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Head-to-head · GraphQL Tools

Apollo GraphOS vs Strawberry GraphQL

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 5 checks side by side
Higher score Apollo GraphOS #1 in GraphQL Tools 9.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Apollo GraphOS
Strawberry GraphQL #8 in GraphQL Tools 8.0/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 4 features Visit site

Apollo GraphOS leads on 0 checks, Strawberry GraphQL on 0, and 5 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 5 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreApollo GraphOS · 9.4/10
  • Free planboth
  • Most featuresApollo GraphOS · 4 of 4

Apollo GraphOS scores higher on our rubric for graphql tools: 9.4 against 8.0 out of 10; our editors rank them #1 and #8.

On deployment model, Apollo GraphOS gives you Hybrid where Strawberry GraphQL offers Self-hosted.

Apollo GraphOS is the better fit for organizations managing federated GraphQL at scale. Strawberry GraphQL is the better fit for python teams building GraphQL APIs.

  • Apollo GraphOS fits best

    Organizations managing federated GraphQL at scale

  • Strawberry GraphQL fits best

    Python teams building GraphQL APIs

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Side by side

Feature Apollo GraphOS 9.4/10 Visit ↗ Strawberry GraphQL 8.0/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.4 8.0
Ranking #1 in GraphQL Tools #8 in GraphQL Tools
Best for Organizations managing federated GraphQL at scale Python teams building GraphQL APIs
Pricing model Free plan + paid Free
Starting price $5/unit/mo Free plan
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud, Self-hosted Self-hosted
Support Community, Docs · 24/7 Community, Docs
Integrations 9 integrations 11 integrations
Built for Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Apollo GraphOS 4/4 · Strawberry GraphQL 3/4
Schema registry ✓ (best) Not checked yet
API explorer ✓ ✓
Client code generation ✓ ✓
Operation testing ✓ ✓
Specs
Deployment model Hybrid Self-hosted
Server languages TypeScript, JavaScript, Java, Kotlin, Python, C#, Go, Ruby, Rust, Elixir, PHP, Scala Python
Our review
Pros
  • Federation, registry, schema checks, and CI/CD validation in one platform
  • Self-hosted GraphOS Router supports API orchestration and rate limits
  • Observability, collaboration, REST integration, and security controls included
  • Python types and dataclasses define schemas in a code-first workflow
  • Async operations, federation, dataloading, and testing are included
  • Integrates with major Python web frameworks and includes GraphiQL
Cons
  • Advanced support levels are tied to higher paid plans
  • The platform is centered on federated GraphQL workflows
  • Router deployment requires a self-hosted environment
  • Self-hosted deployment leaves infrastructure management to the developer
  • Support is centered on community resources and documentation
  • Python support limits teams seeking a multi-language GraphQL tool
Our verdict

Apollo GraphOS is a GraphQL API orchestration platform for teams building and operating federated graphs. It combines a cloud control plane with GraphOS Router, which can run in a self-hosted environment. The platform brings together…

Read the review →

Strawberry GraphQL is an open-source, code-first library for Python developers building GraphQL APIs. Schemas, fields, resolvers, queries, mutations, and subscriptions are defined with Python dataclasses and type hints. It fits solo…

Read the review →
  1. Apollo GraphOSGraphQL Tools 9.4Free plan
  2. Strawberry GraphQLGraphQL Tools 8.0Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Apollo GraphOS — where it wins

    • Federation, registry, schema checks, and CI/CD validation in one platform
    • Self-hosted GraphOS Router supports API orchestration and rate limits
    • Observability, collaboration, REST integration, and security controls included

    Where it doesn't

    • Advanced support levels are tied to higher paid plans
    • The platform is centered on federated GraphQL workflows
    • Router deployment requires a self-hosted environment

  • Strawberry GraphQL — where it wins

    • Python types and dataclasses define schemas in a code-first workflow
    • Async operations, federation, dataloading, and testing are included
    • Integrates with major Python web frameworks and includes GraphiQL

    Where it doesn't

    • Self-hosted deployment leaves infrastructure management to the developer
    • Support is centered on community resources and documentation
    • Python support limits teams seeking a multi-language GraphQL tool
  • Apollo GraphOS9.4/10 · Free plan

    A broad GraphQL operations platform for teams managing federated APIs at scale.

    Visit Apollo GraphOSFull verdict →
  • Strawberry GraphQL8.0/10 · Free plan

    A free, open-source Python toolkit with broad framework support and advanced GraphQL capabilities.

    Visit siteFull verdict →

More comparisons

All GraphQL tools comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update