IBM API Connect vs IBM Cloud Pak for Integration comparison

IBM API Connect and IBM Cloud Pak for Integration are both solutions in the API Management category. IBM API Connect is ranked #8 with an average rating of 8.3, while IBM Cloud Pak for Integration is ranked #28 with an average rating of 8.5. IBM API Connect holds a 6.0% mindshare in APIM, compared to IBM Cloud Pak for Integration’s 0.5% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of IBM API Connect users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of IBM Cloud Pak for Integration users who would recommend it.

IBM API Connect

Read 76 IBM API Connect reviews

6,620 Views
6,421 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

IBM Cloud Pak for Integration

Read 5 IBM Cloud Pak for Integration reviews

1,159 Views
556 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

IBM API Connect

IBM Cloud Pak for Integration

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 17, 2024

IBM API Connect and IBM Cloud Pak for Integration are key competitors in the integration technology sector. IBM Cloud Pak for Integration holds a slight edge due to its expansive feature set, which appeals to enterprises needing comprehensive solutions.

Features: IBM API Connect delivers essential API management capabilities such as lifecycle management, powerful security protocols, and monitoring options. It also supports seamless integration with multiple service providers. Conversely, IBM Cloud Pak for Integration provides an extensive suite with features like application, data, and messaging integration, ensuring a holistic approach to complex enterprise needs.

Room for Improvement: IBM API Connect could enhance its user interface for simpler navigation and increase its scalability for larger deployments. It would also benefit from enhanced automation features to streamline processes further. IBM Cloud Pak for Integration could improve by simplifying its setup process and improving documentation. It could also offer more native integrations to avoid reliance on third-party solutions and reduce implementation times.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: IBM API Connect is known for its ease of deployment, making it attractive for organizations seeking quicker integrations. Its responsive customer service supports users through implementations smoothly. On the other hand, IBM Cloud Pak for Integration offers a flexible deployment model suited to more intricate systems. Its customer service effectively assists clients through complex setups, enhancing its appeal for large enterprises.

Pricing and ROI: IBM API Connect stands out with a cost-effective pricing strategy and relatively low initial costs, offering quicker returns for straightforward API management tasks. IBM Cloud Pak for Integration demands a higher upfront investment, but its extensive features potentially deliver higher ROI by optimizing broader business operations.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM API Connect vs. IBM Cloud Pak for Integration Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM API Connect vs. IBM Cloud Pak for Integration

September 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

IBM API Connect

Ranking in API Management

8th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS) (9th)

IBM Cloud Pak for Integration

Ranking in API Management

28th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Cloud Data Integration (16th)

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the API Management category, the mindshare of IBM API Connect is 6.0%, down from 6.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Cloud Pak for Integration is 0.5%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

API Management Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
IBM API Connect	6.0%
IBM Cloud Pak for Integration	0.5%
Other	93.5%

API Management

Featured Reviews

Shanmugasundaram Shanmuganathan

Solutions Architect at Synechron

Offers basic API orchestration and provides robust security and governance features

While Azure API Management offers configurable scalability, IBM API Connect relies on Kubernetes clusters. This might seem manual and require defining cluster instances upfront, but it's completely customizable and not on-the-fly scaling. It's completely custom-driven, not on-the-fly scaling, which some may consider cumbersome. Overall, I would rate the scalability an eight out of ten. Almost all applications we've been exposing lately go through this middleware, so it's used extensively. There are around sixty applications directly using it, but six Kubernetes clusters serve those applications. It's heavily used for integration, including system-to-system integration and product integrations. Our usage has been increasing year-on-year based on our needs.

Read full review

Neelima Golla

Senior Software Engineer at NessPRO Italy

A hybrid integration platform that applies the functionality of closed-loop AI automation

I recommend using it because, in today's context, the cloud plays a significant role. Within the same user interface, you can develop applications and manage multiple applications, making it a more user-friendly option. Moreover, you can explore various other technologies while deploying on the cloud, broadening your knowledge of cloud technologies. In my case, the transition led to my learning of Kubernetes, enabling multi-scaling and expanding my technical skills. It was a valuable experience, and I had the opportunity to learn many new things during the migration process. I can easily rate it an eight or nine out of ten.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Since it runs on top of Datapower, all Datapower based custom policies can be utilized and exported to API connect but its not straightforward/simple process."

"It has all of the tools that are needed for the specific mission."

"This solution is ready to scale and already supports our agile CICD."

"The management of the API and API portal is good."

"It allows enterprises to expose some of their tech to outside stakeholders."

"It is quite stable. We've not had any problem. It has made for a good buy because we are finding that other companies that have similar set ups go down maybe once a month."

"The developer portal has been the most useful feature."

"Its speed and performance are valuable."

More IBM API Connect pros

"Cloud Pak for Integration is definitely scalable. That is the most important criteria."

"The most preferable aspect would be the elimination of the command, which was a significant improvement. In the past, it was a challenge, but now we can proceed smoothly with the implementation of our policies and everything is managed through JCP. It's still among the positive aspects, and it's a valuable feature."

"Redirection is a key feature. It helps in managing multiple microservices by centralizing control and access."

"It is a stable solution."

"The most valuable aspect of the Cloud Pak, in general, is the flexibility that you have to use the product."

Cons

"We would have more capability to interact with the catalog and inventories, so a more DevOps-friendly solution is needed."

"The developmental process is not quite user-friendly."

"The solution could improve security and performance."

"Our main pain points are in these two areas: creating a better developer portal and improving stability in terms of synchronization and monetization."

"The only disadvantage I can see is that it requires heavy hardware support."

"Due to bugs in integration, we have to look for workaround on fixing and using DataPower as gateway."

"It should be cheaper."

"The administration of the user interface and the technical documentation are areas of concern in the solution where improvements are required."

More IBM API Connect cons

"The pricing can be improved."

"Its queuing and messaging features need improvement."

"Setting up Cloud Pak for Integration is relatively complex. It's not as easy because it has not yet been fully integrated. You still have some products that are still not containerized, so you still have to run them on a dedicated VM."

"The initial setup is not easy."

"Enterprise bots are needed to balance products like Kafka and Confluent."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"API Connect is expensive - I'd rate their pricing five out of ten."

"It would be a good idea to bring down the pricing by at least 20 to 30 percent."

"Pricing for IBM API Connect varies, e.g. it could be subscription-based. Deploying it on private cloud also means you have to own most of the software licensing."

"API Connect is quite pricey."

"We pay for the IBM API Connect monthly. We only need to pay the standard licensing fee."

"It is an expensive solution. The licensing model is based on a per-subscription and per-subscriber end-user basis, meaning the price is determined by the end-users of the platform."

"API Connect's license cost could be a little lower. But, unfortunately, there aren't many open-source API gateways. Ideally, some new developers could come up with a minimum-functionality open-source solution."

"It can be quite expensive. It's okay for large-scale usage but quite expensive for smaller-scale implementations."

More IBM API Connect pricing and cost advice

"The solution's pricing model is very flexible."

"It is an expensive solution."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

19%

Insurance Company

12%

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

18%

Government

10%

Insurance Company

Computer Software Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	19
Midsize Enterprise	10
Large Enterprise	58

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about IBM API Connect?

Publishers can easily identify, create, and publish APIs on the developer portal, defining plans, packages, and potentially billing rules.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM API Connect?

Pricing depends on how many instances run across environments. I don't deal with licensing, but compared to other IBM products, the licensing is not significantly higher.

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM API Connect?

When comparing API Gateway with DataPower Gateway, several features in DataPower Gateway are absent in the APIC layer. Examples include the lack of connectivity to MQ ( /categories/message-queue-mq...

See all answers

What do you like most about IBM Cloud Pak for Integration?

The most preferable aspect would be the elimination of the command, which was a significant improvement. In the past, it was a challenge, but now we can proceed smoothly with the implementation of ...

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM Cloud Pak for Integration?

Enterprise bots are needed to balance products like Kafka and Confluent.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for IBM Cloud Pak for Integration?

It manages APIs and integrates microservices at the enterprise level. It offers a range of capabilities for handling APIs, microservices, and various integration needs. The platform supports thousa...

See all answers

Comparisons

IBM DataPower Gateway vs IBM API Connect

Compared 28% of the time

Apigee vs IBM API Connect

Compared 20% of the time

Microsoft Azure API Management vs IBM API Connect

Compared 14% of the time

Amazon API Gateway vs IBM API Connect

Compared 6% of the time

WSO2 API Manager vs IBM API Connect

Compared 1% of the time

More IBM API Connect Competitors

IBM App Connect vs IBM Cloud Pak for Integration

Compared 42% of the time

MuleSoft API Manager vs IBM Cloud Pak for Integration

Compared 12% of the time

webMethods.io vs IBM Cloud Pak for Integration

Compared 11% of the time

IBM DataPower Gateway vs IBM Cloud Pak for Integration

Compared 8% of the time

Apigee vs IBM Cloud Pak for Integration

Compared 7% of the time

More IBM Cloud Pak for Integration Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM API Connect

September 2025

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Buyer's Guide

API Management

August 2025

Download IBM Cloud Pak for Integration product report

Overview

IBM API Connect is an API management tool providing robust security, seamless REST and SOAP conversion, and flexible deployment options for diverse cloud environments. It aids organizations in securing and monetizing their APIs while streamlining the development process.

IBM API Connect offers features like a security gateway, API lifecycle management, and integration with DataPower. Its intuitive interface enhances ease of use, supporting extensive analytics and traffic management. However, there are areas for improvement in automation, system integration, and user configuration. Organizations can deploy API Connect on-premises or in the cloud, delivering secure access control and analytics for banking, financial services, and government sectors. Compliance with standards like PSD2 ensures secure external API exposure and integration with multiple systems.

What are the most important features of IBM API Connect?

Security Gateway: Provides robust protection and data security for APIs.
Seamless Conversion: Facilitates easy conversion between REST and SOAP protocols.
API Management: Supports full API lifecycle management for efficient development.
DataPower Integration: Integrates seamlessly with DataPower for enhanced functionality.
Developer Portal: Offers a user-friendly interface for managing APIs and developers.
Analytics: Delivers powerful insights through comprehensive API analytics.
Flexible Deployment: Supports deployment on different cloud platforms for versatility.

What benefits and ROI can users expect from IBM API Connect?

Traffic Management: Efficiently manages high volumes of API traffic without compromising performance.
Data Protection: Ensures data is protected during API communication.
API Monetization: Facilitates API monetization strategies to drive revenue.
Scalability: Provides scalable solutions to handle growing demands seamlessly.

In specific industries like banking, financial services, and government sectors, IBM API Connect plays a crucial role in API management, orchestration, and regulation tasks. It provides secure access, control, and compliance with industry standards, serving as an essential gateway for data exchange and integration across multiple systems.

IBM

IBM Cloud Pak for Integration gives you complete, flexible integration using capabilities you need to move at today's speed of business, including the tools to help you achieve your application modernization goals as part of your journey to the cloud.

IBM

Sample Customers

Heineken, Tine, Finologee, Axis Bank

CVS Health Corporation

Buyer's Guide

IBM API Connect vs. IBM Cloud Pak for Integration

September 2025

Free Report: IBM API Connect vs. IBM Cloud Pak for Integration

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