Prisma vs Apollo GraphQL Pricing (2026)
How do these two stack up on price? Here's what each one costs, what you get, and where the value sits.
| Prisma | Apollo GraphQL | |
|---|---|---|
| Starts at | $10/mo | $5/mo |
| Number of plans | 4 | 4 |
| Free plan | ||
| Free trial | — | — |
| Pricing model | usage-based | usage-based |
Free
- 100,000 operations* included
- 500 MB storage
- 50 databases
- No credit card required
Starter
- 1,000,000 operations* included, then $0.0080 per 1,000
- 10 GB storage included then $2.00 per GB
- 1,000 databases included
- Includes spend limits
- Daily backups stored for 7 days
Pro
Popular- 10,000,000 operations* included, then $0.0020 per 1,000
- 50 GB storage included then $1.50 per GB
- 1,000 databases included
- Includes spend limits
- Daily backups stored for 7 days
Business
- 50,000,000 operations* included, then $0.0010 per 1,000
- 100 GB storage included then $1.00 per GB
- 1,000 databases included
- Includes spend limits
- Daily backups stored for 30 days
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
Prisma vs Apollo GraphQL FAQ
- Which one is cheaper?
- Apollo GraphQL is the cheaper option, starting at $5/mo vs $10/mo for Prisma.
- 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?
- Both use a usage-based model, so the comparison is straightforward — it comes down to features and limits at each price point.
- Which one is a better deal?
- Depends on what you need. Prisma: With a real free tier and entry pricing at $10, Prisma undercuts most managed Postgres competitors that start pricing conversations at $25-50/mo minimum — they're clearly hunting indie devs and small teams who'll grow into heavier usage later. The jump to $129 for Business still reads mid-market rather than enterprise-first, leaving the high end to custom contracts. 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.
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