Amazon API Gateway vs Kong Gateway

Amazon API Gateway8.8Visit Kong Gateway7.0Visit

Higher score Amazon API Gateway #1 in API Gateway Software 8.8/10 From $1 ✓ 2 of 2 features Visit site

vs

Kong Gateway #8 in API Gateway Software 7.0/10 Free plan · 30-day trial Free plan✓ 2 of 2 features Visit Kong Gateway

• Amazon API Gateway fits best

  AWS-native teams needing broad API management

• Kong Gateway fits best

  Flexible hybrid deployments and Kubernetes teams

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Side by side

Feature	Amazon API Gateway 8.8/10 Visit ↗	Kong Gateway 7.0/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.8	7.0
Ranking	#1 in API Gateway Software	#8 in API Gateway Software
Best for	AWS-native teams needing broad API management	Flexible hybrid deployments and Kubernetes teams
Pricing model	Paid	Free plan + paid
Starting price	Not published	Not published
Free plan	—	✓ (best)
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud	Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms	Web	Web
Support	Docs, Community	Email, Tickets, Community, Docs · 24/7
Integrations	13 integrations	10 integrations
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Amazon API Gateway 2/2 · Kong Gateway 2/2
Rate limiting	✓	✓
Request transformation	✓	✓
Specs
Deployment model	Cloud	Hybrid
Supported protocols	HTTP, REST, WebSocket	REST, HTTP, Kafka, WebSockets, gRPC, GraphQL, UDP, TCP, TLS
Authentication methods	IAM/SigV4, Amazon Cognito user pools, JWT/OIDC/OAuth 2.0, Lambda authorizers, API keys, mutual TLS	Basic Auth, HMAC, JWT, Key Auth, LDAP, mutual TLS, OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, SAML, Vault
Monthly request limit	Not published	1e+06 requests/mo
Our review
Pros	Supports HTTP, REST, and WebSocket APIs Offers IAM, Cognito, JWT, authorizers, API keys, and mutual TLS Connects with Lambda, CloudWatch, WAF, CloudFront, and other AWS services	Supports REST, Kafka, WebSockets, gRPC, GraphQL, UDP, TCP, and TLS Combines routing, authentication, rate limiting, transformations, and load balancing Offers open-source, self-managed, hybrid, and managed cloud deployment options
Cons	Usage pricing varies by API type, region, volume, and related services Data transfer, connection minutes, and caching can add separate charges API Gateway Portals cost $125 per month	Plus uses metered gateway and request charges rather than one fixed listed price The Free trial retains analytics for 30 days Dedicated support and customer success are listed for Enterprise
Our verdict	Amazon API Gateway is a fully managed cloud service for creating, publishing, securing, monitoring, and operating APIs. It supports HTTP APIs, REST APIs, and WebSocket APIs, making it suitable for teams exposing backend functionality to… Read the review →	Kong Gateway is a cloud-native API gateway and reverse proxy for configuring, routing, securing, and observing APIs and microservices. It is aimed at platform teams, developers, and enterprises managing services across Kubernetes,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Amazon API Gateway — where it wins

  • Supports HTTP, REST, and WebSocket APIs
  • Offers IAM, Cognito, JWT, authorizers, API keys, and mutual TLS
  • Connects with Lambda, CloudWatch, WAF, CloudFront, and other AWS services

  Where it doesn't

  • Usage pricing varies by API type, region, volume, and related services
  • Data transfer, connection minutes, and caching can add separate charges
  • API Gateway Portals cost $125 per month

• Kong Gateway — where it wins

  • Supports REST, Kafka, WebSockets, gRPC, GraphQL, UDP, TCP, and TLS
  • Combines routing, authentication, rate limiting, transformations, and load balancing
  • Offers open-source, self-managed, hybrid, and managed cloud deployment options

  Where it doesn't

  • Plus uses metered gateway and request charges rather than one fixed listed price
  • The Free trial retains analytics for 30 days
  • Dedicated support and customer success are listed for Enterprise

• Amazon API Gateway8.8/10 · From $1

  A broad AWS-native gateway for HTTP, REST, WebSocket, and private API workloads.

  Visit siteFull verdict →
• Kong Gateway7.0/10 · Free plan · 30-day trial

  A flexible gateway for Kubernetes, hybrid infrastructure, and multi-cloud API operations.

  Visit Kong GatewayFull verdict →