of studio. Then you have to be sure that you can do it in Magic because there is almost nothing to debug it. It's practically impossible to debug. You have to be sure before you put your snippets."

"There is room for improvement in Magic's marketing and licensing. I would like to see more integration of web functionality."

"In the next version of the Magic xpa Application Platform, I want tables or small programs where I can directly add expressions. I can do it on SQL, but it would make life much easier if that specification were added to the platform."

"The configuration of the xpa RIA mobile environment is complex and a discouragement to new developers. Also, Magic's documentation can be less than complete at times which leads to frustration for new developers. (I encourage new Magic developers to join the Magic Users Group)."

"Magic has a tradition, when it adds new technologies/features to the Magic development tool, to provide either no documentation or documentation that does not provide an organized approach for bringing this new technology/feature to experienced Magic programmers."

"The ability to display page up, page down, top and bottom buttons along the scroll bar would make my mouse-reliant customers happy."

"I would like to see a spell checker included with optional language support. Currently, this has to be purchased from a third-party."

More Magic xpa Application Platform cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The total cost of IBM DataPower Gateway would depend on the configuration, but in my experience, it can amount to 60,000 Euros per box, even for the virtual version. Usually, customers need high availability and a non-production environment, so the total price for IBM DataPower Gateway can be quite a lot. It can be 200,000 Euros or a similar figure."

"The solution is expensive in comparison to other products."

"As far as I know, they have a perpetual license for this product. They are paying perpetual fees rather than an annual subscription or annual pricing."

"Most customers' use case budgets are not inlined with the price of IBM DataPower Gateway. It is too expensive."

"It is an expensive solution."

"The cost is very high and requires all five components in the API management solution."

"The cost of this product varies from customer to customer and the relationship with IBM, including how many offerings from IBM are already being used."

"IBM DataPower Gateway is quite expensive to get resources to work on this product. If the price could be cheaper, I think that will make it a little bit better and easily accessible to smaller clients. Then it could compete with other solutions that are available in the market. There's a whole lot of other solutions available that work well and are cheaper than IBM's products."

More IBM DataPower Gateway pricing and cost advice

"The main problem with the Magic xpa Application Platform is pricing. You have to pay a lot of money for development, and you also have to pay a lot for the deployments and runtime, while in most competitors, you have to pay a lot for one of the two and not both."

"The licensing is too costly."

"It's not cheap. The licenses are not cheap. Not at all. They cost much money. There are other tools with free licenses but Magic asks for a lot of money."

"The cost for developers is high because you have to pay for licenses as well as runtime."

"There are different licenses, we have the application and the online application. There are two different licenses for two different program sites for the Magic xpa Application Platform."

"The licensing cost varies because nowadays Magic has tailor-made offerings for clients. I think the solution is worth the money."

"My clients have to purchase additional licenses in order to use what I built. It's not a fair approach."

"Magic is not the cheapest IDE out there. If you are considering Magic xpa, you should do a cost-benefit analysis to feel comfortable with your decision. The Magic sales staff is very helpful in providing pricing."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

29%

Insurance Company

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

Financial Services Firm

18%

Computer Software Company

14%

Manufacturing Company

13%

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	11
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	17

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	9
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	1

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about IBM DataPower Gateway?

The MPGW (Multi-Protocol Gateway) is great because it allows you to easily expose services using various protocols – web services, REST (JSON), and others. This flexibility simplifies things.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM DataPower Gateway?

This product is definitely expensive because if any issue occurs in the live environment or production environment, and our organization faces some issue with the IBM DataPower Gateway, then the IB...

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM DataPower Gateway?

The developer portal should be an integrated part of IBM DataPower Gateway to improve it. I think it is fine as is, and maybe no other additional features should be included in the next release. My...

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Comparisons

IBM API Connect vs IBM DataPower Gateway

Compared 40% of the time

Apigee vs IBM DataPower Gateway

Compared 7% of the time

Kong Gateway Enterprise vs IBM DataPower Gateway

Compared 5% of the time

Amazon API Gateway vs IBM DataPower Gateway

Compared 4% of the time

Microsoft Azure API Management vs IBM DataPower Gateway

Compared 3% of the time

More IBM DataPower Gateway Competitors

Apache Web Server vs Magic xpa Application Platform

Compared 25% of the time

Microsoft .NET Framework vs Magic xpa Application Platform

Compared 20% of the time

GeneXus vs Magic xpa Application Platform

Compared 12% of the time

Mendix vs Magic xpa Application Platform

Compared 10% of the time

SAP Mobile Platform vs Magic xpa Application Platform

Compared 9% of the time

More Magic xpa Application Platform Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM DataPower Gateway

January 2026

Download IBM DataPower Gateway product report

Buyer's Guide

Magic xpa Application Platform

January 2026

Download Magic xpa Application Platform product report

Also Known As

WebSphere DataPower, IBM DataPower, IBM WebSphere DataPower

uniPaaS

Overview

IBM DataPower Gateway is a robust, secure next-generation enterprise-grade single multichannel API gateway that supplies dynamic access, integration, control, and outstanding security. The solution is available in a broad range of workload capabilities, including application programming interface (API), service oriented architecture (SOA), B2B, cloud, web, and mobile. These dynamic capabilities ensure users are able to quickly increase the reach of an organization's critical IT resources to new channels, which will provide shareholders, team members, and clients with safe, secure access at all times.

DataPower Gateway is very flexible and is widely available in virtual, cloud, traditional, physical, Docker, and Linux form factors.

IBM DataPower Gateway Features

IBM DataPower Gateway has many value-added features. Some of these features are included below:

Control: The solution provides decision point authorization and authentication for all standards, including Lightweight Direct Access Protocol (LDAP) and Open Authorization (OAuth), which allow for better access control across an organization’s entire network.
DataPower dashboard: The dashboard is specifically designed to enhance performance and determine problematic processes. The solution provides intuitive real-time performance transparency to diagnose operational and performance anomalies and offer repair and restoration recommendations.
Enhanced messaging: Users are able to easily mediate messaging and protocols by incorporating the best of today’s traditional and modern application standards.
Integration: IBM DataPower Gateway offers super fast mainframe connectivity, database connectivity, transport protocol bridging, content-based routing, and any-to-any message transformation, ensuring secure and immediate connect service.

IBM DataPower Gateway Benefits

IBM DataPower Gateway provides many benefits. Some of those benefits include:

Flexibility: The solution is easy to use and configure and provides for a pleasant, intuitive overall user experience. The solution can immediately be used out of the box, which makes overall process management simple.
Protection: The solution provides sturdy continuous service protection and application performance using robust powerful routing and traffic control.
Security: The solution’s enterprise-grade De-Militarized Zone (DMZ) ready gateway enables users to enforce the desired runtime application security across all messaging protocols.
Profitability: The solution’s design ensures significant reduction of development costs in addition to the streamlining of overall operations. Users are able to achieve reduced total cost of ownership (TCO) and experience a near-immediate ROI.

Reviews from Real Users

“My company has a good impression of IBM DataPower Gateway. What I like about it is that because it's an appliance, it's a turnkey solution that's very fast and out of the box. Another valuable feature of IBM DataPower Gateway is that it's easy to integrate with other products.”- Bálint T., Solution Manager at Intalion

“You don't have to have a separate DMC proxy because DataPower Gateway is an appliance and will take care of a lot of security features. These include data validations, encryption, as well as XML or any type of scripting or security threats that are present. From a security point of view, being an appliance in the DMC zone, IBM DataPower Gateway will take care of the entire security angle for the infrastructure.” - Sathyan K., Founder/Director at perfTech Solutions Pvt Ltd

IBM

Magic xpa Application Platform is a mobile development platform that is designed to enable organizations to simplify and manage every aspect of their application development process. It enables users to construct applications while expending a minimal number of resources. Developers can leverage AI technology in a way that maximizes their ability to effectively deploy their resources toward the end of producing the best possible applications. Ultimately, Magic xpa Application Platform allows developers to rapidly develop and deploy applications across multiple platform types.

Magic xpa Application Platform Benefits

Some of the ways that organizations can benefit by deploying Magic xpa Application Platform include:

Decrease time needed for application production and refinement. Magic xpa Application Platform comes with pre-built application components that can be used to quickly create iterations of the application that can then be deployed or tested. It also makes it so that any and all changes or upgrades that are applied to the application take effect across all of the devices that run the application.

Allows developers to be far more productive than they would be otherwise. Various features, such as Magic xpa Application Platform’s drag-and-drop capability, allow developers to worry less about the more technical aspects of designing the applications and have more time to design the best possible application.

Ease of use. Magic xpa Application Platform is a low-code application development platform. This means that developers do not need to have extensive programming knowledge to create applications. Solutions of this type are far more accessible to the general employee of an organization than a program that is code-heavy. Fewer resources need to be spent training users to employ Magic xpa Application Platform than would be true of other similar platforms. Organizations increase their overall productivity when the process of application development becomes something that even those employees who are not the most technically savvy can take part.

Magic xpa Application Platform Features

Some of the many useful features Magic xpa Application Platform has to offer include:

AI-powered development capabilities. Magic xpa Application Platform has a built-in AI that users can leverage to simplify every step of the development process. Users can use this AI to automate various development steps. This increases the speed at which they can produce applications.

Mobile use capability. Magic xpa Application Platform has a mobile application that organizations can use to run their product development from anywhere in the world.

Collaboration tools. Magic xpa Application Platform provides developers with tools that enable them to work with others to create the enterprise applications that their organizations need.

Reviews from Real Users

Magic xpa Application Platform is a solution that beats out the competition in a number of areas. Two major advantages are the way that it simplifies the application management process and its scalability. It greatly eases the work that developers and administrators do by providing all of the tools that they need to meet their objectives. Additionally, users never have to worry about running out of development capacity in their digital environment. Magic xpa Application Platform can scale up and provide developers with the capacity to design and create their applications in the way that best meets their needs.

Per H., the CEO of Mass Marketing Software AB, writes, “The solution makes the managing and adapting of the software very easy. When it comes to the application's service, mistakes can easily be resolved. This shortens the time it takes to progress from an idea to a new function.”

He also writes, “The solution is highly scalable, allowing one to use very large databases and systems.”

Magic Software

Sample Customers

RBL Bank, Availity

ADD, Cape plc, Adecco, Kuno Kinzoku Industry Co., GE Capital, Dove Tree, CBS Outdoor, Paris-Nord Villepinte Exhibition Center, Allstate Life Insurance Company, Titan Software Systems

Buyer's Guide

IBM DataPower Gateway vs. Magic xpa Application Platform

December 2025

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