IBM API Connect vs Kong Enterprise comparison

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12,746 views|9,726 comparisons
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14,560 views|10,993 comparisons
Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between IBM API Connect and Kong Enterprise based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two API Management solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.
To learn more, read our detailed IBM API Connect vs. Kong Enterprise Report (Updated: March 2024).
765,234 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"The management of the API and API portal is good.""The statistics component is easy to use.""The gateway is the most valuable aspect of this solution.""IBM API Connect is a good product, and their technical support is excellent.""The functionalities on offer are very good.""DataPower Gateway holds significant value for us as it serves as the cornerstone of our enterprise security controls.""The most valuable features of the solution stem from the fact that it is very easy to use and is something that is easily configurable.""The most valuable features are stability and security."

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"We use the solution for load-balancing, caching, and rate-limiting APIs.""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 companies and must ensure they adhere to their allocated usage limits. Without rate limiting, there's a risk of excessive usage, which could result in significant costs.""There are a few features that I like about Kong when it comes to authentication and authorization. Specifically, being able to use Kong for role-based access control (RBAC), and then further being able to integrate the RBAC mechanism with our enterprise directory, was very useful.""The tool's scalability is good...The solution's technical support is good.""This is a solid intrusion prevention system that combines a firewall and antivirus in a single solution.""The solution provides good performance.""The most valuable feature of the solution stems from the fact that it seamlessly supports a vast number of tools.""It boasts remarkable speed and stability, and these qualities, particularly the gateway's resilience, are standout features for me."

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Cons
"Understanding the architecture, deployment criteria, and communication methods of the installation can be time-consuming.""The documentation needs to be a bit better.""IBM API Connect could improve the security of the application and the integration.""The integration of cloud-based services is where we're looking for improvement in this platform.""Firstly, the pricing model, when compared to other open sources, is high. Secondly, the availability of resources in the market, specifically the developers available in the market, is not so much.""Support for this platform could still be improved. It also needs to have more levels of versatility. Its compatibility and integration with different platforms also need improvement.""The solution would be better if it had cloud functionalities.""The developer portal could be easier to customize."

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"Kong Enterprise can improve the customization to be able to do the integration properly.""We would like to see an automatic data API when we have a table in the database.""We are facing issues with the solution's features like reports and traffic analysis.""The developer portal needs to be improved.""The product's price is an area of concern where improvements are required.""Understanding the configurations and knowing what needs to be done can be a bit difficult initially.""Because it is open-source, it should be less expensive than others.""The solution should include policy features that are available in other solutions like MuleSoft API manager but missing in Kong Enterprise."

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Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "API Connect is quite pricey."
  • "I haven't seen anyone go from on-premise to the cloud. In fact, I am seeing people go from the cloud to on-premise because the costs can quickly grow on the cloud."
  • "It would be a good idea to bring down the pricing by at least 20 to 30 percent."
  • "The pricing is too expensive with IBM. Sometimes, we prefer to go with an open source or something more lightweight."
  • "It is expensive when compared to other products in this class. There were no extra fees for add-ons or technical support."
  • "It's an expensive product."
  • "IBM API Connect could be cheaper."
  • "It is quite an expensive product."
  • More IBM API Connect Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "The licensing fees are paid yearly."
  • "The price is really reasonable compared to that of alternative solutions."
  • "There are many factors that influence the price of Kong Enterprise, such as scale, licenses, and usage."
  • "I don't have any information on licensing costs currently."
  • "There is a need to pay towards the licensing charges...In some areas, the functionalities are available free of charge."
  • "Kong Enterprise's pricing is at par compared to the other technologies."
  • "Kong Enterprise is cheaper than Apigee. I rate its pricing as four out of ten."
  • More Kong Enterprise Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:Publishers can easily identify, create, and publish APIs on the developer portal, defining plans, packages, and potentially billing rules.
    Top Answer:I rate the product price a seven on a scale of one to ten, where one is a low price, and ten is a high price.
    Top Answer:The platform’s integration with the payment gateway needs enhancement. The setup process and support services could be improved.
    Top Answer: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 one… more »
    Top Answer:The most valuable feature of Kong Enterprise is its capability to integrate with various security tools.
    Top Answer:The technical support team's response time needs to be improved. Kong Enterprise should improve its resiliency when it comes to the active DR setup.
    Ranking
    5th
    out of 64 in API Management
    Views
    12,746
    Comparisons
    9,726
    Reviews
    21
    Average Words per Review
    536
    Rating
    7.9
    6th
    out of 64 in API Management
    Views
    14,560
    Comparisons
    10,993
    Reviews
    10
    Average Words per Review
    413
    Rating
    7.8
    Comparisons
    Learn More
    Overview

    IBM API Connect is an enterprise-grade platform that provides a comprehensive solution for creating, securing, managing, sharing, monetizing, and analyzing APIs. Designed for cloud and on-premises deployment, it integrates seamlessly with various systems, ensuring robust security and enabling efficient API lifecycle management. The user feedback underscores its efficiency, user-friendly aspects, and practical customer support, making it a reliable choice for enterprises seeking to optimize their API strategies.

    IBM API Connect provides end-to-end management of APIs, facilitating the creation, security, management, sharing, monetization, and analysis​​. It allows the creation of custom APIs, exposing the full capabilities of applications and ensuring thorough testing before deployment.​ The platform offers robust security features, applying out-of-the-box and custom gateway policies to protect back-end data and services. Users can manage the entire lifecycle of their APIs, including publishing, replacing, migrating, deprecating, and retiring.

    API Connect includes a customizable portal for sharing APIs with developers, complete with built-in communication tools like blogs and forums​​. The solution offers comprehensive analytics for managing service levels, setting quotas, establishing controls, and analyzing trends.

    IBM API Connect stands out as a versatile and robust API management solution. It is well-suited for organizations looking for a comprehensive tool to handle the entire lifecycle of their APIs with a focus on integration, security, and analytics.

    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.

    Sample Customers
    Heineken, Tine, Finologee, Axis Bank
    Cargill, Zillow, Ferrari, WeWork, Healthcare.gov, Yahoo! Japan, Giphy, SkyScanner
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Financial Services Firm41%
    Computer Software Company16%
    Retailer9%
    Insurance Company7%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Financial Services Firm20%
    Educational Organization17%
    Insurance Company10%
    Computer Software Company10%
    REVIEWERS
    Financial Services Firm40%
    Computer Software Company27%
    Comms Service Provider13%
    Insurance Company13%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Financial Services Firm21%
    Computer Software Company14%
    Manufacturing Company7%
    Insurance Company6%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business22%
    Midsize Enterprise11%
    Large Enterprise67%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business13%
    Midsize Enterprise24%
    Large Enterprise63%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business30%
    Large Enterprise70%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business17%
    Midsize Enterprise13%
    Large Enterprise70%
    Buyer's Guide
    IBM API Connect vs. Kong Enterprise
    March 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about IBM API Connect vs. Kong Enterprise and other solutions. Updated: March 2024.
    765,234 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    IBM API Connect is ranked 5th in API Management with 73 reviews while Kong Enterprise is ranked 6th in API Management with 16 reviews. IBM API Connect is rated 7.8, while Kong Enterprise is rated 7.8. The top reviewer of IBM API Connect writes "Good speed and performance, but it's based on a bit dated architecture". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Kong Enterprise writes "Provides role-based access control and can be easily customized with Lua script". IBM API Connect is most compared with IBM DataPower Gateway, Apigee, Microsoft Azure API Management, MuleSoft Anypoint API Manager and 3scale API Management, whereas Kong Enterprise is most compared with Microsoft Azure API Management, WSO2 API Manager, Apigee, MuleSoft Anypoint API Manager and IBM DataPower Gateway. See our IBM API Connect vs. Kong Enterprise report.

    See our list of best API Management vendors.

    We monitor all API Management reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.