Azure APIM is powerful but locks you into Microsoft's ecosystem with complex pricing. G8KEPR gives you The AI Security Layer with freedom, simplicity, and modern AI capabilities Azure lacks.
$199/mo vs $750+/mo
No $200/mo addon needed
Not locked to Azure
See why teams choose G8KEPR over Azure APIM
Cost Savings
$199/mo vs $750/mo
WAF Addon
Included vs $200+/mo
Setup Time
vs 30-60 minutes
Multi-Cloud
Not just Azure
Azure-only vs Deploy Anywhere
Powerful but locked to Azure
Standard tier (5M calls/mo)
Plus you're locked to Azure forever
Deploy anywhere you want
4x cheaper • Deploy anywhere
Everything Azure does + built-in WAF
Secure AI agents (Azure has nothing)
All providers • Not just Azure OpenAI
30+ pre-built plugins
$9,012 saved per year
Plus no vendor lock-in!
Azure APIM chains you to Azure forever. G8KEPR lets you deploy on any cloud or on-premise, plus adds AI security Azure doesn't have.
| Feature | G8KEPR | Azure APIM | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $199/month | $750/month (5M calls) | |
| Setup Fees | $0 | $0 | Tie |
| Free Trial | 14 days, full access | Azure credit required | |
| Per-Call Pricing | Unlimited (Growth) | $0.015 per 10K calls | |
| Community Edition | Free forever | Not available |
| Feature | G8KEPR | Azure APIM | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| SQL Injection Detection | 40+ patterns, real-time | WAF addon ($200+/mo) | |
| XSS Protection | Built-in, 15+ patterns | WAF addon required | |
| Business Logic Attacks | ML-based detection | Not available | |
| Rate Limiting | Advanced, Redis-backed | Basic throttling | |
| Circuit Breakers | 69 endpoints | Not available | |
| mTLS Support | Enterprise tier | Available | Tie |
| Feature | G8KEPR | Azure APIM | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Query Depth Limiting | Advanced (35 endpoints) | Not available | |
| Query Complexity | Cost-based analysis | Not available | |
| Persisted Queries | Full support | Not available | |
| Field Permissions | Granular control | Not available |
| Feature | G8KEPR | Azure APIM | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setup Time | 5 minutes | 30-60 minutes | |
| Plugin System | 157 endpoints, marketplace | Limited policies | |
| Self-Hosted Option | Free, Docker/K8s | Not available | |
| Multi-Cloud | Any cloud | Azure only | |
| API Import | OpenAPI, GraphQL | OpenAPI |
| Feature | G8KEPR | Azure APIM | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real-time Dashboard | 52 endpoints included | Basic metrics | |
| Custom Alerts | Webhooks, Slack, email | Azure Monitor integration | Tie |
| Performance Tracing | OpenTelemetry | Application Insights ($$$) | |
| Audit Logs | Hash-chained, tamper-proof | Standard logs |
| Feature | G8KEPR | Azure APIM | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Email Support | 48hr SLA (Starter) | Ticket only | |
| Priority Support | 24hr SLA (Growth) | Paid support plans | |
| Dedicated Engineer | $1,499/mo (Enterprise) | Premier support ($$$) | |
| Documentation | 380+ guides | Microsoft Learn | Tie |
Azure APIM has no AI agent security or modern AI capabilities. G8KEPR is The AI Security Layer.
| Feature | G8KEPR | Azure APIM |
|---|---|---|
| MCP Security (AI Agents) | Yes | ✗ No |
| AI Gateway for LLMs | Yes | Azure OpenAI only |
| Prompt Injection Detection | Built-in | ✗ No |
| Tool Call Monitoring | Real-time | ✗ No |
| LLM Cost Tracking | Per-request | ✗ No |
| Multi-Provider LLM Routing | OpenAI, Anthropic, + | Azure OpenAI only |
Secure AI agents that use Model Context Protocol (MCP) to access tools, databases, and APIs. G8KEPR monitors tool calls, detects prompt injection, and prevents data exfiltration.
Route LLM calls across multiple providers (OpenAI, Anthropic, Azure OpenAI). Track costs per request, monitor token usage, and implement intelligent fallbacks.
Bottom line: Azure APIM locks you into Azure and lacks modern AI capabilities. G8KEPR works on any cloud and gives you traditional API management PLUS AI security and LLM routing—all in one platform.
Transparent vs Complex
Simple pricing. Threat detection included. Works on any cloud.
+ WAF addon: $200+/mo. Azure-only. Complex tiering.
Bottom line: G8KEPR includes WAF, GraphQL security, and advanced threat detection at 4x lower cost. Plus you can deploy anywhere—not just Azure.
Real problems with Azure that G8KEPR solves
Azure APIM requires a $200+/mo WAF addon for SQL injection and XSS protection.
40+ threat patterns included at no extra cost. SQL injection, XSS, and OWASP protection built-in.
Azure APIM only works on Azure. Moving to AWS or GCP means rebuilding everything.
Deploy on any cloud (AWS, GCP, Azure, DigitalOcean) or self-host. True multi-cloud freedom.
Azure APIM has no GraphQL query depth limiting, complexity scoring, or field permissions.
35 GraphQL security features: query depth, complexity scoring, persisted queries, field permissions.
Deploy on AWS, GCP, DigitalOcean, or your own servers. Your choice.
14-day free trial • No credit card required • Multi-cloud ready