Apollo GraphOS vs Grafbase
SEPT 2026 auditA comparison of Apollo GraphOS and Grafbase built from values read directly from each provider's own documentation, with the source recorded against every figure.
The short answer
Choose Apollo GraphOS if…
A federated graph whose traffic is spiky or unknown, where a $0 plan base and $5 per million requests means the bill tracks usage instead of a tier — and where metering subscription update events separately is a feature rather than a surprise.
Editorial · Palash Bagchi · approved
Choose Grafbase if…
Running the whole platform yourself. The gateway is open source under what Grafbase describes as no feature gating, it is written in Rust, and the enterprise tier is explicitly fully self-hostable rather than a managed service you rent.
Editorial · Palash Bagchi · approved
Consider something else if…
- Apollo GraphOS: You want a fixed number to budget. Apollo's price moves with every query and mutation whichever runtime processes them, and subscription events are counted on top; a flat plan at a higher headline figure can cost less and is easier to forecast.
- Grafbase: You need to know the cost before talking to anyone. Grafbase publishes the open-source edition and an Enterprise tier marked Custom pricing, with no figure between them — its 99.99% SLA, 24/7 support and Slack channel all sit behind Contact Sales.
3 sourced criteria separate them — see where, with sources, below.
Pick the criteria you care about. The chart counts how many of them lean toward each provider — the same read as scanning the bars below, just totalled for the ones you chose.
Apollo GraphOS 0
Grafbase 0
At a glance.
| Criterion | Apollo GraphOS | Grafbase |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | ||
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| What the free plan includes | A self-hosted router rate-limited to 60 requests per minute, up to 3 developers, one day of retention for checks and insights, and community support. Federation, connectors, response caching and federated subscriptions are all included at this tier. | The full Rust gateway under an open-source licence, with what Grafbase calls no feature gating, and community support. A 60-day trial of the commercial platform is offered separately, with no card required. |
| Entry paid plan | Developer starts at $5 per million requests, billed monthly, with a $0 plan base price and automatic volume discounts — a per-request rate rather than a plan fee, so no magnitude is recorded. New signups get $50 of usage credit and a card is required. | Not published. The pricing page offers the free open-source edition or an Enterprise tier marked Custom pricing with a Contact Sales button, and names no figure between the two. |
| Pricing model | Per request, with a $0 plan base. Every query and mutation counts as a standard operation whichever runtime processes it, and subscription update events are metered independently on top. | Two options and no ladder: run the open-source gateway for nothing, or contact sales for an enterprise contract. The page's own headline says pricing scales with usage, but no rate is given. |
| Observability | ||
| Self-hostable | Supported | Supported |
Where they differ.
What the free plan includes
- Apollo GraphOS
- A self-hosted router rate-limited to 60 requests per minute, up to 3 developers, one day of retention for checks and insights, and community support. Federation, connectors, response caching and federated subscriptions are all included at this tier.
- Grafbase
- The full Rust gateway under an open-source licence, with what Grafbase calls no feature gating, and community support. A 60-day trial of the commercial platform is offered separately, with no card required.
Sources (2) →Sources ↓
- Apollo Pricing and Plans ↗
“Self-hosted GraphOS Router (limited to 60 requests per minute) Built-in support for GraphQL Federation, Connectors, Response Caching, Federated Subscriptions, and more. [...] Developers Up to 3 Data retention for checks and insights 1 day Support Community Support”
Read 2026-09-15 · official pricing
- Grafbase Pricing ↗
“Try for free for 60 days, no credit card required. [...] Open Source Free High performance Rust gateway Open-source license No feature gating Community support”
Read 2026-09-15 · official pricing
Entry paid plan
- Apollo GraphOS
- Developer starts at $5 per million requests, billed monthly, with a $0 plan base price and automatic volume discounts — a per-request rate rather than a plan fee, so no magnitude is recorded. New signups get $50 of usage credit and a card is required.
- Grafbase
- Not published. The pricing page offers the free open-source edition or an Enterprise tier marked Custom pricing with a Contact Sales button, and names no figure between the two.
Sources (2) →Sources ↓
- Apollo Pricing and Plans ↗
“Developer For small teams operating a production GraphQL API. Starting at $5 per million requests Billed monthly. Automatic volume discounts as your usage scales. Start for free $50 in usage credit when you sign up Credit card required.”
Read 2026-09-15 · official pricing
- Grafbase Pricing ↗
“Open Source Free High performance Rust gateway Open-source license No feature gating Community support Try it for free Enterprise Custom pricing Fully self-hostable Roadmap influence Dedicated customer success team Slack Connect channel 24/7/365 enterprise support Up to 99.99% SLA Contact Sales”
Read 2026-09-15 · official pricing
Pricing model
- Apollo GraphOS
- Per request, with a $0 plan base. Every query and mutation counts as a standard operation whichever runtime processes it, and subscription update events are metered independently on top.
- Grafbase
- Two options and no ladder: run the open-source gateway for nothing, or contact sales for an enterprise contract. The page's own headline says pricing scales with usage, but no rate is given.
Sources (2) →Sources ↓
- Apollo Pricing and Plans ↗
“Plan base price $0 Standard GraphQL requests All Query and Mutation GraphQL operations are counted as standard operations, whether they are processed through GraphOS Router, Apollo Server, Apollo Gateway, or another runtime.”
Read 2026-09-15 · official pricing
- Grafbase Pricing ↗
“Predictable pricing that scales with usage Try for free for 60 days, no credit card required. Take control with a self-hosted GraphQL platform tailored for enterprise-grade scalability and security.”
Read 2026-09-15 · official pricing
When these numbers change, hear about it. Sources are re-checked monthly; a repricing goes out as a short note.
Documented by only one.
These criteria are published by one provider and not the other. An absence here means we have not found a source, not that the feature is missing.
Questions this comparison answers.
Entry paid plan: Apollo GraphOS or Grafbase?
Apollo GraphOS: Developer starts at $5 per million requests, billed monthly, with a $0 plan base price and automatic volume discounts — a per-request rate rather than a plan fee, so no magnitude is recorded. New signups get $50 of usage credit and a card is required.
Grafbase: Not published. The pricing page offers the free open-source edition or an Enterprise tier marked Custom pricing with a Contact Sales button, and names no figure between the two.
Should I choose Apollo GraphOS or Grafbase?
Pick Apollo GraphOS if A federated graph whose traffic is spiky or unknown, where a $0 plan base and $5 per million requests means the bill tracks usage instead of a tier — and where metering subscription update events separately is a feature rather than a surprise.
Pick Grafbase if Running the whole platform yourself. The gateway is open source under what Grafbase describes as no feature gating, it is written in Rust, and the enterprise tier is explicitly fully self-hostable rather than a managed service you rent.