10 Top API Management Tools for 2024

As we head into 2024, managing APIs effectively has become essential for modern businesses. A reliable API management tool can streamline the design, deployment, security, and monitoring of your APIs.

Here’s what you need to know about API management tools:

1. APIs Enable Communication: An application programming interface (API) allows different software applications to communicate with each other.
2. Simplify Complex APIs: API management tools make it easier to handle complex APIs by simplifying their management.
3. Enhance Security and Collaboration: These tools improve security, boost team collaboration, and enhance API performance.
4. Ensure Secure Integration: API management is important for maintaining security and ensuring smooth integration between applications.
5. Key Features: Effective API management tools should offer features like easy API creation, access control, lifecycle management, and more.

In this article, we will look at top 10 API management tools for 2024. We will provide insights into each tool’s features, benefits, and potential drawbacks to help you make an informed decision.

What Are API Management Tools?

API management tools are platforms that simplify the creation, publishing, security, and management of APIs. These tools help you develop and manage APIs that allow digital assets and services to be accessed by internal and external developers, partners, and customers securely and efficiently.

Benefits of Using API Management Tools

API management tools offer several advantages, including:

• Improved Security: These tools ensure your APIs are protected from unauthorized access and vulnerabilities.
• Enhanced Collaboration: They facilitate better teamwork among development teams by streamlining communication and reducing errors.
• Better API Performance: API management tools help optimize the performance of your APIs, leading to faster and more reliable services.

By using an API management platform, you can accelerate development, minimize mistakes, and improve team coordination, allowing you to deliver high-quality APIs more quickly and efficiently.

Types of API Management Tools

There are various types of API management tools available, each serving different purposes. Depending on your needs, you might use one or more of these tools:

• API Gateways: Manage authentication, authorization, and route traffic to the correct backend services.
• API Design and Documentation Tools: Assist developers in designing, documenting, and testing APIs before they go live.
• API Lifecycle Management Tools: Oversee the entire API lifecycle, from initial design through to retirement.
• API Testing Tools: Evaluate APIs for functionality, performance, and security by simulating user behavior, generating load, and identifying issues.

1. List of 10 Top API Management Tools

Key Features:

• Strong Security: Provides advanced protection for your APIs.
• Self-Service Options: Includes tools that allow users to handle their own API needs.
• Complete API Lifecycle Management: Manages every stage from design to deployment and maintenance.

IBM API Connect is an effective API management solution that allows organizations to oversee all their APIs from a unified platform. It enables businesses to adapt their APIs for specific markets and offers governance and version control.

The platform supports community management with self-service portals and subscription tools, and it ensures endpoint protection with a high-quality gateway.

Pricing:

• Available as a software-as-a-service option on Amazon Web Services (AWS), starting at $83 per month.
• Also offered as a single-tenant service hosted on IBM Cloud, starting at $6,504 per month.

2. Microsoft Azure API Management Rating: 4.2/5 (G2)

Key Features:

• Security: Includes features like authentication, request authorization, and rate-limiting.
• Real-Time Analytics: Provides up-to-date data on usage patterns, traffic trends, and error tracking.
• Developer Portal: Offers an easy-to-use portal for developers to register applications and obtain keys.

Microsoft Azure API Management is a fully managed service that helps customers publish, secure, transform, maintain, and monitor APIs. It supports the entire API lifecycle, from initial creation to final consumption.

Key Capabilities:

• Security: Features strong security measures including authentication, request authorization, and the ability to limit request rates.
• Transformation: Allows developers to convert legacy web services into modern REST-based APIs.
• Monitoring and Analytics: Offers real-time insights into API usage, traffic, and errors.
• Developer Portal: Simplifies the process for developers to register applications and manage API keys through a user-friendly interface.

Pricing: Available in several plans, including Developer, Basic, Standard, Premium, and Isolated. Costs are based on usage, with pricing calculated per hour.

3. Jitterbit

Key Features:

• Point-and-Click Functionality: Simplifies the API creation process with an easy-to-use graphical interface.
• Intuitive Interface: Provides a user-friendly experience for managing APIs.
• Simplified API Generation: Allows for quick and efficient creation of APIs based on existing data.

Jitterbit offers a comprehensive solution for managing the entire API lifecycle. The platform enables users to create and manage APIs efficiently using an intuitive graphical interface, and it supports exposing APIs via enterprise-grade API gateways.

With Jitterbit’s API Manager, users can quickly generate APIs and streamline development with point-and-click functionality. This approach allows organizations to deploy new products, channels, and strategies with minimal resources and faster time-to-market.

Pricing: Jitterbit provides three pricing plans—Standard, Professional, and Enterprise. Pricing details are available upon request from the sales team.

4. Postman

Key Features:

• Comprehensive API Tools: Includes features for API generation, testing, and management.
• API Documentation: Provides tools for documenting APIs effectively.
• API Governance: Offers tools to manage and enforce API standards.

Postman is a versatile API platform that supports a range of functions from development to testing and management. It supports various authentication protocols and helps organize requests into reusable collections.

The platform enhances API development with capabilities for linking requests through JavaScript, automating workflows, and visualizing API responses through scripting.

Pricing: Postman offers a free plan and additional options with Basic, Professional, and Enterprise plans. The Basic plan starts at $12 per user per month.

5. Apigee

Key Features:

• API Generation: Allows for the creation of APIs with ease.
• Monitoring and Analysis: Provides tools for tracking API performance and gaining insights.
• Strong Security: Includes advanced security features to protect API transactions.

Apigee is a top API management platform that helps organizations build, manage, and secure their APIs. As a native Google Cloud tool, it offers advanced scaling, security, and automation capabilities.

The platform enables businesses to unlock and standardize data from various applications, systems, or services. It ensures the security of API transactions with comprehensive policies and controls.

Apigee also features robust monitoring and analysis tools that offer performance insights, helping businesses respond more effectively to customer and partner needs.

Pricing: Apigee offers both pay-as-you-go and subscription-based pricing options, tailored to your specific requirements.

6. Kong Konnect Rating: 4.7/5 (Gartner)

Key Features:

• Multi-Cloud API Management: Manages APIs across various cloud environments.
• Built-In Security and Traffic Control: Includes powerful plugins for securing APIs and managing traffic.
• Excellent Customer Support: Offers strong support to assist with platform use.

Kong Konnect is a comprehensive SaaS platform for managing the entire API lifecycle. It simplifies multi-cloud API management by securely connecting services across different environments.

The platform allows for consistent configuration and policy implementation by organizing runtimes, services, teams, and environments into logical groups.

Kong Konnect enhances API security, compliance, and user management with customizable controls and plugins, helping organizations apply best practices and meet compliance requirements.

Pricing: Kong Konnect offers a free version, with additional plans including Plus and Enterprise. The Plus plan starts at $250 per service per month.

 7. SwaggerHub Rating: 4.5/5 (G2)

Key Features:

• Smart API Editor: Features an intuitive editor that supports OpenAPI specifications (OAS).
• OpenAPI Specification Compliance: Ensures your APIs adhere to industry standards.
• Easy Integrations: Provides simple integrations for smooth deployment.

SwaggerHub is a robust API management platform designed to help teams design, develop, and maintain high-quality APIs. It offers an easy-to-use editor that follows OpenAPI specifications, ensuring compliance and consistency.

The platform supports the entire API lifecycle from a central, cloud-hosted repository. It includes features such as automated notifications, API versioning, and secure integrations to streamline deployment.

SwaggerHub facilitates efficient and secure collaborative API development with its comprehensive set of tools and capabilities.

Pricing: SwaggerHub provides a free plan along with two paid options: Team and Enterprise. The Team plan starts at $79 per month.

8. WSO2 Rating: 4.5/5 (G2)

Key Features:

• Open-Source Platform: Free to use and modify.
• Standard Compliance: Supports OAuth, OpenID, Connect, and JWT out of the box.
• Complete API Lifecycle Management: Manages APIs from creation to retirement.

WSO2 API Manager is an open-source platform designed to help organizations design, publish, and manage APIs. It enables the exposure of APIs to both internal and external consumers and supports standard authorization protocols like OAuth and JWT.

The platform offers comprehensive management across the entire API lifecycle, including design and runtime governance. It allows users to build APIs from existing services, manage APIs from internal and third-party sources, and track their usage and performance.

Pricing: WSO2 is available for free for non-commercial use. For additional features, companies can subscribe to WSO2. Pricing information is available by contacting the sales team.

9. SAP Integration Suite Rating: 4.3/5 (G2)

Key Features:

• Real-Time Processing and Monitoring: Enables quick responses to changing needs.
• Strong Security: Includes features for API authentication, authorization, and threat detection.
• Compliance with OData and OpenAPI Specifications: Ensures adherence to industry standards.

SAP Integration Suite is an Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS) that connects both on-premise and cloud-based applications, systems, and processes. Its API management features simplify the creation, management, and security of APIs.

The platform offers real-time processing and monitoring, allowing businesses to react swiftly to customer, employee, and partner needs. It also provides robust security measures to protect APIs and ensure compliance with industry standards.

Pricing: The Standard plan is priced at $4,150 per tenant per month. For the Premium plan, custom quotes are available by contacting the sales team.

10. Dell Boomi Rating: 4.3/5 (G2)

Key Features:

• Full API Lifecycle Management: Manages APIs from creation to deployment.
• User-Friendly Interface: Provides an intuitive experience for configuration and management.
• API Monitoring: Offers tools for tracking API performance and usage.

Dell Boomi is a comprehensive integration platform that helps organizations create and manage APIs with ease. Its intuitive interface simplifies configuring and exposing real-time integrations through APIs and third-party services.

The platform supports building composite applications across various networks, including mobile, social, and IoT. Boomi's API Developer Portal enhances data access from existing applications.

Pricing: Dell Boomi operates on a subscription-based model, with costs varying based on the specific needs and features required.

Effectively Manage Your APIs with Techzert

Managing APIs can be straightforward with the right tools. Techzert simplifies the process of generating, managing, securing, and monitoring APIs. Experience how easy API management can be by signing up for a free demo today!

API Management FAQs

Why Is API Management Important?

API management is crucial for ensuring the security, scalability, and governance of APIs. It also enhances developer experience and enables seamless system integration.

What are API management tools?

API management tools are platforms that assist organizations in developing, designing, monitoring, testing, securing, and analyzing their APIs.