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APIs · head to head

Kong vs Zimpler

Kong logo

Kong

APIs

Cloud-native API gateway and service connectivity platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Zimpler logo

Zimpler

APIs

Nordic and Brazilian account-to-account payments for regulated high-risk sectors

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Kong has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Kong the Plus plan includes 1M API requests a month and charges $200 a month for each additional million; Zimpler pricing is not published and is set by industry and risk profile, so smaller merchants cannot benchmark a quote and often discover they are paying well above a general-purpose provider.
  • They diverge on capability: Kong covers API Gateway, Zimpler covers Bank payments.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Kong and Zimpler actually diverge.

Attributes where Kong and Zimpler differ
AttributeKongZimpler
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsLinux, Docker, KubernetesWeb, REST API
Founded2010Unknown

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

  • API Gateway
  • Authentication & Authorization
  • Rate Limiting
  • Kubernetes
  • Consul
  • Eureka
  • PostgreSQL
  • Linux support

Only in Zimpler

  • Bank payments
  • BankID identity
  • Payouts
  • Recurring payments
  • Risk screening
  • Brazil coverage

What people use each for

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

Kong

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

Zimpler

  • A Swedish gambling operator needing deposit and verified identity in a single customer flownot Kong
  • A Nordic merchant wanting instant bank payouts rather than card refundsnot Kong
  • A trading platform where confirming account ownership before funding is a regulatory requirementnot Kong
  • A European operator expanding into Brazil and wanting one provider across both marketsnot 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

Zimpler

  • Pricing is not published and is set by industry and risk profile, so smaller merchants cannot benchmark a quote and often discover they are paying well above a general-purpose provider.
  • As a payment facilitator carrying merchant risk, it declines or offboards merchants on risk grounds, which makes it a dependency you cannot assume will persist.
  • Its strength is concentrated in the Nordics, and coverage in southern and eastern Europe is thinner than pan-European account-to-account specialists.
  • Revenue concentration in iGaming ties the provider to a sector under constant regulatory change, so licence changes in one market affect the supplier as well as the merchant.
  • Bank transfers have no chargeback protection, so disputes are handled commercially and consumers used to card protections may resist the payment method.

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

Zimpler

On request
  • Zimpler payments$undefined/year
    • Per-transaction pricing quoted by industry, risk and volume
    • Separate pricing for payouts and identity verification
    • Merchant underwriting required, with sector restrictions

Which should you pick?

Choose Kong if

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

Choose Zimpler if

  • You need bank payments.
  • You work on Web, REST API.
  • You also want bankid identity.
Zimpler review

Questions people ask

Is Kong or Zimpler better?
Neither clearly leads. Kong starts at Free and Zimpler at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Kong or Zimpler?
Kong has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Kong and On request for Zimpler.
Does Kong or Zimpler run on more platforms?
Kong runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes. Zimpler runs on Web, REST API.
Can I use Kong for free?
Yes. Kong has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Zimpler starts at On request.
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 Zimpler is typically brought in for.
What can Kong do that Zimpler cannot?
Kong covers API Gateway, Authentication & Authorization, Rate Limiting, Kubernetes. Zimpler covers Bank payments, BankID identity, Payouts, Recurring payments.

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
Zimpler: Which markets does Zimpler cover?

Sweden and the Nordics primarily, plus the wider EU and Brazil. It is strongest where national electronic identity schemes exist.

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
Zimpler: Does it handle identity verification?

Yes. In the Nordics it captures BankID identity alongside the payment, which removes a separate verification step.

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
Zimpler: Is pricing published?

No. It is quoted per merchant based on sector, risk and volume, and merchants must pass underwriting first.

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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