You can buy an iPaaS canvas, a flowchart that never mentions JMS, and still miss the job. The job is the 2014 SOAP queue that still has to post next to a REST billing API through the cutover. That is still an ESB problem in 2026, even if the vendor page now says iPaaS. MuleSoft Anypoint, IBM App Connect Enterprise, WSO2 Integrator: MI, and the Red Hat build of Apache Camel are the four that still have a bus story.
These four: MuleSoft Anypoint, IBM App Connect Enterprise, WSO2 Integrator: MI, and the Red Hat build of Apache Camel.
Bus, iPaaS, and event are three buys. Anypoint and ACE will sell you the canvas. Camel and WSO2 MI are still runtimes you point at a queue. If the demo never leaves a flowchart and there is no JMS story, you are in iPaaS.
MuleSoft Anypoint
Anypoint is Salesforce's integration platform: Mule runtime, Anypoint Exchange, API Manager, and CloudHub or Runtime Fabric. The old standalone Mule ESB page is gone. You buy Anypoint.
New customers since 1 Mar 2024 buy Integration Starter or Integration Advanced, metered on Mule Flows and Mule Messages. Advanced is US and EU only. Existing Gold / Platinum / Titanium vCore contracts still renew. There is no public list price on either edition.
Agent Fabric shipped Agent Script and A2A Protocol 1.0 on 14 Jul 2026, then dropped the lowercase-only broker ID rule on 6 Aug. Anypoint Exchange added an Agentforce scanner in July; importing agents from Settings is deprecated. Topic Center rides every Anypoint license. The Agentforce connector is free on Exchange.
Best for:
A Salesforce-heavy estate that wants API-led connectivity, a governed catalog, and a sales conversation it already knows how to have.
Key Features:
- Mule runtime on CloudHub, CloudHub 2.0, Runtime Fabric, or customer-managed hybrid.
- Anypoint Exchange connectors, RAML/OAS design, and API Manager policies on the same control plane.
- Agent Fabric with Agent Script graphs and A2A 1.0 as of 14 Jul 2026.
- MuleSoft for Agentforce Topic Center included on Starter, Advanced, Automation, and legacy bundles.
Why we like it:
It is the only shortlist item that still looks like a classic ESB to an architect and like an iPaaS to a Salesforce AE. The meter change is the buying fact: Flows and Messages.
Notable Limitations:
- Quote-only. The pricing page describes Starter vs Advanced and does not print dollars.
- No AWS Marketplace list we can put in a budget. Private offers exist.
- Advanced is region-limited. Confirm US/EU before the RFP.
- You are buying Salesforce packaging. Agentforce extras are free connectors.
Pricing:
Quote. New deals: Integration Starter or Integration Advanced, annual, Mule Flows plus Mule Messages. Legacy vCore editions remain for existing customers. Do not use a 16-core perpetual figure in a 2026 budget. The pricing page describes the meters and prints no dollars. Agent Fabric shipped Agent Script on 14 Jul 2026; if the RFP is agents, that is now the Mule conversation.
IBM App Connect Enterprise
App Connect Enterprise is what IBM tells WebSphere ESB and Integration Bus customers to move to. WebSphere ESB is past end of support. ACE 13 dropped the old broker-and-execution-group model for lightweight integration servers you can run on a VM, a container, or OpenShift.
The current fix pack is 13.0.8.1, dated 31 Jul 2026, after 13.0.8.0 on 27 Jun. From 13.0.5.0 you can hang an on-prem node off IBM webMethods Hybrid Integration with a switchclient.json. IBM closed the webMethods and StreamSets buy on 1 Jul 2024 for €2.13 billion. ACE and webMethods are two products. Do not treat the Hybrid Integration SKU as a free ACE upgrade.
A developer edition downloads at no charge. Production is not free.
Best for:
Teams already on MQ, ACE, or a dying WebSphere ESB install who need REST, SOAP, JMS, Kafka, and file in one toolkit, and who will pay a VPC or flow-run meter.
Key Features:
- Toolkit flows with ESQL, Java, reusable subflows, and a large connector set. Designer is the low-code path.
- Same bar file on VM, container, or OpenShift / Cloud Pak for Integration.
- AI-assisted mapping on the current 13.x line.
- Optional control-plane join to webMethods Hybrid Integration from ACE 13.0.5.0.
Why we like it:
It is the honest successor to WebSphere ESB and Integration Bus. The AWS Marketplace listing prints a number you can put in a spreadsheet. SaaS starts lower on IBM's own page.
Notable Limitations:
- Toolkit learning curve is real. Designer does not replace it for MQ-and-ESQL work.
- Licensing is the delay. Marketplace reviewers in 2026 still call the SKU hard to predict.
- webMethods Hybrid Integration is a second buy. Standard Tier on AWS is $30,781 per 12 months for 768 Resource Units. IBM's product page starts that SaaS listing at $2,565 per month.
- The developer edition is a toolkit download. Production needs its own entitlement.
Pricing:
IBM's pricing page: App Connect Enterprise as a Service from $200 per month on flow runs, or $667 per month on runtime compute capacity, both sold annually. Software is quote. AWS Marketplace software listing: $45,240 per IBM App Connect Enterprise VPC per 12 months. 4.4 stars from 253 ratings. Refunds only with IBM approval.
WSO2 Integrator: MI
The old WSO2 Enterprise Service Bus product is WSO2 Integrator: MI. Micro Integrator. Apache-licensed, EIP-shaped, and the only item here you can download and run without a sales call. SaaS is the same codebase on WSO2 Cloud.
The Integration Platform pricing page splits a 30-day full-feature trial, Growth (monthly billing, iPaaS only), and Enterprise (custom, unlimited usage, flexible deploy). Growth caps: 100 integrations, 20 million transactions a month, 2,000 automation-core minutes, 10 AI agents, 2,000 agent actions. No dollar amount is printed.
Best for:
A team that will own the runtime, wants Synapse-style mediation and EIPs without a Salesforce or IBM contract, and can live with either self-host or iPaaS Growth.
Key Features:
- Low-code and code-first integration sequences, proxy services, inbound endpoints, and scheduled tasks. An integration, on the subscription FAQ, is a unique message entry point.
- Kubernetes-friendly MI runtime. Same project on laptop, cluster, or WSO2 Cloud.
- Built-in security and the usual connector set. AI-assisted development and agent actions sit on the current cloud plan.
- Open-source download. Commercial subscription is support, updates, and the licensed distribution.
Why we like it:
It is the only shortlist item you can start this afternoon without a quote. Growth publishes usage caps even if it hides the price. That is more honest than a "contact us" with no meter.
Notable Limitations:
- Growth is iPaaS-only and prod-only. Hybrid and extra environments are Enterprise.
- No public dollar on the pricing page. AWS Marketplace listings are API Management POCs at $0.001. That is not production MI.
- You own operations on the self-host path. That is the point, and the cost.
- The old /products/enterprise-service-bus/ URL is dead. Budget and docs should say Integrator: MI.
Pricing:
Open-source download. 30-day cloud trial. Growth is billed monthly; WSO2 does not print the amount. Enterprise is a custom contract. Treat third-party year-one tables as guesses.
Is Growth actually cheaper than ACE's $200 / month SaaS floor? The Integration Platform page names caps (100 integrations, 20 million transactions) and hides the dollar. Confirm it on the quote.
Red Hat build of Apache Camel
If your runbook still says JBoss Fuse, stop. Red Hat Fuse 7 reached end of life on 30 Jun 2024. Extended Lifecycle Support runs to June 2026. The replacement is the Red Hat build of Apache Camel, sold inside a Red Hat Application Foundations subscription. Camel 4.x on Quarkus or Spring Boot, not OSGi on Karaf.
You are buying support and a curated Camel. OpenShift is a separate subscription if you want the cluster Red Hat would rather you run.
Best for:
Engineering teams that already write Camel routes, are on or moving to OpenShift, and will not pay MuleSoft vCore-class money for EIP mediation.
Key Features:
- Supported Apache Camel 3.x and 4.x. Red Hat's own note: migrate Fuse 7 to Camel 4.x and skip 3.x if you can.
- Quarkus and Spring Boot runtimes. Fuse 7's Karaf / EAP / OSGi path died with Fuse.
- Application Foundations also bundles neighboring bits (Debezium and others). Read the SKU before you assume Camel-only.
- Code-first EIPs. There is no Anypoint-style Exchange as the product.
Why we like it:
It is the cheapest public enterprise listing on this page, and the only honest answer to "we have Fuse in production in 2026." AWS Marketplace prints Red Hat Application Foundations Premium, 4 vCPU, on a 12-month line.
Notable Limitations:
- Not a managed iPaaS. You run it. OpenShift is extra.
- Fuse ELS ended June 2026. A new Fuse 7 contract this quarter only delays the Camel move.
- The AWS listing is a bundle of Red Hat subscriptions. RHAF Premium 4 vCPU is the Camel-relevant line.
- No low-code Designer. If the buyer is a business analyst, this is the wrong buy.
Pricing:
AWS Marketplace RHAF Premium, 4 vCPU: $5,940 / 12 months. Self-hosted Apache Camel without the subscription is free and unsupported. Do not put an old 16-core Fuse number in a 2026 PO.
Which runtime you are actually buying
- 01MuleSoft: CloudHub or Fabric. Meter: Flows + Messages. Quote.
- 02IBM ACE: VM, container, OpenShift. Meter: VPC or flow runs. AWS lists a per-VPC year.
- 03WSO2 MI: self-host or iPaaS. Meter: integrations + transactions. Growth hides the dollar.
- 04Red Hat Camel: you run it. Meter: Application Foundations vCPU. AWS lists a 4 vCPU year.
Oracle Service Bus, Microsoft BizTalk, and TIBCO BusinessWorks still exist. They belong on an incumbent renewal. NServiceBus is the.NET service bus, not an ESB you drop on SAP. CData Arc (the old ArcESB) is B2B/MFT first. IBM webMethods Hybrid Integration is the B2B/API/MFT control plane IBM bought in 2024. Useful next to ACE.
Beats, Devart ODBC, InteGreat, Bee6, and DreamFactory were never buses.
ESB, iPaaS, and the SKU that is already dead
Is an ESB just iPaaS with an older logo?
An ESB is still mediation, transformation, and reliable messaging on a runtime you can point at a queue. iPaaS is that idea sold as SaaS, with a connector catalog and a flow-run meter. Anypoint and ACE sell both. Camel and WSO2 MI are still runtimes. If the demo never leaves a canvas and there is no JMS story, you are in iPaaS and should also read our iPaaS tools page.
Can I still buy JBoss Fuse or WebSphere ESB?
Not as a new platform. Fuse 7 EOL was 30 Jun 2024. ELS ended June 2026. That is the dated fact that changes the PO: a Fuse ELS renewal is now a delay. WebSphere ESB is past end of support. The migration paths IBM and Red Hat publish are ACE 13 (current fix pack 13.0.8.1, 31 Jul 2026) and the Red Hat build of Camel 4.x.
Why is there no 16-core price on this page anymore?
Those numbers were 2019-era cores-and-support quotes. The public 2026 listings meter VPCs, Resource Units, Flows, or Application Foundations vCPU. A 16-core line in a spreadsheet is how you buy the wrong SKU.
