Software · head to head
TIBCO Mashery vs Kong
TIBCO Mashery
Software
Cloud-native API management for digital business
- From
- $2000/monthly
- Rated
- -
Kong
Software
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: TIBCO Mashery lack of support for open API standards requires workarounds; Kong the Plus plan includes 1M API requests a month and charges $200 a month for each additional million
- They diverge on capability: TIBCO Mashery covers Cloud-native Gateway, Kong covers API Gateway.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which TIBCO Mashery and Kong actually diverge.
| Attribute | TIBCO Mashery | Kong |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $2000/monthly | Free |
| Pricing model | subscription | open-source |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Cloud, Hybrid, Multi-cloud | Linux, Docker, Kubernetes |
| Founded | 1997 | 2010 |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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 TIBCO Mashery
- Cloud-native Gateway
- Developer Portal
- API Analytics
- TIBCO Cloud
- AWS
- Azure
- GCP
- Cloud 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.
TIBCO Mashery
- 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 TIBCO Mashery
- Publishing and governing APIs through a developer portalnot TIBCO Mashery
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
TIBCO Mashery
- Lack of support for open API standards requires workarounds
- Policy management is difficult and sometimes requires support intervention for configuration changes
- Monetization and customization features are inadequate for some enterprise use cases
- Delays under heavy load conditions; stability issues reported affecting performance
- Logging and monitoring limitations; logs are hard to follow when calls cannot be filtered by keys
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
TIBCO Mashery
$2000/monthly- Standard$2000/monthly
- API Gateway
- Developer Portal
- Standard support
- Professional$5000/monthly
- Advanced analytics
- Multi-region
- Priority support
- Enterprise$undefined/monthly
- Custom solutions
- Dedicated support
- Premium SLA
Kong
Free- CommunityFree
- Core API gateway
- Community support
- Enterprise$undefined/monthly
- Advanced features
- Priority support
- SLA
Which should you pick?
Choose TIBCO Mashery if
- You need cloud-native gateway.
- You work on Cloud, Hybrid, Multi-cloud.
- You also want developer portal.
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 TIBCO Mashery or Kong better?
- Neither clearly leads. TIBCO Mashery starts at $2000/monthly and Kong at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, TIBCO Mashery or Kong?
- Kong has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $2000/monthly for TIBCO Mashery and Free for Kong.
- Does TIBCO Mashery or Kong run on more platforms?
- TIBCO Mashery runs on Cloud, Hybrid, Multi-cloud. 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. TIBCO Mashery starts at $2000/monthly.
- What is TIBCO Mashery best used for?
- TIBCO Mashery 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 TIBCO Mashery do that Kong cannot?
- TIBCO Mashery covers Cloud-native Gateway, Developer Portal, API Analytics, TIBCO Cloud. Kong covers API Gateway, Authentication & Authorization, Rate Limiting, Kubernetes.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
TIBCO Mashery: What is TIBCO Cloud API Management (Mashery)?
TIBCO Cloud API Management, formerly known as TIBCO Cloud Mashery, is an enterprise platform delivering full lifecycle API management capabilities including API creation, productization, security, analytics, and support for API development, mediation, and event-driven initiatives.
SourceTIBCO Mashery: What is the pricing structure?
TIBCO Mashery pricing starts at $2000/monthly for cloud-hosted deployments based on capacity and throughput. Annual maintenance for on-premises perpetual licenses typically ranges from 18-22% of license cost. Custom plans are available based on customer requirements.
SourceTIBCO Mashery: Does Mashery support OpenAPI standards?
TIBCO Mashery supports native OpenAPI specifications. The platform provides contract-first modeling with native OpenAPI Spec support and native Node.js hosting of API implementations.
TIBCO Mashery: What's the current status of TIBCO Mashery?
Mashery, formerly sold as TIBCO Cloud API Management, has had its capabilities integrated into Boomi's enterprise platform. Users should verify current product status and support roadmap with TIBCO's sales team, as the product landscape has undergone significant changes.