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API Management · head to head

Apigee vs Kong

Apigee logo

Apigee

API Management

API management platform for designing, securing, and scaling APIs

From
$500/monthly
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Kong logo

Kong

API Management

Cloud-native API gateway and service connectivity platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Kong has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Apigee the free evaluation is a sandbox limited to 60 days; Kong the Plus plan includes 1M API requests a month and charges $200 a month for each additional million
  • They diverge on capability: Apigee covers API Analytics, Kong covers Authentication & Authorization.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Apigee and Kong actually diverge.

Attributes where Apigee and Kong differ
AttributeApigeeKong
Starting price$500/monthlyFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionopen-source
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsCloud, Hybrid, On-premisesLinux, Docker, Kubernetes
Founded20062010

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (API Management).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Apigee

  • API Analytics
  • Developer Portal
  • Google Cloud services
  • Azure
  • AWS
  • Okta
  • Cloud support
  • Hybrid support

Only in Kong

  • Authentication & Authorization
  • Rate Limiting
  • Kubernetes
  • Consul
  • Eureka
  • PostgreSQL
  • Linux support
  • Docker support

Both cover

  • API Gateway

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Apigee

  • Publishing, securing and versioning APIs for an enterprise API programnot Kong
  • Monetizing APIs and running a developer portalnot Kong
  • Analyzing API traffic and defending APIs against bots and abusenot Kong

Kong

  • Running an API gateway in front of internal and public servicesnot Apigee
  • Publishing and governing APIs through a developer portalnot Apigee

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Apigee

  • The free evaluation is a sandbox limited to 60 days
  • Pay-as-you-go has no SLA available at all
  • Pay-as-you-go bills environments separately from API calls, with a Base environment costing $365 per month per region
  • The Base environment is capped at 50 QPS with an SLA of up to 99%
  • Standard API Proxy calls are billed at $20 per 1M calls up to 50M, and Extensible API Proxy calls at $100 per 1M calls up to 50M
  • API Analytics is a paid add-on at $20 per 1M API calls and cannot be bought on a Base environment
  • Advanced API Security is a paid add-on at $350 per 1M API calls and cannot be bought on a Base environment
  • Monetization is unavailable on pay-as-you-go and requires a subscription tier
  • Additional API proxy deployments beyond those included cost $0.04 per hour per region on a Comprehensive environment
  • Subscription tiers Standard, Enterprise and Enterprise Plus are quote only with no published price
  • Google Cloud networking charges for IP addresses, data transfer out and forwarding rules are billed on top of Apigee usage

Kong

  • The Plus plan includes 1M API requests a month and charges $200 a month for each additional million
  • Plus is capped at 10M requests a month, so growth past that forces an Enterprise contract
  • Plus limits published APIs to 20 and includes one Developer Portal, with a second at $200 a month
  • SSO and audit logging are Enterprise only
  • Enterprise pricing is custom and billed annually

Pricing, plan by plan

Apigee

$500/monthly
  • Starter$500/monthly
    • API gateway
    • Analytics
    • Developer portal
  • Professional$2500/monthly
    • Advanced security
    • Traffic management
    • Monetization
  • Enterprise$undefined/monthly
    • Custom deployment
    • SLA
    • Dedicated support

Kong

Free
  • CommunityFree
    • Core API gateway
    • Community support
  • Enterprise$undefined/monthly
    • Advanced features
    • Priority support
    • SLA

Which should you pick?

Choose Apigee if

  • You need api analytics.
  • You work on Cloud, Hybrid, On-premises.
  • You also want developer portal.
Apigee review

Choose Kong if

  • You need authentication & authorization.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes.
  • You also want rate limiting.
Kong review

Questions people ask

Is Apigee or Kong better?
Neither clearly leads. Apigee starts at $500/monthly and Kong at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Apigee or Kong?
Kong has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $500/monthly for Apigee and Free for Kong.
Does Apigee or Kong run on more platforms?
Apigee runs on Cloud, Hybrid, On-premises. Kong runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes.
Can I use Kong for free?
Yes. Kong has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Apigee starts at $500/monthly.
What is Apigee best used for?
Apigee is most often used for publishing, securing and versioning apis for an enterprise api program, monetizing apis and running a developer portal, analyzing api traffic and defending apis against bots and abuse. Of those, publishing, securing and versioning apis for an enterprise api program and monetizing apis and running a developer portal are not what Kong is typically brought in for.
What can Apigee do that Kong cannot?
Apigee covers API Analytics, Developer Portal, Google Cloud services, Azure. Kong covers Authentication & Authorization, Rate Limiting, Kubernetes, Consul. Both handle API Gateway.
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