Best Spring Cloud Gateway Alternatives in 2026
The top Spring Cloud Gateway alternatives are Azure API Management, Amazon API Gateway and Apache APISIX: 15 API gateway software our editors would look at instead of Spring Cloud Gateway, in our ranking order.
Spring Cloud Gateway: A flexible, self-hosted gateway for teams building on Spring. Where it falls short: requires self-hosted deployment and operational ownership.
Switching from Spring Cloud Gateway? For most api gateway software buyers the best Spring Cloud Gateway alternative is Azure API Management, built for enterprises needing full API lifecycle management. On a budget, Gravitee API Gateway starts at $2,500/mo. Apache APISIX has a free plan. Tencent Cloud API Gateway offers the most monthly request limit (1e+07 requests/mo).
Why People Look for a Spring Cloud Gateway Alternative
- Requires self-hosted deployment and operational ownership
- Delivered as a library rather than a hosted gateway service
- Best suited to teams already working within the Spring ecosystem
Quick Picks by What You Need
- Best overallAzure API Management9.4
Enterprises needing full API lifecycle management
Visit Azure API Management - Lowest priceGravitee API Gateway8.0
Paid plans from $2,500/mo
Visit Gravitee API Gateway - Best free optionApache APISIX9.2
Has a free plan
Visit Apache APISIX - Most monthly request limitTencent Cloud API Gateway8.5
1e+07 requests/mo
Visit Tencent Cloud API Gateway
All 15 Spring Cloud Gateway Alternatives, Ranked
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.
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Best forEnterprises needing full API lifecycle management
- Better than Spring Cloud Gateway:
- Editor score 9.4 vs 9.0
A full-lifecycle API platform for enterprises with hybrid deployment needs.
9.4/10★★★★★Visit site -
Best forAWS-native teams needing broad API management
- Better than Spring Cloud Gateway:
- Editor score 9.3 vs 9.0
A broad AWS-native gateway for HTTP, REST, WebSocket, and private API workloads.
- Rate limiting
- Request transformation
9.3/10★★★★★Visit site -
Best forOpen-source teams wanting broad protocol support
- Better than Spring Cloud Gateway:
- Editor score 9.2 vs 9.0
A self-hosted gateway for teams needing broad protocol support and extensible traffic controls.
- Rate limiting
- Request transformation
9.2/10★★★★★Visit Apache APISIX -
Best forFederated enterprises managing many gateways
- Better than Spring Cloud Gateway:
- Editor score 9.1 vs 9.0
A hybrid gateway and governance layer for enterprises coordinating multiple gateway products.
- Rate limiting
- Request transformation
9.1/10★★★★★Visit MuleSoft -
Best forKubernetes teams needing a focused gateway
A focused, self-hosted Kubernetes gateway for teams that want open-source NGINX routing.
- Rate limiting
- Request transformation
8.9/10★★★★☆Visit NGINX -
Best forAlibaba Cloud and Kubernetes users
A cloud-managed gateway with strong Kubernetes, protocol, and traffic-control coverage.
- Rate limiting
- Request transformation
8.8/10★★★★☆Visit Alibaba Cloud -
Best forIBM environments and protocol transformation
A hybrid API gateway for IBM environments, protocol transformation and controlled traffic.
- Rate limiting
- Request transformation
8.7/10★★★★☆Visit IBM DataPower -
Best forOCI teams needing straightforward managed APIs
A straightforward managed gateway for OCI APIs with core governance and routing controls.
- Rate limiting
- Request transformation
8.6/10★★★★☆Visit Oracle Cloud -
Best forTencent Cloud customers seeking low usage pricing
A low-cost Tencent Cloud gateway with lifecycle tools, throttling, monitoring, and limited authentication.
- Rate limiting
- Request transformation
8.5/10★★★★☆Visit Tencent Cloud -
Best forFlexible hybrid deployments and Kubernetes teams
A flexible gateway for Kubernetes, hybrid infrastructure, and multi-cloud API operations.
- Rate limiting
- Request transformation
8.4/10★★★★☆Visit Kong Gateway -
Best forAPI management with portal and product features
A broad API management platform with gateway, portal, product, and hybrid deployment capabilities.
8.3/10★★★★☆Visit Tyk -
Best forMulti-environment API governance teams
A broad API governance platform for teams managing gateways across environments.
8.2/10★★★★☆Visit API7.ai -
Best forHybrid teams bridging legacy and modern protocols
A broad hybrid gateway for teams connecting legacy services with modern APIs.
- Rate limiting
- Request transformation
8.1/10★★★★☆Visit Axway -
Best forHybrid enterprises needing protocol-rich API management
A protocol-rich API gateway for hybrid estates, with paid plans starting at $2,500 monthly.
- Rate limiting
- Request transformation
8.0/10★★★★☆Visit Gravitee -
Best forDevelopers needing API aggregation and mediation
A flexible gateway for composing services, controlling traffic, and connecting mixed protocols.
- Rate limiting
- Request transformation
7.9/10★★★★☆Visit KrakenD
Spring Cloud Gateway Alternatives: Common Questions
What is the best alternative to Spring Cloud Gateway?
Azure API Management: #1 in our API Gateway Software ranking, with an editor score of 9.4 out of 10. A full-lifecycle API platform for enterprises with hybrid deployment needs.
Is there a free alternative to Spring Cloud Gateway?
Yes. Apache APISIX, NGINX Gateway Fabric, Kong Gateway, Gravitee API Gateway and KrakenD API Gateway have a free plan or a free tier.
Why do people look for Spring Cloud Gateway alternatives?
Requires self-hosted deployment and operational ownership; Delivered as a library rather than a hosted gateway service; Best suited to teams already working within the Spring ecosystem.
Which Spring Cloud Gateway alternative has the most monthly request limit?
Tencent Cloud API Gateway, with 1e+07 requests/mo.
How do I switch from Spring Cloud Gateway?
Export your data from Spring Cloud Gateway (most tools have an export in their settings). Sign up for the alternative; start on its free plan or trial if it has one. Import your export and set up the integrations your team relies on. Run both side by side for a short while, then cancel Spring Cloud Gateway.
How to Switch from Spring Cloud Gateway
- Export your data from Spring Cloud Gateway (most tools have an export in their settings).
- Sign up for the alternative; start on its free plan or trial if it has one.
- Import your export and set up the integrations your team relies on.
- Run both side by side for a short while, then cancel Spring Cloud Gateway.
Spring Cloud Gateway vs Each Alternative
| # | Tool | Free plan | Paid from | Deployment model | Supported protocols | Authentication methods | Rate limiting | Request transformation | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Spring Cloud Gateway | Yes | Free | Self-hosted | HTTP, HTTPS, WebSocket, gRPC | Spring Security, OAuth 2.0, JWT, opaque tokens | Yes | Yes | 9.0 |
| 1 | Azure API Management | No | Hybrid | 9.4 | |||||
| 2 | Amazon API Gateway | No | Cloud | HTTP, REST, WebSocket | IAM/SigV4, Amazon Cognito user pools, JWT/OIDC/OAuth 2.0, Lambda authorizers, API keys, mutual TLS | Yes | Yes | 9.3 | |
| 3 | Apache APISIX | Yes | Free | Self-hosted | HTTP, HTTPS, TCP, UDP, WebSocket, gRPC, MQTT, HTTP/3, Dubbo | API key, JWT, Basic Authentication, OAuth 2.0/OpenID Connect, HMAC, LDAP, CAS, Keycloak, Casdoor, forward authentication, multi-auth | Yes | Yes | 9.2 |
| 4 | MuleSoft Omni Gateway | No | Hybrid | HTTP, WebSocket, SOAP, gRPC, GraphQL, OAS3 REST, MCP, A2A | Client ID enforcement, HTTP Basic Authentication, JWT validation, OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect | Yes | Yes | 9.1 | |
| 5 | NGINX Gateway Fabric | Yes | Free | Self-hosted | HTTP, HTTPS, HTTP/2, gRPC, TCP, TLS, UDP | Basic authentication, JWT, OpenID Connect, external authentication | Yes | Yes | 8.9 |
| 6 | Alibaba Cloud API Gateway | No | Cloud | HTTP, HTTPS, HTTP/2, HTTP/3, WebSocket, gRPC | AppCode, digest authentication, JWT, mutual TLS, custom authentication | Yes | Yes | 8.8 | |
| 7 | IBM DataPower Gateway | Hybrid | REST, SOAP, HTTP, POX, JSON, XML, IBM MQ, Apache Kafka | OAuth, OpenID Connect, JWT, LDAP, client credentials | Yes | Yes | 8.7 | ||
| 8 | Oracle Cloud Infrastructure API Gateway | $3.93/unit usage-based | Cloud | HTTP, HTTPS | OCI IAM, OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, Remote JWKS, static keys, authorizer functions, mTLS | Yes | Yes | 8.6 | |
| 9 | Tencent Cloud API Gateway | No | $0.0089/unit usage-based | Cloud | HTTP, HTTPS | HMAC key-pair authentication | Yes | Yes | 8.5 |
| 10 | Kong Gateway | Yes | Hybrid | REST, HTTP, Kafka, WebSockets, gRPC, GraphQL, UDP, TCP, TLS | Basic Auth, HMAC, JWT, Key Auth, LDAP, mutual TLS, OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, SAML, Vault | Yes | Yes | 8.4 | |
| 11 | Tyk API Management | No | Hybrid | 8.3 | |||||
| 12 | API7 Enterprise | No | Hybrid | 8.2 | |||||
| 13 | Axway API Gateway | Hybrid | HTTP, HTTPS, REST, SOAP, XML, WebSockets, JMS, AMQP, MQTT, gRPC, FTP | OAuth, JWT tokens, API key, HTTP Basic/Digest, SAML, credentials in headers or payloads | Yes | Yes | 8.1 | ||
| 14 | Gravitee API Gateway | Yes | $2,500/mo | Hybrid | REST, GraphQL, gRPC, SOAP, WebSocket, Server-sent Events, Webhook | Keyless, API Key, Basic Authentication, OAuth2, JWT, Push, mutual TLS (mTLS), OIDC, SAML | Yes | Yes | 8.0 |
| 15 | KrakenD API Gateway | Yes | Hybrid | REST, HTTP, WebSockets, SOAP, gRPC, GraphQL, AMQP, Kafka, NATS | JWT, client credentials, OAuth2, OpenID Connect, API keys, Basic Authentication, mTLS | Yes | Yes | 7.9 |
Head-to-Head
- Spring Cloud Gateway vs Azure API Management
- Spring Cloud Gateway vs Amazon API Gateway
- Spring Cloud Gateway vs Apache APISIX
- Spring Cloud Gateway vs MuleSoft Omni Gateway
- Spring Cloud Gateway vs NGINX Gateway Fabric
- Spring Cloud Gateway vs Alibaba Cloud API Gateway
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Last updated · How we research and update