API Management Platform Emergent One Launches Free Tier

by Kin Lane on 01/17/2013

Emergent One, one of the newest API management players on the block, just announced a new free development tier.

The Emergent One platform provides simple, cloud-based tools for connecting to your MySQL or PostgreSQL database, and quickly generating an API from your database.

I didn’t sign up for their service when they first launched, because they didn’t have a free tier, and I’m unwilling to put in credit cards and commit to brand new services. This is something I have problem with from running development and IT teams who use a wide variety of cloud services. I would spend a great deal of time each month chasing down charges and other issues from cloud services that were being experimented with.

The Emergent One approach to deploying APIs from common data sources, is one I think will resonate with users who aren’t developers, but understand the importance of APIs, and are often restrained by unresponsive, limited or no IT resources.

Emergent One one is responding to user requests for a cheaper tier that support entry level API users, which will allow them to tweak their API strategies before spending money. This is something I think is mandatory for all API service providers, something 3Scale were the first movers on, and we have seen Apigee implement recently, as well as Layer7 with their Apify.

I notice that in the email announcement of the 100% free tier, it encourages me to build new APIs at no cost, “until launch”. I hope Emergent One will agree that a entry level pricing tier is not critical for users to get to know Emergent One, but essential for educating the masses about the value of APIs--allowing them to experiment. So le'ts please make sure it isn’t only until launch.

I’m setting up some APIs, directly from one of my Amazon RDS instances. I'll let you know when ready.