kgateway vs Apache APISIX

kgateway8.8Visit Apache APISIX8.7Visit

Higher score kgateway #6 in Kubernetes Ingress Controllers 8.8/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 5 of 5 features Visit kgateway

vs

Apache APISIX #7 in Kubernetes Ingress Controllers 8.7/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 5 features Visit Apache APISIX

• kgateway fits best

  Gateway API teams needing security controls

• Apache APISIX fits best

  Open-source API gateway and ingress teams

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Side by side

Feature	kgateway 8.8/10 Visit ↗	Apache APISIX 8.7/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.8	8.7
Ranking	#6 in Kubernetes Ingress Controllers	#7 in Kubernetes Ingress Controllers
Best for	Gateway API teams needing security controls	Open-source API gateway and ingress teams
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Free plan	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Self-hosted	Self-hosted
Support	Community, Docs	Community, Docs
Integrations	4 integrations	5 integrations
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features kgateway 5/5 · Apache APISIX 0/5
TLS automation	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Canary routing	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Rate limiting	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Web application firewall	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Auth policies	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Specs
Ingress API model	Both	Not checked yet
Deployment model	Self-hosted	Self-hosted
Our review
Pros	Free open-source Gateway API implementation Weighted routing, canary splitting, and rate limiting Authentication, TLS automation, and WAF support	Kubernetes Ingress and Gateway API integration 100+ gateway and AI plugins plus a built-in Dashboard UI Supports HTTP, gRPC, MQTT, WebSocket, TCP, UDP, and HTTP/3
Cons	Self-hosted deployment requires a Kubernetes environment Integration coverage centers on a focused set of platforms No AI features are included	Self-hosted deployment requires infrastructure ownership Broad capabilities can increase configuration and governance effort Not designed for teams seeking a fully managed ingress service
Our verdict	kgateway is an open-source Kubernetes-native ingress controller and API gateway for teams managing service, API, serverless, or legacy application traffic in Kubernetes. It implements the Kubernetes Gateway API and uses Envoy as its proxy… Read the review →	Apache APISIX is an open-source API and AI gateway for teams operating Kubernetes environments, APIs, microservices, and multi-protocol traffic. It combines dynamic routing, load balancing, authentication, configurable rate limiting,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• kgateway — where it wins

  • Free open-source Gateway API implementation
  • Weighted routing, canary splitting, and rate limiting
  • Authentication, TLS automation, and WAF support

  Where it doesn't

  • Self-hosted deployment requires a Kubernetes environment
  • Integration coverage centers on a focused set of platforms
  • No AI features are included

• Apache APISIX — where it wins

  • Kubernetes Ingress and Gateway API integration
  • 100+ gateway and AI plugins plus a built-in Dashboard UI
  • Supports HTTP, gRPC, MQTT, WebSocket, TCP, UDP, and HTTP/3

  Where it doesn't

  • Self-hosted deployment requires infrastructure ownership
  • Broad capabilities can increase configuration and governance effort
  • Not designed for teams seeking a fully managed ingress service

• kgateway8.8/10 · Free plan

  A focused open-source Gateway API gateway for teams needing routing, security, and traffic controls.

  Visit kgatewayFull verdict →
• Apache APISIX8.7/10 · Free plan

  A self-hosted Kubernetes gateway with broad protocol support and an extensive plugin ecosystem.

  Visit Apache APISIXFull verdict →