Apache APISIX vs KrakenD API Gateway

Apache APISIX9.2Visit KrakenD API Gateway7.9Visit

Higher score Apache APISIX #3 in API Gateway Software 9.2/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 2 features Visit Apache APISIX

vs

KrakenD API Gateway #16 in API Gateway Software 7.9/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 2 features Visit KrakenD

• Apache APISIX fits best

  Open-source teams wanting broad protocol support

• KrakenD API Gateway fits best

  Developers needing API aggregation and mediation

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Side by side

Feature	Apache APISIX 9.2/10 Visit ↗	KrakenD API Gateway 7.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.2	7.9
Ranking	#3 in API Gateway Software	#16 in API Gateway Software
Best for	Open-source teams wanting broad protocol support	Developers needing API aggregation and mediation
Pricing model	Free	Free plan + paid
Starting price	Free plan	—
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Self-hosted	Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms	Linux	Linux, Windows, macOS
Support	Community, Docs	Email, Community, Docs · 24/7
Integrations	5 integrations	12 integrations
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Apache APISIX 2/2 · KrakenD API Gateway 2/2
Rate limiting	✓	✓
Request transformation	✓	✓
Specs
Deployment model	Self-hosted	Hybrid
Supported protocols	HTTP, HTTPS, TCP, UDP, WebSocket, gRPC, MQTT, HTTP/3, Dubbo	REST, HTTP, WebSockets, SOAP, gRPC, GraphQL, AMQP, Kafka, NATS
Authentication methods	API key, JWT, Basic Authentication, OAuth 2.0/OpenID Connect, HMAC, LDAP, CAS, Keycloak, Casdoor, forward authentication, multi-auth	JWT, client credentials, OAuth2, OpenID Connect, API keys, Basic Authentication, mTLS
Monthly request limit	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Supports HTTP, TCP, UDP, WebSocket, gRPC, MQTT, HTTP/3, and Dubbo Includes routing, load balancing, authentication, rate limiting, and transformations Offers Kubernetes integration, a dashboard, and 100+ gateway and AI plugins	Free open-source Community Edition Aggregates, transforms, authenticates, and rate-limits API traffic Connects REST, gRPC, SOAP, GraphQL, messaging, and cloud services
Cons	Deployment is self-hosted rather than vendor-hosted Linux is the listed operating-system platform Its broad configuration and plugin surface may require dedicated technical ownership	Enterprise functionality requires a commercial edition Advanced enterprise support is tied to SLA-backed plans Its wide protocol scope may exceed a simple REST gateway's needs
Our verdict	Apache APISIX is an open-source API and AI gateway for teams operating APIs, microservices, and multi-protocol traffic in cloud-native environments. It is designed for self-hosted deployment on Linux and supports traditional, decoupled,… Read the review →	KrakenD API Gateway is a stateless API gateway for teams managing microservices and complex API ecosystems. It is designed for developers who need to combine multiple backend responses behind an API, transform requests and responses, apply… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Apache APISIX — where it wins

  • Supports HTTP, TCP, UDP, WebSocket, gRPC, MQTT, HTTP/3, and Dubbo
  • Includes routing, load balancing, authentication, rate limiting, and transformations
  • Offers Kubernetes integration, a dashboard, and 100+ gateway and AI plugins

  Where it doesn't

  • Deployment is self-hosted rather than vendor-hosted
  • Linux is the listed operating-system platform
  • Its broad configuration and plugin surface may require dedicated technical ownership

• KrakenD API Gateway — where it wins

  • Free open-source Community Edition
  • Aggregates, transforms, authenticates, and rate-limits API traffic
  • Connects REST, gRPC, SOAP, GraphQL, messaging, and cloud services

  Where it doesn't

  • Enterprise functionality requires a commercial edition
  • Advanced enterprise support is tied to SLA-backed plans
  • Its wide protocol scope may exceed a simple REST gateway's needs

• Apache APISIX9.2/10 · Free plan

  A self-hosted gateway for teams needing broad protocol support and extensible traffic controls.

  Visit Apache APISIXFull verdict →
• KrakenD API Gateway7.9/10 · Free plan

  A flexible gateway for composing services, controlling traffic, and connecting mixed protocols.

  Visit KrakenDFull verdict →