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Envoy alternatives: 5 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Nov 8, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rankAll web servers

Top picks

  • Ha

    Best overall

    HAProxy

    Open source

  • Squid logo

    Best free option

    Squid

    Open source

  • Kong logo

    Best open source

    Kong

    Starting price: From $25/month plus usage (Konnect Plus)

Common reasons people leave Envoy: verbose configuration that's hard to write by hand, and usually needs a control plane to manage at scale. We ranked 5 alternatives by how directly each one replaces Envoy, then by reviews, real visits and how recently each app's facts were checked against its own website. HAProxy currently ranks first.

Quick comparison

#AppPricingVerified priceOpen sourcePlatformsVerified factsScore
1HaHAProxyOpen source—YesLinux, Self-hosted4 of 468.8
2Squid logoSquidOpen source—YesLinux, Windows, Self-hosted4 of 461.8
3Kong logoKongOpen sourceFrom $25/month plus usage (Konnect Plus)YesWeb, Linux, Self-hosted4 of 454.4
4Linkerd logoLinkerdOpen source—YesSelf-hosted5 of 551.2
5Tyk logoTykOpen source—YesWeb, Linux, Self-hosted4 of 450.0
  1. Ha

    1. HAProxyTop pick

    Best for: Ops teams that need a fast, proven load balancer in front of web apps, APIs or databases

    Open sourceSelf-hostableLinux, Self-hosted

    68.8

    score / 100

    Why switch from Envoy

    Simpler, very fast load balancer with a single config file, easier to run without a control plane.

    Pros

    • Very fast and stable under heavy traffic
    • LTS branches maintained for five years
    • Handles both TCP and HTTP, including HTTP/3
    • Packaged by most Linux distributions

    Cons

    • Text-file configuration only, no built-in GUI
    • Doesn't serve static files like a web server
    • Commercial support and management tools cost extra
    Visit HAProxy Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.3100
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is HAProxy a good Envoy alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    Price
    Free
    Checked Nov 8, 2026haproxy.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Protocols
    TCP and HTTP
    Checked Nov 8, 2026haproxy.org(opens source in a new tab)
    LTS support
    5 years per even branch
    Checked Nov 8, 2026haproxy.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Latest LTS
    3.4 (June 2026)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026haproxy.org(opens source in a new tab)
  2. Squid logo

    2. Squid

    Best for: Network admins who need a caching forward proxy with fine-grained access control and logging

    Open sourceSelf-hostableLinux, Windows, Self-hosted

    61.8

    score / 100

    Why switch from Envoy

    Mature caching proxy for teams that mainly need caching and access control rather than a service mesh.

    Pros

    • Very flexible access control, authentication and logging
    • Works as both a forward proxy and a reverse-proxy accelerator
    • Free software with decades of production use

    Cons

    • Configuration syntax is dense and hard to learn
    • HTTP/1.1 support is described as not quite complete by the project
    • Small volunteer team, so releases and docs can lag
    Visit Squid Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.377
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Squid a good Envoy alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    License
    GPL-2.0
    Checked Oct 30, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Platforms
    Most OSes, including Windows
    Checked Nov 8, 2026squid-cache.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Origin
    Harvest Cache Daemon, early 1990s
    Checked Nov 8, 2026squid-cache.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Reverse proxy
    Yes, as an accelerator
    Checked Nov 8, 2026squid-cache.org(opens source in a new tab)
  3. Kong logo

    3. Kong

    Best for: Platform teams wanting a battle-tested open-source gateway with an optional managed control plane

    Open sourceSelf-hostableWeb, Linux, Self-hosted

    54.4

    score / 100

    Why switch from Envoy

    Packaged API gateway with a plugin ecosystem and admin API, so less low-level proxy configuration.

    Pros

    • Open-source core under Apache 2.0
    • Large plugin library for auth, rate limiting and observability
    • Self-hosted, hybrid or fully managed deployment

    Cons

    • Many advanced plugins and the portal need a paid licence
    • Konnect usage pricing has many moving parts
    • More to operate than a single-binary gateway like KrakenD
    Visit Kong Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.352
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Kong a good Envoy alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    License
    Apache-2.0
    Checked Nov 1, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Free trial
    30 days (Konnect)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026konghq.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Starting price
    From $25/month plus usage (Konnect Plus)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026konghq.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Extensibility
    Modules and plugins
    Checked Nov 8, 2026developer.konghq.com(opens source in a new tab)
  4. Linkerd logo

    4. Linkerd

    Best for: Kubernetes teams that want mTLS and service metrics with minimal setup and overhead

    Open sourceSelf-hostableSelf-hosted

    51.2

    score / 100

    Why switch from Envoy

    Service mesh with its own small Rust proxy instead of Envoy sidecars, aimed at simpler setup and lower resource use.

    Pros

    • Mutual TLS between pods with zero configuration
    • Small Rust proxy with low resource use
    • Few custom resources and a gentle getting-started path
    • Per-workload golden metrics out of the box

    Cons

    • Focused on Kubernetes; not a fit for VM-heavy estates
    • Fewer advanced traffic features than Istio
    • Stable release builds come through Buoyant's commercial distribution
    Visit Linkerd Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.341
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Linkerd a good Envoy alternative?

    Verified facts

    5 of 5 verified
    License
    Apache-2.0
    Checked Nov 1, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Proxy language
    Rust
    Checked Nov 8, 2026linkerd.io(opens source in a new tab)
    CNCF status
    Graduated
    Checked Nov 8, 2026linkerd.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Mutual TLS
    Automatic, no configuration
    Checked Nov 8, 2026linkerd.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Platform
    Kubernetes
    Checked Nov 1, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
  5. Tyk logo

    5. Tyk

    Best for: Teams in regulated industries wanting an open-source gateway they can fully self-manage

    Open sourceSelf-hostableWeb, Linux, Self-hosted

    50.0

    score / 100

    Why switch from Envoy

    Open-source API gateway with key management, rate limits and a developer portal built in, for edge use where Envoy needs extra pieces.

    Pros

    • Gateway is open source under MPL 2.0
    • Paid plans don't charge per API call
    • Cloud, hybrid or fully on-premises deployment

    Cons

    • Dashboard and developer portal require a paid licence
    • Cloud trial is only 48 hours
    • Smaller plugin ecosystem than Kong
    Visit Tyk Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.338
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Tyk a good Envoy alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    License
    MPL 2.0 (Gateway and Pump)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026tyk.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Free trial
    48 hours (Tyk Cloud)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026tyk.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Pricing basis
    Per API managed, unlimited calls
    Checked Nov 8, 2026tyk.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Protocols
    REST, GraphQL, TCP, gRPC, MCP
    Checked Nov 1, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)

The best Envoy alternative for…

The highest-ranked app in this list for each need.

Ha

Best Envoy alternative for most people

HAProxy

Simpler, very fast load balancer with a single config file, easier to run without a control plane.

Squid logo

Best Envoy alternative for a free option

Squid

Mature caching proxy for teams that mainly need caching and access control rather than a service mesh.

Kong logo

Best Envoy alternative for open source

Kong

Packaged API gateway with a plugin ecosystem and admin API, so less low-level proxy configuration.

Linkerd logo

Best Envoy alternative for self-hosting

Linkerd

Service mesh with its own small Rust proxy instead of Envoy sidecars, aimed at simpler setup and lower resource use.

Squid logo

Best Envoy alternative for Windows

Squid

Mature caching proxy for teams that mainly need caching and access control rather than a service mesh.

Tyk logo

Best Envoy alternative for Linux

Tyk

Open-source API gateway with key management, rate limits and a developer portal built in, for edge use where Envoy needs extra pieces.

Kong logo

Best Envoy alternative for working in the browser

Kong

Packaged API gateway with a plugin ecosystem and admin API, so less low-level proxy configuration.

Envoy alternatives: common questions

What is the best alternative to Envoy?

HAProxy ranks first right now. Simpler, very fast load balancer with a single config file, easier to run without a control plane. Squid and Kong follow it in our ranking.

Envoy vs HAProxy: what's the difference?

Both Envoy and HAProxy are free and open source. Only Envoy runs on macOS.

Is Envoy free?

Envoy is free and open source.

Is there a free alternative to Envoy?

Yes. HAProxy (open source), Squid (open source), Kong (open source) and Linkerd (open source) have a free option. Check each app's verified facts for current plan limits.

Is there an open-source alternative to Envoy?

Yes: HAProxy, Squid, Kong and Linkerd, plus 1 more in the list above. HAProxy, Squid and Kong can also be self-hosted.

Which Envoy alternatives work on Linux?

HAProxy, Squid, Kong and Tyk run on Linux.

Why do people switch from Envoy?

The complaints we hear most: verbose configuration that's hard to write by hand; usually needs a control plane to manage at scale; overkill for a single website or small app.

How is this list ranked?

Every app is scored with the same published formula: how directly it replaces Envoy, reviews (weighted by verification), visits from AppBreakup, how recently its facts were checked against its own website, and reader votes.