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APIs · head to head

Kong vs Tyk

Kong logo

Kong

APIs

Cloud-native API gateway and service connectivity platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Tyk logo

Tyk

APIs

Open-source API gateway and API management platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Kong the Plus plan includes 1M API requests a month and charges $200 a month for each additional million; Tyk professional and Enterprise plan pricing not published; contact required
  • They diverge on capability: Kong covers Authentication & Authorization, Tyk covers Authentication.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Kong and Tyk actually diverge.

Attributes where Kong and Tyk differ
AttributeKongTyk
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
PlatformsLinux, Docker, KubernetesLinux, Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud
Founded20102013

Identical on both: starting price (Free), 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

  • Authentication & Authorization
  • Consul
  • Eureka
  • PostgreSQL

Only in Tyk

  • Authentication
  • Docker
  • AWS
  • Azure
  • Cloud support

Both cover

  • API Gateway
  • Rate Limiting
  • Kubernetes
  • Linux support
  • Docker support
  • Kubernetes support

What people use each for

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

Kong

  • API gateway management and routingnot Tyk
  • API development and testingnot Tyk
  • Enterprise API security and governancenot Tyk

Tyk

  • API gateway and API management platformsnot Kong
  • Microservices architecture orchestrationnot Kong
  • High-growth teams standardizing on API platformsnot Kong
  • Enterprises requiring advanced security and governancenot Kong

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Kong

  • The Plus plan includes 1M API requests a month and charges $200 a month for each additional million
  • Plus is capped at 10M requests a month, so growth past that forces an Enterprise contract
  • Plus limits published APIs to 20 and includes one Developer Portal, with a second at $200 a month
  • SSO and audit logging are Enterprise only
  • Enterprise pricing is custom and billed annually

Tyk

  • Professional and Enterprise plan pricing not published; contact required
  • Core plan uses consumption-based model with variable costs
  • No upfront pricing transparency for production deployments

Pricing, plan by plan

Kong

Free
  • Kong Konnect Free TrialFree
    • 30-day free trial
    • Full enterprise functionality
    • Unlimited gateways
  • Kong Konnect Plus$null/month
    • Per gateway pricing billed monthly
    • Up to 5 Serverless Gateways, 2 Hybrid, 2 Dedicated Cloud Gateways
    • 1M API requests included per month
  • Kong Insomnia EssentialsFree
    • Unlimited projects and CLI access
    • Up to 3 Git Sync users
    • 1,000 mock server requests per month
  • Kong Insomnia Pro$12/month
    • Unlimited users with Git Sync access
    • Unlimited organizations
    • RBAC

Tyk

Free
  • Free TrialFree
    • Fully featured 48-hour trial
    • No credit card required
    • Tyk Cloud access
  • Core Plan$null/month
    • Usage-based flexible pricing
    • Cloud, Hybrid, or Self-managed deployment
    • Unlimited API gateways
  • Professional Plan$null/month
    • One fixed price with unlimited access
    • All deployment options
    • Unlimited APIs and requests
  • Enterprise Plan$null/month
    • Custom pricing required
    • Advanced governance and security
    • Premium support with custom SLAs

Which should you pick?

Choose Kong if

  • You need authentication & authorization.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes.
  • You also want consul.
Kong review

Choose Tyk if

  • You need authentication.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud.
  • You also want docker.
Tyk review

Questions people ask

Is Kong or Tyk better?
Neither clearly leads. Kong starts at Free and Tyk at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Kong or Tyk?
Kong starts at Free and Tyk at Free.
Does Kong or Tyk run on more platforms?
Kong runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes. Tyk runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud.
Can I use Kong for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Kong best used for?
Kong is most often used for api gateway management and routing, api development and testing, enterprise api security and governance. Of those, api gateway management and routing and api development and testing are not what Tyk is typically brought in for.
What can Kong do that Tyk cannot?
Kong covers Authentication & Authorization, Consul, Eureka, PostgreSQL. Tyk covers Authentication, Docker, AWS, Azure. Both handle API Gateway, Rate Limiting, Kubernetes, Linux support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Kong: Does Kong offer a free trial?

Yes, Kong Konnect offers a 30-day free trial with full enterprise functionality, unlimited gateways, and no credit card required.

Source
Tyk: How much does Tyk cost?

Tyk offers a free 48-hour trial with no credit card required. The Core plan uses usage-based pricing on a flexible model. Professional plan offers unlimited access at a fixed price (amount not published). Enterprise plans require custom pricing.

Source
Kong: How much does Kong Insomnia Pro cost?

Kong Insomnia Pro is $12 per user per month with 15% savings available for annual billing.

Source
Tyk: Is there a free trial of Tyk?

Yes, Tyk provides a fully featured 48-hour free trial of Tyk Cloud that requires no credit card to start.

Source
Kong: What are Kong Konnect Plus API request limits?

Kong Konnect Plus includes 1M API requests per month; additional requests cost $200 per 1M (maximum 10M per month).

Source
Tyk: What deployment options are included in Tyk pricing?

All Tyk plans support Cloud, Hybrid, or Self-managed deployment options without feature restrictions, allowing flexible infrastructure choices across pricing tiers.

Source
Kong: What is included in Kong Insomnia Enterprise?

Kong Insomnia Enterprise is $45 per user per month with SSO, SCIM, vault integrations, unlimited mock server requests, and Konnect integration.

Source
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