Apache APISIX vs Alibaba Cloud API Gateway

Apache APISIX9.2Visit Alibaba Cloud API Gateway8.8Visit

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

vs

Alibaba Cloud API Gateway #7 in API Gateway Software 8.8/10 Paid ✓ 2 of 2 features Visit Alibaba Cloud

• Apache APISIX fits best

  Open-source teams wanting broad protocol support

• Alibaba Cloud API Gateway fits best

  Alibaba Cloud and Kubernetes users

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Side by side

Feature	Apache APISIX 9.2/10 Visit ↗	Alibaba Cloud API Gateway 8.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.2	8.8
Ranking	#3 in API Gateway Software	#7 in API Gateway Software
Best for	Open-source teams wanting broad protocol support	Alibaba Cloud and Kubernetes users
Pricing model	Free	Paid
Starting price	Free plan	—
Free plan	✓ (best)	—
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Self-hosted	Cloud
Platforms	Linux	Web
Support	Community, Docs	Live chat, Tickets, Docs
Integrations	5 integrations	6 integrations
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Apache APISIX 2/2 · Alibaba Cloud API Gateway 2/2
Rate limiting	✓	✓
Request transformation	✓	✓
Specs
Deployment model	Self-hosted	Cloud
Supported protocols	HTTP, HTTPS, TCP, UDP, WebSocket, gRPC, MQTT, HTTP/3, Dubbo	HTTP, HTTPS, HTTP/2, HTTP/3, WebSocket, gRPC
Authentication methods	API key, JWT, Basic Authentication, OAuth 2.0/OpenID Connect, HMAC, LDAP, CAS, Keycloak, Casdoor, forward authentication, multi-auth	AppCode, digest authentication, JWT, mutual TLS, custom authentication
Monthly request limit	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	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	Supports API lifecycle management, routing, authentication, and traffic controls Works with Kubernetes, WebSocket, gRPC, HTTP/3, and multiple backends Integrates with WAF, VPC, Nacos, Function Compute, and logging
Cons	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	No free plan is available Pricing varies by region and billing model Dedicated gateway options use Chinese mainland reference pricing
Our verdict	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 →	Alibaba Cloud API Gateway is a managed cloud service for publishing, routing, securing, and governing APIs. It is aimed at teams running general traffic or microservice scenarios on Alibaba Cloud, especially those using… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• 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

• Alibaba Cloud API Gateway — where it wins

  • Supports API lifecycle management, routing, authentication, and traffic controls
  • Works with Kubernetes, WebSocket, gRPC, HTTP/3, and multiple backends
  • Integrates with WAF, VPC, Nacos, Function Compute, and logging

  Where it doesn't

  • No free plan is available
  • Pricing varies by region and billing model
  • Dedicated gateway options use Chinese mainland reference pricing

• Apache APISIX9.2/10 · Free plan

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

  Visit Apache APISIXFull verdict →
• Alibaba Cloud API Gateway8.8/10 · Paid

  A cloud-managed gateway with strong Kubernetes, protocol, and traffic-control coverage.

  Visit Alibaba CloudFull verdict →