Is ReqKey self-hostable?

No — it’s a managed service. Tyk is the better fit if everything must run in your own data plane.

How are quotas reset?

On the refill interval you set — every hour, day, week, or month — not on the next request.

Can I keep Tyk for routing?

Yes. Add ReqKey middleware to the services behind it for customer keys and credits.

ReqKey vs Tyk · checked September 2026

A Tyk alternativewith nothing to operate.

Tyk puts keys, quotas, and rate limits in a gateway you run with Redis. ReqKey gives you the same controls from one middleware call, with refills on a real schedule.

Start building free See ReqKey pricing

A source for every claim
Where Tyk wins, too
Free for 5M requests a month

The short answer

Tyk is a capable open-source gateway with per-key rate limits and quotas. It needs a gateway, Redis, and Pump to run, and its quotas reset only on the first request after the period. ReqKey is managed and refills on schedule.

Tyk is an open-source API gateway. ReqKey is API keys, credits, rate limits, and request analytics for the API you sell.

ReqKey, in one line

Free for 5M requests a month. $25 for 10M. No per-seat fees.

See every tier

ReqKey and Tyk, line by line.

A filled mark shows who is stronger on that line; a dash means they’re comparable. Their wins are marked too.

ReqKey

Tyk

How it runsReqKeySDK middleware inside your API — no proxy, no DNS changeTykGateway proxy, self-hosted, hybrid, or Tyk Cloud
API keys for your customersReqKeyYes — prefixed and hashed, one customer can hold many keysTykYes, with per-key rate limits and quotas
Credits and quotasReqKeyA balance per customer, any cost per call, refills every hour, day, week, or month, optional overageTykRequest quotas that reset on the first request after the renewal period
Rate limitsReqKeyPer customer, set on the plan, windows from 1 second to 24 hours, 429 with Retry-AfterTykDistributed token bucket across gateways sharing Redis
Request analyticsReqKeyEvery request — endpoint, status, latency, customer — 30 days on Pro, plus an Analytics APITykPump to your own store; dashboard analytics are commercial
Free tierReqKey5M requests a month, 1,000 keysTykOpen source (MPL-2.0), self-hosted; Cloud has a 48-hour trial
First paid tierReqKey$25/mo for 10M requests and 100,000 keys, volume tiers to 1BTykNot publicly priced
Takes paymentReqKeyNo — ReqKey meters and enforces; you take payment with your own providerTykNo

Tyk details from their own pricing pages and docs, checked September 2026. Sources below.

Why teams pick ReqKey over Tyk.

1

Nothing to run

No gateway, no Redis, and no Pump pipeline to operate.

2

Refills on schedule

ReqKey refills at a fixed interval. Tyk quotas reset only on the first request after the renewal period.

3

Credits, not just counts

Variable cost per call and an overage allowance, where Tyk quotas count requests.

4

Analytics included

Per-customer analytics and a dashboard at $0 or $25, without licensing the Tyk Dashboard.

When Tyk is the better pick.

We’d rather you pick the right tool than switch twice.

You want a self-hosted, open-source gateway in your own data plane.
You have the ops capacity to run the gateway and Redis.

Moving from Tyk in three steps.

1
Recreate plans and customers
Create your API and plans in ReqKey, then one consumer per customer — from the dashboard or with one API call each.
2
Issue keys and add the middleware
Mint ReqKey keys for your customers and add the SDK middleware to your API. Run it in ingest-only mode first to compare traffic.
3
Move traffic off the proxy
Point your DNS back at your own API and switch the middleware to validate. Your responses no longer pass through a third party.

Framework guides How ReqKey works

ReqKey vs Tyk: common questions.

Something else? Ask the team or read the docs.

No — it’s a managed service. Tyk is the better fit if everything must run in your own data plane.
On the refill interval you set — every hour, day, week, or month — not on the next request.
Yes. Add ReqKey middleware to the services behind it for customer keys and credits.