Kong Konnect vs Microsoft Azure API Management comparison

Kong and Microsoft are both solutions in the API Management category. Kong is ranked #25 with an average rating of 8.5, while Microsoft is ranked #1 with an average rating of 7.9. Kong holds a 1.0% mindshare in APIM, compared to Microsoft’s 16.5% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Kong users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 91% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

Kong Konnect

Read 2 Kong Konnect reviews

550 Views
550 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Microsoft Azure API Management

Read 82 Microsoft Azure API Management reviews

16,995 Views
16,995 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

Kong Konnect

Microsoft Azure API Management

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Kong Konnect and Microsoft Azure API Management 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 Kong Konnect vs. Microsoft Azure API Management Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Kong Konnect vs. Microsoft Azure API Management

September 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

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

Categories and Ranking

Kong Konnect

Ranking in API Management

25th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Microsoft Azure API Management

Ranking in API Management

1st

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the API Management category, the mindshare of Kong Konnect is 1.0%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Azure API Management is 16.5%, down from 19.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

API Management Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Microsoft Azure API Management	16.5%
Kong Konnect	1.0%
Other	82.5%

API Management

Featured Reviews

Shahnawaz_Alam

Senior Software Engineer at Netenrich

Significant email security benefits combined with efficient spam filtering, yet cost hinders long-term use

The integration with our on-prem Exchange was very straightforward; the only thing we did was redirect all email traffic over Proofpoint, so Proofpoint did everything independently, and we were very happy. I am still receiving emails from Proofpoint's site. Not using it at the moment, but in the short term we will be tackling that portion of the product as well. We cannot provide feedback regarding Dynamics because we are not experienced enough at the moment; we have initiatives going on but did not get enough feedback from end users. Based on my overall experience with Proofpoint, considering the cost perspective, I would rate it a 7 out of 10.

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Allan Møller

Consult Manager at Conscia

Transforms internal APIs with secure, manageable cloud compatibility

Microsoft Azure API Management could be improved by enhancing the preview feature, specifically the workspaces. The feature should allow for better delegation of permissions to specific groups without affecting others. The service is extensive and expensive, and this added flexibility would make it more manageable and less prone to errors.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The documentation is excellent, and it includes a developer portal, which helps create a common distribution channel for APIs within and outside the enterprise."

"Technical support from Proofpoint was absolutely excellent."

"API Management does not take long to deploy."

"Azure APIM's best features are its straightforward access management (it's a single point of access for all monitoring and logging and for policy implementation) and its integration with the Azure Cloud infrastructure."

"Easy to integrate API management platform. It is a stable and scalable solution."

"The price is pretty reasonable for us."

"The UI management is very easy to use."

"The integration and API Connect are valuable when we need to connect with web services and REST APIs."

"The most valuable feature is the developer portal, which has source code examples in various programming languages to help developers learn the API."

"Initial setup was quite easy."

More Microsoft Azure API Management pros

Cons

"Pricing was the issue as it becomes very expensive due to the nature of local circumstances."

"Kong Konnect's RBAC needs to evolve more, as they currently offer only one or two levels of RBAC in terms of organization and teams."

"Microsoft Azure API Management is lagging behind Apigee and should also have a better CICD process."

"The initial setup of Microsoft Azure API Management is somewhat complex, but having eight years of experience, it is simple for me as we use it regularly."

"If I compare this solution to others I have used in other phases of my life, having APIM being an Azure resource, it is easy to configure and deploy. However, this conversely reduced the flexibility. The difficulty is how do we configure it in a manner that a larger enterprise would probably want it to be. This creates a bit more complexity, working around the constraints of the resource itself. If comparing it to other solutions, it is more of a legacy design with an older approach. The various level components are still around resembling an on-premise type of design similar to other solutions, such as Apigee or Mulesoft. They are still predominantly carrying some legacy design. Which might be suited for organizations where they have a more complex network layout. APIM is easy to deploy, but on the other side of that, it is constrained to how Azure has designed it to be."

"In the next release, Azure APIM should include deployment in various environments and CI/CD for deployment."

"Some of the DevOps stuff could be easier to work with. The migration paths are a little complicated, and moving code around could be more seamless. There should be less manual migration when several teams work together to publish code to the DevOps."

"Could use clearer configuration when it comes to API policies."

"There is always room for improvement. There should be more analytics abilities so you can know how much traffic there is. Log Analyzer isn't well integrated with this solution."

"The developer console for external users could be improved, especially in the testing site."

More Microsoft Azure API Management cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available

"I rate the solution's pricing between three and four, as it could be more competitive."

"Azure's pricing is very competitive compared to platforms like Apigee and MuleSoft."

"It's being paid monthly."

"It's pay as you go. The subscription packages have room for different scales. It's calculated by the number of apps or computers you use. You do not have to use the enterprise subscription. These subscriptions have different pricing, so you can find one to meet your needs for scalability."

"This is an expensive solution."

"The licensing cost for Microsoft Azure API Management is publicly available and goes from a developer edition that costs $26 to $30 per month. It may have changed, but it's in the neighborhood of $30 per month. I believe there's also the enterprise edition, which is highly capable and costs $2,500 per month."

"I would describe the tool's price as being in the mid-range category."

"Azure API Management is the most expensive solution on the market."

More Microsoft Azure API Management pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

22%

Computer Software Company

13%

Insurance Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

16%

Computer Software Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

Insurance Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	23
Midsize Enterprise	11
Large Enterprise	52

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Kong Konnect?

The pricing deserves a high rating for consideration. Cost was the reason we stopped using it. Pricing was the issue as it becomes very expensive due to the nature of local circumstances.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Kong Konnect?

Pricing might be a topic to consider regarding improvements. I may advise Proofpoint to adjust marketing solutions based on each country itself.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Kong Konnect?

The clients mainly were using Proofpoint for email security, which is the primary use case. We have used Proofpoint for email security.

See all answers

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...

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

What do you like most about Microsoft Azure API Management?

Microsoft Azure API Management is a good, comprehensive solution for enterprise implementation.

See all answers

Comparisons

Kong Gateway Enterprise vs Kong Konnect

Compared 88% of the time

Axway AMPLIFY API Management vs Kong Konnect

Compared 7% of the time

SwaggerHub vs Kong Konnect

Compared 5% of the time

More Kong Konnect Competitors

Amazon API Gateway vs Microsoft Azure API Management

Compared 52% of the time

Apigee vs Microsoft Azure API Management

Compared 14% of the time

IBM API Connect vs Microsoft Azure API Management

Compared 5% of the time

Kong Gateway Enterprise vs Microsoft Azure API Management

Compared 4% of the time

MuleSoft API Manager vs Microsoft Azure API Management

Compared 4% of the time

More Microsoft Azure API Management Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

API Management

October 2025

Download Kong Konnect product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Azure API Management

September 2025

Download Microsoft Azure API Management product report

Also Known As

No data available

Azure API Management, MS Azure API Management

Overview

Kong Konnect facilitates efficient management and integration of APIs, providing a streamlined experience for developers to manage their services with high scalability.

Kong Konnect is a comprehensive platform tailored for API development and management. It offers an intuitive interface that simplifies the process of connecting, managing, and securing APIs. Organizations benefit from its scalable architecture, ensuring it meets diverse operational demands and optimizes service delivery, supporting a robust API ecosystem that aligns with modern development practices.

What are the key features of Kong Konnect?

API Gateway: Efficiently handles routing, transformations, and more for effective API management.
Security Management: Includes authentication and traffic control to protect data.
Analytics and Monitoring: Provides insights into API usage and performance metrics.
Developer Portals: Offers customizable portals for developer engagement and onboarding.
Plugin Architecture: Extends functionality through a rich library of plugins.

What benefits or ROI should users expect?

Cost Efficiency: Reduces operational costs through streamlined API processes.
Scalability: Easily adapts to increased API traffic without performance losses.
Improved Security: Enhances data protection through advanced security features.
Enhanced Developer Productivity: Accelerates development timelines with easy-to-use tools.
Better User Engagement: Improves collaboration through robust developer support.

In tech industries, Kong Konnect is often implemented to advance cloud-native applications by enhancing API connectivity and security. Financial services utilize it to ensure compliance and secure data sharing. Telecommunications deploy it to handle high data throughput efficiently.

Kong

Microsoft Azure API Management is essential for managing APIs, facilitating integration, and ensuring secure internal and external communication.

Organizations leverage Microsoft Azure API Management for seamless integration and effective API management. It supports microservices, legacy modernization, and platform orchestration in sectors like healthcare, telecom, and finance. Features such as developer portals and centralized libraries simplify usage. While it showcases strengths in hybrid cloud support and scalability, improvements are suggested in versioning and multi-tenancy.

What key features does it offer?

Integration with Microsoft services ensures robust access control and user-friendly deployment.
Developer portal and documentation improve usability and learning.
Hybrid cloud support offers seamless on-premise connectivity.
Scalability and security features are well-regarded.
Centralized API library simplifies management.

What benefits or ROI should users consider?

Facilitates API lifecycle management enhancing user experience.
Simplifies authentication and subscription models.
Enhances data exchange and real-time monitoring.
Streamlines API mapping and orchestration across platforms.
Promotes flexibility and transparency in system integration.

Microsoft Azure API Management aids modernization across healthcare, telecom, and financial services by enabling legacy system updates and facilitating smooth platform orchestration.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

adnymics GmbH, LG CNS, Centrebet, netfabb GmbH, MedPlast, Accelera Solutions, Sochi Organizing Committee, realzeit GmbH, Opensistemas

Buyer's Guide

Kong Konnect vs. Microsoft Azure API Management

September 2025

Free Report: Kong Konnect vs. Microsoft Azure API Management

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