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AWS API Gateway

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Build, secure, and scale APIs with REST, HTTP, and WebSocket support

Free plan available
Freemium API Tools Cloud & Infrastructure Hosting & Deployment Serverless
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Reviews on G2 Capterra
156 reviews tracked 1 press mention

The Bottom Line

Price
Free plan available. Compare plans

Key facts

  • Fully managed API gateway supporting REST, HTTP, and WebSocket APIs
  • Scales automatically with pay-per-request pricing
  • Free tier: 1M calls/mo; HTTP APIs from $1.00/M, REST from $3.50/M

Pros

  • Fully managed, no infrastructure to maintain
  • Native integration with Lambda, DynamoDB, and other AWS services
  • Free tier includes 1M API calls/month for 12 months
  • HTTP APIs offer significant cost savings for simple use cases
  • Global edge network reduces latency
  • Granular access control with multiple auth methods

Cons

  • Vendor lock-in to AWS ecosystem
  • Pricing complexity across REST vs HTTP vs WebSocket
  • 29-second timeout limit on API calls
  • Cold start latency when paired with Lambda
  • REST API pricing ($3.50/M) is expensive at scale
  • Limited WebSocket message size (128KB)

What is AWS API Gateway?

Amazon API Gateway is a fully managed AWS service for creating, publishing, maintaining, monitoring, and securing APIs at any scale. It supports REST APIs, HTTP APIs, and WebSocket APIs, handling hundreds of thousands of concurrent API calls with built-in traffic management, authorization, throttling, and monitoring. HTTP APIs offer up to 71% cost savings over REST APIs for serverless workloads, while WebSocket APIs enable real-time bidirectional communication for chat and streaming applications.

Available on: Web

Data compiled by Toolradar Pricing checked · How we evaluate
Source aws.amazon.com

Ratings Across the Web

4.4 (156 reviews)

AWS API Gateway holds an aggregate rating of 4.4 out of 5 from 156 reviews across G2 and Capterra, last checked September 17, 2026.

G2 142 reviews
4.3/5
Capterra 14 reviews
4.7/5

Ratings aggregated from independent review platforms. Learn more

Key Features

  • REST, HTTP, and WebSocket API support
  • Automatic scaling to handle any traffic volume
  • Built-in authorization via IAM, Cognito, OAuth2, and Lambda
  • Traffic management with rate limiting and throttling
  • API versioning with multi-version deployment
  • CloudWatch monitoring dashboard
  • Edge-optimized deployment via CloudFront
  • API Portal for discovery and documentation
  • Request/response transformation
  • Pay-per-request pricing with no minimum fees

Pricing Plans

Pricing checked Sep 30, 2026. Source: aws.amazon.com/api-gateway/pricing, read Sep 30, 2026

AWS API Gateway plans and prices, checked September 2026
Plan Price Details
HTTP APIs (US East example)

$1.00 / million

  • $1.00 per million requests for the first 300 million
  • Then $0.90 per million (official example)
  • Plus data transfer out
REST APIs (US East example)

$3.50 / million

  • $3.50 per million requests in the official US East examples
  • Plus $0.09/GB data transfer out
  • Private APIs: no data-out fee, PrivateLink still bills
WebSocket APIs

$1.00 / million messages

  • $1.00 per million messages
  • $0.25 per million connection minutes
  • Messages metered in 32 KB increments
Free Tier

$0

  • 1M REST + 1M HTTP calls/month
  • 1M WebSocket messages + 750,000 connection minutes
  • First 12 months for new AWS accounts
View full pricing

Is AWS API Gateway worth the price?

Good value

API Gateway is usage-priced.

Official AWS page: new accounts get 1 million REST and 1 million HTTP calls a month for 12 months. Worked US East examples use $1.00 per million HTTP requests and $3.50 per million REST requests, plus $0.09/GB out.

WebSocket is $1.00 per million messages and $0.25 per million connection minutes.

Hidden Costs & Gotchas

REST caching is hourly by cache size (example

1.6 GB at $0.038/hr).

Private APIs avoid API Gateway data-out but pay PrivateLink (example $0.01/AZ-hour + $0.01/GB).

Free Tier limit

new AWS accounts get 1 million REST and 1 million HTTP API calls a month for up to 12 months after sign-up. After that, or once usage passes the tier, you pay standard API Gateway rates.

Full AWS API Gateway pricing: every plan, hidden costs and alternatives

Email me when AWS API Gateway changes its price

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AWS API Gateway by the numbers

AWS API Gateway compared with 54 Serverless tools on Toolradar, as of Nov 2026
Metric AWS API Gateway Peer median Position (1 is best)
Free plan Yes 85% have one n/a
Listed as an alternative to 7 tools 2 #17 of 54
User rating 4.4/5 (across the web, 156 ratings) 4.5/5 #12 of 21 (joint) tools with 20+ reviews

Listed as an alternative to: #17 on 2026-10-16 to #17 on 2026-11-02 (rank among 54 tools, 1 is best).

Each position is counted among the tools that have data for that row, as noted under it. All Serverless data · How we compute this. Advertising and placement fees are not inputs to any position.

Cite this: Toolradar, “AWS API Gateway by the numbers”, Nov 2026.

Reviews

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4.4/5

Across 156 verified user reviews on G2, Capterra

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Best AWS API Gateway Alternatives

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Still deciding?

Most buyers shortlist 2 or 3 tools before committing. Pull a side-by-side comparison or browse the full alternatives shortlist below.

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AWS API Gateway FAQ

How does AWS API Gateway support real-time applications?

AWS API Gateway supports real-time applications through its WebSocket APIs, which enable bidirectional communication. This functionality is suitable for use cases like chat applications or streaming data. WebSocket APIs handle the persistent connections required for real-time interactions.

Which teams benefit most from using AWS API Gateway?

Teams that are already invested in the AWS ecosystem and require scalable, secure API management will find AWS API Gateway most beneficial. It is particularly well-suited for development teams building serverless applications due to its native integration with AWS Lambda and other services. Operations teams also benefit from the managed nature, reducing infrastructure overhead.

How does AWS API Gateway compare to Apache APISIX?

AWS API Gateway is a fully managed service within the AWS ecosystem, offering native integrations with other AWS services. Apache APISIX is an open-source API gateway that provides flexibility but requires self-management of its infrastructure. AWS API Gateway handles the underlying infrastructure, whereas Apache APISIX users are responsible for deployment and maintenance.

What are the primary limitations of AWS API Gateway?

A primary limitation of AWS API Gateway is its potential for vendor lock-in to the AWS ecosystem, which might not suit multi-cloud strategies. It also has a 29-second timeout limit on API calls and can introduce cold start latency when integrated with AWS Lambda. Additionally, the pricing structure can be complex, varying significantly between REST, HTTP, and WebSocket APIs.

How is AWS API Gateway priced?

AWS API Gateway is available on a free tier that includes 1 million API calls per month for 12 months. Beyond the free tier, pricing is usage-based, with costs varying depending on the type of API (REST, HTTP, or WebSocket) and the volume of requests. HTTP APIs offer cost savings for simpler serverless workloads compared to REST APIs.

Can AWS API Gateway integrate with other AWS services?

Yes, AWS API Gateway offers native integration with a variety of other AWS services. This includes seamless connections with AWS Lambda for serverless function execution and Amazon DynamoDB for database interactions. These integrations simplify the process of building and deploying robust API-driven applications within the AWS cloud.

Does AWS API Gateway provide security features for APIs?

Yes, AWS API Gateway provides robust security features for APIs, including built-in authorization and throttling capabilities. It offers granular access control through multiple authentication methods to secure API endpoints. This helps in protecting APIs from unauthorized access and managing traffic effectively.

Source: aws.amazon.com

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