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HAProxy alternatives: 4 apps ranked by verified data

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

Top picks

  • Envoy logo

    Best overall

    Envoy

    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 HAProxy: text-file configuration only, no built-in GUI, and doesn't serve static files like a web server. We ranked 4 alternatives by how directly each one replaces HAProxy, then by reviews, real visits and how recently each app's facts were checked against its own website. Envoy currently ranks first.

Quick comparison

#AppPricingVerified priceOpen sourcePlatformsVerified factsScore
1Envoy logoEnvoyOpen source—YesLinux, macOS, Self-hosted4 of 468.8
2Squid logoSquidOpen source—YesLinux, Windows, Self-hosted4 of 461.8
3lighttpd logolighttpdOpen source—NoLinux, Self-hosted5 of 559.4
4Kong logoKongOpen sourceFrom $25/month plus usage (Konnect Plus)YesWeb, Linux, Self-hosted4 of 454.4
  1. Envoy logo

    1. EnvoyTop pick

    Best for: Platform teams building service meshes or API gateways on Kubernetes

    Open sourceSelf-hostableLinux, macOS, Self-hosted

    68.8

    score / 100

    Why switch from HAProxy

    Modern proxy with dynamic xDS configuration and gRPC support, the usual pick for service meshes.

    Pros

    • Reconfigurable at runtime through xDS APIs
    • First-class HTTP/2, HTTP/3 and gRPC support
    • Rich metrics and tracing out of the box

    Cons

    • 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
    Visit Envoy 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 Envoy a good HAProxy alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    License
    Apache-2.0
    Checked Nov 5, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Governance
    CNCF graduated project
    Checked Nov 8, 2026envoyproxy.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Origin
    Built at Lyft
    Checked Nov 8, 2026envoyproxy.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Protocols
    HTTP/2, HTTP/3, gRPC
    Checked Nov 8, 2026envoyproxy.io(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 HAProxy

    Long-standing caching proxy that can act as a reverse proxy and accelerator for web traffic.

    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 HAProxy 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. lighttpd logo

    3. lighttpd

    Best for: Admins who want a small, efficient web server for embedded devices, low-memory machines or simple sites.

    Open sourceLinux, Self-hosted

    59.4

    score / 100

    Why switch from HAProxy

    Lightweight web server with proxy modules if you also need to serve static files.

    Pros

    • Low memory and CPU use, good for small and embedded hardware
    • FastCGI support for PHP and other app runtimes
    • Still actively maintained with regular security releases
    • Permissive BSD license

    Cons

    • Smaller community and fewer tutorials than nginx or Apache
    • No automatic HTTPS certificate management like Caddy
    • Not aimed at Windows servers
    Visit lighttpd Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.369
    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 lighttpd a good HAProxy alternative?

    Verified facts

    5 of 5 verified
    License
    BSD-3-Clause
    Checked Nov 1, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Open source
    Yes, revised BSD license
    Checked Nov 8, 2026lighttpd.net(opens source in a new tab)
    Resource use
    Lower than other popular web servers
    Checked Nov 8, 2026lighttpd.net(opens source in a new tab)
    FastCGI
    Yes
    Checked Nov 8, 2026lighttpd.net(opens source in a new tab)
    Reverse proxy
    Yes, mod_proxy
    Checked Nov 8, 2026redmine.lighttpd.net(opens source in a new tab)
  4. Kong logo

    4. 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 HAProxy

    API gateway with plugins for auth and rate limiting when you need more than plain load balancing.

    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 HAProxy 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)

The best HAProxy alternative for…

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

Envoy logo

Best HAProxy alternative for most people

Envoy

Modern proxy with dynamic xDS configuration and gRPC support, the usual pick for service meshes.

Squid logo

Best HAProxy alternative for a free option

Squid

Long-standing caching proxy that can act as a reverse proxy and accelerator for web traffic.

Kong logo

Best HAProxy alternative for open source

Kong

API gateway with plugins for auth and rate limiting when you need more than plain load balancing.

Envoy logo

Best HAProxy alternative for self-hosting

Envoy

Modern proxy with dynamic xDS configuration and gRPC support, the usual pick for service meshes.

Envoy logo

Best HAProxy alternative for Mac

Envoy

Modern proxy with dynamic xDS configuration and gRPC support, the usual pick for service meshes.

Squid logo

Best HAProxy alternative for Windows

Squid

Long-standing caching proxy that can act as a reverse proxy and accelerator for web traffic.

lighttpd logo

Best HAProxy alternative for Linux

lighttpd

Lightweight web server with proxy modules if you also need to serve static files.

Kong logo

Best HAProxy alternative for working in the browser

Kong

API gateway with plugins for auth and rate limiting when you need more than plain load balancing.

HAProxy alternatives: common questions

What is the best alternative to HAProxy?

Envoy ranks first right now. Modern proxy with dynamic xDS configuration and gRPC support, the usual pick for service meshes. Squid and lighttpd follow it in our ranking.

HAProxy vs Envoy: what's the difference?

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

Is HAProxy free?

HAProxy is free and open source. Price: Free. Checked on HAProxy's own site, November 2026.

Is there a free alternative to HAProxy?

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

Is there an open-source alternative to HAProxy?

Yes: Envoy, Squid and Kong. Envoy, Squid and Kong can also be self-hosted.

Which HAProxy alternatives work on Linux?

Envoy, Squid, lighttpd and Kong run on Linux.

Why do people switch from HAProxy?

The complaints we hear most: text-file configuration only, no built-in GUI; doesn't serve static files like a web server; commercial support and management tools cost extra.

How is this list ranked?

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