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Azure API Management

Microsoft's managed API gateway, developer portal and policy engine on Azure.

PaidAPI gateways and API management

Updated · AppBreakup editorial · Web

Visit Azure API ManagementSee 5 alternatives

Is Azure API Management free?

No, it's a paid product

2 alternatives with a free option

Switch from Azure API Management to

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  • Apigee logo
    Apigee

    Starting price: $365 per month per region (Base environment)

    Compare
  • Kong logo
    Kong

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

    Compare
  • Tyk logo
    Tyk

    Open source

Verified facts
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About Azure API Management

Azure API Management is Microsoft's hosted service for publishing, securing and monitoring APIs. It combines three parts: a gateway that sits in front of your backends and applies policies such as rate limits, quotas, caching and payload transforms; a management plane where you import API definitions and group them into products; and a developer portal where outside or internal developers read docs, try calls and get keys. You can import OpenAPI, WSDL, OData, GraphQL, WebSocket and gRPC APIs, and the backends can live on Azure, on premises or in another cloud. A self-hosted gateway container lets you run the data plane closer to those backends, though in production it needs the Premium tier. It suits teams already on Azure who want API governance tied to Entra ID, Azure Monitor and virtual networks. Pricing is per tier and per unit: a serverless Consumption tier billed by request, a Developer tier for testing without an SLA, and Basic, Standard and Premium tiers (classic and v2) billed by the hour. It is managed through the Azure portal, CLI, ARM/Bicep templates or Terraform.

Best for: Azure-based organisations that want a managed API gateway with a ready-made developer portal.

Pros and cons

What works

  • Built-in developer portal with docs, test console and self-service API keys
  • Imports OpenAPI, WSDL, GraphQL and gRPC definitions
  • Serverless Consumption tier for low or spiky traffic
  • Close ties to Entra ID, Azure Monitor and virtual networks

Why people leave

  • Self-hosted gateway in production needs the costly Premium tier
  • Developer tier has no SLA, so it can't be used for production
  • Policy configuration is XML-based and has a learning curve
  • Fits best when the rest of your stack is on Azure

Azure API Management vs Apigee, Kong and Tyk

From each app's listing and the prices verified on its own site. A dash means we haven't verified it yet.

AttributeAzure API ManagementApigeeKongTyk
PricingPaidPaidOpen sourceOpen source
Verified price—$365 per month per region (Base environment)From $25/month plus usage (Konnect Plus)—
Free planNoNoFree appFree app
Open sourceNoNoYesYes
Self-hostableNoNoYesYes
PlatformsWebWebWeb, Linux, Self-hostedWeb, Linux, Self-hosted

Full Azure API Management vs Apigee comparisonFull Azure API Management vs Kong comparison

Top Azure API Management alternatives

See all 5
  1. 1Apigee logo
    Apigee

    Google Cloud's equivalent, with deeper API monetization and analytics, for teams moving workloads to GCP.

    68.8
  2. 2Kong logo
    Kong

    Open-source gateway you can run on any cloud or Kubernetes cluster without being tied to Azure.

    64.8
  3. 3Tyk logo
    Tyk

    Open-source gateway with a built-in developer portal that self-hosts anywhere, without a Premium-tier requirement.

    61.8
  4. 4Amazon API Gateway logo
    Amazon API Gateway

    The AWS counterpart, billed per request with no instance tiers, for teams whose backends live on Lambda and other AWS services.

    57.5
  5. 5Mu
    MuleSoft Anypoint Platform

    Pairs API management with a full integration platform, for teams building many system-to-system connectors.

    48.9

Why people left Azure API Management

In reviewers' own words, from reviews of the apps they moved to. These are their opinions, not ours.

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Azure API Management: common questions

What is Azure API Management?

Azure API Management: Microsoft's managed API gateway, developer portal and policy engine on Azure. Best for azure-based organisations that want a managed API gateway with a ready-made developer portal. Available for Web.

Is Azure API Management free?

No, Azure API Management is a paid product.

Is Azure API Management open source?

No, Azure API Management is not open source. Open-source alternatives include Kong and Tyk.

What platforms does Azure API Management run on?

Azure API Management is available for Web.

What are the best alternatives to Azure API Management?

The highest-ranked Azure API Management alternatives right now are Apigee, Kong and Tyk. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

Azure API Management vs Apigee: what's the difference?

Both Azure API Management and Apigee are paid products. Both run on Web.

See all 5 Azure API Management alternatives