3scale Review, Pricing & Features

See what 3scale (now Red Hat 3scale API Management) offers in 2026: API gateway, developer portal, monetization, and hybrid cloud deployment features.

Category
Developer Tools
Pricing
custom
Verified
Not yet
Last updated
July 19, 2026
Founded
2007
Headquarters
Originally Barcelona, Spain; now part of Red Hat, headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States

What Is 3scale

3scale was an independent API management company founded in 2007 in Barcelona, Spain, that built tools for securing, publishing, analyzing, and monetizing APIs.

After a partnership beginning in 2015, Red Hat acquired 3scale in 2016, and the product now operates as Red Hat 3scale API Management, part of the Red Hat Integration suite.

The original 3scale.net website now redirects to Red Hat's product pages, and Red Hat, which is itself owned by IBM, is now the sole vendor and support provider for the platform.

Key Features

The platform includes an API gateway for traffic control, rate limiting, and access policy enforcement, along with centralized program management covering analytics, access control, and monetization.

A developer portal helps organizations publish APIs and onboard internal or external developer consumers.

It supports hybrid cloud deployment models and integrates closely with Red Hat OpenShift and Kubernetes for containerized, microservices-based environments.

Pricing

Red Hat 3scale API Management does not publish self-serve pricing on its product pages.

Prospective customers must contact Red Hat sales directly or use a product trial to obtain cost information.

Pricing is typically bundled into broader Red Hat enterprise subscription and support agreements rather than sold as a fully standalone product.

Key Features

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Mature, proven API management platform backed by Red Hat's enterprise support and ecosystem
  • Strong hybrid cloud and OpenShift integration for containerized and microservices architectures
  • Comprehensive feature set spanning gateway, analytics, developer portal, and monetization
  • Backed by a large, established vendor for long-term product stability

Cons

  • No self-serve public pricing; requires contacting Red Hat sales for a quote
  • Best suited to enterprises already invested in Red Hat and OpenShift, less appealing for small teams
  • More complex to deploy and manage than lightweight, cloud-native API gateways
  • The independent 3scale brand no longer operates separately, fully folded into Red Hat's product naming and portals

Pricing

Frequently Asked Questions

What is 3scale?

3scale is an API management platform originally founded in 2007, now sold and developed by Red Hat as Red Hat 3scale API Management.

Is 3scale still an independent company?

No. 3scale was acquired by Red Hat in 2016 and now operates fully as part of Red Hat's product portfolio.

How much does 3scale cost?

Red Hat does not publish self-serve pricing for 3scale; customers must contact Red Hat sales for a custom quote.

Does 3scale work with Kubernetes or OpenShift?

Yes, 3scale integrates closely with Red Hat OpenShift and Kubernetes for containerized, microservices-based deployments.

What happened to 3scale.net?

The original 3scale.net domain now redirects to Red Hat's Red Hat 3scale API Management product page.

Who founded 3scale?

3scale was co-founded by Steven Willmott and Martin Tantow in 2007 in Barcelona, Spain.

What does 3scale do for API monetization?

3scale provides tools for tracking API usage and enabling usage-based billing and monetization of API products.

Is 3scale open source?

3scale offers an open-source API gateway component, while the full management platform is sold as a commercial Red Hat product with paid support.

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