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APIs · head to head

Kong Gateway vs RapidAPI

Kong Gateway logo

Kong Gateway

APIs

Open-source and cloud API gateway for managing microservices traffic

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
RapidAPI logo

RapidAPI

APIs

API marketplace and management platform for discovering and publishing APIs

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.; RapidAPI rapidAPI Enterprise Hub minimum seat requirement is 5 seats per the embedded pricing page configuration (SEATS_MINIMUM: 5).
  • They diverge on capability: Kong Gateway covers API request routing, RapidAPI covers API Marketplace.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Kong Gateway and RapidAPI differ
AttributeKong GatewayRapidAPI
Platformsweb, linux, apiWeb, Mobile, Desktop
Founded20172015

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), 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 Kong Gateway

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

Only in RapidAPI

  • API Marketplace
  • API Management
  • Testing Tools
  • Multiple third-party APIs
  • Webhooks
  • REST APIs
  • Web support
  • Mobile 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 RapidAPI
  • Publishing internal or external developer portalsnot RapidAPI
  • Managing rate limits and authentication at the API edgenot RapidAPI
  • Gateway-level routing to multiple LLM providersnot RapidAPI

RapidAPI

  • API Developmentnot Kong Gateway
  • API Gatewaynot Kong Gateway
  • API Testingnot Kong Gateway
  • API Documentationnot Kong Gateway
  • Microservicesnot 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.

RapidAPI

  • RapidAPI Enterprise Hub minimum seat requirement is 5 seats per the embedded pricing page configuration (SEATS_MINIMUM: 5).
  • RapidAPI places a $0.50 USD temporary credit card authorization hold when subscribing, refunded only if no overage charges occur within 7 days.

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

RapidAPI

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Access to APIs
    • Basic management
    • Testing tools
  • Pro$50/monthly
    • Advanced features
    • Analytics
    • Dedicated support
  • Enterprise$undefined/monthly
    • Custom solutions
    • SLA
    • Custom integration

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 RapidAPI if

  • You need api marketplace.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile, Desktop.
  • You also want api management.
RapidAPI review

Questions people ask

Is Kong Gateway or RapidAPI better?
Neither clearly leads. Kong Gateway starts at Free and RapidAPI at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Kong Gateway or RapidAPI?
Kong Gateway starts at Free and RapidAPI at Free.
Does Kong Gateway or RapidAPI run on more platforms?
Kong Gateway runs on web, linux, api. RapidAPI runs on Web, Mobile, Desktop.
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 RapidAPI is typically brought in for.
What can Kong Gateway do that RapidAPI cannot?
Kong Gateway covers API request routing, Plugin ecosystem, Developer portals, AI Gateway. RapidAPI covers API Marketplace, API Management, Testing Tools, Multiple third-party APIs.

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
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
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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