888 API products tracked since 2021. The engagement data is more interesting than the volume data. Categories where engagement rises while volume drops are the ones with the most opportunity.
Five years of API launch data. Volume, engagement, and the products that stood out.
888 API products tracked since 2021. The engagement data is more interesting than the volume data. Categories where engagement rises while volume drops are the ones with the most opportunity.
| Quarter | Launches | Avg Interest Score | Top Product |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 2026 | 61 | 133 | Anything API |
| Q2 2026 | 2 | 127 | Mercury Edit 2 |
| Q1 2025 | 49 | 173 | Lingo.dev |
| Q2 2025 | 60 | 149 | The Swarm |
| Q3 2025 | 51 | 153 | Person search API |
| Q4 2025 | 45 | 133 | Fish Audio S1 |
| Q1 2024 | 50 | 138 | Sharetribe |
| Q2 2024 | 34 | 159 | Keywords AI |
| Q3 2024 | 43 | 172 | AnyParser API |
| Q4 2024 | 34 | 246 | APIPark |
| Q1 2023 | 52 | 146 | HyperSwitch |
| Q2 2023 | 50 | 157 | Fastgen |
| Q3 2023 | 61 | 171 | Resend |
| Q4 2023 | 44 | 170 | AuthKit by WorkOS |
| Q1 2022 | 29 | 162 | Make |
| Q2 2022 | 24 | 129 | API MAKER |
The API category has been steady over the past 6 years of tracked data. Total launches went from 127 in 2021 to 63 in 2026.
Average engagement ratio across all API launches: 0.25. Products above that line tend to solve a specific, painful problem. Products below it often entered a crowded space without clear differentiation.
API peaked in 2023 with 207 launches. That was 3 years ago. The decline since then could signal market consolidation, saturation, or attention shifting to adjacent categories.
Average engagement per product dropped from 0.23 in 2021 to 0.18 in 2026. More products competing for the same attention pool. The community is spread thinner, which makes high-engagement launches more impressive.
The highest-performing quarter was Q4 2024, with an average interest score of 246 across 34 launches. APIPark led that quarter.
888 B2B launches (100%) vs 0 B2C (0%) across the full API dataset. API is heavily B2B. The products here target teams, companies, and professional workflows.
2021: 127 launches. Average interest: 168. Average engagement: 0.23. Top launch: thirdweb (892 interest).
2022: 125 launches (-2% vs 2021). Average interest: 151. Average engagement: 0.30. Top launch: Retool Workflows (605 interest).
2023: 207 launches (+66% vs 2022). Average interest: 161. Average engagement: 0.25. Top launch: Resend (1,287 interest).
2024: 161 launches (-22% vs 2023). Average interest: 174. Average engagement: 0.23. Top launch: AnyParser API (881 interest).
2025: 205 launches (+27% vs 2024). Average interest: 152. Average engagement: 0.29. Top launch: Lingo.dev (1,058 interest).
2026: 63 launches (-69% vs 2025). Average interest: 133. Average engagement: 0.18. Top launch: Anything API (678 interest).
At least three. Two data points is a line, not a trend. We have five years of data for most categories, which is enough to distinguish real shifts from noise.
Current year launches compared to the same period last year. Positive means more products launching. Negative means the category cooled. Neither is inherently good or bad. A mature category with fewer but better launches is often healthier than one flooding the market with clones.
Launch volume drops but engagement per product rises. Fewer builders entering, but the ones that do find a more receptive audience. That's an opportunity signal. We flag it when we see it.
We report what happened. We don't predict. Five years of data shows patterns, but markets surprise people for a living.
Three common reasons. The market consolidated around winners. The technology matured and stopped generating new startups. Or builder attention shifted to adjacent categories. Usually it's a combination.
Volume without engagement is saturation. Engagement without volume is opportunity. Check which one you're looking at.
Sum of all interest scores in the quarter divided by number of products. Simple average. We don't weight by category or product age.