Alternatives
Best Kong alternatives in 2026
Data compiled by Toolradar Updated How we rate
Cite this list: Toolradar, best Kong alternatives 2026, toolradar.com/alternatives/kong
5 direct alternatives to Kong and 3 more tools in the same category, compared on pricing, features, and best-for use cases. Pick the right replacement without the marketing fluff.
Quick answer
- AWS API Gateway is the top alternative to Kong on our list, followed by Tyk and Azure API Management.
- 3 of the 8 alternatives have a free plan, starting with AWS API Gateway.
- Highest rated: Tyk, 4.7 out of 5 from 68 ratings, Oct 2026.
- 8 alternatives
- 5 direct
- 3 with a free plan
Top 3 alternatives to Kong
AWS API Gateway
#1 Top pickBuild, secure, and scale APIs with REST, HTTP, and WebSocket support
Pricing
Free plan
4.4 /5 across G2 and Capterra · 156 ratings, Sep 2026
Our take
Best overall
Tyk
#2Open source API gateway and management platform
Pricing
Contact sales
4.7 /5 across SourceForge, G2 and Capterra · 68 ratings, Oct 2026
Our take
Highest rated
Secure, govern, and scale REST, GraphQL, WebSocket, and AI APIs
Starting price
From $50 /mo
Cheapest paid plan, monthly, as of November 2026
4.2 /5 on G2 · 32 ratings, Sep 2026
Kong vs 8 alternatives
| Tool | Starting price (Nov 2026) | Free plan | Rating | Fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Price: Contact sales | Free plan: No | 4.2 out of 5, from 349 ratings across G2 and Trustpilot (349) | |
| Price: Free + paid | Free plan: Yes | 4.4 out of 5, from 156 ratings across G2 and Capterra (156) | Direct alternative |
| Price: Contact sales | Free plan: No | 4.7 out of 5, from 68 ratings across SourceForge, G2 and Capterra (68) | Direct alternative |
| Price: $50/mo | Free plan: No | 4.2 out of 5, from 32 ratings on G2 (32) | Direct alternative |
 | Price: Contact sales | Free plan: No | 4.5 out of 5, from 20 ratings on G2 (20) | Direct alternative |
 | Price: Free | Free plan: Yes | n/a | Direct alternative |
 | Price: $5/mo | Free plan: Yes | 4.6 out of 5, from 1,236 ratings across G2 and Capterra (1,236) | Same category as Kong |
 | Price: Contact sales | Free plan: No | 4.4 out of 5, from 3,839 ratings across G2 and Capterra (3,839) | Same category as Kong |
 | Price: Contact sales | Free plan: No | 4.4 out of 5, from 1,468 ratings across SourceForge, G2 and Capterra (1,468) | Same category as Kong |
Why people consider alternatives to Kong
Kong is an API gateway and service connectivity platform used by thousands of companies. Route, secure, and observe APIs with a single platform. Plugins add authentication, rate limiting, logging, and more.
Teams most often switch away when one of these starts to bite:
- Pricing at scale as usage or premium tiers add up.
- Missing integrations with the rest of your stack.
- Performance or scale limits as your needs grow.
- A specific feature gap you have hit in api tools.
The 5 direct alternatives below cover the same core job (API tools) with different trade-offs. The 3 tools marked "Same category as Kong" fit the category but replace Kong less directly.
Kong by the numbers
- #23 (joint) most-listed alternative in API Tools, out of 502 tools in API Tools. Source: Toolradar data, Oct 2026.
- #39 (joint) most-listed alternative in Security, out of 735 tools in Security. Source: Toolradar data, Oct 2026.
- #34 (joint) most-listed alternative in DevOps, out of 454 tools in DevOps. Source: Toolradar data, Oct 2026.
| Metric | Kong | Peer median | Position (1 is best) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | 77% have one | n/a |
| Listed as an alternative to | 21 tools | 2 | #34 of 454 (joint) |
| User rating | 4.2/5 (across the web, 349 ratings) | 4.5/5 | #138 of 171 (joint) tools with 20+ reviews |
| Compare-page visits, last 30 days | 43 visits | 34 | #49 of 127 tools with 20+ compare-page visits |
Listed as an alternative to: #34 on 2026-10-16 to #34 on 2026-10-31 (rank among 454 tools, 1 is best).
Each position is counted among the tools that have data for that row, as noted under it. All DevOps data · How we compute this. Advertising and placement fees are not inputs to any position. Visit counts include visits from every source.
Cite this: Toolradar, “Kong by the numbers”, Oct 2026.
API Tools leaderboards from Toolradar data
Toolradar ranks API Tools tools on one measure at a time, only where at least 8 tools have data. As of Oct 2026.
Lowest entry price, plans with no stated unit
Cheapest standard paid plan per month (annual prices divided by 12), read on vendor pages and compared only with tools priced on the same basis.
Counted among 182 tools with no stated price unit, verified price.
| # | Tool | Entry plan |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plivo | $0.50/mo, billed monthly |
| 2 | DataForSEO | $1/mo |
| 3 | Keploy | $1.58/mo, billed yearly |
| 4 | ModHeader | $2/mo, billed monthly |
| 5 | Deepinfra | $2.49/mo |
Lowest entry price, per-user plans
Cheapest standard paid plan per month (annual prices divided by 12), read on vendor pages and compared only with tools priced on the same basis.
Counted among 18 tools priced per user, verified price.
| # | Tool | Entry plan |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thunder Client | $3/user/mo, billed monthly |
| 2 | Google Workspace CLI | $4/user/mo, billed monthly |
| 2 | Open Wearables | $4/user/mo, billed monthly |
| 2 | shutup-mcp | $4/user/mo, billed monthly |
| 5 | Google Workspace MCP | $4.76/user/mo, billed monthly |
Lowest entry price, flat team plans
Cheapest standard paid plan per month (annual prices divided by 12), read on vendor pages and compared only with tools priced on the same basis.
Counted among 8 tools priced as a flat team plan, verified price.
| # | Tool | Entry plan |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Htmlcsstoimage | $14/mo flat, billed monthly |
| 2 | Amazon SES | $15/mo flat, billed monthly |
| 3 | DocSpring | $49/mo flat, billed monthly |
| 4 | Archbee | $80/mo flat, billed yearly |
| 5 | Theneo | $120/mo flat, billed monthly |
Most media coverage, last 30 days
Number of distinct articles published in the last 30 days by independent press, blogs and newsletters that mention the tool. A story carried by several outlets counts once; the vendor's own blog, review sites, forums and republishing sites do not count.
Counted among 16 tools mentioned in the last 30 days.
| # | Tool | Articles |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ElevenLabs | 10 articles |
| 2 | Cross River | 6 articles |
| 3 | OpenRouter | 5 articles |
| 3 | SerpAPI | 5 articles |
| 5 | Modern Treasury | 3 articles |
A position exists only when at least 8 tools have data for that metric. 207 of 501 API Tools tools have a verified price; the others publish none we could read (often "contact sales"). Advertising and placement fees are not inputs to any position. Visit counts include visits from every source. How we compute this. Cite this: Toolradar, “API Tools leaderboards”, Oct 2026. Data licensed CC BY 4.0. All API Tools statistics.
8 alternatives to Kong
Direct alternatives come first, ranked by G2 and Capterra ratings, media mentions, and editor review. Tools marked "Same category as Kong" follow, ranked the same way.
- 1
AWS API Gateway
Free plan Cheaper than KongBuild, secure, and scale APIs with REST, HTTP, and WebSocket support
4.4 /5 across G2 and Capterra · 156 ratings, Sep 2026
Free plan available; paid prices not published
- 2
Tyk
Paid Higher rated by usersOpen source API gateway and management platform
4.7 /5 across SourceForge, G2 and Capterra · 68 ratings, Oct 2026
Price not published
- 3
Azure API Management
PaidSecure, govern, and scale REST, GraphQL, WebSocket, and AI APIs
4.2 /5 on G2 · 32 ratings, Sep 2026
From $50/mo, billed monthly
- 4
Apigee
Paid Higher rated by usersDesign, secure, and scale your APIs with enterprise-grade management
4.5 /5 on G2 · 20 ratings, Sep 2026
Price not published
- 5
Envoy Proxy
100% free Cheaper than KongHigh-performance proxy for secure, observable cloud-native traffic
Free
- 6
ElevenLabs
Free plan Cheaper than KongGenerate lifelike AI voices in 29 languages, clone voices, and enable real-time speech
4.6 /5 across G2 and Capterra · 1,236 ratings, Sep 2026
From $5/mo, billed monthly; free plan available
Same category as Kong
- 7
Stripe
Paid Higher rated by usersPayment infrastructure for the internet
4.4 /5 across G2 and Capterra · 3,839 ratings, Sep 2026
Price not published
Same category as Kong
- 8
MuleSoft
Paid Higher rated by usersUnify apps, data, and devices across cloud and on-premise
4.4 /5 across SourceForge, G2 and Capterra · 1,468 ratings, Sep 2026
Price not published
Same category as Kong
Frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to Kong?
Based on real-signal scoring (G2 and Capterra ratings, media mentions, and editorial review), the top alternatives to Kong are AWS API Gateway, Tyk, Azure API Management. Each solves the same core job with different trade-offs on pricing, features, and integrations.
Is there a free alternative to Kong?
Yes. Envoy Proxy is 100% free (no paid upgrade path) (High-performance proxy for secure, observable cloud-native traffic). Freemium tools on this list offer a free tier with paid upgrades; they are not the same as fully free.
Why do people look for Kong alternatives?
Common reasons teams switch away from Kong: pricing that scales aggressively, missing integrations with the rest of their stack, performance or scale limits, or a specific feature gap in api tools. The alternatives on this page solve the same core problem with different trade-offs.
Side-by-side comparisons
In-depth comparison pages for Kong versus each alternative.
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