Apollo GraphQL vs Directus Pricing (2026)
How do these two stack up on price? Here's what each one costs, what you get, and where the value sits.
| Apollo GraphQL | Directus | |
|---|---|---|
| Starts at | $5/mo | $599/mo |
| Number of plans | 4 | 3 |
| Free plan | ||
| Free trial | — | — |
| Pricing model | usage-based | hybrid |
Free
- GraphOS - Apollo's complete API management platform
- Supports any GraphQL API
- Self-hosted GraphOS Router (limited to 60 requests per minute)
- Built-in support for GraphQL Federation, Connectors, Response Caching, Federated Subscriptions, and more.
Developer
- GraphOS - Apollo's complete API management platform
- Supports any GraphQL API
- Self-hosted GraphOS Router
- Built-in support for GraphQL Federation, Connectors, Response Caching, Federated Subscriptions, and more.
Standard
- GraphOS - Apollo's complete API management platform
- Supports any GraphQL API
- Self-hosted GraphOS Router
- Built-in support for GraphQL Federation, Connectors, Response Caching, Federated Subscriptions, and more.
- Schema Proposals - Collaboration and approval workflows
- Single sign-on (SSO)
Enterprise
- GraphOS - Apollo's complete API management platform
- Supports any GraphQL API
- Self-hosted GraphOS Router
- Built-in support for GraphQL Federation, Connectors, Response Caching, Federated Subscriptions, and more.
- Schema Proposals - Collaboration and approval workflows
- Single sign-on (SSO)
- Audit logging
- Custom MSA
- (Add-on) Premium Support Packages
- (Add-on) Professional Services Packages
Core
- 3 user seats
- 25 Collections
- 5 Flows
- AI Assistant
- Advanced RBAC
- Community Support
- Cloud Hosted
- Add-On
Team
Popular- 10 SSO seats
- 50 Collections
- 20 Flows
- Granular RBAC
- Basic Support
- Add-On
- Cloud Hosted
- Add-On
Enterprise
- Custom SSO seats
- Custom Collections
- Unlimited Flows
- SSO (SAML / OIDC)
- Custom LLM
- Offline Mode
- AI Translations
- Telemetry Opt-out
- Basic Support
- Premium Support
- Add-On
- Cloud Hosted
- Add-On
Apollo GraphQL vs Directus FAQ
- Which one is cheaper?
- Apollo GraphQL starts lower at $5/mo, compared to $599/mo for Directus.
- Can I use either one for free?
- Both offer free plans, so you can try each without paying. Start with whichever fits your workflow better and upgrade when you hit the limits.
- How do they charge?
- Different approach here. Apollo GraphQL uses usage-based pricing, while Directus goes with hybrid. That changes the math depending on your team size and usage.
- Which one is a better deal?
- Depends on what you need. Apollo GraphQL: They're positioned as the accessible entry point into GraphQL federation tooling — $5/mo to start is nearly frictionless compared to enterprise API management suites that require sales calls from day one. The custom-priced tiers exist to compete for platform-level deals against players like Postman or enterprise API gateways once volume and compliance needs escalate. Directus: A flat $599/mo (or $499 annual) puts them in an odd spot — way pricier than typical per-seat headless CMS tools for small teams, but potentially cheaper than competitors once you have more than a handful of users since there's no seat tax. They're clearly courting mid-size and larger teams who'd otherwise blow past per-seat pricing elsewhere, while still keeping hobbyists and OSS purists happy with a genuinely free self-hosted tier.
Still deciding? See the best Apollo GraphQL alternatives or the best Directus alternatives, ranked with verified pricing.
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