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APIs · head to head

Kong Gateway vs Nitric

Kong Gateway logo

Kong Gateway

APIs

Open-source and cloud API gateway for managing microservices traffic

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Nitric logo

Nitric

Cloud

Infrastructure, handled

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.; Nitric smaller community compared to Terraform or Pulumi
  • They diverge on capability: Kong Gateway covers API request routing, Nitric covers Multi-language support.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Kong Gateway and Nitric differ
AttributeKong GatewayNitric
Pricing modelfreemiumUnknown
Platformsweb, linux, apiAWS, Azure, GCP, Kubernetes
CategoryAPIsCloud
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 Nitric

  • Multi-language support
  • Common resource abstractions
  • Local development
  • Multi-cloud deployment
  • Infrastructure as code generation
  • Vendor lock-in avoidance

What people use each for

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

Kong Gateway

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

Nitric

  • Building APIs with multi-cloud deployment capabilitynot Kong Gateway
  • Creating microservices across different cloud providersnot Kong Gateway
  • Developing serverless applications in Python or Gonot 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.

Nitric

  • Smaller community compared to Terraform or Pulumi
  • Limited third-party provider plugins compared to dedicated IAC tools
  • Documentation could be more comprehensive

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

Nitric

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Nitric review.

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 Nitric if

  • You need multi-language support.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on AWS, Azure, GCP, Kubernetes.
  • You also want common resource abstractions.
Nitric review

Questions people ask

Is Kong Gateway or Nitric better?
Neither clearly leads. Kong Gateway starts at Free and Nitric at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Kong Gateway or Nitric?
Kong Gateway starts at Free and Nitric at Free.
Does Kong Gateway or Nitric run on more platforms?
Kong Gateway runs on web, linux, api. Nitric runs on AWS, Azure, GCP, Kubernetes.
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 Nitric is typically brought in for.
What can Kong Gateway do that Nitric cannot?
Kong Gateway covers API request routing, Plugin ecosystem, Developer portals, AI Gateway. Nitric covers Multi-language support, Common resource abstractions, Local development, Multi-cloud deployment.

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
Nitric: Is Nitric free?

Yes, Nitric is an open-source framework. Costs only apply when deploying to cloud providers like AWS, Azure, or GCP.

Source
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
Nitric: Can I switch cloud providers?

Yes, Nitric lets you write code once and deploy to AWS, Azure, GCP, or Kubernetes without modification.

Source
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
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