Zuplo logoReqKey vs Zuplo · checked September 2026

A Zuplo alternativewithout a gateway in the path.

Zuplo validates keys at its edge proxy. ReqKey does it inside your own middleware — so your responses never leave your servers, and 10M requests cost $25.

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  • Free for 5M requests a month

The short answer

Zuplo is a programmable gateway with keys, a developer portal, and monetization in public beta. If you want keys, credits, and limits without routing every response through a proxy — or you’re past 100K requests — ReqKey is the lighter, cheaper fit.

Zuplo is an edge API gateway. ReqKey is API keys, credits, rate limits, and request analytics for the API you sell.

At 10M requests a month

$25

ReqKey

≈ $9,925

Zuplo

Zuplo Builder list price: $25 for 100K plus $100 per extra 100K.

ReqKey and Zuplo, 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 changeZuploProxy in front of your API at the edge
  • API keys for your customersReqKeyYes — prefixed and hashed, one customer can hold many keysZuploYes — zpka_ keys with a self-serve portal
  • Credits and quotasReqKeyA balance per customer, any cost per call, refills every hour, day, week, or month, optional overageZuploMonetization quotas in public beta; live billing needs sales approval
  • Rate limitsReqKeyPer customer, set on the plan, windows from 1 second to 24 hours, 429 with Retry-AfterZuploRate-limit policies by IP, user, or function
  • Request analyticsReqKeyEvery request — endpoint, status, latency, customer — 30 days on Pro, plus an Analytics APIZuplo1-day logs on Free and Builder; 7-day analytics on Builder
  • Free tierReqKey5M requests a month, 1,000 keysZuplo100K requests a month, 100 keys
  • First paid tierReqKey$25/mo for 10M requests and 100,000 keys, volume tiers to 1BZuploBuilder $25/mo for 100K requests, then $100 per extra 100K; 1,000 keys
  • Takes paymentReqKeyNo — ReqKey meters and enforces; you take payment with your own providerZuploStripe inside the gateway (beta)

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

Why teams pick ReqKey over Zuplo.

1

No proxy

Keys are checked inside your middleware. Zuplo is a gateway by design, so every response passes through it.

2

Price at volume

Zuplo Builder is $25 for 100K requests plus $100 per extra 100K — around $9,925 at 10M. ReqKey is $25 for 10M.

3

100× the keys

1,000 keys on ReqKey Free and 100,000 on Pro, against 100 and 1,000 on Zuplo.

4

Credits that are generally available

Variable cost per call, refills, and overage today — Zuplo monetization is in public beta.

When Zuplo is the better pick.

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

  • You want a full gateway: OpenAPI routing, request transformation, and policies at the edge.
  • You want a hosted developer portal where customers create their own keys.
  • You want Stripe checkout built into the gateway.

Moving from Zuplo in three steps.

  1. 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. 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. 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 Zuplo: common questions.

Something else? Ask the team or read the docs.

  • You lose request transformation and edge routing. You keep keys, credits, limits, and logs — and your latency budget, since there’s no extra hop.

  • There’s no hosted portal. You create keys with one API call from your own dashboard or signup flow, and the Analytics API powers your own usage pages.

  • The customer gets a 429 with Retry-After and isn’t charged credits. Your plan with ReqKey has no hard cutoff either — Pro allows 25% headroom.

Sources

Checked on Zuplo’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 Zuplo?It takes an afternoon.

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

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