API Management · head to head
Kong Gateway vs PocketBase
Kong Gateway
API Management
Open-source and cloud API gateway for managing microservices traffic
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
PocketBase
API Management
Open-source backend with REST API, real-time subscriptions and Admin UI
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
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.; PocketBase not recommended for production critical applications until reaching v1.0.0
- They diverge on capability: Kong Gateway covers API request routing, PocketBase covers REST API.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Kong Gateway and PocketBase actually diverge.
| Attribute | Kong Gateway | PocketBase |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | freemium | Unknown |
| Platforms | web, linux, api | Linux, Windows, macOS, FreeBSD |
| Founded | 2017 | 2021 |
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 Kong Gateway
- API request routing
- Plugin ecosystem
- Developer portals
- AI Gateway
- Analytics and observability
- SSO and audit logs
Only in PocketBase
- REST API
- Real-time subscriptions
- Admin UI
- SQLite
- Webhooks
- File storage
- Go support
- Docker support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Kong Gateway
- Routing and securing traffic across microservicesnot PocketBase
- Publishing internal or external developer portalsnot PocketBase
- Managing rate limits and authentication at the API edgenot PocketBase
- Gateway-level routing to multiple LLM providersnot PocketBase
PocketBase
- Embedded realtime database with REST APInot Kong Gateway
- Backend-as-a-service for single-file deploymentsnot Kong Gateway
- Rapid application development with email/OAuth2 authenticationnot Kong Gateway
- File storage and media attachment managementnot Kong Gateway
- Lightweight alternative to Firebase or traditional backend infrastructurenot Kong Gateway
- Go and JavaScript customisable application frameworknot 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.
PocketBase
- Not recommended for production critical applications until reaching v1.0.0
- Full backward compatibility not guaranteed before v1.0.0 (breaking changes possible with version updates)
- Pull requests for new features are disabled due to spam concerns (feature contributions limited)
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
PocketBase
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the PocketBase 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.
Choose PocketBase if
- You need rest api.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux, Windows, macOS, FreeBSD.
- You also want real-time subscriptions.
Questions people ask
- Is Kong Gateway or PocketBase better?
- Neither clearly leads. Kong Gateway starts at Free and PocketBase at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Kong Gateway or PocketBase?
- Kong Gateway starts at Free and PocketBase at Free.
- Does Kong Gateway or PocketBase run on more platforms?
- Kong Gateway runs on web, linux, api. PocketBase runs on Linux, Windows, macOS, FreeBSD.
- 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 PocketBase is typically brought in for.
- What can Kong Gateway do that PocketBase cannot?
- Kong Gateway covers API request routing, Plugin ecosystem, Developer portals, AI Gateway. PocketBase covers REST API, Real-time subscriptions, Admin UI, SQLite.
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.
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.
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.
SourceRelated pages
More on Kong Gateway
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