Layer7 API Management and MuleSoft API Manager compete in the API management category. Layer7 is preferred for its strong security features, while MuleSoft excels in integration and lifecycle support, giving it the upper hand in enterprise adaptability.
Features: Layer7 offers robust security with OAuth, access control, and integration with SiteMinder, crucial for mobile strategies, providing stability and reliability. MuleSoft provides a comprehensive API Gateway with API lifecycle support and cloud/on-premises flexibility, offering strong runtime policy management and analytics tools.
Room for Improvement: Layer7 users seek improvements in its developer portal, documentation, and integration processes, as well as flexibility in deployment. MuleSoft users desire enhanced usability in analytics and configuration tools, along with competitive pricing models for smaller businesses.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Layer7 supports complex enterprise environments with strong on-premises and hybrid models, though some users experience support delays. MuleSoft is praised for cloud capabilities and responsive support, though its cost is a consideration. Both require skilled teams for deployment but are well-supported by providers.
Pricing and ROI: Layer7 offers competitive pricing but is seen as costly compared to newer solutions, with negotiable pricing based on usage. MuleSoft is known for its higher cost but justifies it with extensive features, with licensing models based on deployment affecting ROI perception differently for each solution.
This iPaaS platform with CloudHub eliminates variable infrastructure-related costs and saves enterprises on connectivity and operations costs, as everything comes bundled from the MuleSoft side.
Technical support is excellent, and I would rate them as ten.
Our enterprise pays for a special success program, which provides priority support.
If bug fixing is required for downtimes or issues, we receive prompt support with alternative solutions or workarounds.
They can be slow in addressing security vulnerabilities.
All nodes communicate with one primary database, affecting connections and causing crashes under high load.
Regarding availability, especially with iPaaS solutions, they guarantee 99.99%.
Without rebooting for ninety to one hundred eighty days, cache builds up in Linux boxes, causing memory utilization issues.
There was an issue when trying to implement a request-reply pattern using JMS, which was not functioning as expected despite being documented.
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.
Introducing features related to auto governance without manual effort would make the API Manager smarter and more efficient for enterprises with complex landscapes.
Managing the cost of MuleSoft, particularly the billing model based on the number of active cores/threads, has been challenging.
Seeing other products makes the tool's pricing seem high.
The pricing is high, which is the biggest point where some customers are hesitant about adopting it.
The major challenge they face is the high pricing, which has become notable especially since they transitioned from a VCore to a usage-based subscription.
MuleSoft is typically more expensive compared to using Java or Spring Boot APIs hosted in containers.
The flexibility to develop APIs for various platforms, from front-end applications to ATM machines, is valuable.
MuleSoft's ability to connect to third-party monitoring platforms like AWS, Datadog, and Elastic makes operational analysis more efficient.
It also enables us to create additional layers of authentication, like integrating external providers for OAuth, within reduced timelines.
In MuleSoft API Manager, I find features like throttling and security to be the most valuable, as these are the things we use and configure as part of our deployments.
| Product | Market Share (%) |
|---|---|
| MuleSoft API Manager | 4.6% |
| Layer7 API Management | 2.4% |
| Other | 93.0% |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 23 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 13 |
| Large Enterprise | 84 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 17 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 5 |
| Large Enterprise | 43 |
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.
Mulesoft API Manager is the portion of the Anypoint Platform that is used for the designing, building, managing, and publishing of APIs. Anypoint Platform uses Mule as its core runtime engine.
Mulesoft API Manager is an extremely versatile solution. It offers users the ability to deploy their APIs in a number of different settings. You can use API Manager on a public cloud, a private cloud, or a hybrid. Additionally, users can use the solution to manage their deployments with ease. A few clicks are all you need to alter your deployment.
Benefits of Mulesoft API Manager
Some of the benefits of using Mulesoft API Manager include:
Reviews from Real Users
Mulesoft API Manager is a highly effective piece of software whose purpose is to enable users to design, build, manage, and publish APIs. It stands out among its competitors for a number of reasons. Two major ones are the ease with which users can connect it to their applications and the high level of value that its support offers. It provides users with the ability to easily connect this solution with whatever program they need to join it with. Users can create connections without having to write code. It offers different types of support which ensure that users have a high level of understanding about the product and how to use it.
PeerSpot user Tolulope A., a technical lead specializing in integration and middleware at a financial services firm, notes the ease with which users can connect Mulesoft API Manager to their applications. He writes, “One good thing about MuleSoft is that they have a lot of connectors to those back-end applications. We don't really need to write code to be able to connect to a database or to connect with SAP. You just need credentials and the connectivity details. Most of the development of what we do is just drag and drop. They're able to connect with applications using standard connectors that are provided by ESB, by MuleSoft.”
The CEO & Co-Founder at a computer retailer notes the value of Mulesoft’s supporting documentation. They write, “The documentation is great; it is always up-to-date and well-presented. If any details are missing, then there is a blog available that contains a lot of details. There are also channels on YouTube to help you better understand the solution and what some of the processes look like.”
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