Louis-Victor Jadavji, Cofounder of Taloflow

Louis-Victor Jadavji (or "LV") is a recognized leader in the cloud services industry. He's helped 50+ digital native companies like ModusBox, Later, and NS1 choose the right cloud stack for their applications. His work has been featured in Forbes (30 Under 30 All-Star), HuffPost, The New York Times, The Globe and Mail, and Inc. Magazine.

What does MuleSoft do?

MuleSoft offers a suite of products that meet specific enterprise needs, including:

  • API management with MuleSoft Anypoint API Management
  • Integration with MuleSoft Anypoint Platform
  • No-code development with MuleSoft Composer

Here's a quick download on what MuleSoft does:

  • MuleSoft Anypoint works with the Mule Enterprise Service Bus and Event-driven Architecture (EDA).
  • MuleSoft uses APIs to connect applications, data, and devices, allowing associations to change and improve quickly.
  • MuleSoft Anypoint can accept requests tailored to your required data structure.
  • If you're working with Big Data, MulesSoft can help you solve problems like managing multiple data sets, productivity, expanding agility, and gaining real-time insights from your data.
  • MuleSoft integrates data from various sources, irrespective of their framework or business focus, thanks to its intuitive design and flexibility.
  • MuleSoft has many predefined APIs for a wide range of applications and systems. As a result, you gain advanced interaction with the legacy system.
  • All cloud systems have a transitional API called the System API, which modern system languages can understand and use to exchange data.

Advantages of the MuleSoft Anypoint Platform

Accelerated Delivery

MuleSoft has pre-built resources and connectors to get started quickly and speed up API development. API reusability will also increase productivity over time and promote future project success.

Resilient Operations

MuleSoft's Anypoint Platform provides virtualization and analytics (e.g., geography graphs and runtime execution metrics) for making informed decisions.

Future-proof Foundation

The platform adapts to change well with a sophisticated plug-and-play architectural foundation. It allows you to change requirements without needing to rebuild some APIs or integrations.

Automated Security

At several stages of the API lifecycle, MuleSoft can help you conform to security and logging standards by implementing the same safety policies for all APIs. As a result, API owners can quickly design, build, and deploy secure APIs.

Disadvantages of MuleSoft Anypoint Platform

  • Setting up agents and firewall authorizations is challenging, as it is with any system. Without networking staff, your designers may run into SSL and credential roadblocks.
  • You should expect a steep learning curve to build competency with MuleSoft. MuleSoft offers self-paced, instructor-led, and certification options through their training site
  • MuleSoft is pricey when compared to Red Hat and others.
  • MuleSoft fails as a processing layer due to its three-layered architecture. Also, the middle process API layers can overcomplicate things.
  • The Terms of Service have become challenging to manage, pressuring many to seek MuleSoft alternatives.
  • MuleSoft needs better documentation (and also hard to find!) and support for some B2B formats like EDI, VAN, RosettaNet, etc.
  • Smart data management and intelligent mappings are not available. As a result, leveraging AI and ML becomes a problem inside MuleSoft Anypoint, causing integration challenges.

How should you pick an Enterprise Integration Platform?

There must be effective communication between the applications, systems, and databases that support an organization's critical business processes. To enable the smooth flow of data and transactions between the cloud and on-premises apps, you can leverage an Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS) like MuleSoft.

Many integration platforms are available today, each with its advantages and disadvantages. 

Capabilities

A prospective iPaaS solution should have the following features and capabilities out of the box:

  • Custom and pre-built connectors
  • Processing of large amounts of data
  • The mapping of data
  • Tools for reporting and dashboards

Before choosing an iPaaS platform, list your integration objectives and the features needed. Consider things like which connectors you'll need for your existing technology stack.

Security

To keep a close watch on your data, you'll want a solution that includes features like intrusion alerts and reporting tools. In addition, your platform should adhere to industry standards, including SOC 2, GDPR, CCPA, FERPA, and HIPAA, among other important security considerations.

Scalability

You shouldn't have to sacrifice performance because of integrating new applications or running usual processes handling added data and customers.

The iPaaS you select for your small business should be the iPaaS you intend to keep as your business expands. Therefore consider growth in the initial decision process. This recommendation is because it is generally challenging to migrate away from an iPaaS. Therefore, choosing wisely once is preferable. 

Usability

An iPaaS system must be simple to use and comprehend. Some platforms, for example, have drag-and-drop user interfaces that make projects more manageable. It's also crucial to look for pre-built connections and templates that get you up and running quickly.

Pricing

Your pricing requirements are largely affected by the size of your company. You'll want to go with a solution that gives you a good return on investment while providing you with the techniques you need to succeed.

We recommend going with a platform that charges a monthly fee based on either or a combination of the following:

  • Size of your company
  • Revenue
  • Distribution of your architecture
  • Number and complexity of integrations

MuleSoft Alternatives by Use Case

MuleSoft's one-stop shop for iPaaS, API development, and API lifecycle management. However, when it comes to supporting different use cases, other alternatives might be better than MuleSoft. To summarize:

  • Informatica is better than MuleSoft for migrating data into a data warehouse because of its data hubs and data integration specialization.
  • Boomi and Jitterbit are better at handling the B2B integrations that require EDI-based file transfers. They have many adapters for communication protocols like AS2, SFTP, etc.
  • Google's Apigee is better for creating externally-facing API products and has a customizable API developer portal.
  • IBM and TIBCO are better options for building with an event-driven architecture, which includes publishing and subscribing to different patterns and building interoperability between event streams.
  • If you need API management and iPaaS within the same vendor’s product suite, your only real alternatives are AWS, Azure, TIBCO, Boomi, SoftwareAG, SAP, and IBM.

MuleSoft Competitors in iPaaS

Boomi

Boomi's low-code cloud-native platform is reasonably priced and reduces integration times from months to mere days, depending on the complexity involved. It is primarily effective for EDI-based integrations.

Advantages Compared With MuleSoft

✅ Easier to use.

✅ Ability to copy integrations/processes.

✅ Better cloud-native architecture. 

✅ Full-stack security.

Disadvantages Compared With MuleSoft

🚫 It has the occasional "hanging" process wherein the system ceases to respond to inputs.

🚫 The filtering feature isn't that good.

🚫 Boomi’s ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) functionality fails the entire batch when there are transformation or data character set/formatting issues in the mapper. This is problematic when running each record separately, especially in medium to larger record count scenarios.

Want to learn more? View the full Boomi vs. MuleSoft comparison

IBM Cloud Pak for Integration

IBM provides multiple services under IBM Cloud Pak for Integration, including IBM App Connect, IBM API Connect, IBM DataPower Gateway, IBM MQ, IBM Event Stream, and IBM Aspera.

Advantages Compared With MuleSoft

✅ Better for B2B integrations with EDI files.

✅ Better file and document processing.

Disadvantages Compared With MuleSoft

🚫 Fragmentation in its product offering compared to MuleSoft’s homogeneity.

Workato

Workato helps you integrate applications and automate workflows so you can get real-time results from business events, all while maintaining good security and governance. For iPaaS, Workato provides Workato Enterprise Suite, Workato OEM, and Workbot. It has a bevy of low-code integration tools aimed at the smaller enterprise segment, whereas the Workato Enterprise Suite is suitable for larger enterprises.

Advantages Compared With MuleSoft

✅ It meets most data security and governance standards.

✅ It’s very collaborative.

✅ It’s easy to configure workflows.

Disadvantages Compared With MuleSoft

🚫 Not as good as MuleSoft when working with APIs.

🚫 Workato does not provide good caching for large data sets.

🚫 For smaller businesses, the cost is prohibitive.

Want to learn more? View the full Workato vs. MuleSoft comparison

Azure Integration Services

Azure Integration Services is a combination of point solutions on Azure comprised of Azure Logic Apps, Azure API Management, Azure Service Bus, Azure Event Grid, and Azure Data Factory. Combined, these offerings help with workflow creation, mass event ingestion, connecting data pipelines, and creating pub-sub services.

Advantages Compared With MuleSoft

✅ Data pipeline for doing ETL with the help of Azure Data Factory.

✅ Better for working with tools in the Microsoft ecosystem.

Disadvantages Compared With MuleSoft

🚫 Not as good integration flow operations and integration maintenance.

Want to learn more? View the full Azure Integration Services vs. MuleSoft comparison

Talend Data Fabric

Talend Data Fabric combines data integration, integrity, and governance in a unified platform for better data management. Its product portfolio includes Cloud Data Integration, Cloud Data Management, Cloud Data Loader, Cloud Real-Time Big Data Integration, Cloud Data Catalog, and Cloud API services (which also have ESB and EDI support).

Advantages Compared With MuleSoft

✅ ETL pipelines and big data tools.

✅ In-memory repositories for higher throughput.

Disadvantages Compared With MuleSoft

🚫 Not as good at integrating legacy applications.

🚫 No support for B2B formats like ANSI X.12, EDIFICE, EDIFACT, and RosettaNet.

Want to learn more? View the full Talend vs. MuleSoft comparison

SAP Integration Suite

SAP Integration Suite has full business integration capabilities along with event broker support, RPA and MDM-related features. SAP also has an API business hub that hosts plenty of reusable integration templates and integration content for specific business processes.

Advantages Compared With MuleSoft

✅ Better for integrating with the rest of the SAP ecosystem.

Disadvantages Compared With MuleSoft

🚫 A dependency (PI/PO) for on-premise integrations.

🚫 Not as good for data integration.

Want to learn more? View the full SAP Integration Suite vs. MuleSoft comparison

TIBCO Cloud Integration

TIBCO Cloud Integration provides functionality for integrating applications, data, APIs, B2B/EDI partners, IoT partners, and automating processes.

Advantages Compared With MuleSoft

✅ It provides a diverse set of connectors, including Salesforce connectors, Microsoft GP connectors, and others.

✅ Better for building ETL pipelines.

Disadvantages Compared With MuleSoft

🚫 Not as good as MuleSoft when working with APIs.

🚫 Not as good at handling files with FTP protocols.

Want to learn more? View the full TIBCO Cloud Integration vs. MuleSoft comparison

Application Integration on AWS

AWS’s integration suite enables the communication between decoupled components within microservices, distributed systems, and serverless applications. It includes Amazon API Gateway, AWS AppSync, Amazon EventBridge, Amazon SNS, Amazon SQS, Amazon MQ, Amazon AppFlow, AWS Step Functions, and Amazon Managed Workflows for Apache Airflow (MWAA).

Advantages Compared With MuleSoft

✅ The data catalog availability makes using the AWS services very easy.

✅ The code generation feature makes creating jobs easy in any of the above services (e.g., Amazon MQ).

✅ The visual features in AWS Step Functions and Amazon AppFlow provide easy step monitoring without having to look at the monitoring logs.

Disadvantages Compared With MuleSoft

🚫 AWS’s integration offerings are scattered, making it difficult to get the big strategic picture.

🚫 AWS follows a code-based integration model which appeals primarily to developers but not non-IT contributors.

SnapLogic

Developers can use the SnapLogic connectors to maintain reusable templates or the extensive library of pre-built templates called “snaps.”

Advantages Compared With MuleSoft

✅ XML and JSON formats are simple to use.

✅ Ease of use on-premise and in the cloud.

Disadvantages Compared With MuleSoft

🚫 Due to an inbuilt cache, validation produces intermittent errors.

🚫 Debugging has a few drawbacks, such as error detection.

🚫 Trying to work with Postgres “snaps” is challenging.

Want to learn more? View the full SnapLogic vs. MuleSoft comparison

Cleo Integration Cloud

The Cleo platform enables you to onboard partners and build integrations with end-to-end “assimilation awareness” across EDI, non-EDI, and API integrations.

Advantages Compared With MuleSoft

✅ Quick onboarding and partner onboarding is also quick and relatively painless.

✅ For strategic accounts, you can monitor EDI transmissions, resubmit, and track invoice transmissions.

✅ Excellent customer support.

Disadvantages Compared With MuleSoft

🚫 It's difficult to see invoices that didn't make it through larger EDI transmissions.

🚫 It’s pricey compared to other B2B integration vendors.

🚫 It has restricted FTP commands. The change directory is not implemented on the FTP client.

Jitterbit

With Jitterbit, companies can connect SaaS, on-premises, and cloud applications using the Jitterbit API integration platform. It’s especially suitable for SMBs.

Advantages Compared With MuleSoft

✅ Jitterbit makes Salesforce integration relatively simple.

✅ Non-developers can use the point-and-click UI to map data, and there are many built-in transformation formulas to leverage.

✅ Responsive platform.

Disadvantages Compared With MuleSoft

🚫 Documentation is sometimes stale.

🚫 There is no single sign-on (SSO) for websites.

🚫 JavaScript is not yet been fully supported.

🚫 Jitterbit has poor automated system monitoring and alerting.

Want to learn more? View the full Jitterbit vs. MuleSoft comparison

Zapier

Zapier has a simple no-code UI for automating workflows across 4,000 web applications. It provides a simple trigger-to-action flow to create Zaps (i.e., automations) that are also easy to manage. Zapier is particularly popular for marketing and CRM-related use cases.

Advantages Compared With MuleSoft

✅ It's really simple to use.

✅ Support is both quick to respond and effective.

Disadvantages Compared With MulesSoft

🚫 Poorly executed recovery phase for failed tasks.

🚫 Pricing will get out of hand if you have many tasks to run.

Celigo

Celigo helps with integrating your cloud applications, synchronizing data, automating tasks, and streamlining operations.

Advantages Compared With MuleSoft

✅ It has a large number of pre-built connectors for quicker onboarding.

✅ It offers universal APIs for REST/JSON, XML, SOAP, HTTP/S, S/FTP, and additional data types.

✅ You can swiftly retry your data and manage errors when something goes wrong.

Disadvantages Compared With MuleSoft

🚫 Challenging when using EDI transactions.

🚫 At first, the learning curve can be quite steep.

🚫 Celigo lacks a pre-built connector to Microsoft's PowerBI Platform.

Software AG webMethods.io

Software AG webMethods.io is an integration & API platform that can be used on-premises, in the cloud, hybrid, or multi-cloud environments. It provides a combination of capabilities offered by ESBs, data integration systems, API management tools, and B2B gateways.

Advantages Compared With MuleSoft

✅ It’s very receptive to partner feedback to keep improving its platform and releases new features at a high clip.

✅ Its EDI data exchange is better suited for complex integrations.

Disadvantages Compared With MuleSoft

🚫 For SMBs, it's simply too expensive. It's better suited for large enterprises.

🚫 API management features are lacking.

🚫 It's not ideal for transferring large files.

UiPath Cloud Elements

UI Path Integration Service (formerly Cloud Elements) is an API integration platform that standardizes different endpoints and data models.

Advantages Compared With MuleSoft

✅ Lots of pre-built API integrations.

✅ You can make field mappings and transformations using virtual data resources.

✅ You can create and manage rich formula templates.

Disadvantages Compared With MuleSoft

🚫 The UI and publicly-facing docs are not as good.

🚫 Updates and sync aren’t really real-time.

Make (formerly Integromat)

Make lets you build and automate workflows visually with a drag-and-drop UI for connecting apps.

Advantages Compared With MuleSoft

✅ It has its data transformation tools available in a no-code UI.

✅ You can execute via webhook, so you can run scenarios in parallel while managing high workloads and inbound requests.

✅ Lots of integration options, albeit not as many as Zapier.

Disadvantages Compared With MuleSoft

🚫 Integration with legacy apps isn’t as good.

🚫 The documentation isn’t comprehensive, especially for users who lack iPaaS experience.

🚫 Make lacks support for data integration, B2B integration, and automation scenarios.

Integrately

Integrately is a low-code iPaaS with more than 450 adapters and an extensive library of pre-built solutions.

Advantages Compared With MuleSoft

✅ A wider range of apps to connect.

✅ Simple UI.

Disadvantages Compared With MuleSoft

🚫 Integrately's customer service is not as good.

🚫 Integrately is more expensive than the alternatives for the same or even fewer features.

🚫 Building automations isn’t easy on Integrately.

Informatica

Informatica is a platform that helps with application, data, and B2B integrations and is primarily used for data integration use cases. Informatica's value propositions focus mostly on better data governance, data quality, and data management.

Advantages Compared With MuleSoft

✅ Easy for developers to use APIs.

✅ User-friendly tools, drag-and-drop capabilities, and compatibility.

Disadvantages Compared With MuleSoft

🚫 Doesn't allow loops within workflows.

🚫 Doesn't allow running a single session within a worklet. A worklet is an object representing a set of tasks created to reuse a set of workflow logic in multiple workflows.

Want to learn more? View the full Informatica vs. MuleSoft comparison

Oracle Integration

Oracle's iPaaS offering is comprised of many of its OCI services, including Process, Insight, File Server, B2B, and Visual Builder Studio, OCI API Gateway, Oracle GoldenGate, Oracle SOA Suite on Marketplace, OCI Streaming, OCI Data Integration, and Oracle IoT Cloud Service.

Advantages Compared With MuleSoft

✅ Excellent monitoring.

✅ It’s re-configured with multiple DB services. 

Disadvantages Compared With MuleSoft

🚫 Does not provide a console for web performance.

🚫 It's primarily for integrating Oracle products (e.g., Oracle Cloud HCM, Oracle Cloud ERP, etc.).

MuleSoft Competitors in API Management

Azure API Management

Azure API Management provides a reliable and secure way to publish, consume, and manage APIs. It comprises an API Gateway, a management plane, and a developer portal.

Advantages Compared With MuleSoft

✅ It provides several options for creating and managing web APIs for apps.

✅ Strong features for monitoring API health.

✅ Security management is easy with policies.

Disadvantages Compared With MuleSoft

🚫 Its API development tools are really only suitable for developers to use.

🚫 Lacks many integrations with third-party services.

Want to learn more? View the full Azure API Management vs. MuleSoft comparison

TIBCO Cloud API Management

TIBCO Cloud API Management (formerly known as TIBCO Cloud Mashery) provides API management features for the full API lifecycle.

Advantages Compared With MuleSoft

✅ Effective tools for programming the interface, lifecycle, security, and executive security strategy.

Disadvantages Compared With MuleSoft

🚫 Lacks good API monetization features.

🚫 Challenges with integrating behind the firewall for the personal VPC.

🚫 Requires Java for more complicated applications.

Apigee

Apigee is part of Google Cloud and helps organizations design, secure, and scale APIs. It is a feature-packed API Management solution with two gateways, one based on NGINX and the other on Envoy. In addition, Apigee provides a good catalog of industry-specific accelerators and has a straightforward pricing model.

Advantages Compared With MuleSoft

✅ Can be used for caching, tracking, and rate-limiting.

✅ Hybrid and multi-cloud configurations are both possible.

✅ Conventional databases can be used in conjunction with a modern user interface.

Disadvantages Compared With MuleSoft

🚫 It’s costly. Azure API Management and Kong are more cost-effective alternatives to MuleSoft.

🚫 There is a limit of 20 transactions per trace unless you want to pay additional fees.

🚫 Every endpoint requires its own git repository.

Want to learn more? View the full Apigee vs. MuleSoft comparison

Postman

Postman is the most popular API platform in the world in terms of developer use (20M and counting) and helps with each step of the API lifecycle.

Advantages Compared With MuleSoft

✅ It's very simple and intuitive.

✅ Multiple developers can work on an integration at the same time.

✅ Every request is covered, and curls are generated.

Disadvantages Compared With MuleSoft

🚫 There is no auto-save feature, which sometimes results in unexpected data loss. 

IBM API Connect

IBM API Connect is a scalable API platform for building, exposing, managing, and monetizing your entire API ecosystem across multiple platforms and clouds.

Advantages Compared With MuleSoft

✅ Good support for GraphQL APIs.

✅ It has very good API gateway-level security.

Disadvantages Compared With MuleSoft

🚫 The monetization module leaves much to be desired.

🚫 The API management setup tool is not user-friendly, so beginners on the platform may find it difficult to create and deploy APIs.

DreamFactory

DreamFactory is an open-source API management platform that provides instant API generation for quick prototyping and decrypting legacy information sources for modern applications.

Advantages Compared With MuleSoft

✅ Simple setup and no-code solution. 

✅ Access control systems are very granular.

Disadvantages Compared With MuleSoft

🚫 Takes a long time to build and manage APIs.

🚫 Should be easier to set up APIs linking to REST services.

🚫 Impala and Google Cloud Platform are not supported.

Software AG webMethods.io API Management

Sofware AG webMethods.io API Management helps organizations securely expose APIs to external developers, partners, and other consumers for use in building their applications on their desired platforms. This all-in-one solution combines an API portal, gateway, catalog, and consumption management tools for APIs.

Advantages Compared With MuleSoft

✅ Better support for gRPC calls.

✅ Has a microgateway.

Disadvantages Compared With MuleSoft

🚫 Poor support for GraphQL.

🚫 No contract management for efficiently managing the Terms of Service (ToS) of your APIs.

Axway Amplify

Axway Amplify API Management supports a range of deployment models and use cases. In addition, Amplify has built-in functionality to integrate with other API Gateways, starting with Amazon API Gateway and Azure API Gateway. Axway is also notable for its "catalyst" strategy team that helps organizations with their API strategy.

Advantages Compared With MuleSoft

✅ Standalone lightweight microgateway.

✅ Better API search operations.

Disadvantages Compared With MuleSoft

🚫 API usage monitoring and user auditing features aren’t as good.

🚫 Features related to access control, authentication, identity services, and attack protection aren’t as comprehensive.

Want to learn more? View the full Axway vs. MuleSoft comparison

3scale

The 3Scale API Management Platform is a solution powered by Red Hat to manage and monetize APIs and comes with a simple and functional user interface. By providing straightforward registration, and a suitable API gateway in the edge layer exposed in the DMZ (i.e., the zone between two network firewalls), the platform is ideal in situations that expose APIs to external partners or consumers for monetization. However, because the source code versioning comes through the API Manager portal, it can become a counter-productive factor in cases with enormous amounts of customizations.

Advantages Compared With MuleSoft

✅ With the hybrid cloud model as 3Scale integrates well with OpenShift (it’s a Red Hat product).

Disadvantages Compared With MuleSoft

🚫 Meets fewer compliance standards.

🚫 Doesn’t have an API catalog.

SAP API Management

SAP API Management is a part of the SAP Integration Suite, which is a part of the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP). It uses an OEM version of Apigee Edge API Gateway for the cloud. SAP also provides comprehensive templates for APIs and policies from its API Business Hub.

Advantages Compared With MuleSoft

✅ Better API mocking tools

Disadvantages Compared With MuleSoft

🚫 Doesn’t have a microgateway.

🚫 No digest access authentication.

Boomi API Management

Boomi's API Management offering is a part of the Boomi Atmosphere Platform. Boomi API Management enables API publishers to expose versioned APIs for a logical group of APIs. Boomi's API Management offering is well known for its ease of use and setup.

Advantages Compared With MuleSoft

✅ Better for SMBs on pricing and usability.

Disadvantages Compared With MuleSoft

🚫 No client SDK.

🚫 Attack protection isn’t as comprehensive.

WSO2 API Manager

WSO2 API Manager is a complete platform for building, integrating and exposing digital services as managed APIs in the cloud, on-premises, and hybrid architectures. In addition, the functionality of WSO2's API Manager Analytics is available as a service built on Microsoft Azure. WSO2 has good support for industry-specific solutions like banking, healthcare, government, and telecommunications.

Advantages Compared With MuleSoft

✅ WSO2 usually has a much better TCO. 

✅ Better policy management for your APIs.

Disadvantages Compared With MuleSoft

🚫 Fewer tools for API mediation routines.

🚫 Role-based access control (RBAC) isn’t as good.

Want to learn more? View the full WSO2 vs. MuleSoft comparison

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