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Apiary vs Layer7 API Management 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:
 

Categories and Ranking

Apiary
Ranking in API Management
35th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
4
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Layer7 API Management
Ranking in API Management
15th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
112
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the API Management category, the mindshare of Apiary is 0.8%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Layer7 API Management is 2.0%, down from 2.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
API Management Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Layer7 API Management2.0%
Apiary0.8%
Other97.2%
API Management
 

Featured Reviews

PW
Enterprise Integration Architect at Capgemini
The ability to configure rules to check for consistency has helped
Apiary provides a free tier of the platform which allows a small group of developers to collaborate easily on the design of open source APIs. In addition to this, it provides mock endpoints allowing people to experiment with the API without depending or having to stand up a real backend. With our clients, using Apiary allows us to very quickly pull together an API definition (particularly when using API Blueprint). The whole API design process for the simpler use cases can be done in a relatively short workshop which makes it a lot easier to agree, publish, version-manage an API definition with suitable documentation. This can then be evolved and enhanced (particularly in the documentation aspects). With the ability to support Swagger (Open API v2 and introducing/ed support for v3) and API Blueprint makes it a very versatile tool.
Integration capabilities excel and support for varied platforms enhances communication across backend systems
We mainly use REST APIs, and the solution's integration capabilities are excellent. It allows communication with a number of back-end providers and data consolidation. The flexibility to develop APIs for various platforms, from front-end applications to ATM machines, is valuable. Code changes and migration are straightforward, and it supports identity and access management integration.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Git integration"
"The feature I find most valuable is that it offers authentication and allows us to develop communication points."
"I find the generation of mock services very useful, especially when demonstrating for new consumers."
"Quick and easy way to share a new API design with teams."
"Quick and easy way to share a new API design with teams."
"I do like the overall performance of the solution."
"This solution has allowed us to standardize API definitions and bring consistency into our shared components, reducing the effort and cost of using functionality across domains within the organization, with Apiary being crucial to our good API strategy."
"Vey high - very easy API design with no setup effort"
"Compared to other vendors, this product is much faster in coming up with new features, which is good."
"If you're looking for a complete API developer platform and securing your APIs, then CA API Gateway is a good product."
"The Mobile API Gateway is also great."
"Layer7 is absolutely stable; it impresses me as a product because it never goes down and always does what it is supposed to do."
"The most valuable feature of Layer7 API Management is that their policy is really easy to develop and it is flexible."
"We have been using API Gateway for four years and we have huge class actions, like 600 parts per second, and we have not seen any issues as of now."
"They have got a very compelling platform that enables organizations to easily develop and roll out mobile applications."
"A big win for CA was the expertise of the local country support plus having support staff on site in a matter of hours, if required."
 

Cons

"I would like an integrated option to download a Swagger version of the definition."
"I would like an integrated option to download a Swagger version of the definition."
"The Oracle release cycle is very bad because the patches only update once a year."
"I don't think this solution is very stable so we try to manage stability from our side."
"Better Swagger support."
"Validation messages could be a bit clearer."
"Swagger (OpenAPI Specification) and Blueprint Support"
"The CA API Management solution has good security features, but when it comes to being used in areas like enterprise integration, where it is being used as middleware for all the IT environments, that particular feature is quite limited. It doesn't support as many protocols as an industry standard, competing product should."
"They should incorporate deeper monitoring features into the solution to make the offering more complete. Doing so would help to showcase traffic patterns and usage to better engage customers and partners proactively. It would also help with API management and capacity planning."
"It needs to be a bit more stable."
"The security protocols in CA's product, for financial services, weren't as good as those in API Connect."
"We'd like to see an updated migration tool. Right now, the migration process works but it is a little clunky because there's not a good tool for migrating it."
"The only issue we have is that we have to buy an APM license separately for end-to-end monitoring."
"​The initial setup was very complex."
"Layer7 API Management could improve by assing more portal-based capabilities."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There is a free subscription option to start and try the service."
"It is easy to get started with personal (free) accounts, but a subscription is required for additional features."
"It's my manager who takes care of the pricing. But I keep on hearing that it's a little pricey, it's on the higher side. That is what he says."
"Do not buy piecemeal."
"The product is moderately priced."
"We weren't comfortable with the pricing of licensing. It was slightly more expensive than its competitors."
"This solution is a bit more expensive than competitors."
"Be aware of additional licenses for your warm standby. Ensure you get plenty of non-production licenses."
"I think it's competitive. It's not that expensive when you compare CA with the Oracle product."
"I feel that it is costly for medium-sized companies."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Construction Company
18%
Financial Services Firm
18%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Media Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Construction Company
8%
Marketing Services Firm
7%
Healthcare Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business23
Midsize Enterprise13
Large Enterprise84
 

Questions from the Community

Ask a question
Earn 20 points
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Layer7 API Management?
Pricing is more than average. While I am used to Layer7 API Management ( /products/layer7-api-management-reviews ), seeing other products makes the tool's pricing seem high.
What needs improvement with Layer7 API Management?
Broadcom's push for upgrades from version nine to ten, ten to 10.3, and onwards to twelve needs improvement in migration processes, especially with service dependencies. The migration path sometime...
What is your primary use case for Layer7 API Management?
I am not the client. I implement Layer7 API Management ( /products/layer7-api-management-reviews ) for the clients. I have worked on multiple projects as a developer, implementing for Hydro Tasmani...
 

Also Known As

No data available
CA API Management, CA Live API Creator, Espresso Logic, CA API Gateway
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Microsoft, salesforce.com, Bloomberg, GoodData, Viacom, Akamai Technologies, DigitalGlobe
1. IBM  2. Microsoft  3. Oracle  4. Salesforce  5. SAP  6. Cisco  7. Dell  8. HP  9. Adobe  10. VMware  11. Accenture  12. Capgemini  13. Deloitte  14. PwC  15. Ernst & Young  16. Infosys  17. TCS (Tata Consultancy Services)  18. Wipro  19. Cognizant  20. HCL Technologies  21. Tech Mahindra  22. Fujitsu  23. Hitachi  24. NEC  25. NTT Data  26. Ericsson  27. Nokia  28. Siemens  29. AT&T  30. Verizon  31. Vodafone  32. Orange
Find out what your peers are saying about Apiary vs. Layer7 API Management and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.
893,221 professionals have used our research since 2012.