3scale API Management vs Apache APISIX comparison

Red Hat and Apache are both solutions in the API Management category. Red Hat is ranked #17 with an average rating of 7.8, while Apache is ranked #16 with an average rating of 8.0. Red Hat holds a 2.4% mindshare in APIM, compared to Apache’s 3.2% mindshare. Additionally, 91% of Red Hat users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Apache users who would recommend it.

3scale API Management

Read 11 3scale API Management reviews

3,120 Views
2,345 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

Apache APISIX

Read 2 Apache APISIX reviews

2,703 Views
2,577 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

3scale API Management

Apache APISIX

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between 3scale API Management and Apache APISIX based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two API Management solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed 3scale API Management vs. Apache APISIX Report (Updated: May 2025).

Buyer's Guide

3scale API Management vs. Apache APISIX

May 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

3scale API Management

Ranking in API Management

17th

Average Rating

7.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Apache APISIX

Ranking in API Management

16th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the API Management category, the mindshare of 3scale API Management is 2.4%, up from 2.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Apache APISIX is 3.2%, up from 2.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

API Management

Featured Reviews

KavitaChavan

Associate Manager at Baariz

Lightweight solution but less flexible customization features

It lacks some features, and the product is not that flexible for developers. It's less flexible and rigid. It's not easy to make changes or customize it. One disadvantage is that for customization, it uses liquid templates. However, not everyone is familiar with liquid templates, so if you want to do some customized logging or other tasks, you may need to struggle a lot. Other solutions like IBM API Connect or Apigee use JavaScript, which is more developer-friendly. That's what I found.

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Aritra Basak

Associate Consultant at Ernst & Young

User-friendly platform simplifies traffic management and boosts API management through integrated plugins

The most valuable features of Apache APISIX include routing for upstream and frontend services, masking using proxy rewrite, and the integration of different plugins like Prometheus and Grafana. These plugins are self-integrated, allowing features like JWT authentication, rate limiting, and diverse authentication methods without extra integration. The tool is beneficial for its plugin orchestration which enhances API management with redirection, response rewrite, key authentication, and observability with Grafana and Prometheus.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The most valuable features are the gateway and security features."

"I like the API automation."

"It's good that they aren't adding a lot of features like ESP, etc. It's okay with just being a gateway."

"The standard deployment is very simple."

"The product is stable."

"3scale API Management's best feature is API management."

"The gateway is the most valuable feature because it makes it possible for us to gather all traffic into one proxy, which is a good thing."

"The solution is quite lightweight, and the installation is very easy. It's like a two-click installation."

More 3scale API Management pros

"I recommend Apache APISIX to others because of its many useful features."

"The most valuable features of Apache APISIX include routing for upstream and frontend services, masking using proxy rewrite, and the integration of different plugins like Prometheus and Grafana."

Cons

"I believe the CMS part of it has room for improvement though. That is where you write a couple of things if you want to publish your API. It's based on liquid scripting, which doesn't seem like the obvious ones to script with."

"It would be helpful to improve the customization features so that the customer can do it based on their own needs."

"We tried to use the portal, but we decided that it wasn't enough. The content management system (CMS) is not easy to use if you want to customize things, and it's hard to get someone who has the knowledge to work with the CMS."

"The user experience could be better. The developer portal is too complex and hard to configure."

"What I'd like to improve in 3scale API Management is its route-limiting feature. Currently, I don't know how to do that effectively on the solution, but in Kong, I know how to do it, so I would love to see route-limiting being easily done on 3scale API Management. It would also be good if there was some authentication that you could do from 3scale API Management because Kong offers that functionality out of the box. What I'd love to see in the next release of 3scale API Management is the ability to integrate more plug-ins easily onto the platform, so you'll be able to extend it, and even do customs management. If Red Hat could offer that extension where it allows the internal organization where 3scale API Management is deployed on-premise to integrate its tools on top of 3scale API Management and provide an API for that, that will make the solution very powerful."

"The product is not that flexible for developers. It's less flexible and rigid. It's not easy to make changes or customize it."

"What was suggested by Red Hat was a crucial part of the configuration, but when we started to ask about the supportability of this configuration, Red Hat said only some parts of the configuration would be supported."

"3scale API Management only supports restful APIs and doesn't support SOAP."

"The routing algorithms in Apache APISIX, such as node-based and round-robin, could be improved. Introducing more plugins and supporting AI features can enhance the solution."

"The user interface is limited and does not support all features of Apache APISIX."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The cost was around $45,000 per year."

"3scale API Management has reasonable pricing, judging from its competitor, Kong. My organization pays yearly for the 3scale API Management license, though I'm unable to give the exact figure because every single day there are new clusters deployed. I'm in charge of three to four clusters in my team, but give or take, it costs a few thousand lakhs."

"The pricing is affordable, it's cheap."

"I don't think that 3scale is very expensive."

Information not available

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

18%

Computer Software Company

12%

Insurance Company

Government

Computer Software Company

19%

Financial Services Firm

14%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about 3scale API Management?

The product is stable.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for 3scale API Management?

I rate the product’s pricing as two out of ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive.

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What needs improvement with 3scale API Management?

The deployment process could be easier.

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What needs improvement with Apache APISIX?

The user interface is limited and does not support all features of Apache APISIX. Users must resort to using command-line interfaces (CLI) for certain configurations, which is not practical. Enhanc...

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What is your primary use case for Apache APISIX?

We have used Apache APISIX ( /products/apache-apisix-reviews ) as a gateway for our backend systems. We have integrated it with our backend system for several banks in Saudi Arabia. This was a clie...

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What advice do you have for others considering Apache APISIX?

I recommend Apache APISIX to others because of its many useful features. However, the lack of documentation for some features presents challenges. I would rate Apache APISIX an eight out of ten due...

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Comparisons

Apigee vs 3scale API Management

Compared 17% of the time

Kong Gateway Enterprise vs 3scale API Management

Compared 15% of the time

IBM API Connect vs 3scale API Management

Compared 14% of the time

Amazon API Gateway vs 3scale API Management

Compared 13% of the time

Layer7 API Management vs 3scale API Management

Compared 2% of the time

More 3scale API Management Competitors

WSO2 API Manager vs Apache APISIX

Compared 22% of the time

Apigee vs Apache APISIX

Compared 18% of the time

Traefik Enterprise vs Apache APISIX

Compared 14% of the time

Kong Gateway Enterprise vs Apache APISIX

Compared 11% of the time

SwaggerHub vs Apache APISIX

Compared 1% of the time

More Apache APISIX Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

API Management

May 2025

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Buyer's Guide

API Management

May 2025

Download Apache APISIX product report

Overview

3scale is an API management platform that delivers flexible, highly scalable solutions to package, distribute, control, and monetize your APIs, giving you the power to make the most of your API program.

Share company data, content, or services through Web or mobile applications.
Provide an API to external organizations, internal teams, or both.
Avoid the hassle and constant maintenance of building a solution from scratch.

3scale delivers centralized API management features through a distributed, cloud-hosted layer. The platform includes built-in features to help you build a more successful API program, including access control, rate limits, payment gateway integration, and developer experience tools.

Red Hat

Apache APISIX is an open-source API Gateway that supports dynamic routing, plugins, and load balancing. It is highly scalable and suitable for managing, securing, and efficiently controlling API traffic. Users appreciate its flexible and robust capabilities.

Developed for developers and businesses seeking to optimize API management, Apache APISIX offers a range of features tailored to improve performance and adaptability. With support for real-time dynamic updates and a broad plugin ecosystem, it can easily integrate into diverse architectures. This tool caters to a range of use cases, from boosting API efficiency to refining load balancing and traffic management.

What are the key features of Apache APISIX?

Dynamic Routing: Enables users to modify routes without service disruption.
Plugin Framework: Allows the addition of custom features to enhance functionality.
HTTPS and SSL Termination: Increases security for API communications.
Load Balancing: Distributes traffic to optimize resource usage.
Comprehensive Monitoring: Offers real-time insights into API performance.

What benefits should users consider?

Scalability: Quickly adapts to increasing traffic demands.
Performance Enhancement: Optimizes API speed and responsiveness.
Reduced Downtime: Maintains stability with updates and changes.
Security: Enhances protection with strong encryption protocols.

Apache APISIX is widely implemented across industries, including finance and e-commerce, where it manages large volumes of transactions efficiently. Its adaptability allows it to meet specific industry needs, supporting businesses in achieving optimal API performance and security.

Apache

Sample Customers

Victor Ops, Coca Cola, The Telegraph, Skava, Orange, Typeform

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

3scale API Management vs. Apache APISIX

May 2025

Free Report: 3scale API Management vs. Apache APISIX

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