Apache APISIX vs IBM DataPower Gateway

Apache APISIX—Visit IBM DataPower Gateway—Visit

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

vs

IBM DataPower Gateway #8 in API Gateway Software —/10 Pricing on request ✓ 2 of 2 features Visit IBM DataPower

• Apache APISIX fits best

  Open-source teams wanting broad protocol support

• IBM DataPower Gateway fits best

  IBM environments and protocol transformation

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Side by side

Feature	Apache APISIX —/10 Visit ↗	IBM DataPower Gateway —/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	—	—
Ranking	#3 in API Gateway Software	#8 in API Gateway Software
Best for	Open-source teams wanting broad protocol support	IBM environments and protocol transformation
Pricing model	Free	Paid
Starting price	Not published	Not published
Free plan	✓ (best)	Not published
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Self-hosted	Cloud, Self-hosted
Support	Community, Docs	Docs
Integrations	5 integrations	2 integrations
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Apache APISIX 2/2 · IBM DataPower Gateway 2/2
Rate limiting	✓	✓
Request transformation	✓	✓
Specs
Deployment model	Self-hosted	Hybrid
Supported protocols	HTTP, HTTPS, TCP, UDP, WebSocket, gRPC, MQTT, HTTP/3, Dubbo	REST, SOAP, HTTP, POX, JSON, XML, IBM MQ, Apache Kafka
Authentication methods	API key, JWT, Basic Authentication, OAuth 2.0/OpenID Connect, HMAC, LDAP, CAS, Keycloak, Casdoor, forward authentication, multi-auth	OAuth, OpenID Connect, JWT, LDAP, client credentials
Monthly request limit	Not published	Not published
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 REST, SOAP, HTTP, POX, JSON and XML protocols Combines OAuth, LDAP, JWT and OpenID Connect authentication options Integrates with IBM MQ and Apache Kafka for hybrid architectures
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	Pricing is handled through contact sales Its verified integration coverage centers on IBM MQ and Apache Kafka Broader gateway coverage may be available from higher-ranked alternatives
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 →	IBM DataPower Gateway is an enterprise application gateway for organizations securing, routing, transforming and mediating traffic across modern, traditional and hybrid cloud workloads. It is suited to teams managing security-sensitive… 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

• IBM DataPower Gateway — where it wins

  • Supports REST, SOAP, HTTP, POX, JSON and XML protocols
  • Combines OAuth, LDAP, JWT and OpenID Connect authentication options
  • Integrates with IBM MQ and Apache Kafka for hybrid architectures

  Where it doesn't

  • Pricing is handled through contact sales
  • Its verified integration coverage centers on IBM MQ and Apache Kafka
  • Broader gateway coverage may be available from higher-ranked alternatives

• Apache APISIX—/10 · Free plan

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

  Visit Apache APISIXFull verdict →
• IBM DataPower Gateway—/10 · Pricing on request

  A hybrid API gateway for IBM environments, protocol transformation and controlled traffic.

  Visit IBM DataPowerFull verdict →