Apache APISIX vs NGINX Gateway Fabric

Apache APISIX9.2Visit NGINX Gateway Fabric8.9Visit

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

vs

NGINX Gateway Fabric #6 in API Gateway Software 8.9/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 2 features Visit NGINX

• Apache APISIX fits best

  Open-source teams wanting broad protocol support

• NGINX Gateway Fabric fits best

  Kubernetes teams needing a focused gateway

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Side by side

Feature	Apache APISIX 9.2/10 Visit ↗	NGINX Gateway Fabric 8.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.2	8.9
Ranking	#3 in API Gateway Software	#6 in API Gateway Software
Best for	Open-source teams wanting broad protocol support	Kubernetes teams needing a focused gateway
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Free plan	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Self-hosted	Self-hosted
Support	Community, Docs	Community, Docs
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Apache APISIX 2/2 · NGINX Gateway Fabric 2/2
Rate limiting	✓	✓
Request transformation	✓	✓
Specs
Deployment model	Self-hosted	Self-hosted
Supported protocols	HTTP, HTTPS, TCP, UDP, WebSocket, gRPC, MQTT, HTTP/3, Dubbo	HTTP, HTTPS, HTTP/2, gRPC, TCP, TLS, UDP
Authentication methods	API key, JWT, Basic Authentication, OAuth 2.0/OpenID Connect, HMAC, LDAP, CAS, Keycloak, Casdoor, forward authentication, multi-auth	Basic authentication, JWT, OpenID Connect, external authentication
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	Routes HTTP, gRPC, TCP, TLS, and UDP traffic Adds authentication, rate limiting, rewrites, and request mirroring Open source with a free plan and self-hosted deployment
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	Requires the Kubernetes team to manage self-hosted deployment Uses a separate control plane and NGINX data plane Broader integrations and management features are outside its scope
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 →	NGINX Gateway Fabric is an open-source Kubernetes gateway implementation from F5, Inc. It uses NGINX as the data plane and implements Gateway API resources for routing HTTP, HTTPS, HTTP/2, gRPC, TCP, TLS, and UDP traffic. Teams can use it… 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

• NGINX Gateway Fabric — where it wins

  • Routes HTTP, gRPC, TCP, TLS, and UDP traffic
  • Adds authentication, rate limiting, rewrites, and request mirroring
  • Open source with a free plan and self-hosted deployment

  Where it doesn't

  • Requires the Kubernetes team to manage self-hosted deployment
  • Uses a separate control plane and NGINX data plane
  • Broader integrations and management features are outside its scope

• Apache APISIX9.2/10 · Free plan

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

  Visit Apache APISIXFull verdict →
• NGINX Gateway Fabric8.9/10 · Free plan

  A focused, self-hosted Kubernetes gateway for teams that want open-source NGINX routing.

  Visit NGINXFull verdict →