Six of the nine API vendors on this page now sell an AI or MCP gateway alongside their API products. That tells you where the category has moved: if you're leaving an API hub, you're usually after a gateway, a management platform or a tool that builds and monitors APIs, not another catalogue to list them in.
RapidAPI's own site now opens on a page titled API Hub, which it describes as a place to explore your APIs. Developers and technical founders who outgrow that tend to need something more hands-on: a way to publish an API, put security in front of it and see who's calling it. The nine tools below, in no particular order, do some or all of that.
Nine API tools at a glance
Here's the whole set in one view, with the kind of tool each one is and the job it's aimed at.
| Tool | Kind of tool | Built for |
|---|---|---|
| Apache APISIX | Open-source API gateway | Routing APIs, microservices and LLM traffic |
| DreamFactory | Database API generator | Turning a database into REST APIs |
| Gravitee | API and agent management | Managing APIs, events and agents together |
| Kong | API and AI gateway | Separate API, AI and event gateways |
| KrakenD | Open-source API gateway | Self-run gateway with a free edition |
| Postman | API development platform | Designing, testing and documenting APIs |
| Tyk | API management platform | Choosing self-managed, hybrid or cloud |
| Unkey | API platform | Deploying APIs and tracking usage |
| Zuplo | Programmable API gateway | Governing API, LLM and MCP calls in code |
Why another catalogue rarely replaces a hub
If you used the old hub to discover or list APIs, the natural reflex is to look for another directory. That's rarely what people need when they move. The vendors here pitch gateways, management and monitoring for API and AI traffic, and Zuplo, Kong, Tyk, Gravitee, KrakenD and the Apache gateway project all now sell AI or MCP gateways.
So the first thing to test isn't how your API looks in a listing. It's whether the tool can sit in front of your API and handle the traffic you expect next, including calls from AI agents and language models. Ask each vendor to show you one real route, with authentication, rate rules and logging switched on, before you look at anything else.
Gateways, management suites and API builders
The nine fall into three jobs, and most teams only need one of them to start. Gateways sit in front of your API and decide what gets through. Apache APISIX is the open-source example run as a foundation project, and a few of the others offer an open-source or free self-run edition alongside a commercial one.
Management platforms take a wider view. They add a developer portal, governance and policy across many APIs, and several now treat AI agents and event streams as things to manage in the same place. If you run a handful of APIs used by outside developers, this is usually the group you're shopping in.
The third group builds and tracks APIs rather than only guarding them. DreamFactory generates REST APIs from a database. Unkey covers deploying an API and tracking usage from one place. Postman sits closer to the design and testing end, which makes it a useful companion to a gateway rather than a replacement for one.
Self-run, hybrid or fully managed
The other split that matters is where the gateway runs. Some vendors on this page describe self-managed, hybrid and fully managed cloud options. Others lead with an open-source edition you run yourself. A small team with no one on call will usually be happier with a managed option, while a team that already runs its own infrastructure may prefer an open-source gateway it can host next to everything else.
Neither is better in general. It comes down to who gets woken up when a route fails, and whether your data has to stay on your own servers. Settle that before the demos, because it rules some of these out straight away.
Nine gateway and API tools, A to Z
In no particular order beyond the alphabet. Each line sticks to what the maker says about its own product, with their claims marked as theirs.
Apache APISIX
Best for: An open-source API and AI gateway run as an Apache Software Foundation top-level project, with dynamic routing for APIs, microservices and LLM workloads.
DreamFactory
Best for: Teams who want REST APIs generated from a database rather than hand-coded, with gateway features and an MCP server included.
Gravitee
Best for: Managing APIs, event streams and AI agents together; vendor claim: one control plane for every agent, API and event stream.
Kong
Best for: Connecting services and agents through separate API, AI and event gateway products, with API management alongside them.
KrakenD
Best for: Running your own gateway from a free Community Edition, with an enterprise edition and AI routing; vendor claim: a high-performance open source API gateway.
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Postman
Best for: Designing, testing, documenting and managing APIs, with an MCP server so AI agents can work with them.
Tyk
Best for: API management across a gateway, developer portal and AI governance, deployed self-managed, hybrid or fully managed in the cloud.
Unkey
Best for: Developers deploying APIs, routing traffic through gateways and tracking usage in one place; vendor claim: one control plane for access and traffic.
Zuplo
Best for: Securing, governing and observing API, LLM and MCP calls from a programmable gateway; vendor claim: live in minutes.
Push one endpoint through two of them
Pick a single endpoint you already run, one with authentication and at least one outside caller. Choose two tools from the job group that matches your need and put the same endpoint behind each. Switch on authentication, a rate rule and request logging, then call it from a script and from an AI assistant if agents are part of your plans. Look at what each tool shows you afterwards: who called, what failed and why. The one that makes a failed call easy to explain is the one your team will still like after the first incident.
For founders putting an API in front of customers
Start small. Put one gateway in front of one API, get logging and keys working, and only then think about a developer portal or wider governance. Most early API products need control and visibility long before they need a full management suite. If you also need a tool for building and checking requests, my look at API client and platform options covers that side, and there's a wider list of API gateways if you want more to compare.
Do you make API gateways or API management tools? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
Want your tool on this list? Featured spots and reviews here are paid partnerships. Here's how to partner with me.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a direct like-for-like replacement for an API hub?
Not among these nine. They focus on publishing, securing and monitoring APIs rather than listing them, so decide which of those jobs you need before you compare anything.
What's the difference between an API gateway and API management?
A gateway sits in front of your API and controls traffic. Management adds the wider layer: a developer portal, governance and policies across many APIs.
What is an AI or MCP gateway?
It's a gateway built to handle calls from AI agents and language models as well as ordinary API traffic. Several vendors here now sell one alongside their main gateway.
Can I run a gateway on my own servers?
Yes, several tools here offer open-source or self-managed editions. Check each vendor's own site for which edition includes the features you need.
Do I need a developer portal on day one?
Usually not. Get one API working behind a gateway with keys and logging first, then add a portal when outside developers start asking for docs and access.
How should I trial these without risking live traffic?
Put a copy of one real endpoint behind each tool and call it from a script. Keep live traffic on your current setup until one tool has handled a failure cleanly.
