Suggestions appear as you type. Use the up and down arrows to choose one and Enter to open it.

This page's audience our own tag's counts — open to see them
–Visits
–Page views
–Clicks to vendors
–Time on page
–Reading now
Clicks to vendors, by tool
  • –
Top countries
  • –
Devices
  • –

– · visits, page views and clicks counted by our own tag, which counts more than our checked analytics; every figure rounded down · how we count

Head-to-head · API Design Tools

WSO2 API Designer vs Smithy

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 3 checks side by side
Higher score WSO2 API Designer #5 in API Design Tools 8.7/10 Pricing on request · 30-day trial Free trial✓ 1 of 6 features Visit WSO2
Smithy #8 in API Design Tools 8.1/10 Open source ✓ 2 of 6 features Visit Smithy

WSO2 API Designer leads on 0 checks, Smithy on 0, and 3 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 3 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreWSO2 API Designer · 8.7/10
  • Free trialonly WSO2 API Designer
  • Most featuresSmithy · 2 of 6

WSO2 API Designer scores higher on our rubric for api design tools: 8.7 against 8.1 out of 10; our editors rank them #5 and #8.

WSO2 API Designer is the better fit for teams designing governed OpenAPI specifications in VS Code. Smithy is the better fit for teams using model-first, protocol-agnostic API design.

  • WSO2 API Designer fits best

    Teams designing governed OpenAPI specifications in VS Code

  • Smithy fits best

    Teams using model-first, protocol-agnostic API design

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature WSO2 API Designer 8.7/10 Visit ↗ Smithy 8.1/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.7 8.1
Ranking #5 in API Design Tools #8 in API Design Tools
Best for Teams designing governed OpenAPI specifications in VS Code Teams using model-first, protocol-agnostic API design
Pricing model Paid Free
Starting price — Open source
Free plan — Not checked yet
Free trial 30 days —
Deployment Desktop Self-hosted
Support Community, Docs Community, Docs
Integrations 3 integrations 3 integrations
Built for Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features WSO2 API Designer 1/6 · Smithy 2/6
OpenAPI support ✓ ✓
AsyncAPI support Not checked yet Not checked yet
Mock server Not checked yet Not checked yet
Contract validation Not checked yet Not checked yet
Git synchronization Not checked yet Not checked yet
Team collaboration Not checked yet ✓ (best)
Specs
Included team seats Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Visual OpenAPI 3.x editing with form-based design workflows
  • Governance reports cover design quality, AI readiness, and OWASP API security
  • Custom Spectral rules and AI-assisted fixes support governed workflows
  • Defines services and APIs independently of wire protocol
  • Generates client, server, and reference documentation outputs
  • Converts models to OpenAPI and supports AWS integrations
Cons
  • No free plan is available
  • Pricing uses a contact-sales model
  • The workflow is centered on Visual Studio Code
  • Local CLI rather than a hosted API design SaaS product
  • Requires model-driven workflows and build plugins
  • Paid plans and hosted collaboration details are not provided
Our verdict

WSO2 API Designer is a Visual Studio Code extension for creating, editing, validating, and improving OpenAPI specifications. It is aimed at developers and API teams that keep OpenAPI files in VS Code and want design controls alongside…

Read the review →

Smithy is an open-source interface definition language and build tool for designing services and APIs. It is aimed at teams that want to define a service model once and use that model across validation, code generation, documentation, and…

Read the review →
  1. WSO2 API DesignerAPI Design Tools 8.7Pricing on request · 30-day trial
  2. SmithyAPI Design Tools 8.1Open source

Strengths and trade-offs

  • WSO2 API Designer — where it wins

    • Visual OpenAPI 3.x editing with form-based design workflows
    • Governance reports cover design quality, AI readiness, and OWASP API security
    • Custom Spectral rules and AI-assisted fixes support governed workflows

    Where it doesn't

    • No free plan is available
    • Pricing uses a contact-sales model
    • The workflow is centered on Visual Studio Code

  • Smithy — where it wins

    • Defines services and APIs independently of wire protocol
    • Generates client, server, and reference documentation outputs
    • Converts models to OpenAPI and supports AWS integrations

    Where it doesn't

    • Local CLI rather than a hosted API design SaaS product
    • Requires model-driven workflows and build plugins
    • Paid plans and hosted collaboration details are not provided
  • WSO2 API Designer8.7/10 · Pricing on request · 30-day trial

    A governed OpenAPI workspace for teams already working in VS Code.

    Visit WSO2Full verdict →
  • Smithy8.1/10 · Open source

    A model-first toolkit for defining, validating, transforming, and generating APIs.

    Visit SmithyFull verdict →

More comparisons

All API design tools comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update