Side by side
Google Cloud API Gateway vs Kong Gateway
Both stand on rest apis. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Choose Google Cloud API Gateway when you need a managed API layer for supported backends, with authentication, traffic controls, and request monitoring. Look elsewhere if you need it to proxy to Google Cloud APIs such as BigQuery APIs, or if your gRPC transcoding payloads exceed 1 megabyte.
Visit Google Cloud API Gateway
Choose Kong Gateway if you need an API gateway with open-source availability and deployment options spanning on-premises, cloud, Kubernetes, and serverless environments. The free trial provides 30 days without a credit card, while paid Konnect plans have request or gateway allowances and pricing terms to consider. Windows users need Docker for installation.
Visit Kong GatewayThe facts
| Google Cloud API Gateway | Kong Gateway | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | API, Web | API, Linux, Self-hosted, Web |
| Lowest paid plan | 1B+ API calls: $1.50 a month | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 3 | 7 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | cloud.google.com | konghq.com |
| On rest apis | #8 of 28 | #4 of 28 |
Google Cloud API Gateway: what it does well
- Provides API hosting, logging, monitoring, and security management.
- Supports API keys, Google authentication, ID tokens, and service accounts or JWT.
- Accepts OpenAPI 2.0 and OpenAPI 3.0 specifications.
- Tracks latency, traffic, and errors in request and response logs.
- Supports HTTP/REST, HTTP/JSON, and gRPC.
What to know first
- Does not proxy to other Google Cloud APIs such as BigQuery APIs.
- gRPC transcoding payloads are limited to 1 megabyte.
- The service has limits on APIs, configurations, and gateways.
- The 0–2M API-call tier has no stated price.
Kong Gateway: what it does well
- Open-source API gateway for hybrid and multi-cloud environments.
- Configuration through API, web UI, or declarative files.
- Built-in plugins cover security, authentication, transformation, and analytics.
- Supports on-premises, cloud, Kubernetes, and serverless deployments.
- Kubernetes Ingress Controller uses Kubernetes-native resources.
What to know first
- Windows installation requires Docker; there is no native Windows installation.
- Konnect Plus and Enterprise prices are available on request.
- Konnect Plus includes 1,000,000 API requests per month; additional requests cost $200/month per 1M.
Alternatives to Google Cloud API Gateway Alternatives to Kong Gateway The whole list