Akana API Management vs Layer7 API Management comparison

Perforce and Broadcom are both solutions in the API Management category. Perforce is ranked #28 with an average rating of 8.0, while Broadcom is ranked #11 with an average rating of 7.6. Perforce holds a 0.5% mindshare in APIM, compared to Broadcom’s 3.0% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Perforce users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 90% of Broadcom users who would recommend it.

Akana API Management

Read 3 Akana API Management reviews

927 Views
835 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Layer7 API Management

Read 111 Layer7 API Management reviews

4,887 Views
3,641 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

Akana API Management

Layer7 API Management

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 17, 2024

Layer7 API Management and Akana API Management are competing products in the API management space. Layer7 has a slight advantage in support and pricing satisfaction, while Akana holds an edge with its extensive feature set.

Features: Layer7 API Management offers robust security, strong analytics, and scalability, ideal for environments demanding solid foundational support. Akana API Management is distinguished by its extensive integration capabilities, flexible customization options, and a comprehensive feature set, making it suitable for complex environments.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Layer7 facilitates streamlined deployment and reliable customer service, promoting quick adaptation. Akana, while requiring more initial deployment effort, gains favor with its customizability suited to specialized needs. Akana's customer service, though competent, may be less agile due to its comprehensive nature.

Pricing and ROI: Layer7 API Management is recognized for its more cost-effective setup and quicker ROI realization. Akana's upfront costs are higher but justified by its advanced capabilities, offering significant ROI for enterprises desiring a customized API management experience.

To learn more, read our detailed Akana API Management vs. Layer7 API Management Report (Updated: January 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Akana API Management vs. Layer7 API Management

January 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

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

Categories and Ranking

Akana API Management

Ranking in API Management

28th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Layer7 API Management

Ranking in API Management

11th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

111

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2025, in the API Management category, the mindshare of Akana API Management is 0.5%, down from 0.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Layer7 API Management is 3.0%, down from 3.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

API Management

Featured Reviews

Saurav Krishna

Data Engineering and AI Intern at .3Lines Venture Capital

Authentication mechanism is easy to implement but improvement is needed in documentation

For API security purposes, we use the tool to host all our APIs. This allows us to take advantage of the security features provided by the platform. With the solution, we can implement rules such as rate limiting and restricting the number of API calls for each user. It acts as a secure gateway…

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Ronald D'Souza

Presales Consultant for CA Southern Africa at Hyperion Holding Pty Ltd

Has great drag-and-drop features and it requires minimal coding

I have mainly implemented using Layer 7 API Management. Some of the major challenges we were able to meet with a quick release to market methodology. Some of the tasks which we achieved for our customers were: 1. Translation service from SOAP to REST and vice versa. 2. API service to DB (Oracle, MySQL, MSSQL, Snowflake, SAP HANA) -- Created Swagger APIs that were able to perform CRUD operation to the backend API mentioned above and provided routes to query and get data. 3. Integration with Payment gateway service providers to perform (transaction on behalf of the customer with third-party payment gateway service providers white labeled with our APIs ) -- Followed TMF standards for payment gateway integration with the Telcom world. 4. Orchestration of the API. Build multiple microservers and provided orchestration based on route, path, and data in the request and perform actions that would be communicated with multiple APIs and provide a single consolidated response. 5. Provided API-driven security (Oauth 2.0, JWT, SAML, Basic, and a variety of means) to access the API giving the developer the freedom to concentrate only on application/service/microservice and let the gateway handle the threat. 6. Seamless Mutual Authentication allowed good segregation between APIs in the DMZ and internal network.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Good interface, intuitive solution."

"It allowed us to publish and replace pre-essential transactions in one place, with a uniformity in terms of control and policies."

"The tool's authentication mechanism is easy to implement. We had to define a few parameters."

"It is able to withstand the number of API calls and handle different API requirements to secure, transform, log, and track API usage patterns."

"It is helpful to have a central API that is hosted and managed."

"When I have used technical support they helped me a lot. Sometimes they took a long time to respond because we had very complex issues that we asked them for help with, but I think it is a very good service."

"For developers to be able to come, sign up, or find APIs."

"The most important features of Layer7 API Management are the basic security functionality and validation checks."

"The benefits are rapid development and deployment of APIs, which means that your information, your ability to handle information, to receive it and to send it, to visualize it, to report on it, to get intelligence out of it, happens fast and happens with accuracy."

"We definitely get good responses from the technical team and they are quite responsive."

"The Portal API helps us with deployments. It also helps to have a catalog of everything. The replication is also a critical feature for us. It helps to have a more robust architecture and makes our systems are highly available."

More Layer7 API Management pros

Cons

"The product has new features that we are going to implement in the next few months, such as API management and analytic reporting."

"Akana API Management needs to improve its documentation."

"Lacks an integrated billing feature."

"feel like Apigee's API product is more interactive. You can drag and drop with those, but it's a little more difficult in Layer7. It's less user-friendly compared to that Apigee product."

"The UI design could be improved in the next release."

"The OTK, however, is a complex upgrade. They tend to change the schemas on the database behind it, between the versions, which can be a pain to have to migrate all of our existing clients from one database schema to the other."

"The product needs to keep up with newer trends even though customers might not be requesting it yet."

"As the number of instances increases, its complexity of installation increases if you do not use the OVA."

"We have experienced technical difficulties with the product in the past."

"One day, where we can have a microservices gateway and we will not need the classic gateway at all, that is what we want to see."

"The Policy Manager tool that is used to manage the solution is very heavy to use because it is based in Java. Sometimes it takes a long time to load. There could be some improvements to it. If they could make Policy Manager on a web page that would be a good alternative."

More Layer7 API Management cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"For us, the pricing and licensing policies were for an on-premise installation with a fixed cost structure, that matched our budgeting policies."

"There is an annual license for the use of this solution. I think we are paying for some support maintenance fees, included in that license. I don't know how it works. They should provide more information."

"It was very high at that time. We are a Broadcom CA partner, and we got it only for testing purposes. We didn't pay anything for it."

"Do not buy piecemeal."

"It is a pricey product, although not extremely overpriced compared to competitors in the market."

"CA API Management has a licensing path. If you want more features, it requires more licenses and more installation time."

"Be aware of additional licenses for your warm standby. Ensure you get plenty of non-production licenses."

"At the time we bought the product it was a perpetual users license and there has been no need for additional licensing fees."

"It's my manager who takes care of the pricing. But I keep on hearing that it's a little pricey, it's on the higher side. That is what he says."

More Layer7 API Management pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

21%

Manufacturing Company

13%

Computer Software Company

Healthcare Company

Financial Services Firm

19%

Computer Software Company

13%

Manufacturing Company

Healthcare Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Akana API Management?

The tool's authentication mechanism is easy to implement. We had to define a few parameters.

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What needs improvement with Akana API Management?

Akana API Management needs to improve its documentation.

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What advice do you have for others considering Akana API Management?

I rate Akana API Management an eight out of ten.

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What do you like most about Layer7 API Management?

The solution's technical support is good.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Layer7 API Management?

The pricing is expensive compared to other products.

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What needs improvement with Layer7 API Management?

Layer7 API Management could be improved in its logging and alert mechanisms. Furthermore, although cloud deployment has been introduced, I am not familiar with all recent updates. In previous versi...

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Comparisons

Apigee vs Akana API Management

Compared 36% of the time

MuleSoft API Manager vs Akana API Management

Compared 20% of the time

Microsoft Azure API Management vs Akana API Management

Compared 16% of the time

IBM DataPower Gateway vs Akana API Management

Compared 11% of the time

Amazon API Gateway vs Akana API Management

Compared 9% of the time

More Akana API Management Competitors

Apigee vs Layer7 API Management

Compared 33% of the time

Kong Gateway Enterprise vs Layer7 API Management

Compared 15% of the time

MuleSoft API Manager vs Layer7 API Management

Compared 14% of the time

Amazon API Gateway vs Layer7 API Management

Compared 11% of the time

Microsoft Azure API Management vs Layer7 API Management

Compared 8% of the time

More Layer7 API Management Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

API Management

January 2025

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Buyer's Guide

Layer7 API Management

February 2025

Download Layer7 API Management product report

Also Known As

No data available

CA API Management, CA Live API Creator, Espresso Logic, CA API Gateway

Overview

Akana helps businesses accelerate digital transformation by securely extending their reach across multiple channels – mobile, cloud and Internet of Things. Akana enables enterprises to share data as APIs, connect and integrate applications, drive partner adoption, monetize their assets, and provide intelligent insights into their business and operations.

Perforce

Layer7 API Management is a comprehensive solution that enables organizations to securely expose, manage, and monetize their APIs.

It provides features such as API gateway, developer portal, analytics, and security to ensure seamless integration and control over API traffic.

With Layer7 API Management, businesses can streamline their API operations and drive innovation.

Broadcom

Sample Customers

British American Tobacco, Credit Suisse, Daimler, eBay, FOX, Liberty Mutual, Marriott, Mayo Clinic, Skandia, Tata communications

1. IBM 2. Microsoft 3. Oracle 4. Salesforce 5. SAP 6. Cisco 7. Dell 8. HP 9. Adobe 10. VMware 11. Accenture 12. Capgemini 13. Deloitte 14. PwC 15. Ernst & Young 16. Infosys 17. TCS (Tata Consultancy Services) 18. Wipro 19. Cognizant 20. HCL Technologies 21. Tech Mahindra 22. Fujitsu 23. Hitachi 24. NEC 25. NTT Data 26. Ericsson 27. Nokia 28. Siemens 29. AT&T 30. Verizon 31. Vodafone 32. Orange

Buyer's Guide

Akana API Management vs. Layer7 API Management

January 2025

Free Report: Akana API Management vs. Layer7 API Management

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