18.4
Scalar is a collection of API products for documentation, client generation, API management, requests, and MCP server use.
Free planOpen sourceWebAPILinux
Best APIs in 2026
API tools help you publish, protect, test and monitor interfaces between apps and services. This category covers gateways, management suites, testing tools and monitoring products. Use free-plan terms, entry prices, gateway and portal features, analytics, deployment choices, supported protocols and testing capabilities to compare these tools.
28.2
Amazon API Gateway is a managed service for creating, publishing, maintaining, monitoring, and securing APIs that connect applications with backend services.
Free planAndroidiOSWeb
38.0
Apidog is an API platform for designing, debugging, mocking, testing, and documenting APIs, with GraphQL and SOAP support.
Free planWebAPIExtension
- 4
Postman
Postman is a platform for designing, testing, distributing, documenting, and monitoring APIs.
Free planWebExtensionLinuxmacOS7.6From $9 a month - 5
ReadyAPI
WebAPILinuxmacOS7.6 - 6
Insomnia
Insomnia is an API collaboration platform for designing, testing, debugging, mocking, and governing APIs.
Free planLinuxmacOSSelf-hostedWindows7.2From $12 a month - 7
Google Cloud Endpoints
Google Cloud Endpoints is an API management system for securing, monitoring, analyzing, and setting quotas on APIs.
Free planWebAPILinuxmacOS7.1$1.50 usage-based - 8
SwaggerHub
SwaggerHub is a toolkit for API design, testing, documentation, and governance.
Free planWebSelf-hosted7.1From $740 a year - 9
Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Container Registry
Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Container Registry is an Oracle-managed service for storing, sharing, and managing container images.
Free planWebAPILinux7.0Free plan - 10
Redocly
WebAPIExtension7.0From $10 a month - 11
Assertible
Assertible tests and monitors APIs, websites, and other HTTP services for uptime, availability, and correct behavior.
Free planWebAPI6.9From $25 a month - 12
Checkly
Checkly is a monitoring-as-code platform for developers tracking critical APIs and user interfaces.
Free planWebAPILinux6.9From $24 a month - 13
Kong Gateway
Kong Gateway is an open-source API gateway designed for microservices and distributed architectures in hybrid and multi-cloud environments.
Free planWebAPILinuxSelf-hosted6.7Free plan - 14
KrakenD API Gateway
KrakenD API Gateway is a stateless, distributed gateway for connecting, protecting, combining and transforming APIs and AI workloads.
Free planLinuxmacOSSelf-hostedWindows6.4Free plan - 15
Stoplight Elements
Free planWebSelf-hosted6.4Free plan - 16
Google Cloud API Gateway
Google Cloud API Gateway provides a managed entry point for backend services, presenting them through a consistent REST API.
WebAPI6.1From $1.50 a month - 17
Tyk API Management
Tyk API Management is a platform for developing, operating, governing, and publishing APIs.
WebAPILinuxSelf-hosted6.1 - 18
API7 Enterprise
API7 Enterprise manages API lifecycle workflows across teams and environments, using an Apache APISIX data plane with centralized management.
WebAPILinuxSelf-hosted6.0 - 19
Gravitee API Management
WebLinuxWindows5.9From $2,500 a month - 20
Apache APISIX
Apache APISIX is an open-source gateway for routing, securing, and managing traffic to APIs, microservices, and LLM workloads.
APILinuxSelf-hosted5.8 - 21
5.8From $365 a month - 225.8From $83 a month
- 23
WSO2 API Manager
WebLinuxmacOSWindows5.3 - 24
5.2 - 25
MuleSoft Omni Gateway
WebLinux5.1
Choosing well
Check where you can work
Choose a tool that fits your setup, such as web, Linux, macOS or Windows. API and self-hosted options can matter when you need a service endpoint or control over deployment.
Compare free and paid plans
On this list, Apache APISIX, Apidog, Assertible, Checkly, Google Cloud API Gateway, Google Cloud Endpoints and Gravitee API Management each show a free plan.
Listed starting prices run from $1 for Amazon API Gateway; $3 for Google Cloud API Gateway and Google Cloud Endpoints; $9 per Apidog user each month on annual billing; and $25 per month for Assertible.
Match gateway and management needs
When publishing or governing services, examine support for API gateways, developer portals and API analytics. Products in this category include Amazon API Gateway, Azure API Management, Google Apigee and API7 Enterprise.
Check deployment options and supported protocols against your architecture, including whether self-hosting is available.
Look at testing and monitoring
API testing is a comparison point for checking requests and responses. Assertible, Apidog and Checkly are examples to review when testing or monitoring matters.
Checkly offers a free plan and paid service from $24 monthly. Trial periods shown are 60 days for Google Apigee and 14 days for both Apidog and Gravitee API Management.
Review code and licensing
Open-source code is offered by products in this category. When code access or modification matters, check the licence and deployment documentation for the project before selecting it.
Questions people ask
Which API tools have a free plan?
The listed free-plan options are Apache APISIX, Apidog, Assertible, Checkly, Google Cloud API Gateway, Google Cloud Endpoints and Gravitee API Management.
Which products offer a trial?
Apidog and Gravitee API Management show 14-day trials, while Google Apigee shows a 60-day trial.
What should I compare beyond price?
Beyond cost, compare gateway, developer portal, analytics, deployment options, supported protocols, API testing and required platforms.
Are open-source options available?
Some products in this category offer open-source code. Check each tool's licence and deployment requirements before choosing.