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Kong Gateway Enterprise vs Microsoft Azure API Management comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 8, 2026

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
6.2
Kong Gateway Enterprise scales cost-effectively, enabling quick API delivery and efficient problem detection, with free community accessibility.
Sentiment score
5.9
Microsoft Azure API Management enhances efficiency and operations, reducing integration time by 90%, favored for usability over platforms like AWS.
If I am working in AWS and with Azure, I see that Azure is much easier and helps save time while also being able to manage and deploy the API services.
Network Security Engineer at Movate
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.9
Kong Gateway Enterprise's support is responsive and capable, with some feedback on response times and communication improvements needed.
Sentiment score
6.5
Microsoft Azure API Management support is mixed, with premium support praised and other areas needing improvement in efficiency and expertise.
The technical support from Kong Gateway Enterprise would be rated about eight, as we missed local technical support.
Enterprise Architect at El Al
Their technical team is capable and responsive.
Database Manager at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
Support responses typically arrive within one to two hours via call and email.
Technical Solution Architect at liwa
Microsoft support often takes five to six days or even up to 15 days to resolve issues.
Principal Consultant at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
6.9
Kong Gateway Enterprise offers scalable integration for diverse environments, excelling in deployments but facing some geographical licensing limitations.
Sentiment score
7.7
Microsoft Azure API Management offers seamless scalability for medium to large enterprises, though costs increase with higher usage levels.
The scalability of this solution would be rated about eight or nine.
Enterprise Architect at El Al
I've worked with multiple tools from an observability perspective, such as Dynatrace, AppDynamics, Splunk, and Elasticsearch, and I find KQL and APIM amazing and filled with useful features.
Associate Consultant at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
There are no limitations to adding any number of devices.
Network Security Engineer at Movate
The ability to scale Microsoft Azure API Management is impressive.
Database Manager at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.9
Kong Gateway Enterprise is rated highly for stability, with users praising its reliable performance and improved documentation.
Sentiment score
7.9
Microsoft Azure API Management is stable and reliable, though performance may vary with hybrid versions and specific customizations.
 

Room For Improvement

Kong Gateway Enterprise needs improvements in pricing, connectivity, usability, documentation, API features, integration, and intuitive scaling options.
Microsoft Azure API Management needs improvements in security, integration, cost transparency, documentation, performance, deployment options, scalability, and analytics.
Security is a major concern, especially with new security architecture coming into place.
Business Consultant at Ernst & Young
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.
Enterprise Architect at El Al
In the future, I want to see the tool offer API integrations.
Network Security Engineer at Movate
Making sure the skill set for new entrants is developed for future use.
Database Manager at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
The pricing model needs improvement, as some enterprise features are expensive.
Pre-Sales at a consultancy with 1-10 employees
 

Setup Cost

Kong Gateway Enterprise pricing is competitive, with varying costs, and a cost-benefit analysis is recommended for specific needs.
Enterprise users find Azure API Management cost-effective and flexible, despite premium tier expense and licensing complexity challenges.
The cost is higher than that of other platforms, even if used on a consumption or need basis.
Principal Consultant at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Some of the enterprise features are quite expensive.
Pre-Sales at a consultancy with 1-10 employees
I rate the solution's pricing between three and four, as it could be more competitive.
Social media strategist at Creative Skills
 

Valuable Features

Kong Gateway Enterprise offers scalability, security, seamless Kubernetes integration, and customization, enhancing API management with a user-friendly dashboard.
Microsoft Azure API Management provides seamless integration, strong security, and user-friendly tools for effective API management and monitoring.
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.
Enterprise Architect at El Al
Price is not a concern for us, but based on our experience working with financial institutions, maintainability and security are the primary concerns and areas they focus on.
Business Consultant at Ernst & Young
As retailers with integration to our channel partners, we haven't experienced any security issues with Microsoft Azure API Management since it isn't exposed to external parties.
Technical Solution Architect at liwa
The security features are highly satisfactory, with various options providing flexibility to implement security measures based on specific compliance requirements.
Database Manager at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
Microsoft Azure API Management covers all the security guidelines, security standards, compliance, which includes data security at rest and in transit, making it good from a security perspective.
Principal Consultant at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

Categories and Ranking

Kong Gateway Enterprise
Ranking in API Management
13th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
26
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Microsoft Azure API Management
Ranking in API Management
1st
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
83
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2026, in the API Management category, the mindshare of Kong Gateway Enterprise is 3.6%, down from 7.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Azure API Management is 11.1%, down from 16.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
API Management Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Microsoft Azure API Management11.1%
Kong Gateway Enterprise3.6%
Other85.3%
API Management
 

Featured Reviews

KS
Business Consultant at Ernst & Young
Modernization projects have progressed well but documentation and security guidance still need work
Bringing in additional features to Kong Gateway Enterprise would not necessarily help it. Improving the existing features, increasing security, and adding robustness would be more beneficial. The focus should be on stabilizing the product, improving it, and increasing the documentation. Kong should focus on how the product can be self-onboarded or self-implemented, as this would ease and help customers significantly. The necessary deployment of Kong Gateway Enterprise, API management, and guidance on how customers can use it or improve that area would be helpful. Security is a major concern, especially with new security architecture coming into place. These are the areas that should be prioritized. Beyond these areas, I do not see anything lacking. Kong Gateway Enterprise is quite comprehensive.
AD
Technical Solution Architect at liwa
Has supported smooth channel partner integration and data analysis for several years
We use the existing services hosted in Microsoft Azure API Management without making any changes. For transformation capabilities, we utilize ADF, Data Factory instead of Microsoft Azure API Management. Regarding security features in Microsoft Azure API Management, we utilize token bearer authentication. As retailers with integration to our channel partners, we haven't experienced any security issues with Microsoft Azure API Management since it isn't exposed to external parties. We use a basic Azure function hosted in Microsoft Azure API Management rather than the integrated developer portal. Tracking analytics and performance analytics in Microsoft Azure API Management is straightforward. We use basic features for performance analytics and log analytics due to additional subscription charges. We enabled log analytics for Microsoft Azure API Management in the past month to investigate issues such as unreachable endpoints or request timeouts.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
17%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
6%
Insurance Company
6%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Outsourcing Company
8%
Computer Software Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business8
Large Enterprise20
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business23
Midsize Enterprise11
Large Enterprise54
 

Questions from the Community

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 ...
What needs improvement with Kong Enterprise?
Bringing in additional features to Kong Gateway Enterprise would not necessarily help it. Improving the existing features, increasing security, and adding robustness would be more beneficial. The f...
What is your primary use case for Kong Enterprise?
Our primary use cases for Kong Gateway Enterprise are modernizations, migrations, and digitalizations of financial institutions. These are the primary areas we are looking for.
How does Apigee differ from Azure API Management?
Apigee offers both cloud-based and on-prem options while Microsoft Azure API Management currently only offers a cloud-based solution. Both solutions are easy to use. Apigee allows for the ability...
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 ...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Azure API Management?
The pricing is medium, which I find to be reasonable for the value we receive.
 

Also Known As

No data available
Azure API Management, MS Azure API Management
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Cargill, Zillow, Ferrari, WeWork, Healthcare.gov, Yahoo! Japan, Giphy, SkyScanner
adnymics GmbH, LG CNS, Centrebet, netfabb GmbH, MedPlast, Accelera Solutions, Sochi Organizing Committee, realzeit GmbH, Opensistemas
Find out what your peers are saying about Kong Gateway Enterprise vs. Microsoft Azure API Management and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.
913,806 professionals have used our research since 2012.