API Management · head to head
Paw vs Kong
Paw
API Management
Full-featured REST client for macOS with powerful scripting and testing
- From
- $99/one-time
- Rated
- -
Kong
API Management
Cloud-native API gateway and service connectivity platform
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Kong has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Paw now distributed as RapidAPI for Mac; the vendor's own page states it is "exclusively built for macOS" and requires macOS 10.15+, with no Windows or Linux client; Kong the Plus plan includes 1M API requests a month and charges $200 a month for each additional million
- They diverge on capability: Paw covers REST Client, Kong covers API Gateway.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Paw and Kong actually diverge.
Identical on both: 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 Paw
- REST Client
- Scripting
- Dynamic Values
- Slack
- GitHub
- Custom extensions
- MacOS support
Only in Kong
- API Gateway
- Authentication & Authorization
- Rate Limiting
- Kubernetes
- Consul
- Eureka
- PostgreSQL
- Linux support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Paw
- API Developmentnot Kong
- API Gatewaynot Kong
- API Testingnot Kong
- API Documentationnot Kong
- Microservicesnot Kong
Kong
- Running an API gateway in front of internal and public servicesnot Paw
- Publishing and governing APIs through a developer portalnot Paw
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Paw
- Now distributed as RapidAPI for Mac; the vendor's own page states it is "exclusively built for macOS" and requires macOS 10.15+, with no Windows or Linux client
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
Pricing, plan by plan
Paw
$99/one-time- Standard$99/one-time
- Full REST client
- Advanced scripting
- Extensions
- Annual License$49/yearly
- All features
- Updates
- Priority support
Kong
Free- CommunityFree
- Core API gateway
- Community support
- Enterprise$undefined/monthly
- Advanced features
- Priority support
- SLA
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.
Questions people ask
- Is Paw or Kong better?
- Neither clearly leads. Paw starts at $99/one-time and Kong at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Paw or Kong?
- Kong has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $99/one-time for Paw and Free for Kong.
- Does Paw or Kong run on more platforms?
- Paw runs on MacOS. Kong runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes.
- Can I use Kong for free?
- Yes. Kong has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Paw starts at $99/one-time.
- What is Paw best used for?
- Paw is most often used for api development, api gateway, api testing, api documentation. Of those, api development and api gateway are not what Kong is typically brought in for.
- What can Paw do that Kong cannot?
- Paw covers REST Client, Scripting, Dynamic Values, Slack. Kong covers API Gateway, Authentication & Authorization, Rate Limiting, Kubernetes.