The short answer: The best enterprise iPaaS is the one that connects your systems securely, runs where your data has to live, keeps your own team in control and stays affordable as you scale.
MuleSoft, Boomi, Workato, Microsoft, Informatica and Frends, the European enterprise iPaaS, all pass a first screen. They differ on fit. Seven criteria below show which one fits you.
An integration platform as a service (iPaaS) is a managed platform for connecting applications, data and processes. At enterprise scale, it also has to cover APIs, workflow automation, monitoring, security and governance, so you don't stitch together five tools to get the job done.
Integration is also the base for automation and AI. In the State of Integration & AI 2026 report, based on more than 600 IT and business leaders, the gap between AI adoption and integration maturity is the central finding.
AI that can't reach clean, current data from your systems stays a pilot.
Check where data is processed and stored and who can access it. Check role-based access, audit logs and how "secrets" are handled. Ask which certifications the vendor holds today, not which are planned. If you operate in Europe, check fit with your GDPR, NIS2 duties, EU AI Act and exposure to the CLOUD Act.
Ask the vendor: "Show me the audit trail for one integration run and tell me where it is stored."
Most large organizations still run systems in their own data centers. A platform should reach them without forcing a full move to the cloud. Check which parts of the platform can run in your data center, whether the full platform can run on-premises if a regulation or a customer requires it and whether it can run in an air-gapped environment.
Ask the vendor: "Which parts of your platform can run in our data center, and which can't?"
Look for API design, hosting, security, versioning and usage tracking in the same platform. Separate API tools add cost and another place for things to break.
Ask the vendor: "Is API management included, or is it a separate product and contract?"
At 50 integrations you can keep the picture in your head. At 500 you can't. Look for reuse of components, promotion between environments, change history, alerting and one place to see what ran, what failed and why.
Ask the vendor: "How do I see every integration that touches our ERP, and who was the last to change?"
Your team will live in this tool. Test it with your own developers on one real integration. Low-code should speed up the common work without trapping you when you need real code. Visual, documented integrations also reduce the risk of depending on one specialist who knows how everything works.
Ask the vendor: "Can a new developer on my team build and deploy a working integration in the first week?"
License price is the small part. Count implementation, add-on modules, specialist consulting, run costs, upgrades and the cost of leaving. Pricing models also differ: some platforms charge by message or API call volume, some by connector or user, and some, like Frends, by Process. A model tied to volume gets harder to forecast the more you automate.
Ask the vendor: "Give me the three-year cost for our expected volume, with everything we need to run it listed."
Check customer references in your industry and size, the partner network, support hours in your time zone and the vendor's long-term outlook. A larger vendor brings a bigger ecosystem. A focused vendor often brings closer attention and faster answers. Match the choice to how you buy and how you want to be treated.
Ask the vendor: "Give me customers like us, and let me call them."
Each platform below follows the same format: who it suits, where it is strongest and what to watch.
| Platform | Best for | Main strength | Watch-out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frends | Mid-size and large European organizations that want integration, automation and APIs on one low-code platform | One low-code sovereign platform that runs in the cloud, on-premises or air-gapped | Smaller vendor and ecosystem than the global incumbents |
| Boomi | Organizations that want a broad, established cloud platform | Integration, API management, B2B/EDI and workflow on one platform, with a large connector library | Pricing tied to connectors and usage can rise as an estate grows, and the management layer runs in Boomi’s cloud |
| Informatica | Organizations where data management come first | Data integration, quality, governance and master data in one cloud platform | Consumption-based pricing is harder to forecast, and a broad suite can exceed what application integration needs |
| Microsoft Azure Integration Services | Organizations already built on Azure | Native fit with Azure and the wider Microsoft stack, with a large connector library | Several separate services to combine and govern, each with its own pricing and monitoring |
| MuleSoft Anypoint Platform | Large organizations with an API-led strategy, especially in the Salesforce ecosystem | Full API lifecycle management and a large partner ecosystem | Capacity-based licensing and specialist skills can raise total cost |
| Workato | Business-led automation across SaaS applications | Approachable automation for business teams, with a very large SaaS connector library | Usage-based pricing, and less depth for on-premises and legacy systems |
Frends is best for mid-size and large organizations, especially in Europe and the Middle East, that want integration, workflows, APIs and automation on one low-code platform with no data exposure to US regulations. It is strongest at deployment flexibility, with Agents and local AI models that run in the cloud, fully on-premises or in air-gapped environments, and at keeping integrations visible and documented. Frends prices by Process, not by message volume. Enterprise MCP turns Processes into governed tools that AI clients can discover and call. In G2’s Winter 2026 report, Frends was recognized in the Enterprise Usability Index and Enterprise Results Index for API Development. Watch for ecosystem size: Frends is a smaller vendor than the global incumbents. Typical buyers: CIOs, CTOs, enterprise architects and IT managers.
Boomi is best for organizations that want a broad, established cloud platform covering integration, APIs, B2B/EDI and workflow. It is strongest at breadth: a large connector library and several integration needs on one platform, now extended with tools for managing AI agents. Watch for cost and control. Pricing tied to connectors and usage can rise as an estate grows, and the management layer runs in Boomi’s cloud, with local runtimes for on-premises systems. Typical buyers: IT managers, integration leads and enterprise architects.
Informatica is best for organizations where data management, data quality and governance come first. It is strongest at combining data integration with cataloging, quality and master data management in one cloud platform, with an AI engine that assists data teams. Watch for fit and forecasting. A data-centered suite can be more than you need for application and process integration, and consumption-based pricing can be harder to forecast as data volumes grow. Typical buyers: data and analytics leaders, CIOs and data architects.
Microsoft Azure Integration Services is best for organizations already built on Azure and Microsoft tools. It is strongest at native fit with the Microsoft stack, including Azure identity and Dynamics 365, and a large connector library. It is a set of services, among them Logic Apps, API Management, Service Bus, Event Grid and Data Factory, not one product. Watch for the effort of combining and governing them: each has its own pricing meter and monitoring, and hybrid scenarios rely on Azure Arc and self-hosted gateways. Typical buyers: Azure architects, platform engineers and developers.
MuleSoft Anypoint Platform is best for large organizations with an API-led integration strategy, especially those already using Salesforce. It is strongest at API design, management and governance, backed by a large connector library and a large partner and developer community. Watch for cost and skills. Licensing scales with allocated capacity, and getting the most from the platform typically takes specialists in its tooling and its DataWeave transformation language. Typical buyers: enterprise architects, CIOs and integration centers of excellence.
Workato is best for business-led automation across SaaS applications. It is strongest at making workflow automation approachable for business teams, with a very large library of SaaS connectors and built-in AI agents. Watch for pricing and depth. Pricing is usage-based and not fully published, and the platform is less suited to deep on-premises and legacy integration. Typical buyers: business operations and IT automation leads.
Week 1. Write your must-haves. List your systems, volumes, data locations, compliance duties and the three processes that hurt most today.
Week 2. Shortlist three platforms using the criteria above. Drop anything that fails a must-have.
Weeks 3 and 4. Run a proof of value on one real integration with your own data and your own developers. Measure build time, errors and how much help you needed.
Week 5. Score and compare on the seven criteria, weighted by what matters to you. Write the three-year cost.
Week 6. Check references and decide. Talk to two customers per finalist.
Frends' own engagement path follows the same shape: discovery, technical deep dive, business value assessment, proposal, proof of value and onboarding.
"We already have a platform." Many organizations do. Check what it costs to run, how many specialists you depend on, whether it can support automation and AI or if it has a proper roadmap for the future. If the answers are good, keep it. If not, move integrations in stages and run both for a while.
"Switching is risky." It is, if you do it all at once. Move one domain at a time, starting with integrations that are poorly documented or run on scripts. Customers have moved scripts and third-party-managed integrations onto Frends to gain in-house control and visibility.
"What if the vendor is small?" A fair question. Ask for financials where available, references of your size, the support model and exit terms such as integration and data export. Ask the same of the large vendors, because they also change prices and priorities.
"Will this lock us in?" Ask how integrations are stored, whether you can export them and how much of your logic lives in proprietary formats. A platform that keeps integrations visible and standard lowers the cost of change.
There is no single best. Frends suits organizations that want one low-code platform with flexible deployment and a strong European presence. MuleSoft and Boomi are widely used by large enterprises. Workato is strong in business-led automation. Microsoft suits Azure-centered organizations. Informatica suits data-heavy ones. Choose by the seven criteria above.
An ESB is typically software your team installs and runs. An iPaaS is delivered as a managed platform and often adds APIs, automation and monitoring.
It varies by vendor, volume and modules. Ask each vendor for a three-year cost with every component you need listed, and compare pricing models as well as totals: volume-based, per connector or per user, or per Process.
A first integration can often go live in days, depending on the vendor. A full landscape takes longer, so plan in stages and measure it.
Some can. Frends Agents and local AI models can run in the cloud, fully on-premises or in air-gapped environments, which matters for regulated industries and the public sector. Check any vendor against your own requirements.
Whether the platform shows you, in one place, every integration that touches your critical systems, who changed each one and what failed last week. Visibility comes before everything else on the list, because you can't govern, secure or cost what you can't see.
Low-code should cover the common work and let your developers go further when they need to. Test it on your hardest integration, not your easiest one.
Integration gives AI access to current, structured data from your systems while each system stays the master of its own data. Ask whether the platform can expose integrations to AI agents with governance in place. In Frends, Enterprise MCP does this by turning Processes into governed tools that AI clients can discover and call.
Yes. Move one domain at a time, run the old and new platforms side by side and retire the old one as each domain proves out.