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Customer Support · head to head

Jira Service Management vs Kong

Jira Service Management logo

Jira Service Management

Customer Support

High-velocity service management

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Kong logo

Kong

APIs

Cloud-native API gateway and service connectivity platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Jira Service Management pricing information not available on main product page; Atlassian does not publish standard rates on this landing page; Kong the Plus plan includes 1M API requests a month and charges $200 a month for each additional million
  • They diverge on capability: Jira Service Management covers Incident management, Kong covers API Gateway.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Jira Service Management and Kong actually diverge.

Attributes where Jira Service Management and Kong differ
AttributeJira Service ManagementKong
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidLinux, Docker, Kubernetes
CategoryCustomer SupportAPIs
Founded20022010

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (subscription), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Jira Service Management

  • Incident management
  • Change management
  • Problem management
  • Asset management
  • Knowledge management
  • SLAs
  • Jira Software
  • Confluence

Only in Kong

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

What people use each for

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

Jira Service Management

  • IT service managementnot Kong
  • Incident responsenot Kong
  • Change managementnot Kong
  • Asset trackingnot Kong

Kong

  • API gateway management and routingnot Jira Service Management
  • API development and testingnot Jira Service Management
  • Enterprise API security and governancenot Jira Service Management

Where each one falls short

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

Jira Service Management

  • Pricing information not available on main product page; Atlassian does not publish standard rates on this landing page
  • Customers must navigate to separate pricing section or contact sales for cost information

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

Jira Service Management

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 3 agents
    • Ticket management
    • Knowledge base
  • Standard$20/month
    • Unlimited customers
    • 250 agents
    • 20 GB storage
  • Premium$45/month
    • Advanced incident management
    • Asset management
    • Change management
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Unlimited sites
    • 24/7 support
    • Data residency

Kong

Free
  • Kong Konnect Free TrialFree
    • 30-day free trial
    • Full enterprise functionality
    • Unlimited gateways
  • Kong Konnect Plus$null/month
    • Per gateway pricing billed monthly
    • Up to 5 Serverless Gateways, 2 Hybrid, 2 Dedicated Cloud Gateways
    • 1M API requests included per month
  • Kong Insomnia EssentialsFree
    • Unlimited projects and CLI access
    • Up to 3 Git Sync users
    • 1,000 mock server requests per month
  • Kong Insomnia Pro$12/month
    • Unlimited users with Git Sync access
    • Unlimited organizations
    • RBAC

Which should you pick?

Choose Jira Service Management if

  • You need incident management.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want change management.
Jira Service Management review

Choose Kong if

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

Questions people ask

Is Jira Service Management or Kong better?
Neither clearly leads. Jira Service Management starts at Free and Kong at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Jira Service Management or Kong?
Jira Service Management starts at Free and Kong at Free.
Does Jira Service Management or Kong run on more platforms?
Jira Service Management runs on Web, Ios, Android. Kong runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes.
Can I use Jira Service Management for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Jira Service Management best used for?
Jira Service Management is most often used for it service management, incident response, change management, asset tracking. Of those, it service management and incident response are not what Kong is typically brought in for.
What can Jira Service Management do that Kong cannot?
Jira Service Management covers Incident management, Change management, Problem management, Asset management. Kong covers API Gateway, Authentication & Authorization, Rate Limiting, Kubernetes.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Jira Service Management: How much does Jira Service Management cost?

Jira Service Management pricing is not published on the main product page. Atlassian requires customers to visit the dedicated pricing section or contact their sales team to obtain rates. Enterprise and volume discounts are available through individual consultation.

Source
Kong: Does Kong offer a free trial?

Yes, Kong Konnect offers a 30-day free trial with full enterprise functionality, unlimited gateways, and no credit card required.

Source
Kong: How much does Kong Insomnia Pro cost?

Kong Insomnia Pro is $12 per user per month with 15% savings available for annual billing.

Source
Kong: What are Kong Konnect Plus API request limits?

Kong Konnect Plus includes 1M API requests per month; additional requests cost $200 per 1M (maximum 10M per month).

Source
Kong: What is included in Kong Insomnia Enterprise?

Kong Insomnia Enterprise is $45 per user per month with SSO, SCIM, vault integrations, unlimited mock server requests, and Konnect integration.

Source
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