Amazon API Gateway vs Apache APISIX

Amazon API Gateway9.3Visit Apache APISIX9.2Visit

Higher score Amazon API Gateway #2 in API Gateway Software 9.3/10 Paid ✓ 2 of 2 features Visit site

vs

Apache APISIX #3 in API Gateway Software 9.2/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 2 features Visit Apache APISIX

• Amazon API Gateway fits best

  AWS-native teams needing broad API management

• Apache APISIX fits best

  Open-source teams wanting broad protocol support

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Side by side

Feature	Amazon API Gateway 9.3/10 Visit ↗	Apache APISIX 9.2/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.3	9.2
Ranking	#2 in API Gateway Software	#3 in API Gateway Software
Best for	AWS-native teams needing broad API management	Open-source teams wanting broad protocol support
Pricing model	Paid	Free
Starting price	—	Free plan
Free plan	—	✓ (best)
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud	Self-hosted
Platforms	Web	Linux
Support	Docs, Community	Community, Docs
Integrations	13 integrations	5 integrations
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Amazon API Gateway 2/2 · Apache APISIX 2/2
Rate limiting	✓	✓
Request transformation	✓	✓
Specs
Deployment model	Cloud	Self-hosted
Supported protocols	HTTP, REST, WebSocket	HTTP, HTTPS, TCP, UDP, WebSocket, gRPC, MQTT, HTTP/3, Dubbo
Authentication methods	IAM/SigV4, Amazon Cognito user pools, JWT/OIDC/OAuth 2.0, Lambda authorizers, API keys, mutual TLS	API key, JWT, Basic Authentication, OAuth 2.0/OpenID Connect, HMAC, LDAP, CAS, Keycloak, Casdoor, forward authentication, multi-auth
Monthly request limit	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Supports HTTP, REST, and WebSocket APIs Offers IAM, Cognito, JWT, authorizers, API keys, and mutual TLS Connects with Lambda, CloudWatch, WAF, CloudFront, and other AWS services	Supports HTTP, TCP, UDP, WebSocket, gRPC, MQTT, HTTP/3, and Dubbo Includes routing, load balancing, authentication, rate limiting, and transformations Offers Kubernetes integration, a dashboard, and 100+ gateway and AI plugins
Cons	Usage pricing varies by API type, region, volume, and related services Data transfer, connection minutes, and caching can add separate charges API Gateway Portals cost $125 per month	Deployment is self-hosted rather than vendor-hosted Linux is the listed operating-system platform Its broad configuration and plugin surface may require dedicated technical ownership
Our verdict	Amazon API Gateway is a fully managed cloud service for creating, publishing, securing, monitoring, and operating APIs. It supports HTTP APIs, REST APIs, and WebSocket APIs, making it suitable for teams exposing backend functionality to… Read the review →	Apache APISIX is an open-source API and AI gateway for teams operating APIs, microservices, and multi-protocol traffic in cloud-native environments. It is designed for self-hosted deployment on Linux and supports traditional, decoupled,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Amazon API Gateway — where it wins

  • Supports HTTP, REST, and WebSocket APIs
  • Offers IAM, Cognito, JWT, authorizers, API keys, and mutual TLS
  • Connects with Lambda, CloudWatch, WAF, CloudFront, and other AWS services

  Where it doesn't

  • Usage pricing varies by API type, region, volume, and related services
  • Data transfer, connection minutes, and caching can add separate charges
  • API Gateway Portals cost $125 per month

• Apache APISIX — where it wins

  • Supports HTTP, TCP, UDP, WebSocket, gRPC, MQTT, HTTP/3, and Dubbo
  • Includes routing, load balancing, authentication, rate limiting, and transformations
  • Offers Kubernetes integration, a dashboard, and 100+ gateway and AI plugins

  Where it doesn't

  • Deployment is self-hosted rather than vendor-hosted
  • Linux is the listed operating-system platform
  • Its broad configuration and plugin surface may require dedicated technical ownership

• Amazon API Gateway9.3/10 · Paid

  A broad AWS-native gateway for HTTP, REST, WebSocket, and private API workloads.

  Visit siteFull verdict →
• Apache APISIX9.2/10 · Free plan

  A self-hosted gateway for teams needing broad protocol support and extensible traffic controls.

  Visit Apache APISIXFull verdict →