Gravitee vs Azure API Management (2026): Full Comparison

TL;DR

Azure API Management (APIM) is Microsoft's fully managed API gateway, and it's the simpler choice for REST APIs that live mostly in Azure. Gravitee is an open-source API and event management platform, and it suits teams that manage Kafka streams, run gateways across several clouds, or want one control plane for APIs, events and AI agents.

The deciding factors are where your APIs run and whether they include event streams. Azure APIM has no native Kafka support, and running its gateway outside Azure needs the classic Premium tier, from about $3,045 a month in East US. Gravitee's event and AI features need its Enterprise Edition, with plans from $2,500 a month.

Most API teams can tell you how many APIs sit behind their gateway. It’s on a dashboard, and someone reports it every quarter.

Event streams rarely get the same attention. A Kafka topic starts as a feed between two services. Then another team needs the data, then a partner, and each one gets broker credentials instead of an API key. So, two counts.

First, how many APIs does your gateway manage? You probably answered in a few seconds.

Now list the consumer groups on your Kafka cluster or Event Hubs namespace. Mark the ones that belong to another team or a partner, and next to each, write how they got access.

Most teams have never made the second list.

Gravitee vs Azure: the 60-second decision

The rest of this guide explains each row and covers every other difference, from security to migration, so you can decide without reading another comparison.

What is the difference between Gravitee and Azure API Management?

Azure API Management is an API gateway service for Azure; Gravitee is a platform for APIs, event streams and AI agents that runs anywhere. Azure APIM is closed and fully managed by Microsoft. Gravitee has an open-source core, with an Enterprise Edition that adds event, AI and governance features.

• Azure API Management is defined as a Microsoft Azure service that puts a gateway in front of your APIs. It adds security, rate limits, policies, a developer portal and analytics, and Microsoft runs the infrastructure.
• Gravitee is defined as an API and event management platform with an open-source core under the Apache 2.0 license. Since its Gamma release in June 2026, it groups API management, event stream management, agent management and authorization into one console.

Gravitee vs Azure API Management at a glance

To see how Gravitee compares with other gateways, read our Apigee vs Kong vs Gravitee comparison, Tyk vs Gravitee and our guide to Gravitee alternatives.

Gravitee vs Azure API Management: which is better for hybrid and multi-cloud?

Gravitee runs anywhere; Azure API Management runs in Azure and only sends its gateway out at a price. Gravitee's control plane can be hosted by Gravitee or run on your own servers, and its gateways can run in any cloud or data center. Azure keeps its control plane in Azure.

Both split into a control plane, where you configure APIs, and a data plane, the gateway where traffic flows. The question is where each part can live.

One detail Azure teams like: Gravitee Cloud's control plane itself runs on Azure, so a hybrid Gravitee setup doesn't take you out of Microsoft's cloud.

What does an Azure APIM on-premises gateway cost compared with a Gravitee hybrid gateway?

On Azure, running a gateway outside Azure means paying for classic Premium. That's about $2,795 a month in East US, plus about $250 a month for each self-hosted gateway deployment. The v2 tiers can't run self-hosted gateways at all, as of October 2026. Microsoft's self-hosted gateway overview lists the limits.

On Gravitee, gateways come with the plan. Gravitee's plans include 1, 2 or 4+ production gateways, from $2,500 a month on the entry plan. Self-hosting the open-source edition costs nothing in licenses, but you run MongoDB or PostgreSQL, Elasticsearch or OpenSearch, and usually Redis.

What happens when a Gravitee or Azure gateway loses its connection?

• Azure: A running self-hosted gateway "fails static" and keeps serving traffic with the config in memory. A stopped one can't restart unless you've turned on configuration backup. Its default access token also expires at least every 30 days.
• Gravitee: Gateways keep their configuration in memory. With Redis-based cluster sync, even new gateway instances can start and serve traffic while the control plane is down.

Pick Gravitee if your APIs live in more than one cloud or data center. Pick Azure APIM if nearly everything runs in Azure and you'd rather Microsoft ran the gateway.

Gravitee vs Azure API Management: which is better for Kafka and event-driven APIs?

Gravitee, for governing event streams at the gateway. Gravitee has a gateway that speaks the native Kafka protocol, plus connectors that turn event streams into HTTP, WebSocket, SSE or webhook APIs. Azure's answer is different: Azure Event Hubs is a managed broker that Kafka clients can talk to, but Azure API Management itself has no Kafka gateway.

Why it matters: Many companies govern their REST APIs carefully and leave their Kafka topics open to anyone with broker access. Gravitee lets you put plans, keys, quotas and a portal listing in front of a topic, the same way you would for an API.

Event Hubs solves a different problem: It replaces running your own Kafka cluster, and you control access with Entra ID roles or shared access keys. It doesn't give partners self-service plans, API keys or a portal listing for a topic. Many Azure teams use both: Event Hubs as the broker, and a gateway such as Gravitee in front when streams are shared outside the team.

Read the license note: Every event feature in the table above needs Gravitee's Enterprise Edition. The Kafka Gateway is sold separately even on the top plan, and event stream management is a separate module.

Pick Gravitee if you share Kafka, MQTT or Solace streams with other teams or partners. Pick Azure APIM if your traffic is REST, GraphQL and WebSocket only.

Gravitee vs Azure API Management: how do the features compare?

Both cover the core gateway jobs well: authentication, rate limits, transformation, caching and a developer portal. Gravitee goes further on events, custom code and managing other gateways. Azure goes further on its portal and its links to other Azure services.

Is Gravitee or Azure APIM easier to extend?

Gravitee. You can write custom policies in Java, or script them in Groovy or JavaScript. Azure API Management has no plugin model. You extend it with XML policies, C# expressions limited to an allow-listed set of .NET types, and calls out to Azure Functions. Our guide to Azure APIM policies covers each policy in plain English.

Is Gravitee or Azure APIM better as an AI gateway and for MCP?

Both are strong; they suit different setups.

• Azure APIM has the llm-token-limit policy, token metrics, semantic caching and content safety built into the gateway. It can also turn any REST API into an MCP server. See our guide to Azure AI Gateway pricing and token limits.
• Gravitee added Agent Mesh in version 4.8 (June 2025) and expanded it in Gamma (June 2026). It includes an LLM proxy for Anthropic, OpenAI, Bedrock, Gemini and Azure, plus MCP and agent-to-agent (A2A) proxies, an MCP tool server and agent identity. The proxies need the Enterprise Edition.

Pick Gravitee if you need event APIs, custom Java policies or one catalog across several gateways. Pick Azure APIM if you want Microsoft's portal and AI controls with nothing extra to license.

Gravitee vs Azure API Management: how do security and compliance compare?

Both cover enterprise API security; the difference is whose identity system you use. Azure API Management plugs into Microsoft's stack: Entra ID, Defender for APIs and Azure's web application firewalls. Gravitee brings its own identity product, Gravitee Access Management, and also works with Entra ID.

What compliance certifications do Gravitee and Azure APIM hold?

• Gravitee's trust center lists SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, PCI DSS v4.0 and GDPR. Its Cloud SLA page still mentions SOC 2 Type I, so ask for the current report during procurement.
• Azure API Management is in scope for FedRAMP High and DoD IL2 in Azure public cloud, according to Microsoft. In Azure Government, it's in scope for FedRAMP High and DoD IL2, IL4, IL5 and IL6.

Where are the security gaps?

• Gravitee: Many governance controls, including the audit trail, custom roles, GeoIP filtering and log masking, need the Enterprise Edition.
• Azure: Defender for APIs doesn't cover the self-hosted or Consumption gateways. Self-hosted gateways also lack credential manager and request logs to Azure Monitor.

Pick Gravitee if you want your own identity server or need HIPAA and PCI paperwork from your gateway vendor. Pick Azure APIM if you're standardized on Entra ID or need FedRAMP High.

Gravitee vs Azure API Management: how do performance, limits and SLAs compare?

Gravitee publishes newer and more detailed benchmarks; Azure publishes per-unit estimates. Treat both as vendor numbers. Gravitee's 2025 test on AKS reached about 80,800 requests a second on one 16-vCPU gateway. Microsoft estimates up to 4,000 requests a second per Premium unit.

How fast is each gateway?

Gravitee's figures come from its own k6 load test on AKS, published in March 2025 and updated in March 2026, without the Gravitee version stated. Microsoft's come from tests with no policies and small payloads. Load-test your own APIs before you size either one.

What limits should you know about?

Watch Azure's v2 buffered payload limit. At 2 MiB, policies that read the request body, such as validation or transformation, can fail on larger payloads.

Pick Gravitee if you want to size gateways precisely on your own Kubernetes. Pick Azure APIM if you want Microsoft to carry the uptime SLA, up to 99.99%.

Which has the better developer portal, Gravitee or Azure API Management?

Azure's portal is more mature today; Gravitee's is more useful when you federate other gateways. Gravitee still recommends its Classic portal, while its new portal is a tech preview. Neither has built-in billing.

Pick Gravitee if you want one portal for APIs and event streams from several gateways. Pick Azure APIM if you want a polished portal included in the price.

Gravitee vs Azure API Management pricing: which costs less?

Azure API Management is cheaper to start; Gravitee can be cheaper when you need gateways outside Azure or event streams. Azure publishes every price, from $0. Gravitee publishes one price, $2,500 a month for its entry plan, and quotes the rest.

• Azure API Management charges per unit, per hour, from $0 on Consumption to about $2,800 a month for one Premium v2 unit in East US. Most production teams use Standard v2 at about $700 a month. See our full Azure API Management pricing guide.
• Gravitee sells three plans, each with unlimited users and environments:

Event stream management and agent management are separate modules. The open-source edition is free to self-host, and there's a 14-day trial of the enterprise features.

What do Gravitee and Azure APIM cost in real scenarios?

What is the total cost of ownership?

List price isn't the whole bill. Self-hosting Gravitee saves license fees but adds servers and team time. Azure's self-hosted gateways add servers too. The table below shows monthly costs for a mid-sized setup, using East US list prices.

Our assumptions for self-hosted Gravitee: A small high-availability setup on Azure VMs (D4s v5, about $140 a month each). That's 2 gateways, 1 management node, a 3-node Elasticsearch cluster and 1 database node, plus Azure Cache for Redis Standard C1 (about $101 a month). Your sizing will differ, so treat this as a starting point.

Don't skip team time. A self-hosted stack needs someone to patch, upgrade and monitor MongoDB or PostgreSQL, Elasticsearch, Redis and the gateways. Gravitee ships a minor release every quarter, and each one is supported for 12 months.

Read the first row of each table closely. For REST APIs in Azure, Azure is clearly cheaper. Gravitee's case on price starts when you'd otherwise pay for Azure's classic Premium tier, or need event streams Azure can't handle.

Pick Gravitee if you'd pay Azure's Premium tier only to run gateways outside Azure. Pick Azure APIM if Standard v2 covers your needs.

How do Gravitee and Azure APIM compare on setup, operations and support?

Azure API Management asks less of your team; Gravitee gives you more choices about who runs what. With Azure, Microsoft runs everything except self-hosted gateways. With Gravitee, you can let Gravitee host it all, or run the whole stack yourself.

How do support and community compare?

Azure's prices come from Microsoft's support plans page. Gravitee's support hours come from its published support terms.

Pick Gravitee if you want the option to self-host everything, or 24/7 support with a named account manager. Pick Azure APIM if you want the smallest possible operations load.

What do real users say about Gravitee vs Azure API Management?

Users rate Gravitee higher, and praise its support. On G2 in October 2026, Gravitee scored 4.7 out of 5 from 41 reviews. Azure API Management scored 4.2 out of 5 from 32 reviews.

Practitioner threads add context:

• Cost pushes teams to look around: In a March 2026 r/sre thread, a team leaving APIM's Standard tier over cost compared Kong, Gravitee and Tyk on AKS, and worried about keeping Azure AD sign-in.
• Some miss Gravitee after moving: In a July 2026 r/microservices thread, one engineer wrote: "now use Azure APIM, but I wish I were back to Gravitee".
• "Open source" claims need checking: A March 2026 r/opensource post said native Kafka is in Gravitee's open-source tier. Gravitee's own docs say Kafka endpoints need the Enterprise Edition.

Reddit comments are opinions, not data. Many 2026 "best API management tools" posts that praise Gravitee come from new or throwaway accounts, so we've left those out.

Gravitee vs Azure APIM: which locks you in more, and how do you migrate?

Azure locks you into a cloud; Gravitee locks you into a platform, with an open-source exit. Your API specs move freely between both, because both import OpenAPI. Policies, event APIs, portal content and automation have to be rebuilt.

• Azure lock-in is cloud lock-in: If your apps move to AWS or Google Cloud, the control plane stays in Azure.
• Gravitee lock-in is platform lock-in: The open-source core means you can always self-host, but Enterprise features such as the Kafka Gateway and agent proxies only work under a license.

How do Azure APIM policies map to Gravitee when you migrate?

How do you migrate from Azure API Management to Gravitee?

1. Federate first (optional): On an Enterprise license, Gravitee can discover your Azure APIM APIs and list them in its portal while traffic stays on Azure.
2. Export OpenAPI: APIM exports OpenAPI 3.0 as JSON or YAML.
3. Import into Gravitee: It imports Swagger 2.0 and OpenAPI 3, and can add a validation policy on import.
4. Rebuild policies: Use the mapping table above, and move C# expressions into Groovy or JavaScript policies.
5. Recreate plans and the portal: Rebuild products as Gravitee plans, and move your docs.
6. Move consumers: Issue new API keys, or keep Entra ID tokens with a JWT plan.
7. Run both in parallel: Shift traffic gradually, then retire the APIM instance.

How do you migrate from Gravitee to Azure API Management?

1. Export your API definitions as OpenAPI from Gravitee.
2. Import into APIM: It supports OpenAPI 2.0 (JSON), 3.0 up to 3.0.3, and imports 3.1 with some features dropped.
3. Rebuild policies in XML: Move Java, Groovy or JavaScript logic into C# expressions or Azure Functions.
4. Plan for event APIs: Kafka Gateway APIs have no APIM equivalent, so they need another service, such as Azure Event Hubs.
5. Recreate products and the portal, then move consumers to subscription keys or Entra ID.
6. Run both in parallel, then cut over.

Microsoft's API import restrictions page lists what APIM drops on import.

How much effort does each part take?

How do you test Gravitee and Azure APIM before you decide?

Run both on your own APIs for two weeks. A blog can narrow the choice; only a proof of concept (POC) shows how each one handles your traffic, identity and team. Use Gravitee's 14-day enterprise trial and an Azure Developer or Standard v2 instance.

Ask Gravitee three things in writing: which features in your quote are generally available versus in preview, your support hours and SLA, and whether your plan allows hybrid gateways.

Gravitee vs Azure API Management: which should you choose?

Choose by where your APIs run and whether you manage event streams. Neither product is better everywhere.

Choose Gravitee if:
‍
• You share Kafka, MQTT or Solace streams and want them governed like APIs.
• Your APIs run across several clouds or your own data centers.
• You want an open-source core you can self-host, with custom Java policies.
• You want one control plane for APIs, events and AI agents.

Choose Azure API Management if:
‍
• Most of your APIs are REST and run in Azure.
• You want Microsoft to run the infrastructure.
• You're standardized on Entra ID, Azure Monitor and Azure OpenAI.
• You need a low entry price and public pricing.

Gravitee vs Azure API Management scorecard

Can you run Gravitee and Azure API Management together?

Yes, and many teams do. A common pattern is Azure APIM for REST APIs in Azure and Gravitee for event streams or gateways outside Azure. The cost is two catalogs, two sets of rules and two portals.

You're not alone in this. Postman's 2025 State of the API report found that 31% of organizations run more than one API gateway, and 11% run three or more.

Gravitee's own answer is federation. On an Enterprise license, it can discover Azure APIM APIs and list them in its portal. That makes Gravitee the hub, though. Its policies don't apply to federated APIs, and your catalog then depends on one gateway vendor's license.

The alternative is a neutral layer above both. Our guide to managing multiple API gateways without migration covers the options, and our MuleSoft vs Azure API Management comparison shows the same pattern with another gateway.

Teams using DigitalAPI see their Gravitee and Azure API Management APIs in one catalog, governed by one set of rules, connected with read-only credentials and without making either gateway the hub.

Running Gravitee and Azure side by side? Get an assessment of your API landscape → Talk to our experts

FAQ

Is Gravitee open source?

Partly. Gravitee's Community Edition is open source under the Apache 2.0 license, including the API gateway, Access Management and the Kubernetes Operator. Event entrypoints and endpoints, the Kafka Gateway, federation, AI agent proxies, the audit trail and 26 policies need the paid Enterprise Edition.

Is Gravitee cheaper than Azure API Management?

For REST APIs in Azure, no. Azure's Standard v2 costs about $700 a month, while Gravitee's entry plan costs $2,500 a month. Gravitee can be cheaper when you'd otherwise need Azure's classic Premium tier for gateways outside Azure, or when you need event streams Azure can't handle.

Can Azure API Management run on-premises?

Only the gateway can. Azure's self-hosted gateway runs on Docker or Kubernetes in your data center, but only on the Developer tier (no SLA) or classic Premium tier. The control plane and developer portal always stay in Azure.

Does Gravitee run on Azure?

Yes. Gravitee Cloud's control plane is hosted on Azure, and Gravitee can host gateways in Azure regions. You can also self-host Gravitee on AKS using its Helm charts.

Is Gravitee a good alternative to Azure API Management?

Yes, especially for event-driven or multi-cloud estates. Gravitee handles authentication, rate limits, transformation and developer portals, and adds native Kafka support and federation. You'd need to rebuild policies and portal content, and you'd lose Azure-native integrations such as Defender for APIs.

Is Azure API Management a good alternative to Gravitee?

Yes, if your APIs are REST and run mostly in Azure. Azure API Management removes the MongoDB, Elasticsearch and Redis you'd run for self-hosted Gravitee, and it starts at a lower price. You'd give up native Kafka support, custom Java policies and federation of other gateways.

Can Gravitee proxy Kafka natively?

Yes. Gravitee's Kafka Gateway speaks the native Kafka protocol, so Kafka clients connect to it as if it were a broker. It needs an Enterprise license with the Kafka Gateway feature, which is bought separately. Azure API Management has no Kafka gateway, though Azure Event Hubs accepts Kafka clients as a managed broker.

Can Gravitee manage Azure API Management APIs?

Partly. Gravitee's federation, an Enterprise feature, can discover Azure APIM APIs and products and list them in Gravitee's portal, with subscriptions. Traffic still flows through Azure, and Gravitee's policies don't apply to federated APIs.

Does Gravitee support Microsoft Entra ID?

Yes. Gravitee can validate Entra ID tokens through JWT plans, and Entra ID can be used to sign in to the Gravitee Console. Gravitee also has its own identity server, Access Management, if you'd rather not depend on Entra ID.

Which is better as an AI gateway?

It depends on your stack. Azure API Management is simpler for Azure OpenAI and Microsoft Foundry, with token limits and semantic caching built in. Gravitee covers more model providers and adds MCP, agent-to-agent proxies and agent identity, but those need its Enterprise Edition.

Is there a free version of either?

Gravitee's Community Edition is free to self-host, and there's a 14-day trial of its enterprise features. Azure has no free tier, but the Consumption tier includes 1 million calls a month at no charge, and the Developer tier costs about $48 a month.

How long does a migration between Gravitee and Azure take?

It depends on your custom policies and event APIs. API definitions move quickly because both import OpenAPI. Policies, portal content and keys are rebuilt by hand. Moving Kafka APIs from Gravitee to Azure is the hardest part, because APIM has no native Kafka gateway.

Final word

• Azure API Management is the simpler and cheaper choice for REST APIs that live in Azure.
• Gravitee is the stronger choice when you manage event streams, run gateways across clouds, or want one control plane for APIs and AI agents.
• Both is common, and it works well when one neutral layer governs them.

Start with the two numbers at the top: the APIs your gateway manages, and the event streams it doesn't. Then use the 60-second decision table.

Want a clear view of your APIs and event streams across gateways? Get an assessment of your API landscape from DigitalAPI → Talk to our experts