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IBM API Connect Reviews

Vendor: IBM
4.0 out of 5
2,718 followers
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What is IBM API Connect?

IBM API Connect facilitates API management and integration in the financial sector. Companies use it to expose, secure, and manage APIs for banking, insurance, and fintech, deploying it on-premises, in the cloud, or as a hybrid solution.

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IBM API Connect is the #5 ranked solution in top API Management solutions and #7 ranked solution in top Integration Platform as a Service providers. PeerSpot users give IBM API Connect an average rating of 8.0 out of 10. IBM API Connect is most commonly compared to Microsoft Azure API Management: IBM API Connect vs Microsoft Azure API Management. IBM API Connect is popular among the large enterprise segment, accounting for 58% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a educational organization, accounting for 22% of all views.
Buyer's Guide
IBM API Connect
February 2025
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IBM API Connect mindshare

Product category:
API Management
As of March 2025, the mindshare of IBM API Connect in the API Management category stands at 6.3%, up from 6.2% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
API Management

PeerAnalyst reports based on IBM API Connect reviews

TypeTitleDate
CategoryAPI ManagementMar 8, 2025Download
ProductReviews, tips, and advice from real usersMar 8, 2025Download
ComparisonIBM API Connect vs Microsoft Azure API ManagementMar 8, 2025Download
ComparisonIBM API Connect vs ApigeeMar 8, 2025Download
ComparisonIBM API Connect vs Amazon API GatewayMar 8, 2025Download
Suggested products
TitleRatingMindshareRecommending
Microsoft Azure API Management3.919.1%91%80 interviewsAdd to research
Apigee4.114.5%92%86 interviewsAdd to research
 
 
Key learnings from peers

Valuable Features

IBM API Connect's most valuable features include a user-friendly interface, robust gateway, strong security, and comprehensive API management capabilities. It offers centralized management, excellent analytics, and seamless integration. It provides efficient error handling, flexible deployment options, and quick initial setup. Its ability to protect backend systems and handle multiple APIs effectively is appreciated. The platform supports extensive monitoring, monetization, and role differentiation, making it reliable and scalable for diverse organizational needs.
  • "The solution's technical support team is good."
  • "The main benefits of IBM API Connect for our API life cycle management are the core API functionalities, the developer's portal, and robust security capabilities.IBM API Connect's security protocols enhance our data protection strategies by offering end-to-end security, mechanisms to counter common attacks like DDoS, and the ability to define policies for API groups to control traffic and prevent unwanted access to our systems."
  • "The product gathers data to measure API performance."

Room for Improvement

IBM API Connect requires improvement in microservices support, OIDC certification, support for non-Java services, data extraction, reporting, monetization, access monitoring, ease of setup, pricing, usability, documentation, cloud functionalities, customization, debugging, security, performance, integration, analytics, resource consumption, the upgrade process, scalability, and the developer portal's customization. Customers face challenges with deployment, technical documentation, learning curve, payment gateway integration, and flexibility. They also experience difficulties during upgrades, requiring substantial resources.
  • "The only downside where improvements are needed is probably on the licensing side."
  • "We have encountered challenges with IBM API Connect, particularly during significant upgrades.These upgrades demand substantial labour and financial resources, including consulting services from IBM.I'd like to see increased flexibility, more frequent updates with new features, an efficient upgrade process, and additional AI capabilities for future releases."
  • "It would be nice to have a SaaS solution that can be deployed into the cloud."

ROI

IBM API Connect has allowed for flexibility in applications and significant financial and operational benefits. It enhanced governance and security, facilitated integration across systems, and enabled cross-organisational processes. ROI became evident within two years as any new application or product could easily expose the appropriate API, making the initial investment worthwhile. The organization's switch to microservices to move quickly has made it too early to translate those investments into profits and returns.

Pricing

IBM API Connect pricing is considered expensive by many users, with costs that can quickly escalate. Clients often face challenges with the licensing model and setup costs, which are typically subscription-based and can range from $20,000 to $40,000 per year. Although there are no hidden costs for additional services, the overall pricing is viewed as high, making it suitable for large enterprises rather than smaller companies.
  • "It is a pretty expensive tool."
  • "It can be quite expensive. It's okay for large-scale usage but quite expensive for smaller-scale implementations."
  • "I rate the product price a seven on a scale of one to ten, where one is a low price, and ten is a high price."

Popular Use Cases

IBM API Connect is widely used for integration in the financial sector, focusing on API management, monetization, and gateway functionalities. It is deployed on-premises, in the cloud, or using a hybrid approach. Major use cases include compliance with regulations, seamless transactions between banks, external communication with partners, and aggregating services for clients. Organizations leverage it to expose, secure, and manage APIs, handle internal API socialization, and facilitate API publishing for public access.

Service and Support

IBM API Connect customer service is often described as responsive but sometimes slow, with varying support quality. Many find the technical support good, knowledgeable, and helpful, while others believe it needs improvement in speed and documentation. Responses can take up to 48 hours, with some users highlighting challenges due to time zones or lack of local support. Ratings range from very high to mediocre, depending on individual experiences.

Deployment

Most users found IBM API Connect's initial setup straightforward, though many experienced complexity, especially with on-premises installations and container deployments. Automation and improved migration tools were suggested. Deployment times varied, with some completing it in minutes, while others took days or weeks. Teams ranged in size, often needing dedicated staff for setup and maintenance. Version updates and integrating with other infrastructure posed challenges for many, emphasizing a need for a simplified process and better support.

Scalability

IBM API Connect is known for high scalability, handling extensive API operations and numerous transactions. Users find it capable of supporting large numbers of clients and transactions. Scalability is influenced by infrastructure configuration and deployment needs, varying between vertical and horizontal scaling. Some users implement manual adjustments for optimal performance. While generally praised, some instances report cost considerations and the necessity for periodic restarts to maintain stability.

Stability

IBM API Connect has been found to be stable by many users, with no major issues reported. Some have highlighted problems with upgrades and syncing between components in older versions. A few faced occasional instability and required frequent patches. Most users rate its stability highly, noting reliability in transactions and security. Some users experienced bugs in earlier versions, but the newer versions, starting from 2018, show significant improvements in stability.
These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.
Download our IBM API Connect Buyer's Guide for additional reliable information.

Review data by company size

By reviewers
By visitors reading reviews

Top industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
22%
Financial Services Firm
18%
Insurance Company
10%
Computer Software Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Government
4%
Retailer
4%
Healthcare Company
3%
Comms Service Provider
2%
Real Estate/Law Firm
2%
Energy/Utilities Company
2%
University
2%
Construction Company
2%
Media Company
2%
Hospitality Company
1%
Transportation Company
1%
Logistics Company
1%
Wellness & Fitness Company
1%
Wholesaler/Distributor
1%
Legal Firm
1%
Outsourcing Company
1%
Non Profit
1%
Consumer Goods Company
1%

Compare IBM API Connect with alternative products

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Learn more about IBM API Connect

IBM API Connect focuses on creating and monetizing APIs while enabling seamless transactions and integration with third-party services. It is vital for compliance with regulations and enhances external communication among institutions. With deployment options suitable for different environments, it supports centralized gateway management, robust security features, and comprehensive API lifecycle management. Users benefit from powerful analytics, user-friendly interfaces, and high performance with capabilities in message transformation and efficient monitoring.

What are the most important features?
  • Centralized Gateway: Manages all APIs through a single entry point.
  • Robust Security: Ensures API protection with advanced security measures.
  • Comprehensive API Lifecycle Management: Covers creation, deployment, and retirement of APIs.
  • User-Friendly Interface: Simplifies API creation and management tasks.
  • Powerful Analytics: Provides insights into API usage and performance.
  • Seamless Integration: Connects easily with third-party services and internal systems.
  • Flexible Deployment Options: Supports on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments.
  • High Performance: Optimizes API performance and reduces latency.
  • Message Transformation: Manipulates and formats messages between different systems.
  • Visualization Tools: Enables clear and detailed views of API usage statistics.
What benefits or ROI should users look for?
  • API Monetization: Generates additional revenue streams from APIs.
  • Enhanced Compliance: Ensures adherence to industry regulations and standards.
  • Improved External Communication: Facilitates integration and communication among financial institutions.
  • Technical Support: Benefit from reliable customer support and easy configuration.
  • Deployment Flexibility: Choose from on-premises, cloud, or hybrid options.

IBM API Connect is extensively implemented in the financial sector, enabling banking, insurance, and fintech services to manage APIs efficiently. Companies use it to ensure secure transactions, integration with third-party services, and compliance with regulatory standards. Its deployment flexibility accommodates different infrastructure needs, making it suitable for a wide range of financial applications.

IBM API Connect customers

Heineken, Tine, Finologee, Axis Bank

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Product Categories

Product Categories
API Management
Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS)

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IBM API Connect reviews

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MM
Group CEO at Mmusi Group
Verified user of IBM API Connect
Mar 9, 2022
Stable and scalable solution for API management, but it needs more versatility and integration with different platforms

Pros

"Scalable and stable API platform for creating and managing APIs."

Cons

"Support for this platform could still be improved. It also needs to have more levels of versatility. Its compatibility and integration with different platforms also need improvement."

What needs improvement?

Having more integration and compatibility with different platforms is what I'm expecting in the next release of IBM API Connect.

The issues with this solution are mainly around support. Recently, people were discovering that WSO2 is commercializing it, because initially it was just open source. Right now, because they are commercializing it, the intro licenses are as costly as IBM. People say: "IBM is tried and tested", so it's people who know this who'll go the IBM API Connect route. Other people who just want to try out a more scalable solution, on the other hand, will go the open source route. Others will either just do the cloud version, because everything is less maintenance, while other people prefer doing everything themselves, e.g. in-house, from scratch.

IBM API Connect should offer more versatility to its users, because they only give you a specific level of the versatility, and this is something IBM should heavily invest on.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using IBM API Connect since 2015.

*Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Read full review (1536 words)
PeerSpot user
Manager Integration Platform Engineering at a insurance company with 10,001+ employees
Verified user of IBM API Connect
Mar 29, 2021
Offers a good SLA, with technical support available to help, but lacks documentation

Pros

"The solution offers a pretty good SLA."

Cons

"We've had some issues upgrading to the latest version of the solution."

What is our primary use case?

Right now, our use cases are all internal. It's all API socialization internally. With version 10, we'd like to go externally with an actual API marketplace, however, we haven't gone there yet. 

I don't publish; I manage infrastructure. My role is to implement the infrastructure, maintain it, and enable the developers to leverage the technology.

What is most valuable?

The older versions of the solution were fairly straightforward to install.

The solution offers a pretty good SLA.

We deal a lot with technical support and typically they do help. We need them as we often can't find the documentation that would help us circumvent their services.

*Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Read full review (918 words)
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Find out what your peers are saying about IBM API Connect. Updated February 2025
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KavitaChavan - PeerSpot user
Associate Manager at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Verified user of IBM API Connect
Jun 2, 2023
Quite flexible and provides excellent performance for API gateway

Pros

"It's quite flexible and easy to deploy, especially for beginners. It has almost all the features that an API gateway should have."

Cons

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

What is our primary use case?

We have implemented this product in different domains, such as insurance and banking. 

What is most valuable?

It's quite flexible and easy to deploy, especially for beginners. It has almost all the features that an API gateway should have.

*Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Read full review (612 words)
CS
Sr Technical Specialist at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Verified user of IBM API Connect
Mar 6, 2024
Helps monitor and manage API services and measure the API performance

Pros

"The product gathers data to measure API performance."

Cons

"It would be nice to have a SaaS solution that can be deployed into the cloud."

What is our primary use case?

We use the solution to monitor, process, and manage API services.

How has it helped my organization?

We use the product to enforce standards to check and align things with the application design. The tool has enhanced our digital transformation efforts. With the adoption of the cloud, we deploy a lot of APIs on Lambda. We also have APIs deployed on-premise. We use the front-end access of all the APIs on-premise and on the cloud.

*Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Read full review (314 words)
Shanmugasundaram Shanmuganathan - PeerSpot user
Solutions Architect at Synechron
Verified user of IBM API Connect
Jan 29, 2024
Offers basic API orchestration and provides robust security and governance features

Pros

"It acts as a central gateway for both external APIs and underlying systems. It's basically a central middleware for hosting APIs to the internet and consuming APIs from internal systems. It provides central governance for any APIs going outside the network, ensuring security and a common contract for API definitions."

Cons

"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."

What is our primary use case?

We mainly use it for API orchestration, basic gateway features, and data features. We use it just for orchestration and gateway functionalities.

How has it helped my organization?

Our client has a vendor contract with IBM and uses various IBM products, including API Connect. So, it's more of a forced usage within the organization.

So, it fulfills the basic needs.

*Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Read full review (850 words)
KrishnaIyer - PeerSpot user
Head - Technology Engineering at Abcl
Verified user of IBM API Connect
Mar 10, 2023
Good speed and performance, but it's based on a bit dated architecture

Pros

"Its speed and performance are valuable."

Cons

"It's based on a little bit dated architecture. A lot of evolution has happened after that. It's an evolving field. Kong is a Kubernetes-based platform. Kong runs on Kubernetes, but all the other ones are in microservices. So, there's a lot of improvement that can be done."

What is our primary use case?

We're trying to make our business available on the net so that partners can connect, and distributors can use our services.

What is most valuable?

Its speed and performance are valuable.

*Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Read full review (200 words)
MM
Director Software Development at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Verified user of IBM API Connect
Jul 25, 2024
Offers API lifecycle management capabilities that can enhance a company's operations

Pros

"The solution's technical support team is good."

Cons

"The only downside where improvements are needed is probably on the licensing side."

What is our primary use case?

I use the solution in my company as an API Gateway and API Manager. We use a few of our products for technical documentation and API Specification, as well as as an API Manager. The rate limiting comes with the tool. It has been a very good product that we have been using for the last few years.

What is most valuable?

The most significant feature that we have been using in the tool in our company is the API Manager because it works like a gateway for APIs, and I think that is the best part that we have been utilizing.

*Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Read full review (782 words)
PS
Manager at Doudle
Verified user of IBM API Connect
Dec 21, 2023
A stable solution that is very easy to use and configure

Pros

"The most valuable features of the solution stem from the fact that it is very easy to use and is something that is easily configurable. "

Cons

"The product's setup phase and its setup for the users in different environments, along with DevOps integration, are areas of concern where there is a need for improvement."

What is our primary use case?

I use IBM API Connect to configure and manage the APIs. I also used the product for transformations. I used the product for some of its functionalities, like caching and rate limiting, especially for the backend system. Configuring the backend APIs and API proxies and opening them to external services were some of the activities I did with the product.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features of the solution stem from the fact that it is very easy to use and is something that is easily configurable. The product actually provides a complete suite, consisting of the developer portal and management of the APIs, while giving access to a different set of users. The product also allows users to use API sandbox. Configuring the APIs with the backend systems is a valuable feature of the product. With IBM API Connect, I found everything to be very user-friendly, easy to use, and able to be developed quickly as well.

*Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Read full review (687 words)