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Microsoft Azure API Management vs MuleSoft API Manager comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 12, 2025

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
6.6
Microsoft Azure API Management cuts integration times by 90%, supports multi-environment apps, saves costs, and enhances operations.
Sentiment score
6.9
MuleSoft API Manager boosts efficiency and reduces complexity, aiding financial firms with faster development and automation benefits.
Proper configuration of the solution, implementation strategy and correct scaling tier selection are other factors that influence the ROI.
Most of the time, where we work in companies, it is more of an internal policy or security guidance that we need to have an API gateway.
It helps connect all multi-environment applications to a single dashboard and give beautiful reports.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.7
Microsoft Azure API Management provides efficient service, though improvements in response speed and flexibility are needed, especially across time zones.
Sentiment score
7.7
MuleSoft API Manager offers efficient customer service and praised technical support despite occasional upselling and premium support charges.
Technical support is very poor and needs a lot of improvement.
We have regular sessions with Microsoft where we can have private previews of new features.
I rate the support from Microsoft Azure API Management a ten out of ten.
Our enterprise pays for a special success program, which provides priority support.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.9
Microsoft Azure API Management is praised for scalability, flexibility, and regional integration, despite potential scaling costs.
Sentiment score
7.1
MuleSoft API Manager offers scalable solutions, praised for user volume support but criticized for costs and configuration challenges.
I rate the scalability of Microsoft Azure API Management a ten out of ten.
Because it is on Microsoft Azure, we don't have to worry about scalability.
It can host it in different regions, and we can point to the same set of backups and try to expose the APIs.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.0
Microsoft Azure API Management is generally reliable, with minor performance issues, rated eight or nine for stability.
Sentiment score
8.0
MuleSoft API Manager is stable and reliable, with high user ratings, though cost and capacity issues are noted.
This is the best service we have used within Azure and it has high availability.
I can't guarantee its stability or flexibility until all our databases and financial systems are integrated.
Microsoft Azure API Management is very stable.
 

Room For Improvement

Microsoft Azure API Management needs improvements in scalability, integration, security, cost efficiency, deployment, and user experience for better functionality.
MuleSoft API Manager requires improvements in user interfaces, analytics, scalability, integration, monitoring, and enhancements in security and AI capabilities.
The service is extensive and expensive, and this added flexibility would make it more manageable and less prone to errors.
Support for GraphQL, which is a different communication specification, needs to improve.
It's quite expensive, which could be a barrier for some users.
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

Microsoft Azure API Management offers competitive pricing, but premium features and additional service charges require careful cost management.
MuleSoft API Manager is costly, ranging from $80,000 to $400,000 annually, but offers comprehensive features and flexibility.
Moreover, there are additional costs to the standard licensing fees.
The more enterprise-level features you go to, the more expensive it gets.
The solution is highly expensive.
The cost for using MuleSoft is approximately $500,000 USD per year.
 

Valuable Features

Microsoft Azure API Management offers robust access control, seamless integration, and scalability, supporting diverse enterprise needs effectively.
MuleSoft API Manager enhances API management with scalability, security, seamless integration, policy enforcement, analytics, and intuitive low-code tools.
It's a low-code, no-code model of API hosting.
The platform's most valuable features are its rule-based permissions and comprehensive API lifecycle management capabilities.
The ability to create a subscription model for APIs allows companies to monetize valuable data and share it securely.
MuleSoft's ability to connect to third-party monitoring platforms like AWS, Datadog, and Elastic makes operational analysis more efficient.
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Azure API Management
Ranking in API Management
1st
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
80
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 Microsoft Azure API Management is 19.1%, down from 19.7% 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

Rajiv Bala Balasubramanian - PeerSpot reviewer
Efficiently manages and monetizes API
It is a scalable solution. You can add more computing power to your APM gateway. It also gives you the ability to have VNet integrations with your on-prem. It is one of the leading products in the API management space. It is not just software for users but software to handle requests. For example, for a B2C e-commerce store, all requests that users make from within the store pass through this API gateway. So it is defined by the number of requests to the API gateway, not by the number of actual users who use it. If you look at the number of requests, it would be a lot from all the different systems we have within Pampers.
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.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
15%
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Insurance Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
16%
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

How does Apigee differ from Azure API Management?
Apigee offers both cloud-based and on-prem options while Microsoft Azure API Management currently only offers a cloud-based solution. Both solutions are easy to use. Apigee allows for the ability...
Which is better - Azure API Management or Amazon API Gateway?
If you use Azure products, API Management is a great solution. It solves many of the problems of externalizing web services. For example, when you need versioning, establish a developer portal and ...
What do you like most about Microsoft Azure API Management?
Microsoft Azure API Management is a good, comprehensive solution for enterprise implementation.
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

Azure API Management, MS Azure API Management
Anypoint API Manager
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

adnymics GmbH, LG CNS, Centrebet, netfabb GmbH, MedPlast, Accelera Solutions, Sochi Organizing Committee, realzeit GmbH, Opensistemas
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 Microsoft Azure API Management vs. MuleSoft API Manager and other solutions. Updated: March 2025.
842,161 professionals have used our research since 2012.