Unkey logoReqKey vs Unkey · checked September 2026

Looking for an Unkey alternative?Compare the volume per dollar.

Both issue API keys and meter credits from your own code. The differences are how many requests $25 buys, how credits refill, and how much of each request you can see.

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

The short answer

Unkey is an open-source key platform that has grown into deploys and a gateway. ReqKey stays focused on selling an API: keys, credits, plan limits, and full request logs, with far more volume per dollar and first-party middleware in seven languages.

Unkey is an API key management and deploy platform. ReqKey is API keys, credits, rate limits, and request analytics for the API you sell.

At 10M requests a month

$25

ReqKey

$250

Unkey

Unkey Pro list price for 10M valid requests; ReqKey Pro 10M tier.

ReqKey and Unkey, line by line.

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

  • How it runsReqKeySDK middleware inside your API — no proxy, no DNS changeUnkeySDK or API call from your code, or the Unkey Gateway on Unkey Deploy
  • API keys for your customersReqKeyYes — prefixed and hashed, one customer can hold many keysUnkeyYes — hashed, groupable under identities
  • Credits and quotasReqKeyA balance per customer, any cost per call, refills every hour, day, week, or month, optional overageUnkeyPer-key credits with a cost per check; refills daily or monthly, and a refill replaces the balance
  • Rate limitsReqKeyPer customer, set on the plan, windows from 1 second to 24 hours, 429 with Retry-AfterUnkeyPer key, per identity, or standalone
  • Request analyticsReqKeyEvery request — endpoint, status, latency, customer — 30 days on Pro, plus an Analytics APIUnkeyKey verification events only, in private beta; 7-day logs on Pro
  • Free tierReqKey5M requests a month, 1,000 keysUnkey150K valid requests a month, 1K keys, 1-day logs
  • First paid tierReqKey$25/mo for 10M requests and 100,000 keys, volume tiers to 1BUnkey$25/mo for 250K valid requests; 10M is $250/mo
  • Takes paymentReqKeyNo — ReqKey meters and enforces; you take payment with your own providerUnkeyNo

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

Why teams pick ReqKey over Unkey.

1

40× the requests for $25

ReqKey Pro starts at 10M requests for $25. Unkey’s $25 tier covers 250K valid requests, and 10M costs $250.

2

Refills on your schedule

Refill every hour, day, week, or month. Unkey refills daily or monthly only.

3

Every request, not just the key check

ReqKey logs method, endpoint, status, latency, and customer for each request. Unkey Analytics covers verification events and is in private beta.

4

Longer retention

ReqKey Pro keeps traffic logs 30 days and audit logs 180. Unkey Pro keeps 7 and 14; Unkey Free keeps 1 and 3.

5

Seven languages of middleware

First-party SDKs for Python, Node, Go, Rust, PHP, .NET, and Java — Unkey lists TypeScript, Go, and Python.

When Unkey is the better pick.

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

  • You need open source or self-hosting — Unkey is AGPL.
  • You want the same vendor to deploy and host your API.
  • You need key expiry or role-based permissions on keys today.

Moving from Unkey in three steps.

  1. 1

    Create plans with the limits you use today

    Each plan carries its credits, refill interval, and rate limit, so the numbers leave your code.

  2. 2

    Issue keys to your customers

    One consumer per customer, one or more keys each — they all draw on the same balance and limit.

  3. 3

    Swap the middleware

    Replace the limiter with the ReqKey middleware for your framework. Keep the old one on anonymous routes if you like.

Framework guides How ReqKey works

ReqKey vs Unkey: common questions.

Something else? Ask the team or read the docs.

  • No. ReqKey is a hosted service with MIT-licensed SDKs. If self-hosting is a requirement, Unkey’s AGPL codebase is the better fit.

  • ReqKey keys carry your API’s prefix, so customers see your brand in the key. Existing Unkey keys can’t be imported as-is — issue new keys and give customers a switch-over window.

  • Unkey doesn’t count invalid requests toward usage. On ReqKey, a validation counts as a request, and a 429 never costs your customer credits.

Sources

Checked on Unkey’s own pages in September 2026. Prices change — if something here is out of date, tell us and we’ll fix it.

Other comparisons.

Switching from Unkey?It takes an afternoon.

Free for your first 5 million requests every month. No card, no gateway, no rewrite.

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