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APIs · head to head

Kong Gateway vs Sila

Kong Gateway logo

Kong Gateway

APIs

Open-source and cloud API gateway for managing microservices traffic

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Sila logo

Sila

APIs

US money movement API for ACH, RTP and FedNow with KYC and ledgering built in

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Kong Gateway has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Kong Gateway the free open-source gateway lacks the analytics, portals, and support of the paid Konnect tiers.; Sila no pricing is published, so you cannot compare Sila against Moov or Dwolla without entering two sales processes, and small programmes frequently find the monthly minimum dominates their cost at low volume.
  • They diverge on capability: Kong Gateway covers API request routing, Sila covers ACH origination.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Kong Gateway and Sila differ
AttributeKong GatewaySila
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumquote
Free tierYesNo
Platformsweb, linux, apiWeb, API
Founded2017Unknown

Identical on both: 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 Sila

  • ACH origination
  • Instant rails
  • KYC and KYB
  • Virtual accounts
  • Ledger
  • Wallets and holds
  • Webhooks
  • Bank-side deployment

What people use each for

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

Kong Gateway

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

Sila

  • A small fintech that needs ACH, identity verification and a ledger from one vendor because it has no compliance team to assemble threenot Kong Gateway
  • A marketplace paying out to sellers that wants same-day ACH and instant push options without becoming a money transmitter itselfnot Kong Gateway
  • A community bank replacing batch file ACH processing with an API so it can offer real-time payments to business customersnot Kong Gateway
  • A lending platform that must verify business identity, disburse funds and collect repayments on a schedule from a single integrationnot 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.

Sila

  • No pricing is published, so you cannot compare Sila against Moov or Dwolla without entering two sales processes, and small programmes frequently find the monthly minimum dominates their cost at low volume.
  • Sila is materially smaller and less well capitalised than the banking-as-a-service names it competes with, which matters because your customer funds and your payment rails depend on the vendor still trading in three years.
  • The sponsor bank behind your programme determines what you can offer and how fast you can change it, and bank partnerships in this sector have been reshuffled repeatedly since 2023, so a bank change during your contract is a realistic risk rather than a theoretical one.
  • Coverage is United States only, so any product with cross-border ambitions needs a second payments vendor and a second reconciliation process from the outset.
  • Onboarding involves compliance diligence on your own programme, and teams routinely underestimate this, with weeks lost between signing and first live transaction while policies, flow of funds diagrams and BSA arrangements are reviewed.

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

Sila

On request
  • Sila Payments Platform$undefined/month
    • ACH, RTP and FedNow
    • KYC and KYB verification
    • Virtual accounts and ledger

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 Sila if

  • You need ach origination.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want instant rails.
Sila review

Questions people ask

Is Kong Gateway or Sila better?
Neither clearly leads. Kong Gateway starts at Free and Sila at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Kong Gateway or Sila?
Kong Gateway has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Kong Gateway and On request for Sila.
Does Kong Gateway or Sila run on more platforms?
Kong Gateway runs on web, linux, api. Sila runs on Web, API.
Can I use Kong Gateway for free?
Yes. Kong Gateway has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Sila starts at On request.
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 Sila is typically brought in for.
What can Kong Gateway do that Sila cannot?
Kong Gateway covers API request routing, Plugin ecosystem, Developer portals, AI Gateway. Sila covers ACH origination, Instant rails, KYC and KYB, Virtual accounts.

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
Sila: Does Sila require a sponsor bank?

Yes. Funds sit at a partner bank, and which bank that is affects your product features and your regulatory exposure, so ask before signing.

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
Sila: Is Sila still operating?

Yes. It continues to trade and announced an API integration with GBank in 2025 covering ACH, RTP and FedNow.

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
Sila: What does it cost?

Sila does not publish rates. Expect per-transaction pricing plus a monthly minimum, quoted after a compliance conversation.

Sila: Can I use it outside the United States?

No. Sila covers US rails only.

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