Zally vs vacuum

ZZally7.9Visit vacuum7.9Visit

Z Zally #2 in API Linting Tools 7.9/10 Open source Free plan✓ 2 of 5 features Visit Zally

vs

vacuum #4 in API Linting Tools 7.9/10 Open source ✓ 0 of 5 features Visit vacuum

• Zally fits best

  Teams linting OpenAPI 2 or 3 with a web UI

• vacuum fits best

  Teams wanting broad API linting and reporting

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Side by side

Feature	ZZally 7.9/10 Visit ↗	vacuum 7.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	7.9	7.9
Ranking	#2 in API Linting Tools	#4 in API Linting Tools
Best for	Teams linting OpenAPI 2 or 3 with a web UI	Teams wanting broad API linting and reporting
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Open source	Open source
Free plan	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Self-hosted	Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms	Web, Windows, Linux	macOS, Linux
Support	Community	Community, Docs
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Zally 2/5 · vacuum 0/5
OpenAPI linting	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
AsyncAPI linting	—	Not checked yet
GraphQL schema linting	—	Not checked yet
Custom rules	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
CI integration	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Lints OpenAPI 2 and 3 through REST API, CLI, or web interface Lets teams enable or disable server-side rules and ignore rules per API Supports custom checks in Kotlin	Lints OpenAPI, AsyncAPI 3 and JSON Schema documents Supports Spectral-compatible rulesets and language-server integration Adds dashboards, offline HTML reports and CI/CD workflows
Cons	Does not lint AsyncAPI or GraphQL schemas Documented integration is limited to an unofficial Maven plugin Custom checks require implementing them in Kotlin	Primarily a CLI and Go library, not a hosted API design workspace Requires teams to integrate it into local development or pipelines Support channels are community and documentation
Our verdict	Zally is an open-source API quality tool for API designers and developers who want consistent OpenAPI specifications and feedback during development. It lints OpenAPI 2 and 3 against configurable rules, including Zalando’s RESTful… Read the review →	vacuum is an open-source command-line tool and Go library for developers and API teams that want automated quality checks on API specifications. Its scope spans OpenAPI, AsyncAPI 3 and JSON Schema, making it a fit for teams working across… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Zally — where it wins

  • Lints OpenAPI 2 and 3 through REST API, CLI, or web interface
  • Lets teams enable or disable server-side rules and ignore rules per API
  • Supports custom checks in Kotlin

  Where it doesn't

  • Does not lint AsyncAPI or GraphQL schemas
  • Documented integration is limited to an unofficial Maven plugin
  • Custom checks require implementing them in Kotlin

• vacuum — where it wins

  • Lints OpenAPI, AsyncAPI 3 and JSON Schema documents
  • Supports Spectral-compatible rulesets and language-server integration
  • Adds dashboards, offline HTML reports and CI/CD workflows

  Where it doesn't

  • Primarily a CLI and Go library, not a hosted API design workspace
  • Requires teams to integrate it into local development or pipelines
  • Support channels are community and documentation

• ZZally7.9/10 · Open source

  A focused OpenAPI linter with REST API, CLI, web UI, and configurable rules.

  Visit ZallyFull verdict →
• vacuum7.9/10 · Open source

  A broad, local-first API linting toolkit with reporting and CI support.

  Visit vacuumFull verdict →