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RapidAPI alternatives: 5 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Nov 8, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rankAll API gateways and API management

Top picks

  • Kong logo

    Best overall

    Kong

    Starting price: From $25/month plus usage (Konnect Plus)

  • Tyk logo

    Best free option

    Tyk

    Open source

  • Kong logo

    Best open source

    Kong

    Starting price: From $25/month plus usage (Konnect Plus)

Common reasons people leave RapidAPI: 25% marketplace fee on provider revenue, and payouts only through PayPal. We ranked 5 alternatives by how directly each one replaces RapidAPI, then by reviews, real visits and how recently each app's facts were checked against its own website. Kong currently ranks first.

Quick comparison

#AppPricingVerified priceOpen sourcePlatformsVerified factsScore
1Kong logoKongOpen sourceFrom $25/month plus usage (Konnect Plus)YesWeb, Linux, Self-hosted4 of 468.8
2Tyk logoTykOpen source—YesWeb, Linux, Self-hosted4 of 464.8
3Postman logoPostmanFree plan + paid$9 a month, billed annually (Solo)NoWeb, Windows, macOS +13 of 563.4
4Apigee logoApigeePaid$365 per month per region (Base environment)NoWeb8 of 859.4
5Apidog logoApidogFree plan + paid—NoWeb, Windows, macOS +24 of 450.0
  1. Kong logo

    1. KongTop pick

    Best for: Platform teams wanting a battle-tested open-source gateway with an optional managed control plane

    Open sourceSelf-hostableWeb, Linux, Self-hosted

    68.8

    score / 100

    Why switch from RapidAPI

    Run your own gateway and developer portal instead of listing APIs on a shared marketplace with a revenue cut.

    Pros

    • Open-source core under Apache 2.0
    • Large plugin library for auth, rate limiting and observability
    • Self-hosted, hybrid or fully managed deployment

    Cons

    • Many advanced plugins and the portal need a paid licence
    • Konnect usage pricing has many moving parts
    • More to operate than a single-binary gateway like KrakenD
    Visit Kong Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.3100
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Kong a good RapidAPI alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    License
    Apache-2.0
    Checked Nov 1, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Free trial
    30 days (Konnect)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026konghq.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Starting price
    From $25/month plus usage (Konnect Plus)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026konghq.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Extensibility
    Modules and plugins
    Checked Nov 8, 2026developer.konghq.com(opens source in a new tab)
  2. Tyk logo

    2. Tyk

    Best for: Teams in regulated industries wanting an open-source gateway they can fully self-manage

    Open sourceSelf-hostableWeb, Linux, Self-hosted

    64.8

    score / 100

    Why switch from RapidAPI

    Open-source gateway with a built-in developer portal for publishing and monetising your own APIs.

    Pros

    • Gateway is open source under MPL 2.0
    • Paid plans don't charge per API call
    • Cloud, hybrid or fully on-premises deployment

    Cons

    • Dashboard and developer portal require a paid licence
    • Cloud trial is only 48 hours
    • Smaller plugin ecosystem than Kong
    Visit Tyk Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.387
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Tyk a good RapidAPI alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    License
    MPL 2.0 (Gateway and Pump)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026tyk.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Free trial
    48 hours (Tyk Cloud)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026tyk.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Pricing basis
    Per API managed, unlimited calls
    Checked Nov 8, 2026tyk.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Protocols
    REST, GraphQL, TCP, gRPC, MCP
    Checked Nov 1, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
  3. Postman logo

    3. Postman

    Best for: Teams that want a full API lifecycle platform

    Free plan + paidWeb, Windows, macOS, Linux

    63.4

    score / 100

    Why switch from RapidAPI

    Its public API Network lets you discover and test APIs, with no marketplace fee or shared key.

    Pros

    • Covers design, testing, docs and monitoring
    • Supports REST, GraphQL, gRPC
    • Huge public API network

    Cons

    • Pushes cloud accounts and sync
    • Heavy for simple request testing
    Visit Postman Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.346
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.15100
    Freshness ×0.1572
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Postman a good RapidAPI alternative?

    Verified facts

    3 of 5 verified
    Free plan
    Yes
    Checked Nov 8, 2026postman.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Protocols
    REST, GraphQL, gRPC, WebSocket
    Not checked yetpostman.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Platforms
    Web, Windows, macOS, Linux
    Not checked yetpostman.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Starting price
    $9 a month, billed annually (Solo)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026postman.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Team plan
    $19 per user/month, billed annually
    Checked Nov 8, 2026postman.com(opens source in a new tab)
  4. Apigee logo

    4. Apigee

    Best for: Large enterprises on Google Cloud that need full API lifecycle management, portals and analytics.

    PaidWeb

    59.4

    score / 100

    Why switch from RapidAPI

    Google's API management platform with developer portals, analytics and monetisation for publishing your own APIs.

    Pros

    • Covers proxies, portals, analytics and monetization in one product
    • Hybrid option keeps API traffic in your own clusters
    • Free 60-day evaluation sandbox
    • Pay-as-you-go option for smaller starts

    Cons

    • Environment fees add a fixed monthly cost before any traffic
    • Policy configuration in XML feels dated next to code-first gateways
    • Closely tied to Google Cloud
    Visit Apigee Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.369
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Apigee a good RapidAPI alternative?

    Verified facts

    8 of 8 verified
    Free trial
    60-day sandbox evaluation
    Checked Nov 8, 2026cloud.google.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Pricing model
    Pay-as-you-go or subscription
    Checked Nov 8, 2026cloud.google.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Standard proxy calls
    $20 per 1M calls (up to 50M)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026cloud.google.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Base environment
    $365 per month per region
    Checked Nov 8, 2026cloud.google.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Starting price
    $365 per month per region (Base environment)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026cloud.google.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Intermediate environment plan
    $1,460 per month per region
    Checked Nov 8, 2026cloud.google.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Comprehensive environment plan
    $3,431 per month per region
    Checked Nov 8, 2026cloud.google.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Standard API proxy calls
    $20 per 1M calls (up to 50M)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026cloud.google.com(opens source in a new tab)
  5. Apidog logo

    5. Apidog

    Best for: Teams that want API design, testing, mocks and docs in a single tool

    Free plan + paidSelf-hostableWeb, Windows, macOS, Linux, Self-hosted

    50.0

    score / 100

    Why switch from RapidAPI

    For RapidAPI's testing side: design, mock and test APIs in one app with a generous free plan.

    Pros

    • Design, debugging, mocking, testing and docs together
    • Imports from Postman and Insomnia
    • On-premises edition available
    • EU data region

    Cons

    • Busy interface with a learning curve
    • Collaboration relies on the cloud service
    • Main website needs JavaScript, so details are hard to check
    Visit Apidog Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.338
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Apidog a good RapidAPI alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    Mocking
    Smart and custom mocks
    Checked Nov 8, 2026docs.apidog.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Self-hosting
    On-premises edition
    Checked Nov 8, 2026docs.apidog.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Data location
    EU option
    Checked Nov 8, 2026docs.apidog.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Response validation
    Against your schema
    Checked Nov 8, 2026docs.apidog.com(opens source in a new tab)

The best RapidAPI alternative for…

The highest-ranked app in this list for each need.

Kong logo

Best RapidAPI alternative for most people

Kong

Run your own gateway and developer portal instead of listing APIs on a shared marketplace with a revenue cut.

Tyk logo

Best RapidAPI alternative for a free option

Tyk

Open-source gateway with a built-in developer portal for publishing and monetising your own APIs.

Postman logo

Best RapidAPI alternative for a free plan you can upgrade

Postman

Its public API Network lets you discover and test APIs, with no marketplace fee or shared key.

Kong logo

Best RapidAPI alternative for open source

Kong

Run your own gateway and developer portal instead of listing APIs on a shared marketplace with a revenue cut.

Apidog logo

Best RapidAPI alternative for self-hosting

Apidog

For RapidAPI's testing side: design, mock and test APIs in one app with a generous free plan.

Postman logo

Best RapidAPI alternative for Mac

Postman

Its public API Network lets you discover and test APIs, with no marketplace fee or shared key.

Postman logo

Best RapidAPI alternative for Windows

Postman

Its public API Network lets you discover and test APIs, with no marketplace fee or shared key.

Kong logo

Best RapidAPI alternative for Linux

Kong

Run your own gateway and developer portal instead of listing APIs on a shared marketplace with a revenue cut.

Apigee logo

Best RapidAPI alternative for working in the browser

Apigee

Google's API management platform with developer portals, analytics and monetisation for publishing your own APIs.

RapidAPI alternatives: common questions

What is the best alternative to RapidAPI?

Kong ranks first right now. Run your own gateway and developer portal instead of listing APIs on a shared marketplace with a revenue cut. Tyk and Postman follow it in our ranking.

RapidAPI vs Kong: what's the difference?

RapidAPI is free with paid plans; Kong is free and open source. Kong is open source and RapidAPI is not. Only Kong runs on Linux.

Is RapidAPI free?

RapidAPI is free with paid plans.

How much do RapidAPI alternatives cost?

Verified prices for the top-ranked RapidAPI alternatives: Kong, From $25/month plus usage (Konnect Plus); Postman, $9 a month, billed annually (Solo); Apigee, $365 per month per region (Base environment). Each price was checked on the app's own site; see each card below for the date and source.

Is there a free alternative to RapidAPI?

Yes. Kong (open source), Tyk (open source), Postman (free plan + paid) and Apidog (free plan + paid) have a free option. Check each app's verified facts for current plan limits.

Is there an open-source alternative to RapidAPI?

Yes: Kong and Tyk. Kong and Tyk can also be self-hosted.

Which RapidAPI alternatives work on Linux?

Kong, Tyk, Postman and Apidog run on Linux.

Why do people switch from RapidAPI?

The complaints we hear most: 25% marketplace fee on provider revenue; payouts only through PayPal; quality and upkeep of third-party listings varies widely.

How is this list ranked?

Every app is scored with the same published formula: how directly it replaces RapidAPI, reviews (weighted by verification), visits from AppBreakup, how recently its facts were checked against its own website, and reader votes.