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3scale API Management vs IBM API Connect comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 17, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
6.5
3scale API Management offers quick ROI and cost-effective API access, ideal for SMEs seeking reduced licensing expenses.
Sentiment score
5.5
IBM API Connect enhances efficiency and flexibility, reducing service exposure time and enabling data monetization with significant ROI improvements.
Reducing development hours from eighty to four for an API was possible due to reusing existing scripts from DataPower.
Software Engineer IV at Royal Cyber Inc.
I have seen a return on investment from using IBM API Connect, as we created multiple plans based on customer usage.
Works at a outsourcing company with 5,001-10,000 employees
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
5.4
3scale API Management customer service receives mixed reviews, citing good partnerships but also delayed support and unclear documentation.
Sentiment score
6.1
IBM API Connect support is knowledgeable and engaging but can be slow and documentation is lacking, rated 7-9/10.
Support is extremely good, especially with Sev 1 issues.
Software Engineer IV at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Support is excellent when it comes to APIC.
Software Engineer IV at Royal Cyber Inc.
It was frustrating that we almost could not install it by ourselves because some information I will never find because IBM keeps it.
DB A Sysadmin Devops Software Ag Adabas/Natural/Ibm Entire X Webmethods at Bundesamt für Informatik und Telekommunikation BIT
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.6
3scale API Management offers strong scalability for enterprise applications, with high availability and ease of managing multiple instances.
Sentiment score
7.3
IBM API Connect offers scalability and flexibility in cloud environments, despite higher costs and challenges in older versions.
When you have Kubernetes on cloud or on-premise, scalability is easy.
DB A Sysadmin Devops Software Ag Adabas/Natural/Ibm Entire X Webmethods at Bundesamt für Informatik und Telekommunikation BIT
It is not tied to a single product.
Software Engineer IV at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
With container versions, scaling up or down the gateways deployed into pods is a two to three-minute task for the operations team.
Software Engineer IV at Royal Cyber Inc.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.4
3scale API Management is highly stable, runs effectively in cloud environments, and users expect improvements despite initial setup issues.
Sentiment score
7.3
IBM API Connect stability has improved significantly since 2018, but some users still experience minor issues and synchronization needs.
If it is functioning well, you won't have a bad experience and your application becomes more reliable.
Works at a outsourcing company with 5,001-10,000 employees
The runtime engine for the APIC Gateway is still a DataPower component, which has been stable in the industry for about fifteen years.
Software Engineer IV at Royal Cyber Inc.
IBM API Connect was very stable.
DB A Sysadmin Devops Software Ag Adabas/Natural/Ibm Entire X Webmethods at Bundesamt für Informatik und Telekommunikation BIT
 

Room For Improvement

3scale API Management needs better CMS, customization, Open API 3 support, and improvements in user experience and integration capabilities.
IBM API Connect needs better monitoring, integration, user experience, and DevOps tools, while facing complaints about cost and complexity.
I do not even have to go to the documentation website because everything is included inside the tool when I work on it.
DB A Sysadmin Devops Software Ag Adabas/Natural/Ibm Entire X Webmethods at Bundesamt für Informatik und Telekommunikation BIT
Examples include the lack of connectivity to MQ.
Software Engineer IV at Royal Cyber Inc.
Following this approach, you should be able to optimize costs and satisfy customer experience.
Works at a outsourcing company with 5,001-10,000 employees
 

Setup Cost

3scale API Management is cost-effective, especially with OpenShift, priced around $45,000 annually, seen as affordable by users.
IBM API Connect offers tiered pricing with robust features, seen as cost-effective despite higher costs compared to competitors.
Pricing depends on how many instances run across environments.
Software Engineer IV at Royal Cyber Inc.
 

Valuable Features

3scale API Management offers easy OpenShift integration, efficient traffic management, API automation, enhanced security, and container deployment capabilities.
IBM API Connect offers comprehensive API lifecycle management with user-friendly development, security, analytics, and cloud integration features.
It simplifies exposing our APIs externally and inherently adds a layer of security, which I see as a positive impact from the product.
Program Manager at a insurance company with 1,001-5,000 employees
It offers significant development efficiency, reducing man-hours from eighty to four when creating APIs.
Software Engineer IV at Royal Cyber Inc.
IBM API Connect provides policy management features. We can achieve centralized control over API policies for governance and compliance.
Software Engineer IV at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
It simplifies processes by using AI to help automate tasks and work.
operations Manager at a university with 10,001+ employees
 

Categories and Ranking

3scale API Management
Ranking in API Management
23rd
Average Rating
7.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
12
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
IBM API Connect
Ranking in API Management
8th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
80
Ranking in other categories
Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS) (13th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the API Management category, the mindshare of 3scale API Management is 2.0%, down from 2.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM API Connect is 4.4%, down from 6.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
API Management Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
IBM API Connect4.4%
3scale API Management2.0%
Other93.6%
API Management
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer2747757 - PeerSpot reviewer
Program Manager at a insurance company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Facilitates API exposure securely and highlights developer portal flexibility needs
Not much stands out for me regarding the advantages of this product. We usually don't tinker with it. Developing developer portals could be more standards-based. I think currently it's Ruby-based. Having more options on designing that would be beneficial. Additional flexibility would have been great; we would have used it more if it aligned with our platform. I don't use the analytics part. We don't use monetization features, which help to create a revenue generation model.
ME
DB A Sysadmin Devops Software Ag Adabas/Natural/Ibm Entire X Webmethods at Bundesamt für Informatik und Telekommunikation BIT
API management has strengthened security and monitoring but still needs better support and tooling
There are areas of IBM API Connect that need to be improved. I want what Gravitee made, which is much better. Gravitee made many samples for different use cases. First of all, they made examples of use cases, codes, and what the module expects and what the module returns for multiple examples and use cases inside the development. I do not even have to go to the documentation website because everything is included inside the tool when I work on it. This is great, in fact. IBM API Connect should show examples. One other thing is the support. The support of IBM is in India. Every time I want to ask something, they say they need logs, they want this, they want that. Gravitee API asks me to explain the problem without asking a thousand times as if it is a request for a green card in the USA. Then they really explain quickly. IBM is a big company, so everything is standardized with the approach of "You do that, you do that, you request that. If you do not have that, you do not reply to the client." Clients want flexibility today, even if it is a huge company. A stressed client is a client that will want to change to other flexible solutions. When everything is fine, we do not care, but when there is stress and problems, that is when the customer of IBM evaluates the tool really. It is when there are problems. IBM makes a lot of efforts on sales and technical sales, and then that is it.
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893,164 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
18%
Government
12%
Insurance Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
18%
Insurance Company
10%
Computer Software Company
7%
Manufacturing Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business6
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise5
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business19
Midsize Enterprise10
Large Enterprise62
 

Questions from the Community

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.
What needs improvement with 3scale API Management?
Not much stands out for me regarding the advantages of this product. We usually don't tinker with it. Developing developer portals could be more standards-based. I think currently it's Ruby-based. ...
What is your primary use case for 3scale API Management?
Our company exposes different APIs, and we use it to monitor traffic, limit traffic, and similar functions. I don't have much involvement with the solution, though I did conduct some research. We s...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM API Connect?
I do not handle the pricing, setup cost, and licensing details.
What needs improvement with IBM API Connect?
There are areas of IBM API Connect that need to be improved. I want what Gravitee made, which is much better. Gravitee made many samples for different use cases. First of all, they made examples of...
What is your primary use case for IBM API Connect?
The usual use cases for IBM API Connect that I worked with mostly involved three things: security, monitoring, and message control. The purpose was to address these areas, though there was one feat...
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Victor Ops, Coca Cola, The Telegraph, Skava, Orange, Typeform
Heineken, Tine, Finologee, Axis Bank
Find out what your peers are saying about 3scale API Management vs. IBM API Connect and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.
893,164 professionals have used our research since 2012.