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APIs · head to head

Kong Gateway vs Redpanda

Kong Gateway logo

Kong Gateway

APIs

Open-source and cloud API gateway for managing microservices traffic

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Redpanda logo

Redpanda

Databases

Kafka-compatible streaming platform with no ZooKeeper or JVM

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.; Redpanda the community edition is source-available rather than OSI open source, which matters for some procurement
  • They diverge on capability: Kong Gateway covers API request routing, Redpanda covers Kafka API compatible.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Kong Gateway and Redpanda differ
AttributeKong GatewayRedpanda
Pricing modelfreemiumSource-available community edition with paid enterprise and cloud tiers
Platformsweb, linux, apiLinux, Docker, Kubernetes, Self-hosted
CategoryAPIsDatabases
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 Redpanda

  • Kafka API compatible
  • No JVM or ZooKeeper
  • Thread-per-core
  • Built-in HTTP proxy and schema registry

What people use each for

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

Kong Gateway

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

Redpanda

  • Kafka workloads where the operational cost of running Kafka is the blockernot Kong Gateway
  • Latency-sensitive streaming where tail latency mattersnot Kong Gateway
  • Smaller teams wanting streaming without a dedicated platform groupnot 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.

Redpanda

  • The community edition is source-available rather than OSI open source, which matters for some procurement
  • Kafka API compatibility is high but not total, and deep ecosystem tools can hit gaps
  • Smaller community than Kafka, so fewer people have solved your problem before
  • Some operational and tiered-storage features are enterprise-only

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

Redpanda

Free
  • CommunityFree
    • Kafka-compatible broker
    • Single binary
    • 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 Redpanda if

  • You need kafka api compatible.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Self-hosted.
  • You also want no jvm or zookeeper.
Redpanda review

Questions people ask

Is Kong Gateway or Redpanda better?
Neither clearly leads. Kong Gateway starts at Free and Redpanda at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Kong Gateway or Redpanda?
Kong Gateway starts at Free and Redpanda at Free.
Does Kong Gateway or Redpanda run on more platforms?
Kong Gateway runs on web, linux, api. Redpanda runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Self-hosted.
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 Redpanda is typically brought in for.
What can Kong Gateway do that Redpanda cannot?
Kong Gateway covers API request routing, Plugin ecosystem, Developer portals, AI Gateway. Redpanda covers Kafka API compatible, No JVM or ZooKeeper, Thread-per-core, Built-in HTTP proxy and schema registry.

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
Redpanda: Is Redpanda free?

A community edition is free and source-available. Enterprise features and Redpanda Cloud are paid, and the licence is not OSI open 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
Redpanda: Can I use my Kafka clients?

Yes. Redpanda implements the Kafka API, so existing clients and most tooling connect without changes.

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
Redpanda: Why remove ZooKeeper and the JVM?

Both are significant sources of Kafka’s operational burden — tuning, coordination and failure modes. Removing them is the core of Redpanda’s pitch.

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