Editorial take
Why it stands out
Apollo GraphQL should be framed as a platform buy layered on top of GraphQL, not as a synonym for the GraphQL standard itself.
Loading
Tool profile
Commercial GraphQL platform for schema management, federation, routing, and API governance with free and usage-based GraphOS plans.
GraphQL federation, routing, and schema governance
Apollo GraphQL belongs in the directory because it is one of the clearest examples of a real platform being built on top of an open API standard. Teams are not usually buying Apollo just to 'do GraphQL'; they are buying GraphOS for federation, router operations, schema governance, checks, insights, and team workflows around APIs that have become important enough to manage as a platform.
Its pricing page is also unusually explicit for an API platform. GraphOS Free is forever free for up to 3 users, with a rate-limited self-hosted router and one day of retention for checks and insights. Developer starts at $5 per million requests and supports up to 10 users, with $50 in usage credit for new signups. Standard and Enterprise are custom. The important nuance is that Apollo now centers self-hosted GraphOS Router on every plan, so the commercial story is much more about governance and API-platform operations than about a simple hosted endpoint bill.
Quick fit
Editorial take
Apollo GraphQL should be framed as a platform buy layered on top of GraphQL, not as a synonym for the GraphQL standard itself.
What it does well
Primary use cases
Fit notes
Compare with
Pressure-test this pick against nearby alternatives.
Ant Design
Free planEnterprise and back-office React applications
Enterprise-class React UI design system and component library with a free MIT-licensed core and a strong opinionated visual language.
Choose Ant Design when speed and enterprise-style consistency matter more than design neutrality.
Pricing snapshot
Apollo GraphOS Free is forever free for up to 3 users. Developer starts at $5 per million requests with up to 10 users and includes $50 in signup credit. Standard and Enterprise are custom. Free includes a rate-limited self-hosted GraphOS Router, while paid plans support production usage with deeper retention and platform features.
Astro
Free planDocumentation and developer marketing sites
Web framework for content-rich sites with fast static output and selective client-side hydration.
Often beats SPA-first stacks on initial load metrics
AsyncAPI
Free planEvent-driven API specifications
Open standard and tooling ecosystem for defining, documenting, and generating event-driven and asynchronous APIs.
Choose AsyncAPI when asynchronous and event-driven contracts need the same rigor that OpenAPI brought to REST.
