Mulesoft Anypoint vs ZigiOps – integration platforms comparison

The number of apps and systems each organization is using today is growing rapidly. Depending on the size of the company they may vary between 60 and 600+, and they grew by 20% in 2020 alone. All these apps need to work together and be in sync with the companys data. Otherwise processes and productivity suffer. This is why integrations are becoming vital for companies that want to have a competitive advantage.

When the systems a company is using are connected and synchronized this brings lots of benefits, like more effective cross-team collaboration, faster issue resolutions and boosted customer satisfaction. This leads to better overall business results and a competitive edge.

However, choosing the best integration tool or method for your systems is not always an easy task. This is why in this article we are comparing two of the most popular and easy to use software integration platforms  MuleSoft Anypoint and ZigiOps. Lets see what the most important details are to consider before choosing the best integration platform for your needs.

About ZigiOps

First, lets see what the major features and benefits of each of the two software integration platforms are.

ZigiOps is a flexible, 100% no-code integration platform. The idea behind ZigiOps is to eliminate the old paradigm that integrations are complex, require lines of code and months of time to complete. With ZigiOps you can seamlessly connect various systems with just a few clicks. Extracting and transferring data between ITOM, ITSM, DevOps, CRM, Cloud, and more applications is easy and can be set in minutes.

At the same time ZigiOps is highly scalable and works for complex integration scenarios. The platform provides advanced filtering and mapping capabilities that help you adjust even the finest details for your integration. ZigiOps has an iPaaS and on-prem versions. It also comes with a library of out-of-the-box integration templates, that can be loaded immediately, and then customized per your needs when necessary.

ZigiOps follows the best security practices at enterprise level. It has no database and does not store any of the data that is transferred between the connected systems. It also offers high availability and keeps integrations operational even during server failures or maintenance.

Top ZigiOps features:

• No-Code Integrations in a Few Clicks  no coding or API knowledge is required to set and run integrations, even for complex use cases.

• Integration Templates  a variety of predefined templates. Load the template and adjust it to fit your needs. If you prefer you can build your template from scratch, as well.

• Unlimited Scalability  update and upgrade your integrations whenever needed. ZigiOps automatically supports the latest versions of the integrated systems.

• No Limitations  transfer as many queries as needed between the source and target systems.

• High Availability  ZigiOps supports high availability and guarantees 99.9% uptime for 365 days of the year.

• Advanced Data Mappings and Filtering  seamless synchronization of all related and custom fields, transfer of comments, attachments, and more.

• 300+ Available Integrations  easy integration of the most popular Monitoring, ITSM, DevOps, Cloud, and CRM systems.

• Single Source  ZigiOps is a standalone integration platform and uses APIs. There is no need to make any changes within the systems instances to connect them.

• Enterprise-Grade Security  the integration tool doesnt have a database, therefore, it does not store any information.

About MuleSoft Anypoint

The MuleSoft Anypoint integration platform offers a holistic approach to API design and development. It is a sophisticated platform that consists of many elements and provides rich functionality for beginners and advanced users. Anypoint supports 300+ connectors to databases, SaaS platforms, storage resources, and network services. It allows connecting SaaS and enterprise applications in the cloud, on-premise and in hybrid environments.

MuleSoft has been acquired by Salesforce back in 2018 and since then the Anypoint platform has been a part of the Salesforce Integration Cloud.

In essence, the MuleSoft Anypoint platform allows building applications that connect different systems and enable integration and data flows between them. MuleSoft has various pre-built assets and connectors to enable the rapid start of integration projects.

MuleSoft Anypoint combines different integration methods, like Enterprise Service Bus (ESB), API development, and ETL.

Top Anypoint features:

• Single interface Anypoint allows you to manage APIs and users, analyze traffic, monitor SLAs, fix underlying integration flows, and more using a single web interface.

• Accelerated Delivery  MuleSoft has various pre-built assets and connectors to enable the rapid building of integration flows.

• Automated Security  the platform automatically applies the same set of security and policies to all APIs, and this way API owners can quickly design, build and deploy APIs in a consistent manner.

• Resilient Operations  Anypoint Monitoring, Analytics and Visualizer components help teams make smart operational decisions based on topology graphs and runtime performance metrics.

• Scalability  you can switch when necessary to an alternate deployment approach or remove or replace integrations at the system API layer with minimal impact on the rest of your Application Network.

• MuleSoft Composer  enables non-programmers to quickly build flows to connect data sources and automate integration tasks without writing code.

• Four types of deployment CloudHub (Platform as a Service), Runtime Fabric (a container service that brings cloud benefits to on-premise deployments), Hybrid (can be deployed across any cloud, including Microsoft Azure, AWS, and data centers), Private Cloud Edition (deployed on customers own infrastructure).

The Anypoint Platform consists of the following major components:

• Anypoint Security  responsible for defending your APIs and integrations.

• Anypoint Design center  includes a web-based tool where MuleSoft developers design and create API specifications and fragments.

• Anypoint Management center  the operational hub to manage, monitor, audit and analyze APIs performance.

• Anypoint Exchange  virtual market to share, discover and reuse APIs, connectors, templates, etc.

• Runtime engine & services  this is where the APIs are run from, and data is processed.

• API-led connectivity  an architectural methodology to connect data to applications through reusable APIs.

• Application Network  allows connecting applications, data and devices through APIs that expose some or all of their assets and this way other consumers from other parts of the organization can use those assets.

• DataWeave  a MuleSoft expression language for accessing and transforming data that travels through a MuleSoft application.

Similarities and differences

MuleSoft Anypoint and ZigiOps are both software integration platforms created with the idea to make integrations easier. They provide integration resources and are user-friendly and easy to set up. Both platforms are scalable and can be used to handle complex integration use cases.

However, the two tools have some significant differences.

ZigiOps is 100% no-code, easy to use, simple and effective. Everything can be easily set in the UI, and you have full control over filtering, expressions, mapping and triggers for your integrations. You can adjust exactly when and how the data will be transferred from one system to another, set mapping conditions and rules, and fine tune your scenario without writing a single line of code.

MuleSoft Anypoint requires some coding in most cases. It allows easy creation of integration apps and APIs. It is made from different elements and components that serve different purposes. From creating and designing APIs, to management and testing, to exchanging components in the MuleSoft marketplace.

Anypoint is more complex and provides various features, but it requires expertise and has a longer learning curve. ZigiOps provides maximum features with minimum requirements for expertise or development.

ZigiOps uses the common RegEx expressions, while Anypoint has its own language for expressions called DataWeave.

ZigiOps collects metadata and downloads the schema for the connected systems. This makes mapping and settings super easy for the end user. Anypoint does not fetch metadata from the database, which complicates the mapping.

Anypoint can be used when you want to connect applications and systems of various types, like platforms, databases, SaaS apps, etc. You would most probably need a team dedicated to the integration or you can hire an external integration partner.

With ZigiOps, you can usually set the integrations you need on your own, or with the help of the ZigiWave team, using pre-built templates, and it takes much less time and effort to create and maintain them.

While Anypoint provides a comprehensive and feature-rich integration platform, its learning curve can be steep for newcomers. ZigiOps offers a user-friendly interface and streamlined workflows, making it easier for businesses to navigate and implement solutions quickly.

Pros and cons

ZigiOps pros:

• Highly scalable, everything is controlled through the simple UI.
• Out-of-the-box customizable templates.
• Supports even the most complex use cases.

ZigiOps cons:

• Needs more connectors.

MuleSoft pros:

• Design and management  all in one place.
• Pre-built connectors and assets.
• Support for real-time and batch integration.

MuleSoft cons:

• Complicated pricing model, expensive.
• The compatibility with vendors can be improved.
• The stability could be better.

Comparison table

Here are some direct comparisons of the basic capabilities of the two software integration platforms  MuleSoft Anypoint and ZigiOps.

ZigiOpsAnypointDeploymentsCloud, On-premiseCloud, On-premise, Hybrid, ContainerUser experienceGreatGreatEase of useSuper easy to useEasy, but requires a learning curve for beginnersAutomation capabilitiesAdvancedGreatFeature setRichAdvancedSupportExcellentGreatCoding100% no-codeRequires some codingScalabilityVery flexibleVery flexibleStabilityHighGoodSecurityEnterprise levelEnterprise levelHigh availabilityYesActivated per applicationCost-EffectivenessExcellent price/benefit ratioComplex model, some users consider it too expensive

Summary

In conclusion, we can say that the two software integration platforms  MuleSoft Anypoint and ZigiOps are both perfect tools for your integration projects, and it depends on your specific requirements which one would be the best integration tool for your scenario.

While MuleSoft Anypoint is one of the most popular and recognized integration platforms, ZigiOps has some unique benefits, as well. Anypoint is a sophisticated and advanced tool that includes lots of elements and capabilities. It allows companies to build their own integration apps easily and provides lots of freedom. ZigiOps offers a simplified user experience, does not require any coding, and at the same time provides a very high level of control over the created integrations.

Of course, before choosing the best integration platform for your case, we recommend you to create your integration requirements list, and carefully consider not just the current, but the future needs of your organization.

ZigiOps offers a free demo, where you can see live how your use case is handled by the integration platform. Book your free demo and try it out.