Azure API Management
Our top pick with 4.5 out of 5, ahead of Apigee on every measure. Microsoft's equivalent, with a free tier to start on.
If your business lets other apps connect to its data, through an online shop, a mobile app or a partner integration, you probably have APIs that need guarding. Apigee is Google's service for that job. We spent 14 days with it, from October 1 to October 14, 2026, running the same test we use for every tool in our API management comparison.
It got the job done, though not convincingly. Apigee passed 18 of our 30 gateway checks, enforced just 9 of the 15 usage limits we configured, and needed almost two hours (119 minutes) before anything worked. On the plus side, it slowed requests down by only 90 milliseconds at worst.
That earned it 2.5 out of 5 and fifth place out of seven. It makes sense for big organisations already running on Google Cloud. For a small team, paying $365 a month per region before a single API call is hard to defend on these results.
How Apigee scored on our five measures
We grade every API tool on five areas, each out of 5. Apigee received 2.5 on every one of them: middling across the board, with a different weak spot behind each number.
Performance2.5
Developer experience2.5
Features2.5
Reliability2.5
Value for money2.5
Overall: 2.5 out of 5. We take the mean of the five scores and round it to the nearest half.
- Performance (2.5/5): Requests were slowed by up to 90 ms in the worst 1 in 20 cases, but only 18 of 30 gateway checks came back as expected.
- Developer experience (2.5/5): Getting a first working request took 119 minutes, and 2 of the 5 example set-ups in Google's documentation didn't work for us.
- Features (2.5/5): The list of features is long, yet the gateway honoured just 9 of the 15 usage-limit rules we wrote.
- Reliability (2.5/5): With 12 of 30 checks failing, we couldn't trust it to do exactly what we told it every time.
- Value for money (2.5/5): The cheapest setup costs $365 a month for one region before you pay for any calls, steep for the results we saw.
Best of 2026
See the ranking →
Seven API gateways, one test
See which tools beat Apigee on the same three APIs before you commit to a Google Cloud bill.
APIs and gateways, explained without jargon
An API (application programming interface) is a doorway that lets one piece of software ask another for information. When a weather app shows tomorrow's forecast, it's asking a weather company's API. When your online shop shows a delivery estimate, it's probably asking a courier's API.
Once other people use your doorways, you need a guard at the door. That guard is called an API gateway. It checks who is knocking (authentication), stops anyone knocking too often (rate limiting, so one customer can't overload your servers), and writes down every visit so you can see what's happening (analytics).
Apigee is Google's version of that guard, plus extras around it: a developer portal where outside developers can sign up and read how to use your APIs, a catalogue of your APIs called API hub, and optional tools for charging people money per call. You can let Google run everything, or keep the traffic-handling part on your own servers in what Google calls a hybrid setup. It's one of the more advanced products in our websites and development section.
What setting up Apigee involves
Apigee isn't a tool you switch on in an afternoon. It assumes someone on your team understands cloud projects and networking. In broad strokes, the journey looks like this.
1. Start a Google Cloud project. Apigee lives inside Google Cloud, so you need an account, a project and billing set up before anything else.
2. Pick an environment type. An environment is the space your gateway runs in. Google sells three sizes, Base, Intermediate and Comprehensive, priced per region every month.
3. Build a proxy for each API. A proxy is the gatekeeper copy of your API that callers actually reach. You attach rules to it, called policies, for things like logins and usage limits.
4. Deploy and share. You push the proxy live, then list it in API hub or a developer portal so other developers can find it.
5. Watch and, if you like, charge. Dashboards show traffic and errors. Paid add-ons let you analyse traffic in depth or bill customers for usage.
Inside our 14-day Apigee test
We tested Apigee from October 1 to October 14, 2026, 14 days in all. Every gateway in this group protected the same three sample APIs, and we measured the same things on each: how long setup took, whether usage limits held, what the analytics showed and how much delay the gateway added. Our testing method describes the setup in full.
Setup was the first hurdle. Working only from Google's own documentation, it took 119 minutes to get a single successful request through Apigee. The documentation passed 6 of our 10 quality checks, and 2 of the 5 ready-made examples failed when we tried them, so we had to work out the fixes ourselves.
Next came the core job. Across the three APIs, Apigee passed 18 of 30 gateway checks. Usage limits were the weakest area: we created 15 rules, such as "no more than 100 calls a minute per customer", and only 9 enforced what we asked. If those limits are what separates your free users from paying ones, or what stops a traffic spike from overwhelming your servers, that gap matters.
Speed held up better. We looked at the slowest 5% of requests, and Apigee added about 90 milliseconds to those, roughly a tenth of a second. Most people using an app wouldn't notice. Finally, we checked how hard it would be to leave: Apigee passed 3 of 5 export checks, and moving our setup elsewhere needed 2 pieces of manual rebuilding.
| What we measured | Result | What that means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Time to a first working request, using the docs | 119 min | Budget most of a morning just to get started. |
| Gateway checks passed on three APIs | 18/30 | About 4 in 10 checks failed, so test your setup thoroughly. |
| Rate-limit rules that worked as configured | 9/15 | Don't assume a limit works until you've tried to break it. |
| Documentation checks and working examples | 6/10; 3/5 | Expect to fill gaps in the guides yourself. |
| Delay added, slowest 5% of requests | 90 ms | Barely noticeable for people using your app. |
| Export checks and manual migrations | 3/5; 2 | You can leave, but some work has to be redone by hand. |
Tested October 1, 2026 to October 14, 2026.
What Apigee gives you
Apigee's toolkit is broad, but several of the most useful pieces cost extra or need a bigger environment, so check what's included before you plan around it.
Proxies and policies
Rules for logins, usage limits and reshaping requests, attached to each API. Base environments use the lighter Standard proxy only.
API hub
A central catalogue of your APIs, included from the Base environment up.
Developer portals
Websites where outside developers sign up and read about your APIs, from the Intermediate environment up.
API Analytics add-on
Dashboards for spotting traffic spikes and slow spots, sold per million calls on Intermediate and Comprehensive.
Advanced API Security
A paid add-on that looks for misconfigured APIs, bot attacks and abuse.
Hybrid option
Run the traffic-handling part on your own Kubernetes servers, available with subscriptions.
Strengths and weaknesses we found
Low added delay
An extra 90 ms on the slowest requests is small enough that your users are unlikely to feel it.
Made for large programmes
Subscriptions keep analytics for 14 months and offer uptime promises up to 99.99%, useful when many teams depend on your APIs.
A real free evaluation
Google offers a 60-day sandbox at no cost, so you can try it on your own APIs before paying anything.
Usage limits slipped
Only 9 of 15 rate-limit rules held. A limit that doesn't work can mean overloaded servers or free users getting paid features.
Hard going at the start
Two hours to a first result, and broken examples in the docs. Teams without a cloud specialist will find it tough.
The meter is always running
Environments are charged for every hour they exist, whether or not traffic flows through them.
Pros
- Adds about 90 ms at most to slow requests
- 60-day free evaluation sandbox
- API hub included from the cheapest environment
- Hybrid option for your own servers
- 4.5 out of 5 on Gartner Peer Insights
Cons
- 18 of 30 gateway checks passed
- 6 of 15 rate-limit rules failed
- Almost two hours to a first working call
- $365 a month per region before any calls
- No published subscription prices
Apigee pricing in plain numbers
Apigee is sold in two ways. With pay-as-you-go, you pay for each environment per region by the hour, which Google shows as a monthly figure, plus a charge for every million API calls. With a subscription, you agree a yearly contract with Google's sales team, and those prices aren't published. Before either, Google offers a 60-day evaluation in your own sandbox at no cost.
Base
$365
a month per region, plus calls
- Up to 20 proxies per environment
- Up to 50 requests per second
- Uptime promise up to 99%
Intermediate
$1,460
a month per region, plus calls
- Up to 50 proxies or shared flows
- Up to 100 requests per second
- Can add paid extras
Comprehensive
$3,431
a month per region, plus calls
- Up to 100 proxies, more for a fee
- Scales automatically
- Up to 99.99% across 2 regions
Subscription
Quote
from Google Cloud sales
- Standard, Enterprise, Enterprise Plus
- Standard: up to 1.25 billion calls a year
- Hybrid and monetization options
On top of the environment, each million calls through a Standard proxy costs $20 up to 50 million calls, then $16, then $13 above 500 million. The more flexible Extensible proxies cost $100 per million, falling to $80 and then $64. The Analytics add-on adds $20 per million calls, Advanced API Security $350 per million, and Google also charges for network usage such as outgoing data.
Here's an everyday example: a small company with one Base environment in one region and 2 million calls a month would pay about $365 plus $40, so roughly $405 a month, before networking. We couldn't find refund or cancellation terms on the pricing page, so ask Google before you sign a subscription.
Prices checked on cloud.google.com on November 8, 2026.
Is Apigee safe for your APIs and your budget?
On security, Apigee is backed by Google and every proxy can carry login and protection rules. The Advanced API Security add-on goes further, flagging misconfigured APIs and bot traffic. We couldn't find a clear statement of Apigee's certifications or of how customer data is handled for AI on the pages we checked, so ask Google directly if your industry requires it.
The budget risk is easier to underestimate. Because every environment bills for each hour it exists, a test environment someone forgot to delete keeps costing money. A forgotten Comprehensive environment alone runs to $3,431 a month. Uptime promises also vary: Base and Intermediate environments promise up to 99%, which still allows several hours of downtime a month, while Comprehensive across two regions promises up to 99.99%.
Google also retires older parts of the product on a schedule. Its deprecations page lists the Apigee Classic UI, the old management screens, with a shutdown date of August 29, 2025, so check that guides you follow refer to the current interface.
Set a monthly budget alert in Google Cloud and delete test environments the day you finish with them.
Who should choose Apigee
Apigee rewards size. The bigger your API programme, and the deeper you already are in Google Cloud, the more its extras pay off.
A sensible choice for
- Large companies already running on Google Cloud
- Teams that want to charge partners for API use
- Organisations that must keep traffic on their own servers
- Programmes with many APIs and many teams
Probably not for
- Small teams with a handful of APIs
- Anyone who needs public, fixed subscription prices
- Businesses avoiding dependence on one cloud provider
- Teams without someone experienced in cloud setup
If what you really need is one connection to email and calendar data rather than a full gateway, a narrow tool like Aurinko scored higher in our test for a fraction of the price.
What Apigee customers report
Feedback from large companies is much warmer than our results. On Gartner Peer Insights, a site where verified IT buyers rate enterprise software, Apigee held 4.5 out of 5 from 318 reviews when we last read it on November 3, 2026, with 47% of reviewers giving 5 stars and 49% giving 4. Gartner's page wouldn't load for our automated recheck on November 8, so those figures carry the earlier date. We couldn't find Apigee listed on G2.
Reviewers tend to praise its security features, its analytics and how naturally it fits with other Google Cloud services. The recurring complaints are about complicated configuration and difficulty connecting it to systems a company runs in its own data centre. One April 2026 reviewer gave 3 stars, liking day-to-day use and administration but describing that on-premises link as a problem.
Praised by reviewers
- Security features
- Analytics
- Fit with Google Cloud
Criticised by reviewers
- Complex configuration
- Connecting to on-premises systems
Why the gap between those ratings and our score? Gartner's reviewers are mostly large organisations with specialists who run Apigee every day. Our test measures what happens when a capable but non-specialist team sets it up from the documentation, which is closer to a smaller business's experience.
Ratings checked November 3, 2026.
Apigee alternatives from the same test
Four of the seven tools we tested scored above Apigee, Tyk matched it, and Nylas scored lower. These four are the strongest options.
Read review
Kong
Second place on 3 out of 5. Built around plugins, and popular with teams that already run Kubernetes.
MuleSoft
3 out of 5, with better developer experience and value than Apigee. Combines connecting business apps with API control, often for Salesforce users.
Aurinko
3 out of 5 and a different kind of product: one API that connects your app to email, calendars, contacts and tasks.
Prices for these alternatives are taken from their own websites at the time we reviewed them.
2.5/5
The bottom line on Apigee
For most small and mid-sized businesses, we'd look elsewhere first. Over two weeks, Apigee took nearly two hours to get going, passed 18 of 30 checks and enforced only 9 of 15 usage limits, all from a starting price of $365 a month per region. That combination placed it fifth of seven in our API gateway ranking.
It isn't a bad product so much as a big one. The delay it adds is small, the free 60-day sandbox lets you try before paying, and large Google Cloud customers get long-term analytics, portals and the option to run it on their own servers.
Apigee is worth a look if you're a large organisation committed to Google Cloud with specialists to run it; everyone else will get more for less from Azure API Management or Kong.
Still deciding?
Compare API management →
Line up all seven API tools
Every gateway guarded the same three APIs. Our ranking shows the scores, prices and test results together.
Disagree with our review?
Make your case
If you use Apigee, or work there, and think we got something wrong, email us. Tell us what you saw and attach screenshots if you have them. We'll take another look and update the review if it changes our findings.
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Frequently asked questions
Can I try Apigee for free?
Yes. Google offers a 60-day evaluation in your own sandbox at no cost, which is a good way to test it on your real APIs. After that, you choose pay-as-you-go, starting at $365 a month per region plus calls, or a yearly subscription quoted by Google's sales team.
What is Apigee used for?
Apigee sits in front of a company's APIs and controls who can use them, how often, and on what terms. It also records usage, gives outside developers a portal to sign up, and can charge customers for API access. It's mainly used by larger businesses with many APIs.
How much does Apigee cost per month?
On pay-as-you-go, the smallest Base environment costs $365 a month for each region, and Standard proxy calls cost $20 per million up to 50 million. A small setup with 2 million calls a month comes to roughly $405 before network charges. Subscription prices aren't published.
Is Apigee hard to learn?
For beginners, yes. In our test it took 119 minutes to get a first working request from the documentation, and 2 of the 5 examples in the guides didn't work. Plan for someone with Google Cloud experience to set it up, or allow extra time to learn.
What's the difference between Apigee and Azure API Management?
They do the same job on different clouds: Apigee on Google Cloud, Azure API Management on Microsoft Azure. In our test, Azure API Management scored 4.5 out of 5 against Apigee's 2.5 and offers a free plan, so it's the better starting point unless you're committed to Google Cloud.
When was Apigee tested for this review?
We tested Apigee for 14 days, from October 1 to October 14, 2026. It protected the same three sample APIs as every other gateway in our comparison, and we measured setup time, usage limits, analytics and added delay.
Written by
Jason Kim
I've never been impressed by software simply because it looks modern. I'm far more interested in what happens when you actually start using the platform.