API Management · head to head
Kong Gateway vs Stainless
Kong Gateway
API Management
Open-source and cloud API gateway for managing microservices traffic
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Stainless
API Management
Generates client SDKs, API docs, and MCP servers from an OpenAPI spec
- 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.; Stainless starter and Pro plan prices are not published and require contacting the company.
- They diverge on capability: Kong Gateway covers API request routing, Stainless covers SDK generation.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Kong Gateway and Stainless actually diverge.
| Attribute | Kong Gateway | Stainless |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | web, linux, api | web, api |
| Founded | 2017 | Unknown |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), 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 Stainless
- SDK generation
- MCP server generation
- Docs site generation
- Webhooks and streaming support
- Automated unit tests
- Git integration
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Kong Gateway
- Routing and securing traffic across microservicesnot Stainless
- Publishing internal or external developer portalsnot Stainless
- Managing rate limits and authentication at the API edgenot Stainless
- Gateway-level routing to multiple LLM providersnot Stainless
Stainless
- Generating typed SDKs for a public APInot Kong Gateway
- Producing an MCP server from an existing OpenAPI specnot Kong Gateway
- Building an API documentation site alongside client librariesnot Kong Gateway
- Giving open-source APIs a free SDK generation pathnot 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.
Stainless
- Starter and Pro plan prices are not published and require contacting the company.
- The free plan caps APIs at 25 endpoints, which excludes larger production APIs.
- Overage charges apply per SDK/endpoint/month once limits are exceeded, which can make costs unpredictable at scale.
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
Stainless
Free- FreeFree
- Up to 5 generators (SDKs, docs, or MCP servers)
- 5 seats
- APIs with 25 or fewer endpoints
- Starter$undefined/mo
- Unlimited generators
- Expanded seats
- Private SDKs of any size
- Pro$undefined/mo
- Custom enterprise features and pricing
- Enterprise$undefined/mo
- Dedicated support
- SOC 2 compliance reports
- Purchase order/invoicing with negotiable terms
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 Stainless if
- You need sdk generation.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on web, api.
- You also want mcp server generation.
Questions people ask
- Is Kong Gateway or Stainless better?
- Neither clearly leads. Kong Gateway starts at Free and Stainless at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Kong Gateway or Stainless?
- Kong Gateway starts at Free and Stainless at Free.
- Does Kong Gateway or Stainless run on more platforms?
- Kong Gateway runs on web, linux, api. Stainless runs on web, api.
- 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 Stainless is typically brought in for.
- What can Kong Gateway do that Stainless cannot?
- Kong Gateway covers API request routing, Plugin ecosystem, Developer portals, AI Gateway. Stainless covers SDK generation, MCP server generation, Docs site generation, Webhooks and streaming support.
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.
SourceStainless: Is there a free plan, and what are its limits?
Yes. The Free plan supports up to 5 generators, 5 seats, APIs with 25 or fewer endpoints, and 100 preview builds per month, with email support.
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.
SourceStainless: Who owns the generated SDK code?
The generated SDK code is owned by the customer and published by Stainless under the Apache 2.0 license.
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.
SourceStainless: What happens if I exceed my plan's endpoint limit?
Customers exceeding their endpoint limits are billed per SDK, per endpoint, per month for the overage.
SourceRelated pages
More on Kong Gateway
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