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Head-to-head · Kubernetes Ingress Controllers

Traefik Proxy vs kgateway

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 6 checks side by side
Higher score Traefik Proxy #1 in Kubernetes Ingress Controllers 9.3/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 5 features Visit Traefik Proxy
kgateway #6 in Kubernetes Ingress Controllers 8.8/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 5 of 5 features Visit kgateway

Traefik Proxy leads on 0 checks, kgateway on 0, and 6 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 6 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreTraefik Proxy · 9.3/10
  • Free planboth
  • Most featureskgateway · 5 of 5

Traefik Proxy scores higher on our rubric for kubernetes ingress controllers: 9.3 against 8.8 out of 10; our editors rank them #1 and #6.

Traefik Proxy is the better fit for broad self-hosted routing and discovery. kgateway is the better fit for gateway API teams needing security controls.

  • Traefik Proxy fits best

    Broad self-hosted routing and discovery

  • kgateway fits best

    Gateway API teams needing security controls

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Traefik Proxy 9.3/10 Visit ↗ kgateway 8.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.3 8.8
Ranking #1 in Kubernetes Ingress Controllers #6 in Kubernetes Ingress Controllers
Best for Broad self-hosted routing and discovery Gateway API teams needing security controls
Pricing model Free Free
Starting price Free Free plan
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Self-hosted Self-hosted
Support Community, Docs Community, Docs
Integrations 14 integrations 4 integrations
Built for Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Traefik Proxy 2/5 · kgateway 5/5
TLS automation Not checked yet ✓ (best)
Canary routing Not checked yet ✓ (best)
Rate limiting ✓ ✓
Web application firewall ✓ ✓
Auth policies Not checked yet ✓ (best)
Specs
Ingress API model Not checked yet Both
Deployment model Self-hosted Self-hosted
Our review
Pros
  • Free open-source plan with Kubernetes ingress and service auto-discovery
  • Layer 4 and Layer 7 routing across HTTP, TCP, UDP, gRPC, and WebSockets
  • Automatic HTTPS, rate limiting, tracing, metrics, and deployment controls
  • Free open-source Gateway API implementation
  • Weighted routing, canary splitting, and rate limiting
  • Authentication, TLS automation, and WAF support
Cons
  • Self-hosted deployment requires teams to operate it in their own environment
  • Its broad scope may exceed the needs of basic HTTP-only ingress
  • No AI features are included
  • Self-hosted deployment requires a Kubernetes environment
  • Integration coverage centers on a focused set of platforms
  • No AI features are included
Our verdict

Traefik Proxy is an open-source application proxy, reverse proxy, ingress controller, and load balancer for developers and DevOps teams running microservices or containerized infrastructure. It automatically discovers services and…

Read the review →

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 →
  1. Traefik ProxyKubernetes Ingress Controllers 9.3Free plan
  2. kgatewayKubernetes Ingress Controllers 8.8Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Traefik Proxy — where it wins

    • Free open-source plan with Kubernetes ingress and service auto-discovery
    • Layer 4 and Layer 7 routing across HTTP, TCP, UDP, gRPC, and WebSockets
    • Automatic HTTPS, rate limiting, tracing, metrics, and deployment controls

    Where it doesn't

    • Self-hosted deployment requires teams to operate it in their own environment
    • Its broad scope may exceed the needs of basic HTTP-only ingress
    • No AI features are included

  • 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

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