API Management · head to head
Backendless vs Kong Gateway
Backendless
API Management
Visual app development platform with REST APIs and cloud backend
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Kong Gateway
API Management
Open-source and cloud API gateway for managing microservices traffic
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Backendless free tier limited to 50 API requests per minute and 20 database tables; Kong Gateway the free open-source gateway lacks the analytics, portals, and support of the paid Konnect tiers.
- They diverge on capability: Backendless covers REST API, Kong Gateway covers API request routing.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Backendless and Kong Gateway actually diverge.
| Attribute | Backendless | Kong Gateway |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Unknown | freemium |
| Platforms | Cloud, Visual builder | web, linux, api |
| Founded | 2012 | 2017 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Backendless
- REST API
- Real-time database
- Cloud code
- Custom integrations
- Webhooks
- Cloud functions
- Cloud support
- Visual builder support
Only in Kong Gateway
- API request routing
- Plugin ecosystem
- Developer portals
- AI Gateway
- Analytics and observability
- SSO and audit logs
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Backendless
- API Developmentnot Kong Gateway
- API Gatewaynot Kong Gateway
- API Testingnot Kong Gateway
- API Documentationnot Kong Gateway
- Microservicesnot Kong Gateway
Kong Gateway
- Routing and securing traffic across microservicesnot Backendless
- Publishing internal or external developer portalsnot Backendless
- Managing rate limits and authentication at the API edgenot Backendless
- Gateway-level routing to multiple LLM providersnot Backendless
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Backendless
- Free tier limited to 50 API requests per minute and 20 database tables
- Smaller community and integration ecosystem compared to Firebase or AWS
- Customization beyond codeless tools requires developer expertise
- Limited documentation for advanced use cases and edge cases
Kong Gateway
- The free open-source gateway lacks the analytics, portals, and support of the paid Konnect tiers.
- Plus tier caps API requests at 1M/month before incurring per-million overage charges.
- Enterprise pricing is custom and not published, making budgeting harder without sales contact.
- Configuration and plugin management can require significant operational expertise to run at scale.
Pricing, plan by plan
Backendless
Free- FreeFree
- 50 API requests/minute
- 20 database tables
- 1 GB file storage
- Scale Variable$15/month
- Unlimited API requests/month
- 100 database tables
- 10 GB file storage
- Scale Fixed$15/month
- Same as Scale Variable
- Fixed monthly pricing
Kong Gateway
Free- Free TrialFree
- 30-day enterprise functionality trial
- Unlimited gateways
- 30-day analytics retention
- Plus$undefined/month
- Up to 5 serverless, 2 hybrid, 2 dedicated cloud gateways
- 1M API requests/month included
- Up to 2 developer portals
- Enterprise$undefined/month
- Unlimited hybrid and dedicated cloud gateways
- Unlimited developer portals
- SSO and audit logs
Which should you pick?
Choose Backendless if
- You need rest api.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Cloud, Visual builder.
- You also want real-time database.
Choose Kong Gateway if
- You need api request routing.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on web, linux, api.
- You also want plugin ecosystem.
Questions people ask
- Is Backendless or Kong Gateway better?
- Neither clearly leads. Backendless starts at Free and Kong Gateway at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Backendless or Kong Gateway?
- Backendless starts at Free and Kong Gateway at Free.
- Does Backendless or Kong Gateway run on more platforms?
- Backendless runs on Cloud, Visual builder. Kong Gateway runs on web, linux, api.
- Can I use Backendless for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Backendless best used for?
- Backendless is most often used for api development, api gateway, api testing, api documentation. Of those, api development and api gateway are not what Kong Gateway is typically brought in for.
- What can Backendless do that Kong Gateway cannot?
- Backendless covers REST API, Real-time database, Cloud code, Custom integrations. Kong Gateway covers API request routing, Plugin ecosystem, Developer portals, AI Gateway.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Backendless: Does Backendless have a free tier?
Backendless Free plan ($0/month) includes 50 API requests per minute, 20 database tables, 1 GB file storage, 1 visualization, 2 security roles, and basic cloud code capabilities.
SourceKong Gateway: Is Kong Gateway free?
Kong's core gateway is open source and free to self-host. Kong Konnect, the managed cloud platform, offers a 30-day free trial before moving to paid Plus or custom Enterprise pricing.
SourceBackendless: What features does the Scale plan include?
Scale plan ($15+/month) provides unlimited API requests per month, 100 database tables, 10 GB file storage, 5 visualizations, 10 custom API keys, daily backups, free SSL certificates, and 1,000 real-time connections.
SourceKong Gateway: How is usage metered on the Plus plan?
The Plus plan includes 1M API requests per month, with additional usage billed at $200 per extra 1 million requests up to a 10M/month cap, plus per-gateway and per-LLM-model charges.
SourceBackendless: Can I add more storage or increase API limits?
Yes, Backendless offers Function Packs ranging from $5-$399/month to increase specific limits such as storage, API requests, or security features.
SourceKong Gateway: What support is included?
Plus includes email support with a 2-business-day SLA, while Enterprise adds dedicated success managers and professional services.
SourceBackendless: Does Backendless support offline functionality?
Backendless supports real-time sync and offline capabilities for mobile apps, allowing data to sync when connectivity is restored.
SourceBackendless: Is Backendless Pro available for self-hosting?
Yes, Backendless Pro Community Edition is available under free licensing for core functionality. Managed Backendless is a paid option for self-hosted deployments with request-based pricing.
SourceBackendless: What are Backendless's integration limitations?
While Backendless supports many integrations, it has a smaller integration library compared to competitors. Finding solutions to edge cases or complex setups may require more development effort.
SourceRelated pages
More on Backendless
More on Kong Gateway
Other head to heads
- Backendless vs Appwrite
- Backendless vs Hasura
- Backendless vs PocketBase
- Backendless vs Sanity
- Backendless vs Apigee
- Backendless vs Ably
- Backendless vs Pusher
- Backendless vs PubNub
- Backendless vs Treblle
- Backendless vs Apollo GraphQL
- Backendless vs Bruno
- Backendless vs KeystoneJS
- Backendless vs Moesif
- Backendless vs Parse Server
- Backendless vs Stainless
- Backendless vs Stoplight
- Backendless vs Strapi
- Backendless vs Swagger/OpenAPI
- Kong Gateway vs Appwrite
- Kong Gateway vs Hasura
- Kong Gateway vs PocketBase
- Kong Gateway vs Sanity
- Kong Gateway vs Apigee
- Kong Gateway vs Ably
- Kong Gateway vs Pusher
- Kong Gateway vs PubNub
- Kong Gateway vs Treblle
- Kong Gateway vs Apollo GraphQL
- Kong Gateway vs Bruno
- Kong Gateway vs KeystoneJS
- Kong Gateway vs Moesif
- Kong Gateway vs Parse Server
- Kong Gateway vs Stainless
- Kong Gateway vs Stoplight
- Kong Gateway vs Strapi
- Kong Gateway vs Swagger/OpenAPI