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APIs · head to head

Kong Gateway vs MkDocs

Kong Gateway logo

Kong Gateway

APIs

Open-source and cloud API gateway for managing microservices traffic

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
MkDocs logo

MkDocs

Documentation

Static site generator for project documentation in Markdown

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Kong Gateway the free open-source gateway lacks the analytics, portals, and support of the paid Konnect tiers.; MkDocs no built-in versioning, which Docusaurus provides and documentation teams eventually need
  • They diverge on capability: Kong Gateway covers API request routing, MkDocs covers Plain Markdown.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Kong Gateway and MkDocs differ
AttributeKong GatewayMkDocs
Pricing modelfreemiumOpen source, no licence fee
Platformsweb, linux, apiWeb, Linux, macOS, Windows
CategoryAPIsDocumentation
Founded2017Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), 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 Kong Gateway

  • API request routing
  • Plugin ecosystem
  • Developer portals
  • AI Gateway
  • Analytics and observability
  • SSO and audit logs

Only in MkDocs

  • Plain Markdown
  • Single YAML config
  • Material theme
  • Live preview

What people use each for

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

Kong Gateway

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

MkDocs

  • Project documentation for teams that would rather not run a JavaScript toolchainnot Kong Gateway
  • Python projects keeping docs beside the codenot Kong Gateway
  • Documentation that must build fast in CI on every commitnot Kong Gateway

Where each one falls short

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

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.

MkDocs

  • No built-in versioning, which Docusaurus provides and documentation teams eventually need
  • Extending past the theme means writing Python plugins
  • Markdown only, so embedding interactive components is not the model

Pricing, plan by plan

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

MkDocs

Free
  • MkDocsFree
    • Full functionality
    • Commercial use permitted
    • Community support

Which should you pick?

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

Choose MkDocs if

  • You need plain markdown.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Linux, macOS, Windows.
  • You also want single yaml config.
MkDocs review

Questions people ask

Is Kong Gateway or MkDocs better?
Neither clearly leads. Kong Gateway starts at Free and MkDocs at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Kong Gateway or MkDocs?
Kong Gateway starts at Free and MkDocs at Free.
Does Kong Gateway or MkDocs run on more platforms?
Kong Gateway runs on web, linux, api. MkDocs runs on Web, Linux, macOS, Windows.
Can I use Kong Gateway for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Kong Gateway best used for?
Kong Gateway is most often used for routing and securing traffic across microservices, publishing internal or external developer portals, managing rate limits and authentication at the api edge, gateway-level routing to multiple llm providers. Of those, routing and securing traffic across microservices and publishing internal or external developer portals are not what MkDocs is typically brought in for.
What can Kong Gateway do that MkDocs cannot?
Kong Gateway covers API request routing, Plugin ecosystem, Developer portals, AI Gateway. MkDocs covers Plain Markdown, Single YAML config, Material theme, Live preview.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
MkDocs: Is MkDocs free?

Yes, open source under the BSD licence. The Material theme has a free version and a paid Insiders edition.

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
MkDocs: MkDocs or Docusaurus?

MkDocs is simpler and faster to adopt, especially for Python teams. Docusaurus offers versioning, internationalisation and React components, which matter once documentation grows.

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
MkDocs: Does MkDocs support versioned docs?

Not natively. Plugins such as mike add it, where Docusaurus includes versioning in core.

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