Amazon API Gateway vs Kong Gateway Enterprise comparison

Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Kong are both solutions in the API Management category. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.3, while Kong is ranked #4 with an average rating of 7.9. Amazon Web Services (AWS) holds a 12.3% mindshare in APIM, compared to Kong’s 5.9% mindshare. Additionally, 93% of Amazon Web Services (AWS) users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 92% of Kong users who would recommend it.

Amazon API Gateway

Read 46 Amazon API Gateway reviews

11,283 Views
11,283 Comparison Views

93% willing to recommend

Kong Gateway Enterprise

Read 25 Kong Gateway Enterprise reviews

5,871 Views
5,871 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

Amazon API Gateway

Kong Gateway Enterprise

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 17, 2024

Amazon API Gateway and Kong Gateway Enterprise compete in the API management category. Kong Gateway Enterprise seems to have the upper hand with its flexibility and customization options, making it better suited for varied environments and premium enterprise applications.

Features:Amazon API Gateway integrates seamlessly with AWS services and provides low-code functionality. It offers robust security features, like integration with AWS IAM, and easily scales within the AWS ecosystem. Kong Gateway Enterprise has a plugin-rich architecture with strong authentication and customizable plugins. Its versatility in supporting multiple environments and varied applications is another advantage. Its strong integration capabilities, especially with security and API governance tools, make it highly preferred for complex deployments.

Room for Improvement:Amazon API Gateway could improve with better documentation, more user-friendly interfaces, and expanded out-of-the-box features. Support for hybrid environments and competitive pricing is also needed. Kong Gateway Enterprise's improvement areas include lowering costs with flexible licensing and enhancing integration ease. It could benefit from better documentation and user interfaces, and the introduction of live API tracing would enhance its utility.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service:Amazon API Gateway is primarily used in public cloud environments and offers moderate customer support. It excels in AWS ecosystem integration but requires faster support responses. Kong Gateway Enterprise excels with hybrid and on-premises deployments and provides robust technical support, particularly for complex integrations, making it ideal for multi-cloud environments.

Pricing and ROI:Amazon API Gateway uses a pay-as-you-go model, suitable for minimal requests but can be costly as usage scales, affecting ROI negatively. Kong Gateway Enterprise, though expensive, offers a cost-effective open-source version and aligns well with enterprise agreements. Its pricing is considered reasonable given its extensive capabilities, supporting a strong ROI for organizations able to leverage its full potential.

To learn more, read our detailed Amazon API Gateway vs. Kong Gateway Enterprise Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Amazon API Gateway vs. Kong Gateway Enterprise

December 2025

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Helped 879,422 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

ROI

Sentiment score

6.7

Amazon API Gateway offers significant ROI through cost savings, efficient management, and secure infrastructure, especially with usage-based payment.

Sentiment score

7.6

Kong Gateway Enterprise offers scalability, advanced features, and reduces detection time, supporting efficient API delivery with economic benefits.

API Gateway saves time and secures my infrastructure, allowing effective deployment.

ParsuramPanigrahi

CTO at Atulya Abhinav Tech Private Limited

For more quotes and insights, download the Amazon API Gateway report

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the Kong Gateway Enterprise report

Customer Service

Sentiment score

7.3

Amazon API Gateway support is prompt and effective, but opinions vary due to occasional delays and high costs.

Sentiment score

6.9

Kong Gateway Enterprise support is helpful and responsive, but users note delays and desire quicker, more capable assistance.

Technical support is excellent, deserving a ten out of ten rating.

ParsuramPanigrahi

CTO at Atulya Abhinav Tech Private Limited

We benefit from enterprise support, ensuring prompt responses from the technical support team.

reviewer1526493

Solutions Architect at a non-tech company with 51-200 employees

We encountered challenges accessing technical support channels, such as a need for a clear telephone number and chat sessions.

SureshMarakani

SAP Successfactors Consultant at Innoux Solutions IT Pvt ltd

For more quotes and insights, download the Amazon API Gateway report

The technical support from Kong Gateway Enterprise would be rated about eight, as we missed local technical support.

Evgeny Shkard

Enterprise Architect at El Al

For more quotes and insights, download the Kong Gateway Enterprise report

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score

7.7

Amazon API Gateway provides excellent scalability, efficient autoscaling, and seamless AWS management for diverse projects and significant traffic handling.

Sentiment score

7.2

Kong Gateway Enterprise is praised for scalability across applications, but smaller entities face challenges due to resource constraints.

Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

ABDUR_RAHIM

Deputy Manager - Radio Frequency Planning at RF-SMART

There are one hundred thousand users using it in our company.

Andre Kapp

Snr. Developer at Mama Money Pty

We have thousands of end users accessing our solution built on API Gateway.

Serg Anonymous

Project Manager at Yukon

For more quotes and insights, download the Amazon API Gateway report

The scalability of this solution would be rated about eight or nine.

Evgeny Shkard

Enterprise Architect at El Al

For more quotes and insights, download the Kong Gateway Enterprise report

Stability Issues

Sentiment score

8.6

Amazon API Gateway is highly reliable, hailed for its stability and 99.99% uptime, effectively handling high traffic.

Sentiment score

7.9

Kong Gateway Enterprise is stable with few issues, excellent architecture, and recommended strong configuration for optimal performance and versatility.

I've deployed it for a client with millions of users without issues.

AnkurGupta7

Technical Architect at Evon Technologies Pvt

Our applications are stable, owing partly to our architecture, which is spread across three regions.

Rahul Kundu

AWS Engineer at Abbott

I would rate its stability as nine out of ten.

RamaChandra Rao Vadranam

AWS Developer at a insurance company with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Amazon API Gateway report

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the Kong Gateway Enterprise report

Room For Improvement

Amazon API Gateway needs better pricing, support, interfaces, integration, security, and connectivity, plus improved analytics and debugging features.

Kong Gateway Enterprise needs better pricing, integrations, API management, documentation, customization, support, and AI features for improved user experience.

A local version of the API Gateway would be beneficial for testing purposes without incurring extra costs.

Sampreeth Amith Kumar

AWS Cloud Consultant at a tech services company with 51-200 employees

Amazon API Gateway needs to focus on minimizing latency.

ABDUR_RAHIM

Deputy Manager - Radio Frequency Planning at RF-SMART

We use a lot of TerraForm scripts to build up our environment.

Andre Kapp

Snr. Developer at Mama Money Pty

For more quotes and insights, download the Amazon API Gateway report

Evgeny Shkard

Enterprise Architect at El Al

For more quotes and insights, download the Kong Gateway Enterprise report

Setup Cost

Amazon API Gateway offers variable pricing that can be costly compared to competitors, but remains cost-effective for many users.

Kong Gateway Enterprise pricing is competitive, especially compared to Apigee, with value dependent on organizational needs and region.

However, my understanding is that it easily goes to $14,000 or $15,000 USD each month for each account, and we have several such accounts.

Rahul Kundu

AWS Engineer at Abbott

It is a really cheap product, but if used incorrectly, it can become expensive.

Gabriel Gerhard

DevOps Engineer/SRE - AWS at Lavoro autom inf e com ltda

It is expensive.

ParsuramPanigrahi

CTO at Atulya Abhinav Tech Private Limited

For more quotes and insights, download the Amazon API Gateway report

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the Kong Gateway Enterprise report

Valuable Features

Amazon API Gateway offers ease of management, strong security, AWS integration, and scalability, making it efficient for global API operations.

Kong Gateway Enterprise provides scalable, secure API management with integration support, high performance, and adaptability via open-source community backing.

The solution is solid, robust, and scalable.

Daniel Boadzie

Machine Learning Specialist at Hubtel

The tool's most valuable aspect is its scalability.

AnkurGupta7

Technical Architect at Evon Technologies Pvt

works well for defining different states for different customers based on their purchase plans

RamaChandra Rao Vadranam

AWS Developer at a insurance company with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Amazon API Gateway report

The most valuable features of Kong Gateway Enterprise are its seamless integration with Kubernetes and cloud, many plugins that can be incorporated in a solution, and its incorporation with low-code function systems.

Evgeny Shkard

Enterprise Architect at El Al

For more quotes and insights, download the Kong Gateway Enterprise report

Categories and Ranking

Amazon API Gateway

Ranking in API Management

2nd

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Kong Gateway Enterprise

Ranking in API Management

4th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the API Management category, the mindshare of Amazon API Gateway is 12.3%, down from 13.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Kong Gateway Enterprise is 5.9%, down from 6.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

API Management Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Amazon API Gateway	12.3%
Kong Gateway Enterprise	5.9%
Other	81.8%

API Management

Featured Reviews

Pradeep Tamanar

Architect at Birlasoft IndiaLtd.

Strong technical support and effective toolset improve workflow but setup process requires refinement

I have experience with Nintex and K2, but I do not have experience with Unqork. I am specialized in Microsoft products such as Power Automate and Power Apps. I have knowledge of Microsoft Intune and Defender, along with certain Azure components. I work for an organization as a presales architect, proposing solutions to customers. I am familiar with Microsoft Defender for Identity, for Business, and for IoT, though I haven't worked extensively on that. I have a conceptually good understanding of it. I'm mostly working on Microsoft collaboration tools, which include SharePoint and Power Platform tools. I have been dealing mostly with Microsoft, but also with other vendors. Regarding database services, we typically use SQL server services. We have not used Amazon RDS; typically, we use PostgreSQL or MySQL. On the Azure side, I work with Azure Database services including PostgreSQL, MySQL, and SQL Cosmos. I was previously working as an architect for U3Soft and am currently working with Birlasoft (B I R L A S O F T). My overall rating for Amazon API Gateway is 8 out of 10.

Read full review

Evgeny Shkard

Enterprise Architect at El Al

Seamless integration and efficient security boost API management capabilities

More plugins for additional integrations would be helpful and openness for traditional development languages, such as .NET, because many enterprises are looking for .NET solutions or incorporating with .NET solutions. I mostly missed local resellers or partners that we could use within our enterprise, because it was difficult for some tech personnel to work with remote tech support.

Read full review

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

15%

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Financial Services Firm

18%

Computer Software Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

Insurance Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	13
Midsize Enterprise	13
Large Enterprise	21

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	8
Large Enterprise	19

Questions from the Community

Which is better - Apigee or Amazon API Gateway?

Amazon API Gateway is a platform that supports the creation and publication of API for web applications. The platform can support thousands of simultaneous API calls, and it provides monitoring, ma...

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How does Mulesoft Anypoint API Manager compare with Amazon API Gateway?

I have found that Mulesoft Anypoint API Manager is the best integration tool out there for API management. It is easy to implement and learn; it provides several options for deployment, (including ...

See all answers

Which is better - Azure API Management or Amazon API Gateway?

If you use Azure products, API Management is a great solution. It solves many of the problems of externalizing web services. For example, when you need versioning, establish a developer portal and ...

See all answers

How does Kong Enterprise compare with Mulesoft Anypoint API Manager?

The Mulesoft Anypoint API Manager was designed with its users in mind. Though it is a reasonably complex piece of software, it is easy to install and upgrade. While there are different things that ...

See all answers

What do you like most about Kong Enterprise?

The tool's feature that I find most beneficial is rate limiting. In our usage, especially in the financial sector, we prioritize limiting API usage. This is crucial because we provide APIs to other...

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What needs improvement with Kong Enterprise?

See all answers

Comparisons

Microsoft Azure API Management vs Amazon API Gateway

Compared 72% of the time

Apigee vs Amazon API Gateway

Compared 5% of the time

MuleSoft API Manager vs Amazon API Gateway

Compared 3% of the time

WSO2 API Manager vs Amazon API Gateway

Compared 3% of the time

Layer7 API Management vs Amazon API Gateway

Compared 2% of the time

More Amazon API Gateway Competitors

Apache APISIX vs Kong Gateway Enterprise

Compared 13% of the time

WSO2 API Manager vs Kong Gateway Enterprise

Compared 12% of the time

Apigee vs Kong Gateway Enterprise

Compared 12% of the time

Kong Konnect vs Kong Gateway Enterprise

Compared 9% of the time

3scale API Management vs Kong Gateway Enterprise

Compared 3% of the time

More Kong Gateway Enterprise Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Amazon API Gateway

December 2025

Download Amazon API Gateway product report

Buyer's Guide

Kong Gateway Enterprise

December 2025

Download Kong Gateway Enterprise product report

Overview

Amazon API Gateway stands out for its seamless integration with AWS, ease of use, scalability, and support for secure API management, benefiting from a serverless architecture that helps control costs while ensuring efficient backend connectivity.

Amazon API Gateway offers significant capabilities for managing APIs, integrating smoothly with AWS Lambda for serverless operations. It provides robust security with authentication, authorization, and input validation. The gateway supports API traffic management, rate limiting, and enhances accessibility while facing areas for potential improvements in pricing, documentation, interface usability, monitoring, security, latency, analytics, and debugging tools. Expanded integration features and AI-based development aids are desirable.

What features make Amazon API Gateway effective?

Ease of Use: Provides a straightforward way to set up and manage APIs.
Scalability: Handles growing API demands effectively.
Integration: Seamless connection with AWS services.
Security: Implements authentication and authorization measures.
Serverless Architecture: Manages costs efficiently with AWS Lambda.
Traffic Management: Supports rate limiting and traffic controls.

What benefits should users focus on in reviews?

Cost Management: Reduces expenses with serverless options.
Efficient Connectivity: Rapidly links backend services.
Enhanced Security: Safeguards API interactions.
Flexibility: Supports diverse API configurations.
API Accessibility: Facilitates external service exposure.

Amazon API Gateway is frequently employed in industries like mobile development and public services to ensure secure, efficient interactions between front-end and back-end systems. It's instrumental in managing APIs, integrating microservices, and offering controlled API access, notably in environments requiring robust security and service exposure.

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Kong delivers a next generation API platform built for modern architectures. With a lightnight-fast, lightweight, and flexible core, Kong delivers sub-millisecond latency across all your services. Kong's is deployment-, vendor-, and pattern-agnostic, allowing you to run your services how you want, where you want, and with who you want - from baremetal to cloud, monolith to microservices, service mesh, and beyond.

Kong

Sample Customers

Autodesk, Fox Digital Consumer Group, iFlix, UK Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Miovision, Olympusat, PhotoVogue, Royale International Group, Veracode

Cargill, Zillow, Ferrari, WeWork, Healthcare.gov, Yahoo! Japan, Giphy, SkyScanner

Buyer's Guide

Amazon API Gateway vs. Kong Gateway Enterprise

December 2025

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