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Databases · head to head

NATS vs Spring Cloud Gateway

NATS logo

NATS

Databases

High-performance messaging system for cloud-native applications

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Spring Cloud Gateway logo

Spring Cloud Gateway

APIs

API gateway built on Project Reactor for building microservices

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: NATS core NATS has no persistence at all, so messages are lost if no subscriber is listening; Spring Cloud Gateway released under the Apache 2.0 license, free and open source with no commercial tier
  • They diverge on capability: NATS covers Very low latency, Spring Cloud Gateway covers Routing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which NATS and Spring Cloud Gateway actually diverge.

Attributes where NATS and Spring Cloud Gateway differ
AttributeNATSSpring Cloud Gateway
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feeopen-source
PlatformsLinux, macOS, Windows, Docker, KubernetesJava, Spring Boot
CategoryDatabasesAPIs
FoundedUnknown1998

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 NATS

  • Very low latency
  • JetStream
  • Single binary
  • Request-reply

Only in Spring Cloud Gateway

  • Routing
  • Path Rewriting
  • Circuit Breaker
  • Spring Boot
  • Spring Security
  • Spring Cloud
  • Java support
  • Spring Boot support

What people use each for

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

NATS

  • Service-to-service messaging where latency is the binding constraintnot Spring Cloud Gateway
  • Edge and IoT messaging where a lightweight broker mattersnot Spring Cloud Gateway
  • Replacing a heavier broker when the workload does not need its guaranteesnot Spring Cloud Gateway

Spring Cloud Gateway

  • API Developmentnot NATS
  • API Gatewaynot NATS
  • API Testingnot NATS
  • API Documentationnot NATS
  • Microservicesnot NATS

Where each one falls short

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

NATS

  • Core NATS has no persistence at all, so messages are lost if no subscriber is listening
  • JetStream adds the durability but also the operational complexity NATS is chosen to avoid
  • A much smaller ecosystem than Kafka or RabbitMQ, with fewer connectors and integrations
  • Fewer people know it, so hiring and existing organisational knowledge favour the alternatives

Spring Cloud Gateway

  • Released under the Apache 2.0 license, free and open source with no commercial tier

Pricing, plan by plan

NATS

Free
  • NATSFree
    • Full functionality
    • No usage limits
    • Community support

Spring Cloud Gateway

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Core Spring Cloud Gateway
    • Community support

Which should you pick?

Choose NATS if

  • You need very low latency.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, macOS, Windows, Docker, Kubernetes.
  • You also want jetstream.
NATS review

Choose Spring Cloud Gateway if

  • You need routing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Java, Spring Boot.
  • You also want path rewriting.
Spring Cloud Gateway review

Questions people ask

Is NATS or Spring Cloud Gateway better?
Neither clearly leads. NATS starts at Free and Spring Cloud Gateway at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, NATS or Spring Cloud Gateway?
NATS starts at Free and Spring Cloud Gateway at Free.
Does NATS or Spring Cloud Gateway run on more platforms?
NATS runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, Docker, Kubernetes. Spring Cloud Gateway runs on Java, Spring Boot.
Can I use NATS for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is NATS best used for?
NATS is most often used for service-to-service messaging where latency is the binding constraint, edge and iot messaging where a lightweight broker matters, replacing a heavier broker when the workload does not need its guarantees. Of those, service-to-service messaging where latency is the binding constraint and edge and iot messaging where a lightweight broker matters are not what Spring Cloud Gateway is typically brought in for.
What can NATS do that Spring Cloud Gateway cannot?
NATS covers Very low latency, JetStream, Single binary, Request-reply. Spring Cloud Gateway covers Routing, Path Rewriting, Circuit Breaker, Spring Boot.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

NATS: Is NATS free?

Yes, open source and CNCF-graduated. Synadia sells a managed service.

Spring Cloud Gateway: Is Spring Cloud Gateway free?

Yes, Spring Cloud Gateway is free and open-source software. It is part of the Spring ecosystem and available through GitHub repositories with open-source dependencies like spring-cloud-starter-gateway-server-webflux and spring-cloud-starter-gateway-server-webmvc.

Source
NATS: Does NATS persist messages?

Core NATS does not — it is fire-and-forget. JetStream adds persistence, streaming and replay when you need them.

Spring Cloud Gateway: What enterprise support is available for Spring Cloud Gateway?

Tanzu Spring provides optional enterprise support including Day 0 access to security patches for organizations requiring guaranteed support, but specific pricing is not published on the Spring Cloud Gateway project page.

Source
NATS: NATS or Kafka?

NATS is far lighter and lower latency, and much simpler to run. Kafka is the answer when you need a durable replayable log and a large connector ecosystem.

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