Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

3scale API Management vs MuleSoft API Manager comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 17, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
7.9
3scale API Management delivers quick ROI with cost savings and simplicity, ideal for small to medium-sized enterprises.
Sentiment score
6.9
MuleSoft API Manager boosts efficiency and reduces complexity, aiding financial firms with faster development and automation benefits.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.0
3scale API Management's customer support is mixed, with better pre-sales support and technical help but post-purchase challenges.
Sentiment score
7.7
MuleSoft API Manager offers efficient customer service and praised technical support despite occasional upselling and premium support charges.
Our enterprise pays for a special success program, which provides priority support.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
8.0
3scale API Management is highly scalable, handling enterprise demands and integrating well into existing technology stacks with high availability.
Sentiment score
7.1
MuleSoft API Manager offers scalable solutions, praised for user volume support but criticized for costs and configuration challenges.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.2
3scale API Management is stable and resource-efficient, rated highly for reliability with no major production issues reported.
Sentiment score
8.0
MuleSoft API Manager is stable and reliable, with high user ratings, though cost and capacity issues are noted.
 

Room For Improvement

MuleSoft API Manager requires improvements in user interfaces, analytics, scalability, integration, monitoring, and enhancements in security and AI capabilities.
Introducing features related to auto governance without manual effort would make the API Manager smarter and more efficient for enterprises with complex landscapes.
 

Setup Cost

MuleSoft API Manager is costly, ranging from $80,000 to $400,000 annually, but offers comprehensive features and flexibility.
The cost for using MuleSoft is approximately $500,000 USD per year.
 

Valuable Features

MuleSoft API Manager enhances API management with scalability, security, seamless integration, policy enforcement, analytics, and intuitive low-code tools.
MuleSoft's ability to connect to third-party monitoring platforms like AWS, Datadog, and Elastic makes operational analysis more efficient.
 

Categories and Ranking

3scale API Management
Ranking in API Management
17th
Average Rating
7.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
11
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
MuleSoft API Manager
Ranking in API Management
4th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
56
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2025, in the API Management category, the mindshare of 3scale API Management is 2.2%, down from 2.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of MuleSoft API Manager is 4.9%, down from 8.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
API Management
 

Featured Reviews

KavitaChavan - PeerSpot reviewer
Lightweight solution but less flexible customization features
It lacks some features, and the product is not that flexible for developers. It's less flexible and rigid. It's not easy to make changes or customize it. One disadvantage is that for customization, it uses liquid templates. However, not everyone is familiar with liquid templates, so if you want to do some customized logging or other tasks, you may need to struggle a lot. Other solutions like IBM API Connect or Apigee use JavaScript, which is more developer-friendly. That's what I found.
Dipanjan_Nandi - PeerSpot reviewer
Valuable testing stubs and policy enforcement with room for better security and cost management
From an API management perspective, MuleSoft's API Manager is not as powerful as some other tools available. Features like monetization and advanced security, which are present in Apigee, are missing. I also want the API Manager to be used as a separate product apart from MuleSoft's other integration solutions. Additionally, the licensing cost is high, and many clients are looking to switch due to this.
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which API Management solutions are best for your needs.
842,296 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Answers from the Community

ZN
Mar 19, 2025
Mar 19, 2025
Hello,It completely depends or your needs. Do you have an integration tool? Does your API layer only needs to manage non functional requirements, or does it need to perform integration features? Since you mentioned about internal and external APIs, there's a difference between API gateways and API management capabilities. The best way would be an API management capability like Boomi control pla...
2 out of 3 answers
Rohit Sircar - PeerSpot reviewer
Mar 6, 2023
I will choose MuleSoft due to its ease of use, integration extendibility, and product roadmap. MuleSoft API Management is better because of the following reasons:  * Ease of initial setup & configuration  * Most robust features in API management: oath, throttling, and access levels can be done very easily. * MuleSoft API-led connectivity & Integration solution (you can extend the API management solution with a flexible integration option). You can very easily extend APIM to integration. * Very Clear Product roadmap including APIM, RPA and multi-cloud implementation. The cost of both MuleSoft APIM & APIGEE is similar. Compared to 3scale, Apigee API Management has a better API gateway for security and traffic management. Apigee is better for API policy enablement compared to 3scale API Management. Apigee provides better support for GraphQL, OData, OAS2.  
RS
Mar 6, 2023
Apigee for sure. Not only do you get the benefit of hybrid and on-prem deployments. As a gov entity, you will face those challenges. Over time you might want to use AWS/Azure clouds so you can migrate it accordingly or just use the PAYG on GCP with all the security Bells and Whistles. https://www.gartner.com/review...
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
17%
Computer Software Company
14%
Government
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
17%
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for 3scale API Management?
I rate the product’s pricing as two out of ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive.
How does Kong Enterprise compare with Mulesoft Anypoint API Manager?
The Mulesoft Anypoint API Manager was designed with its users in mind. Though it is a reasonably complex piece of software, it is easy to install and upgrade. While there are different things that ...
How does Mulesoft Anypoint API Manager compare with Amazon API Gateway?
I have found that Mulesoft Anypoint API Manager is the best integration tool out there for API management. It is easy to implement and learn; it provides several options for deployment, (including ...
What do you like most about Mulesoft Anypoint API Manager?
The most valuable features of the solution for securing APIs stem from the tool's ability to allow users to deploy policies.
 

Also Known As

No data available
Anypoint API Manager
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Victor Ops, Coca Cola, The Telegraph, Skava, Orange, Typeform
Coca-Cola, Splunk, Citrix, UCSF, Vertu, State of Colorado, National Post, TiVo, Deakin, LLS, Oldcastle Precast, ParcelPoint, Justice Systems, Ube, Sumitomo Corporation, PacificComp, University of Witwatersrand, Groupe Initiatives, Camelot, Panviva
Find out what your peers are saying about 3scale API Management vs. MuleSoft API Manager and other solutions. Updated: March 2025.
842,296 professionals have used our research since 2012.