Softwr

APIs · head to head

Enfuce vs Kong Gateway

Enfuce logo

Enfuce

APIs

European issuer processor holding its own payment institution licence

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Kong Gateway logo

Kong Gateway

APIs

Open-source and cloud API gateway for managing microservices traffic

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Kong Gateway has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Enfuce coverage is European, so a programme that also needs US or Asian issuing requires a separate processor and a separate integration.; Kong Gateway the free open-source gateway lacks the analytics, portals, and support of the paid Konnect tiers.
  • They diverge on capability: Enfuce covers Licensed issuing, Kong Gateway covers API request routing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Enfuce and Kong Gateway actually diverge.

Attributes where Enfuce and Kong Gateway differ
AttributeEnfuceKong Gateway
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotefreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, REST APIweb, linux, api
FoundedUnknown2017

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

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 Enfuce

  • Licensed issuing
  • Card processing
  • Tokenisation
  • Spend controls
  • Multi-currency programmes
  • Carbon and data services

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.

Enfuce

  • A European fintech launching cards without spending two quarters finding a sponsor banknot Kong Gateway
  • A corporate issuing fuel or expense cards across several EU countries on one programmenot Kong Gateway
  • A bank migrating an existing European card portfolio off a legacy processornot Kong Gateway
  • A programme that must report cardholder transaction carbon data to meet sustainability commitmentsnot Kong Gateway

Kong Gateway

  • Routing and securing traffic across microservicesnot Enfuce
  • Publishing internal or external developer portalsnot Enfuce
  • Managing rate limits and authentication at the API edgenot Enfuce
  • Gateway-level routing to multiple LLM providersnot Enfuce

Where each one falls short

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

Enfuce

  • Coverage is European, so a programme that also needs US or Asian issuing requires a separate processor and a separate integration.
  • Where Enfuce acts as the licensed issuer it takes on regulatory risk and prices accordingly, so the convenience of skipping a sponsor bank is not free.
  • European interchange caps limit programme revenue far below US levels, so business cases imported from a US card model do not survive the move.
  • It is a smaller supplier than Marqeta or i2c, which means less negotiating room on scheme fees and a thinner partner ecosystem around it.
  • Pricing is entirely quoted with monthly minimums, so low-volume programmes carry a fixed cost that does not scale down with a slow launch.

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

Enfuce

On request
  • Enfuce issuing and processing$undefined/year
    • Per-active-card and per-transaction fees with monthly minimums
    • Higher pricing where Enfuce acts as licensed issuer rather than processor only
    • Interchange arrangements depend on who holds the issuing licence

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 Enfuce if

  • You need licensed issuing.
  • You work on Web, REST API.
  • You also want card processing.
Enfuce review

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.
Kong Gateway review

Questions people ask

Is Enfuce or Kong Gateway better?
Neither clearly leads. Enfuce starts at On request and Kong Gateway at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Enfuce or Kong Gateway?
Kong Gateway has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Enfuce and Free for Kong Gateway.
Does Enfuce or Kong Gateway run on more platforms?
Enfuce runs on Web, REST API. Kong Gateway runs on web, linux, api.
Can I use Kong Gateway for free?
Yes. Kong Gateway has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Enfuce starts at On request.
What is Enfuce best used for?
Enfuce is most often used for a european fintech launching cards without spending two quarters finding a sponsor bank, a corporate issuing fuel or expense cards across several eu countries on one programme, a bank migrating an existing european card portfolio off a legacy processor, a programme that must report cardholder transaction carbon data to meet sustainability commitments. Of those, a european fintech launching cards without spending two quarters finding a sponsor bank and a corporate issuing fuel or expense cards across several eu countries on one programme are not what Kong Gateway is typically brought in for.
What can Enfuce do that Kong Gateway cannot?
Enfuce covers Licensed issuing, Card processing, Tokenisation, Spend controls. Kong Gateway covers API request routing, Plugin ecosystem, Developer portals, AI Gateway.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Enfuce: Do I need my own licence to use Enfuce?

Not necessarily. Enfuce holds Finnish payment institution authorisation and can act as issuer, or process under your own licence if you have one.

Kong 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.

Source
Enfuce: Which regions does it cover?

Europe. It is not a route to issuing cards in the United States or Asia.

Kong 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.

Source
Enfuce: How does interchange work?

Who holds the issuing licence determines who receives interchange, so the licensing choice and the revenue model are the same decision.

Kong Gateway: What support is included?

Plus includes email support with a 2-business-day SLA, while Enterprise adds dedicated success managers and professional services.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on Enfuce

More on Kong Gateway

Keep looking

Other head to heads