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Head-to-head · Kubernetes Ingress Controllers

Kong Ingress Controller vs Envoy Gateway

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 4 checks side by side
Higher score Kong Ingress Controller #3 in Kubernetes Ingress Controllers 9.1/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 5 features Visit Kong
Envoy Gateway #8 in Kubernetes Ingress Controllers 8.6/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 5 features Visit Envoy Gateway

Kong Ingress Controller leads on 0 checks, Envoy Gateway on 0, and 4 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 4 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreKong Ingress Controller · 9.1/10
  • Free planboth
  • Most featuresKong Ingress Controller · 3 of 5

Kong Ingress Controller scores higher on our rubric for kubernetes ingress controllers: 9.1 against 8.6 out of 10; our editors rank them #3 and #8.

On deployment model, Kong Ingress Controller gives you Both where Envoy Gateway offers Self-hosted.

Kong Ingress Controller is the better fit for kong-integrated Kubernetes API platforms. Envoy Gateway is the better fit for gateway API-first Kubernetes teams.

  • Kong Ingress Controller fits best

    Kong-integrated Kubernetes API platforms

  • Envoy Gateway fits best

    Gateway API-first Kubernetes teams

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Side by side

Feature Kong Ingress Controller 9.1/10 Visit ↗ Envoy Gateway 8.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.1 8.6
Ranking #3 in Kubernetes Ingress Controllers #8 in Kubernetes Ingress Controllers
Best for Kong-integrated Kubernetes API platforms Gateway API-first Kubernetes teams
Pricing model Free Free
Starting price Free plan Free plan
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Self-hosted, Cloud Self-hosted
Support Community, Docs Community, Docs
Integrations 5 integrations 2 integrations
Built for Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Kong Ingress Controller 3/5 · Envoy Gateway 0/5
TLS automation ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Canary routing Not checked yet Not checked yet
Rate limiting ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Web application firewall Not checked yet Not checked yet
Auth policies ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Specs
Ingress API model Both Not checked yet
Deployment model Both Self-hosted
Our review
Pros
  • Supports both Kubernetes Ingress and Gateway API resources
  • Combines routing, health checks, rate limiting, auth, and TLS handling
  • Connects with Kong Gateway, Konnect, Operator, and cert-manager
  • Routes HTTP, gRPC, TLS, TCP, and UDP traffic
  • Supports JWT, API key, Basic Auth, OIDC, and mutual TLS
  • Combines rate limiting, transformations, retries, and traffic splitting
Cons
  • The Kong Canary Release plugin is not suitable for Kubernetes-native use
  • Its Kong ecosystem model may exceed simple ingress requirements
  • Custom plugins and broad policy controls suit platform teams more than casual use
  • Self-hosted deployment requires teams to manage the environment
  • Its documented ecosystem centers on Kubernetes Gateway API and Envoy Proxy
  • Configuration spans Gateway API resources and Envoy Gateway custom resources
Our verdict

Kong Ingress Controller runs Kong Gateway in Kubernetes and translates Kubernetes Ingress, HTTPRoute, and other Gateway API resources into Kong Gateway configuration. It is designed for platform and infrastructure teams managing Kubernetes…

Read the review →

Envoy Gateway is an open-source API gateway and reverse-proxy control plane for managing Envoy Proxy in Kubernetes or standalone gateway environments. It is aimed at platform teams and engineers responsible for APIs, ingress traffic,…

Read the review →
  1. Kong Ingress ControllerKubernetes Ingress Controllers 9.1Free plan
  2. Envoy GatewayKubernetes Ingress Controllers 8.6Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Kong Ingress Controller — where it wins

    • Supports both Kubernetes Ingress and Gateway API resources
    • Combines routing, health checks, rate limiting, auth, and TLS handling
    • Connects with Kong Gateway, Konnect, Operator, and cert-manager

    Where it doesn't

    • The Kong Canary Release plugin is not suitable for Kubernetes-native use
    • Its Kong ecosystem model may exceed simple ingress requirements
    • Custom plugins and broad policy controls suit platform teams more than casual use

  • Envoy Gateway — where it wins

    • Routes HTTP, gRPC, TLS, TCP, and UDP traffic
    • Supports JWT, API key, Basic Auth, OIDC, and mutual TLS
    • Combines rate limiting, transformations, retries, and traffic splitting

    Where it doesn't

    • Self-hosted deployment requires teams to manage the environment
    • Its documented ecosystem centers on Kubernetes Gateway API and Envoy Proxy
    • Configuration spans Gateway API resources and Envoy Gateway custom resources

More comparisons

All kubernetes ingress controllers comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update