If you found this article you’re probably evaluating integration platforms and especially the MuleSoft iPaaS solution.

In this article, we go through MuleSoft’s key use cases, features, pricing, and limitations. We also review common alternatives including a new integration as a service option.

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What is MuleSoft?

MuleSoft is a global software company that helps businesses integrate applications, data, and IT systems.

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MuleSoft was founded in 2003 as MuleSource to provide middleware and messaging services. The company filed for IPO in 2017 and was acquired by Salesforce in 2018. 

Today MuleSoft is a market leader in the integration platform as a service (iPaaS) market focused on an API-led integration strategy.

What is MuleSoft used for?

With over 14,000 customers across the world MuleSoft is used to connect applications, data, and devices across different on-premises and cloud enterprise integration patterns.

It provides a unified platform to design, build, and manage application programming interfaces (APIs) to help IT systems communicate and share data with each other. 

MuleSoft is widely used across most industries to streamline and automate business processes, support digital transformation and deliver unified customer experiences aligned with the Salesforce data ecosystem.

Anypoint Platform

At the heart of MuleSoft is the Anypoint Platform, a comprehensive integration solution that offers a variety of tools and services:
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• API Manager:
  Allows users to design, build, and manage APIs throughout their lifecycle. It provides robust security, traffic management, and analytics features.
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• Anypoint Studio:
  A powerful graphical design environment for building integrations. It uses a drag-and-drop interface, making it accessible even to those with minimal coding experience.
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• Anypoint Exchange:
  A marketplace for connectors, templates, and APIs, which helps in accelerating the integration process by reusing existing components.
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• CloudHub:
  A fully managed cloud-based integration runtime that enables seamless connectivity without the need for on-premises hardware.
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• DataWeave:
  A data transformation language unique to MuleSoft, allowing users to query and transform data across various formats and sources.
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Anypoint is unlike any other iPaaS solution due to its comprehensive API integration capabilities combining API management, design, and development into one unified solution. The platform's extensive library of pre-built connectors supports connectivity within the Salesforce data ecosystem and across diverse systems. 

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Why is MuleSoft popular?

For ITSM professionals, MuleSoft's value lies in its ability to create a cohesive yet flexible integration network via its Anypoint Platform. 
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• Application integrations:
  Anypoint provides pre-built connectors and a drag-and-drop interface to integrate different business applications with minimal coding.
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• Service integrations:
  Anypoint allows businesses to expose and manage APIs consistently across different services.
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• Data integrations:
  Anypoint streamlines data integrations by enabling real-time data access and transformation across various sources.
  
  

Working like an enterprise service bus (ESB), Anypoint allows you to design, deploy, and manage APIs and integrations in a unified manner, supporting both SOA (Service-Oriented Architecture) and microservices environments. 

How much does MuleSoft cost?

The Anypoint platform is offered as a Software-as-a-Service focused on an annual subscription model. The base subscription is built around entry-points with the flexibility of adding various extra components with additional functionality such as log management and advanced monitoring.

MuleSoft Limitations in IT Service Integration

While MuleSoft is a powerful tool for self-managed integrations, it does come with several limitations that ITSM professionals need to be aware of:
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1. Complexity and learning curve:
   MuleSoft's Anypoint Platform can be complex for users who are new to it or unfamiliar with its extensive capabilities.
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2. Cost:
   Like many other Salesforce solutions, MuleSoft is often perceived as a premium-priced solution. The cost of licensing, along with the operational expenses associated with deploying and maintaining the platform, can be significant.
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3. Resource intensive:
   It’s not uncommon for the implementation and maintenance of MuleSoft to require significant resources and headcount.
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4. Performance overheads:
   While MuleSoft can be good at managing complex integrations, the overhead introduced by heavy API traffic and data transformation processes can impact performance.
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5. Vendor lock-in:
   MuleSoft is a great option for you if you run mostly on a Salesforce service environment. However, it lacks integration capabilities for other service and system landscapes.
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6. Limited customization:
   While MuleSoft offers extensive customization capabilities, many ITSM-focused integration use cases may require additional development work to tailor to your specific needs.
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Top MuleSoft Alternatives

MuleSoft has been a named a leader in the Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for iPaaS solutions for nine years in a row. The top alternatives to MuleSoft include:

• Boomi - a cloud-based integration platform previously owned by Dell that enables businesses to connect applications and automate workflows.
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• Celigo - an integration platform that focuses on simplifying the connectivity between cloud-based applications and other enterprise systems.
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• Informatica - a data integration and management solutions that help organizations connect, manage, and secure data across diverse environments.
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• Workato - an integration and automation platform that allows users to create workflows and automate processes across applications without extensive coding.
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• Jitterbit - an API integration platform designed to connects SaaS, on-premises, and cloud applications.
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• SnapLogic - integration platform that enables fast data and application integration with its visual interface and AI-driven automation.
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• TIBCO - integration and analytics software that helps large enterprise businesses connect applications, data, and devices in regulated industries.
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ONEiO as an Integration as a Service Alternative

If you’re not sure if MuleSoft is the best option for your integration needs, you may also consider an end-to-end integration service like ONEiO.

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As an integration service provider, ONEiO takes full responsibility of managing your integration ecosystem. Unlike an integration platform that you have to build and maintain yourself, with ONEiO you subscribe simply to integration outcomes. 

ONEiO gives you a streamlined, no-code integration solution that stands out for several reasons:

Effortless integrations as a service

While MuleSoft has some low- and no-code functionality, ONEiO is the first integration solution that offers end-to-end integrations as a service. This is especially valuable in case you don’t plan to hire a full team of system integrators to maintain your integration ecosystem.

Integration automation beyond pre-built connectors

ONEiO supports a wide range of endpoint types and data formats, including JSON, XML, CSV, and plain text. It provides robust mechanisms for both push (using webhooks and REST/SOAP) and pull (via API, SFTP, SQL) data processing. This flexibility ensures that ONEiO can handle various integration scenarios with ease.

Security and Compliance

ONEiO offers strong security features, including encrypted credentials and support for multiple authentication standards (Basic Authentication, Token, API Key, OAuth, etc.). It also allows connections to internal networks and supports reverse proxies or whitelisting. The platform is built on AWS and ensures high availability and GDPR compliance.

Business logic and data orchestration

ONEiO provides a no-code editor for creating business logic, transforming, and translating data. It supports various transformation options like regular expressions, case transformations, and date formatting. The platform’s rule robot automates rule creation based on common use cases, making it easy to adjust or add new rules without disrupting existing integrations.

When to choose ONEiO? 

ONEiO is especially well suited for seamless ITSM integrations across internal and externally managed IT services. It offers a turnkey solution for the complex integration needs of both global enterprises and IT service providers.
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ONEiO highlights:

• ONEAi artificial intelligence model trained specifically for IT service integration.
• Faster time-to-value. Typical integrations take 2 weeks from idea to production.
• 100% satisfaction guarantee based on proven enterprise-grade integration service.
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ONEiO is an especially popular turnkey solution for solving the complex integration needs of global enterprises. It effortlessly connects internal and external service providers without the need to build out costly integration capabilities and resources.

Bottom line on MuleSoft

MuleSoft is a leading iPaaS solution that helps you integrate different business applications, data, and IT systems. It is built around the Anypoint Platform that specializes in API integrations.

Depending on your needs there are many alternatives to consider in the iPaaS solution market. If you’re looking for a hassle-free option, you should consider integration as a service solutions like ONEiO.

ONEiO offers a powerful, user-friendly alternative. Its no-code platform, flexible integration capabilities, robust security, comprehensive monitoring, and scalability make it a compelling choice for organizations seeking to simplify their integration processes while maintaining high standards of performance and reliability.

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If you are looking for ways to keep your tools and people up to speed, contact us for a free 15-minute assessment to see how we can help you reach better integration outcomes. With a 100% success guarantee!