Apigee vs Kong
Updated November 2026 · AppBreakup editorial
Apigee
Google Cloud's API management platform for proxying, securing and analysing large API programs.
Kong
Open-source API and AI gateway with a plugin ecosystem and the Konnect cloud management platform.
The short answer
Apigee suits large enterprises on Google Cloud that want full API lifecycle management, portals, analytics and monetization from one managed product. Kong suits platform teams that want an open-source gateway they can self-host, extend with plugins and later connect to a managed control plane. The biggest difference is openness and cost of entry: Kong's core is Apache 2.0, while Apigee is a paid Google Cloud service with fixed environment fees.
Apigee or Kong: our take
Apigee and Kong both sit in front of your backend services to handle authentication, quotas or rate limits, transformations and monitoring, and both offer developer portals and analytics. They come from different starting points. Apigee is Google Cloud's managed API management platform, configured mostly through XML policies and the console. Kong began as an open-source gateway driven by a large plugin library, with Kong Inc.'s Konnect platform adding a hosted control plane, developer portal, analytics, service catalog and an AI gateway for LLM and MCP traffic.
Deployment options reflect that. Apigee runs as a managed service on Google Cloud, with a hybrid option that keeps the runtime in your own Kubernetes clusters while Google hosts the management plane. Kong can be fully self-hosted on Linux, Docker or Kubernetes, run hybrid with a Kong-hosted control plane, or run as fully managed gateways. Apigee is closely tied to Google Cloud; Kong is not tied to any one cloud.
Pricing differs sharply. Apigee offers a 60-day sandbox evaluation, then pay-as-you-go or negotiated subscriptions. Pay-as-you-go charges for environments before any traffic, from $365 per month per region for a Base environment up to $3,431 per month per region for Comprehensive, plus $20 per 1M calls (up to 50M) for standard proxy calls. Kong's open-source gateway costs nothing to run yourself, Konnect has a 30-day trial and starts from $25/month plus usage (Konnect Plus), and enterprise pricing is by quote. The caveat is that many advanced plugins and the portal need a paid licence, and Konnect's usage pricing has many moving parts.
Choose Apigee if you are a large organisation already on Google Cloud and want proxies, portals, analytics and monetization handled in one managed product. Choose Kong if you want an open-source gateway you control, need to run across clouds or on your own infrastructure, or want to start small and add managed features later.
Which should you pick?
Choose Apigee if…
- Large enterprises on Google Cloud that need full API lifecycle management, portals and analytics.
- Covers proxies, portals, analytics and monetization in one product
- Hybrid option keeps API traffic in your own clusters
Choose Kong if…
- Platform teams wanting a battle-tested open-source gateway with an optional managed control plane
- You want open-source software
- You need to host it on your own servers
- You want a free option (Apigee is paid only)
- You need Linux and Self-hosted, which Apigee doesn't list
About each app
What is Apigee?
Apigee is Google Cloud's API management product. Teams put API proxies in front of their backend services and use policies to handle authentication, quotas, transformations and caching, then publish APIs through developer portals and API products. It adds analytics, monitoring, an API hub for cataloguing APIs, and paid add-ons for advanced API security and monetization. Apigee runs as a managed service on Google Cloud, and a hybrid option lets the runtime sit in your own Kubernetes clusters while Google hosts the management plane. Pricing comes in three forms: a free 60-day evaluation, pay-as-you-go billing based on API calls, environments and proxy deployments, and subscription plans negotiated with sales. It is aimed at large enterprises running many APIs, especially ones already on Google Cloud. Policies are configured mostly through XML and the console, which feels heavier than code-first gateways but gives fine control over traffic handling.
What is Kong?
Kong Gateway is one of the most widely deployed API gateways. It runs in front of your services to route traffic and handle authentication, rate limiting, transformations, logging and monitoring, mostly through a large library of plugins that can be extended with your own code. The core gateway is open source under Apache 2.0 and can run on Linux, in Docker or on Kubernetes through its ingress controller. Kong Inc. builds commercial layers on top: Konnect, a hosted control plane with a developer portal, analytics and service catalog, plus enterprise plugins and an AI gateway for governing LLM and MCP traffic. Teams can self-host everything, run hybrid with Kong-hosted control planes, or use fully managed gateways. Konnect has a free trial and usage-based paid plans; enterprise pricing is by quote. It suits platform teams that want a proven gateway with room to grow into full API management.
Side by side
| Attribute | Apigee | Kong |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Open source |
| Open source | No | Yes |
| Self-hostable | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Web | Web, Linux, Self-hosted |
| Best for | Large enterprises on Google Cloud that need full API lifecycle management, portals and analytics. | Platform teams wanting a battle-tested open-source gateway with an optional managed control plane |
| Status | Active | Active |
Verified facts, compared
Facts both apps publish, checked on each vendor's own site.
| Fact | Apigee | Kong |
|---|---|---|
| Free trial | 60-day sandbox evaluation | 30 days (Konnect) |
| Starting price | $365 per month per region (Base environment) | From $25/month plus usage (Konnect Plus) |
Apigee vs Kong pricing
Apigee: paid
- Intermediate environment plan: $1,460 per month per region source
- Comprehensive environment plan: $3,431 per month per region source
- Free trial: 60-day sandbox evaluation source
- Starting price: $365 per month per region (Base environment) source
Kong: open source
- License: Apache-2.0 source
- Free trial: 30 days (Konnect) source
- Starting price: From $25/month plus usage (Konnect Plus) source
Platforms
| Platform | Apigee | Kong |
|---|---|---|
| Web | ||
| Linux | ||
| Self-hosted |
Apigee facts
8 of 8 verified- Standard proxy calls
- $20 per 1M calls (up to 50M)
- Checked Nov 8, 2026cloud.google.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “$20 (up to 50M API calls)”
- Base environment
- $365 per month per region
- Checked Nov 8, 2026cloud.google.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “$365 per month per region”
- Intermediate environment plan
- $1,460 per month per region
- Checked Nov 8, 2026cloud.google.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “$1,460 per month per region”
- Comprehensive environment plan
- $3,431 per month per region
- Checked Nov 8, 2026cloud.google.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “$3,431 per month per region”
- Standard API proxy calls
- $20 per 1M calls (up to 50M)
- Checked Nov 8, 2026cloud.google.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “Costs provided are per 1M API calls. $20 (up to 50M”
- Free trial
- 60-day sandbox evaluation
- Checked Nov 8, 2026cloud.google.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “at no cost for 60 days”
- Starting price
- $365 per month per region (Base environment)
- Checked Nov 8, 2026cloud.google.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “$365 per month per region”
- Pricing model
- Pay-as-you-go or subscription
- Checked Nov 8, 2026cloud.google.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “pay-as-you-go pricing”
Kong facts
4 of 4 verified- License
- Apache-2.0
- Checked Nov 1, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “License: Apache-2.0 (Apache License 2.0).”
- Free trial
- 30 days (Konnect)
- Checked Nov 8, 2026konghq.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “[ Start for Free ] ( /products/kong-konnect/register ) Start for Free 30-Day Free Trial | no credit card required”
- Starting price
- From $25/month plus usage (Konnect Plus)
- Checked Nov 8, 2026konghq.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “From $25/month plus usage, billed monthly Start governing smaller LLM, MCP, and A2A deployments.”
- Extensibility
- Modules and plugins
- Checked Nov 8, 2026developer.konghq.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “Kong Gateway runs in front of any RESTful API and can be extended through modules and plugins.”
Pros and cons of Apigee
- Covers proxies, portals, analytics and monetization in one product
- Hybrid option keeps API traffic in your own clusters
- Free 60-day evaluation sandbox
- Pay-as-you-go option for smaller starts
- Environment fees add a fixed monthly cost before any traffic
- Policy configuration in XML feels dated next to code-first gateways
- Closely tied to Google Cloud
Pros and cons of Kong
- Open-source core under Apache 2.0
- Large plugin library for auth, rate limiting and observability
- Self-hosted, hybrid or fully managed deployment
- 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
Other apps to consider
TykInstead of Apigee
Open-source gateway with a developer portal and dashboard, self-hosted or as a managed cloud.
Azure API ManagementInstead of Apigee
Microsoft's managed gateway with a built-in developer portal and a serverless tier billed per call, for teams standardised on Azure.
Amazon API GatewayInstead of Apigee
The natural pick for AWS shops, billed only per call with no environment fees.
- MuMuleSoft Anypoint Platform
Instead of Kong
For enterprises that want API management bundled with integration tooling and Flex Gateway under one Salesforce contract.
EnvoyInstead of Kong
The open-source proxy many gateways build on, configurable at runtime through xDS APIs.
TrueFoundryInstead of Kong
Purpose-built AI gateway for LLM and MCP traffic, with prompt management and a free tier for small teams.
Apigee vs Kong: common questions
Is Apigee better than Kong?
Apigee suits large enterprises on Google Cloud that want full API lifecycle management, portals, analytics and monetization from one managed product. Kong suits platform teams that want an open-source gateway they can self-host, extend with plugins and later connect to a managed control plane. The biggest difference is openness and cost of entry: Kong's core is Apache 2.0, while Apigee is a paid Google Cloud service with fixed environment fees.
Is Apigee free?
No. Apigee is paid, though it may offer a trial.
Is Kong free?
Yes. Kong is free, open-source software you can host yourself.
Is Apigee or Kong open source?
Kong is open source; Apigee is not.
Which platforms do Apigee and Kong support?
Apigee: Web. Kong: Web, Linux and Self-hosted.