The closest alternatives to Kong on Lister are Apigee, AWS API Gateway and Postman, the companies that share the most rankings with it. Each is compared below on its stated best fit, starting price and Lister Score.
How to choose an alternative to Kong
Start from what you need it for. Where each fits best, as Lister records it:
- Apigee: Enterprise multi-cloud management
- AWS API Gateway: Serverless architectures on Amazon Web Services
- Postman: Collaborative API development and testing
- Azure API Management: Microsoft-centric enterprise environments
- Tyk: Self-hosted and cloud-native microservices
- Gravitee: Event-driven architectures and streaming APIs
- MuleSoft Anypoint Platform: Complex enterprise system integration
- WSO2 API Manager: Organisations requiring open-source flexibility with enterprise support
- BrowserStack: QA teams requiring access to real devices for both manual and automated testing
- MuleSoft: Enterprises pursuing API-first architectures and hybrid cloud integration
Closest to Kong by the rankings they share: Apigee (3 rankings), AWS API Gateway (3 rankings) and Postman (3 rankings).
Stated starting prices: AWS API Gateway ($3.50 per million requests), Postman ($14 per user/month), Azure API Management ($48 per month), BrowserStack ($99/month) and MuleSoft ($1,500/month).
Custom or quote-based pricing: Apigee, Tyk, Gravitee, MuleSoft Anypoint Platform and WSO2 API Manager.
Each Lister Score is the alternative's score on the ranking named in its row, so compare scores within one ranking rather than across rankings. How the score is made.
Each alternative in brief
01
Full lifecycle API management by Google Cloud
#1 in Top 10 API Management: Google Cloud's API management platform designed for large enterprises with complex multi-cloud environments and strict security requirements.
PROS- Advanced traffic management and security policies
- Comprehensive analytics and monetisation features
CONS- Steep learning curve for new users
- High cost relative to lightweight alternatives
95.0
02
Build, deploy and manage APIs at any scale
#2 in Top 10 API Management Tools: AWS API Gateway is a fully managed service for creating, publishing, and managing APIs at scale. It integrates seamlessly with AWS Lambda, EC2, and other services, offering automatic scaling, built-in caching, and comprehensive monitoring through CloudWatch. Perfect for serverless and AWS-centric architectures.
PROS- Seamless integration with the AWS ecosystem
- Pay-as-you-go pricing with no upfront infrastructure costs
CONS- Vendor lock-in to Amazon Web Services
- Debugging integration issues can be challenging
92.7
03
The API platform for developers
#3 in Top 10 API Management: An API platform for building, testing, sharing and managing APIs throughout their entire lifecycle.
PROS- Intuitive interface for testing and mocking APIs
- Strong collaboration tools for distributed teams
CONS- Can consume significant system memory
- Workspace synchronisation relies on cloud connectivity
90.3
04
Hybrid, multi-cloud management for APIs
#5 in Top 10 API Management Platforms: A hybrid, multi-cloud management platform for APIs across all environments provided by Microsoft Azure.
PROS- Robust developer portal for API consumers
- Strong integration with Azure Active Directory security
CONS- Interface can feel cluttered and difficult to navigate
- Higher entry-level pricing for production tiers
85.7
05
Open-source API gateway and management
#5 in Top 10 API Management Tools: Tyk is an open-source, cloud-native API gateway and management platform written in Go. It offers fast deployment, real-time analytics, flexible authentication, and a powerful developer portal. Available as open-source, cloud-hosted, or self-managed enterprise solution.
PROS- Lightweight footprint with fast execution times
- Flexible deployment options including self-hosting and cloud
CONS- Smaller community compared to giants like Kong or Apigee
- Documentation can occasionally lag behind new releases
85.7
06
The open-source event-native API management platform
#9 in Top 10 API Management: An open-source API management platform offering advanced event-native gateway capabilities.
PROS- Excellent support for event-driven and streaming APIs
- User-friendly access management and developer portal
CONS- Niche focus might not suit standard REST-only teams
- Enterprise support contracts are required for mission-critical setups
76.3
07
Integration and API platform by Salesforce
#4 in Top 10 API Management: A unified integration platform that handles API management, integration and enterprise service bus capabilities.
PROS- Pre-built connectors for hundreds of enterprise applications
- Unified platform for both integration and API management
CONS- Very expensive pricing model
- Requires specialised technical expertise
88.0
08
Open-source API management for the enterprise
#8 in Top 10 API Management: An open-source API management solution designed to create, publish and manage APIs securely.
PROS- Completely open-source core with no vendor lock-in
- Comprehensive out-of-the-box governance features
CONS- Steep learning curve for deployment and administration
- Community support relies heavily on forums
78.7
09
Live browser testing and continuous testing platform
#3 in Open-source API testing tools: BrowserStack is a reliable platform for app and cross-browser testing. It enables teams to test websites and mobile apps on real devices.
PROS- Real devices eliminate emulation limitations and provide authentic testing
- Live interactive testing complements automated test suites
CONS- Pricing increases substantially with parallel testing and extended device access
90.0
10
API-led connectivity platform for enterprise integration
#4 in Top 10 API Management Tools: MuleSoft (owned by Salesforce) combines API management with integration platform as a service (iPaaS). It provides Anypoint Platform for building, managing, and integrating APIs and services with visual development tools and extensive pre-built connectors.
PROS- Best-in-class API management and reusable integration components
- Strong governance, monitoring and disaster recovery capabilities
CONS- Higher pricing compared to some open-source alternatives
- Salesforce integration bias may not suit non-Salesforce environments
88.0