A Modern Alternative to Kong
Comparing Kong open source with Kong Enterprise or Kong Konnect? Kgateway gives you an open source core, transparent enterprise pricing, and built-in AI Gateway support, all on Envoy and the Kubernetes Gateway API.
Capability comparison
Kgateway leads in 7 of 7 categories
Why Teams Choose Us
“We started on Kong’s open source gateway, but the moment we needed enterprise features, we hit a wall of add-ons and separate control planes.”
Kgateway is open source at its core and CNCF-hosted, with enterprise support and advanced policy on top, one gateway, one upgrade path, no bolt-on control plane required.
“Kong Enterprise and Konnect pricing gets harder to predict as our traffic and team grow.”
Get transparent enterprise pricing and a support model built for platform teams, so scaling your gateway doesn’t mean re-negotiating your budget every time traffic grows.
“We need to govern AI traffic too, not just REST APIs, and that means yet another add-on for our current gateway.”
Kgateway’s AI Gateway runs on the same Envoy-based control plane as your API gateway, so you can secure, connect, and observe AI and API traffic from one place instead of stitching together separate tools.
Customer proof
"Solo.io helps Grainger keep the world working by powering innovation at scale."
4,000+ releases/year
Trust & compliance
SOC 2
Certification supports security and procurement review for regulated Kubernetes environments
OSS roots
Build on Envoy, Istio, Cilium, and Gateway API foundations for open source service mesh adoption.
CNCF maintainer status
keeps Solo.io engineers close to the projects shaping cloud native mesh standards.
FIPS builds
provide FIPS 140-2 validated options for service mesh security requirements.
Published SLAs
Define support expectations for enterprise service mesh operations.
Customer references
include production outcomes from teams running large-scale Kubernetes networking.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does kgateway compare to Kong Gateway?
How does kgateway compare to Kong Gateway?
Both are Envoy-adjacent API gateways, but kgateway is built directly on Envoy and the Kubernetes Gateway API rather than Kong’s own plugin architecture. That means native Kubernetes integration and standards-based configuration instead of vendor-specific extensions.
Is there an open source option, like Kong’s open source gateway?
Is there an open source option, like Kong’s open source gateway?
Yes. Kgateway is open source and CNCF-hosted, free to run on your own, with enterprise support, advanced policy, and enterprise features on top when you need them, without requiring a separate product.
How does pricing compare to Kong Enterprise or Kong Konnect?
How does pricing compare to Kong Enterprise or Kong Konnect?
Pricing details are scoped to your environment during a demo or evaluation call, so you get numbers based on your actual traffic and team size rather than a generic tier.
Does it support AI Gateway use cases like Kong AI Gateway?
Does it support AI Gateway use cases like Kong AI Gateway?
Yes. Kgateway’s AI Gateway runs on the same control plane as your API gateway, giving you a single place to secure, route, and observe both API and AI/LLM traffic.
Can I migrate from Kong without a full rebuild?
Can I migrate from Kong without a full rebuild?
Most teams migrate incrementally, route by route, alongside their existing Kong deployment. A demo is the fastest way to map that migration path to your specific setup.
See How Kgateway Compares to Kong
Request a demo to map a Kong migration to your environment, or download the Buyer’s Guide to compare capabilities and pricing before you talk to sales.
