A 2017 study showed that the average business was powered by as many as 464 software tools. There are indications that the figure may have more than doubled since the increase in demand for remote jobs.
However, one implication of this proliferation of software in business environments is the increasing need to have those tools interact with one another towards common goals.
Otherwise, it’s going to be more than a hassle to have to deal with such huge numbers. Therefore, for this inter-software exchange to happen as expected, the programs need to be effectively connected (or ‘integrated’).
In this light, MuleSoft is a San Francisco-based brand that focuses on providing software integration solutions. In other words, the company helps to link up your software programs and automate the exchange of data between them.
To supply this very serious modern enterprise need, MuleSoft provides a service base known as Anypoint Platform.
Here is what you need to know about MuleSoft’s Anypoint Platform:
- It is essentially an open-source SaaS/IPaaS realm for the design, construction, management, sharing, and provision of on-premise and cloud application programming interfaces (APIs).
- It also includes an environment for runtime connection between software programs. Known as Mule, MuleSoft’s runtime environment enables programs to work hand-in-hand while they are live in the RAM. As a result, the connection happens without the need for custom point-to-point integration codes.
- Mule can equally be deployed as an enterprise service bus (ESB) via a separate proprietary sub.
- Again, MuleSoft’s offerings include a multi-tenant PaaS environment identified as CloudHub. It runs on a globally distributed architecture offering cloud security.
- There is a sub where you can build integrations via a point-and-click tool. It is known as Composer.
Over the past decade, many businesses across the world have come to depend on these MuleSoft capabilities to create and administer connected experiences across apps and data both within their premises and across the web. Top brands after top brands apparently testify to this.
MuleSoft also officially cites a Forrester Total Economic Impact (TEI) study showing that a company that deployed their Anypoint Platform reaped a 445% ROI over three years of use.
That’s quite huge for sure. But, is all well with MuleSoft? Certainly not – that’s if we have to be fair.
Instead, among many possible reasons to seek alternatives to some or all of the company’s range of products and services include:
- Some users complain about MuleSoft’s Anypoint Platform being overkill. One direct result of this is that the learning curve gets to be fairly steep even for developers.
- Despite this being so, users also complain about the platform having sparse documentation.
- Another result of having too many features – which users also complain about – is that the software platform becomes relatively expensive for the real value it delivers to most businesses.
- The poor documentation besides, some users also say they have issues with the general depth of support provided for MuleSoft’s Anypoint Platform.
If these or any others are your reasons for seeking alternative solutions to MuleSoft, I got you covered below. Consider making your choice from the following items:
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Best MuleSoft Alternatives
1. SnapLogic Intelligent Integration Platform
I agree with Connie Edler that “excellent customer service is the number one job in any company”. Thus, user support is also my number one reason for considering SnapLogic as a cool alternative to MuleSoft.
As I already told you, not too many users are happy with the quality of support they’re getting from MuleSoft. But the exact opposite is the case with SnapLogic.
Not only that the support reps are prompt in responding to user requests, but they are also deeply knowledgeable and all too ready and willing to share their knowledge to help users.
The support reps take so much time in solving user problems that one user even though they’re doing it to a fault.
Then, in addition to the in-house support reps, the SnapLogic Community also has many knowledgeable users who are always ready to help out with their knowledge of how things work.
Other reasons why you may want to consider SnapLogic as a possible replacement for MuleSoft in your workstation are:
- Apart from thousands of pre-built automation requests offered on the platform (known as ‘snaps’), the user can also customize ‘snaps’ for a wide range of use cases.
- Minimal coding skills are required to work with SnapLogic.
- They offer continuous updates.
- Many users agree that SnapLogic makes their workflow a lot faster.
- Their documentation is not only copious but also highly simplified.
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2. Cleo Integration Cloud
There are a couple of reasons why I think that Cleo Integration Cloud should be considered as a good alternative to MuleSoft. But the most important of them is the excellent electronic data interchange offered here.
It is characterized by full circle transparency that enables all the parties to understand where they are in the exchange.
This transparency transfers to the rest of the system. For instance, the platform offers you key performance indicators and metrics alongside the messages that pass through the system.
Here are other reasons why you should consider Cleo as an alternative to MuleSoft:
- The interface is intuitive and quite easy to work with. All you need is basic tech know-how to snap up some of the trickiest integration solutions.
- The platform offers pre-built templates for various kinds of connections.
- It also offers an FTP log that is easy to read. Thus, troubleshooting is made a lot easier for FTP users.
- Adequate and valuable documentation is available via Cleo University.
- The platform is cloud-based. So, users can more easily access real-time status for all their integrations.
- Many users agree that the safety and security of data is up to date on the Cleo Integration Cloud platform.
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3. Jitterbit
As with Snaplogic, Jitterbit can be considered as a great alternative to MuleSoft mainly due to its speed and quality of support.
Users generally commend the company’s user support reps for their swift responses and for going the extra mile to offer assistance to them.
In contrast to this, not so many users of MuleSoft seem to be happy about the quality of their support.
Similarly, many users say they are happy with the detailed documentation on the Jitterbit platform.
The service does a lot in terms of on-boarding procedures and offering helpful articles, videos, and other learning resources. But, as already said, this is a major point of complaints that users have against MuleSoft.
Users also generally find Jitterbit easier to use than MuleSoft. The platform operates via a point-and-click graphical interface.
Although MuleSoft now also offers a graphical interface, a recent survey shows that users still think it requires a relatively tall learning curve.
Other features of Jitterbit that merit its mention as an apt alternative to MuleSoft are:
- It integrates with Salesforce. Now, I hope you know that MuleSoft is a property of Salesforce. Jitterbit’s integration with Salesforce, therefore, means that you have absolutely nothing to worry about in case you are porting from MuleSoft.
- Scores of users testify that Jitterbit works more consistently than MuleSoft.
- The Jitterbit Admin posts regular updates.
- Speed: you can move huge amounts of data relatively fast using Jitterbit. Recurring data loads are also made extremely easy with the software.
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4. Zapier
Why do I consider Zapier as a good alternative to MuleSoft? There are many such reasons but I think that ease of use comes first on the list.
Like Jitterbit, this platform also offers a point-and-click graphical interface. There, you can easily create automation requests known as ‘zaps’ for a wide range of use cases (just as you have ‘snaps’ on the SnapLogic platform).
With this, you can easily automate integration processes across a huge number of apps. The best part is that you achieve this without writing a single code.
Users of Zapier also testify to the quality of its support. Maybe they’re not as helpful as Jitterbit support, but the quality of their service is generally better commended among users than that of MuleSoft.
Other reasons why I consider Zapier a good alternative to MuleSoft are:
- It is fairly easy to automate processes across a huge number of apps by creating ‘zaps’ for them.
- It offers intuitive and automatic data transfer upon update. It’s also real-time in the sense that, as soon as you update the data in one app, the update shows up in all the connected apps.
- You can create ‘zaps’ for automating emails, updating spreadsheets, or sending data to web accounts. You can even automate using free webmail services like Gmail and Yahoo which is absolutely unheard of with MuleSoft.
- Zapier offers more detailed documentation than MuleSoft.
- In addition to serving as an integration tool, Zapier also supplies prototyping needs.
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5. Dell Boomi
Its rich offer in connectors is my main reason for considering this platform a good alternative to MuleSoft.
Its wide range of offers in built-in custom connectors makes it relatively easy to fashion top-grade integrations even with zero coding skills.
Thus, using Dell Boomi, you can more readily find the right connectors for almost every single instance of use case than with MuleSoft and most other options.
Another edge that I found Dell Boomi has over MuleSoft is its ease of use. As already implied above, Dell Boomi offers a point-and-click graphical interface that allows you to simplify many otherwise complex processes.
For instance, it can be quite easy to use Dell Boomi to create an effective extract, transform, load (ETL) pipeline with zero codes involved.
You can also use it to easily track API requests from many different applications.
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6. Postman
For me, Postman stands out the most for its ability at API management and especially testing.
It offers a wide range of API testing environments and delivers a timely and tidy testing history.
You can also test with any request type. So, this is my main reason for considering this platform a great alternative to MuleSoft.
Using Postman, for example, you can test your backend APIs without the need to develop a front-end user interface. You can also easily maintain your own collection of APIs.
It also makes importing/exporting API endpoints an easy task.
Other reasons you can consider for using Postman as a replacement for MuleSoft in your job of software integration are:
- Most users agree about its low learning curve delivered out of its elegant user interface.
- It offers regular feature updates.
- It offers adequate documentation via articles, videos, and other resources.
- Far more users appear to be quite satisfied with the exceptional support available with Postman than with MuleSoft.
7. Apigee Edge
Apigee’s ease of use easily makes it a great alternative to MuleSoft. In addition to this, it offers very helpful tutorials on GitHub.
However, what users seem to like the most on this platform is its security profile. In this respect, it allows you to secure your APIs via transport layer security as well as OAuth.
Speed is another unique edge that Apigee has over MuleSoft. The platform saves users time by allowing them to easily modify responses and adjust them to the needs of the moment. You achieve this without having to change any back-end service.
One other point that makes Apigee stand out against MuleSoft is a feature known as load balancing. With this, users can easily target separate server endpoints even in different environments.
8. Celigo
One of the first things that you would notice when you work with Celigo is that it makes data migration quite a snappy experience.
For instance, you can speedily execute data import and export into your enterprise resource planning environment.
The platform offers multiple threads that run concurrently making the speed possible. It’s my number one reason for considering Celigo as a quality alternative to MuleSoft.
Other reasons are:
- Celigo offers an intuitive user interface and mapping tools.
- The documentation is quite rich. Thus, onboarding is made a lot easier.
- As already implied above, Celigo connects with Oracle Netsuite unlike MuleSoft and most other options.
- Celigo also offers a lot of customization options. It offers a range of tools to enable you to create your integrations your own way.
- Celigo also sports a rich marketplace offering full-range choices in connectors.
9. Software AG Webmethods
As with many other items on this list, Software AG Webmethods made this list on the ground of its quality of support which many users testify to.
The support consultants are not only knowledgeable in what they do, but they are also very responsive to user requests.
In addition to its quality live support, the Software AG Webmethods platform is also characterized by rich and profound documentation.
Other features include:
- Onboarding resources are provided down to the finest detail far better than what you can find on MuleSoft.
- Unrivaled ease of use and speed of deployment. This is made possible especially through a huge range of connector options.
10. IBM API Connect
IBM API Connect is a suitable MuleSoft alternative especially because of its excellent ability at unifying the system of any enterprise. The rate at which it can integrate with a variety of techs is almost second to none.
For instance, IBM API Connect offers a variety of portals for developing integration rules. This way, it allows you an opportunity to maintain multiple APIs with significant ease.
Another important aspect in which the unifying effect of this platform is felt the most is in its security architecture.
The security is centralized within the IPaaS platform instead of you having to configure the modules for each service.
Other features that qualify IBM API Connect as a considerable alternative to MuleSoft are:
- Many users agree as to the platform’s above-average ease of use.
- The platform offers far more detailed documentation than MuleSoft.
- The support quality is commended by many users.
- It offers a runtime engine that is just as good as the one MuleSoft has to offer.
11. UiPath Cloud Elements
If you asked me about the most important respect in which UiPath Cloud Elements stands out against MuleSoft, I’d say it’s the “quality of support” without mincing words.
Their support team is not only knowledgeable but also committed. So, if you ever run into any problem on the platform, the solution comes in very handy.
Another feature is in Cloud Elements’ security profile. The platform offers a huge variety and a number of security tokens. As a result, every inbound request requires sufficient permission before getting granted.
Other features that qualify this platform as a great alternative to MuleSoft are:
- They offer real-time notifications.
- The platform also provides a staging environment to make testing easy.
- The amount of connections available with UiPath Cloud Elements is great.
12. Workato
Many users agree that the quality of support at Workato is far better than anything MuleSoft has to offer. Thus, it’s my main reason for including the Workato platform on this list.
Other reasons I consider Workato as a good alternative to MuleSoft include:
- Its ease and effectiveness for troubleshooting issues. For example, you can easily determine the jobs that succeeded or failed by configuring the job history output to notify you accordingly.
- Workato also stands out for being versatile with third-party integrations.
13. Integromat
If the responsiveness of a company’s support team is important to you, then you can consider Integromat as a satisfactory replacement for MuleSoft.
A few other features that qualify this platform as a good alternative to MuleSoft are:
- Their rate of service improvement may well be among the best in the market.
- Many users agree that the learning curve is low with Integromat – lower than MuleSoft too.
- They offer an adequate amount of onboarding resources.
- They also offer a good number of templates.
14. Azure API Management
Azure API Management is Microsoft’s version of IPaaS. Among other reasons I consider it a good alternative to MuleSoft, this platform is noted for its multi-layered security for APIs. It makes it easy to identify errors and bugs and fix them early enough.
One outstanding edge you would expect this platform to have over MuleSoft is its ability to integrate with Microsoft tech platforms. So, consistent with this expectation, it connects with Azure App Service.
Other features include:
- Better than what you’d get with MuleSoft.
- Azure API Management is also known for its quality of analytics.
15. Integrately
When it comes to ease of use, Integrately holds the ace among all the platforms we have considered on this list. In fact, it is my number one reason for considering it as a suitable alternative to MuleSoft.
The Integrately interface is very simple and easy to master. Many users also agree that the learning curve is extremely low.
For example, the platform offers much pre-configured automation which can be very helpful especially to a newbie developer. Otherwise, the dashboard is generally easy to navigate and implement automation with.
Some other reasons why Integrately is a good alternative to MuleSoft in your workspace include:
- Its ability to resolve integration holes for other IPaaS platforms (such as Zapier and Integromat).
- Integrately is also versatile in third-party integrations. Its rate of data migration is also fast enough.
Conclusion
I hope this list helps you to make your best decision. I know your choice will ultimately depend on your specific situation. But to help you narrow your choice-making even further, I’ll share my top pick – Integrately. Yes, I reserved my best for last.
I prefer Integrately to the rest of the items because it is the one most suited for total newbies. That’s because it offers the best possibility for ease of use. So, it has a chance of serving the interests of the widest number of prospective users.
Integrately is also useful in fixing integration holes for some of its contemporaries. So it’s safe to call it the best among equals.
