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3scale API Management vs WSO2 API Manager comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 16, 2025

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
7.7
WSO2 API Manager offers flexibility and cost savings, with users appreciating high ROI and efficient migrations and fraud management.
Since you can scale it and maintain your work, it is effective.
Manager, Integration Technical Delivery at United Delta
 

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
6.6
WSO2 API Manager offers varied support, with valued documentation and community resources but mixed reviews on support speed and communication.
I believe the support is a significant strength for WSO2.
Manager, Integration Technical Delivery at United Delta
The support is good, with well-defined documentation and helpful blogs.
Senior Principal Architect at 6d Technologies
 

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
7.5
WSO2 API Manager offers versatile scalability, adapting easily to various needs, despite some challenges with components and configuration.
For the cases I have experienced, WSO2 API Manager is easy to scale.
Manager, Integration Technical Delivery at United Delta
 

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
WSO2 API Manager is stable, performs well on Tomcat, but memory issues and upgrade challenges require careful management.
I do not face any issues regarding API security from OAuth 2 based authentication. It is secured and well-secured, and I have not faced any security-related issues.
Manager, Integration Technical Delivery at United Delta
The system is stable for our low-concurrency use cases.
Senior Principal Architect at 6d Technologies
 

Room For Improvement

3scale API Management needs better CMS, customization, Open API 3 support, and improvements in user experience and integration capabilities.
WSO2 API Manager's complex interface, documentation, support, and pricing hinder user experience, necessitating improved security and communication.
Our integrations do not handle high-volume transactions.
Senior Principal Architect at 6d Technologies
WSO2 released other products that solved everything related to my concern.
Manager, Integration Technical Delivery at United Delta
 

Setup Cost

3scale API Management is cost-effective, especially with OpenShift, priced around $45,000 annually, seen as affordable by users.
WSO2 API Manager provides free open-source and paid enterprise versions, balancing reasonable subscription costs with competitive features.
 

Valuable Features

3scale API Management offers easy OpenShift integration, efficient traffic management, API automation, enhanced security, and container deployment capabilities.
WSO2 API Manager is scalable, open-source, user-friendly, secure, customizable, and supports microservices, APIs, and real-time monitoring.
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
The product's capabilities for integrating with REST APIs are valuable.
Senior Principal Architect at 6d Technologies
The Lifecycle Management feature helps me manage my APIs when I'm using it.
Manager, Integration Technical Delivery at United Delta
 

Categories and Ranking

3scale API Management
Ranking in API Management
22nd
Average Rating
7.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
12
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
WSO2 API Manager
Ranking in API Management
9th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
42
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the API Management category, the mindshare of 3scale API Management is 2.1%, down from 2.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of WSO2 API Manager is 4.3%, down from 4.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
API Management Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
WSO2 API Manager4.3%
3scale API Management2.1%
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.
MM
Manager, Integration Technical Delivery at United Delta
Middleware integration has become smoother and manages API lifecycles and scopes effectively
Regarding WSO2 API Manager, I have no drawbacks or areas for improvement. However, regarding the Micro Integrator, I had some issues while developing complex services because it was mainly designed to be used for simple services, not complex ones. While using complex services, I encountered some issues. I communicated this with WSO2, and they released other products that solved everything related to my concern. These products were released before my concern was raised. When I explored them, they were pretty good, and I did not see the same issues I had experienced. WSO2 is enhancing themselves, and their products are fine. The previous concern was about the previous product, so it is resolved now since there are new products available. I would like WSO2 to improve quality or response time in support, or both.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
20%
Government
12%
Insurance Company
9%
Computer Software Company
5%
Financial Services Firm
18%
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Comms Service Provider
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 Business15
Midsize Enterprise7
Large Enterprise21
 

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 do you like most about WSO2 API Manager?
It is possible to scale up and scale down with the solution...I can say that I have not seen any issues related to scalability.
What needs improvement with WSO2 API Manager?
We have encountered some concerns with concurrency. Our integrations do not handle high-volume transactions, and when benchmarking, some issues arose with concurrent testing. It is uncertain whethe...
What is your primary use case for WSO2 API Manager?
We use WSO2 API Manager ( /products/wso2-api-manager-reviews ) to integrate our telecom products with third-party REST APIs. We are orchestrating services where our business process defines the int...
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Victor Ops, Coca Cola, The Telegraph, Skava, Orange, Typeform
1. eBay 2. StubHub 3. Cisco 4. Verizon 5. T-Mobile 6. Vodafone 7. Orange 8. BT Group 9. Telstra 10. Deutsche Telekom 11. Swisscom 12. AT&T 13. Sprint 14. Telefonica 15. O2 16. British Airways 17. Lufthansa 18. Emirates 19. Qatar Airways 20. Etihad Airways 21. Air France 22. KLM 23. American Express 24. Visa 25. Mastercard 26. PayPal 27. Western Union 28. Citibank 29. HSBC 30. Barclays 31. Santander 32. Goldman Sachs
Find out what your peers are saying about 3scale API Management vs. WSO2 API Manager and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
881,707 professionals have used our research since 2012.