API gateway comparison
Kong vs. Ambassador
Are you finding it challenging to choose a vendor for your API gateway, and are you struggling to make a decision? Our team of experts has conducted a comprehensive analysis and we are here to assist you in finding the best API gateway that suits your needs.
Comparison
Kong
Ambassador
API7 Enterprise
Architecture
NGINX/OpenResty (Lua) + PostgreSQL
Kubernetes-native API gateway built on Envoy Proxy
NGINX/OpenResty (Lua) + etcd
Vendor Lock-in
The open-source project is under the control of Kong Inc. and the license can be changed
Backed by the open-source community and managed by Datawire
Based on Apache APISIX, which is fully open source and licensed under the Apache 2.0 License
Developer Portal
Kong Dev Portal
API7 Portal provides robust management and monitoring tools and powerful monetization strategies
Performance & Scalability
Reliable performance, scalable with horizontal scaling
Optimized for Kubernetes, efficient due to Envoy xDS protocol
High performance (benchmarked higher than Kong/Envoy in some tests), leverages etcd for dynamic configuration
Dashboard
Requires database and Kong Konnect for enterprise features
Provides a Kubernetes-native UI (Edge Policy Console) for API/config management but with limited visualization
User-friendly dashboard, easy setup, and fully extensible
Real-Time Metrics
Yes (Enterprise)
Limited (relies on Prometheus/Grafana)
Yes (built-in real-time metrics with Apache APISIX)
Programmatic Enterprise-Grade RBAC
Role-based access with custom permissions (Enterprise)
Integrates with Kubernetes RBAC (native) but limited to K8s roles
Supports built-in RBAC, IAM, and role mapping for fine-grained permission management
Auditing & Reporting
Yes, but requires external tools for deeper audit logging
Limited native auditing, relies on K8s audit logs + Envoy access logs
Supports audit logging, and detailed permission control over resources like APIs, Routes, and Plugins
Full Lifecycle API Management
Strong enterprise security, and service mesh integration, but requires Kong Konnect for full lifecycle management
Limited API design and mocking, no built-in deprecation tools
Strong full API lifecycle management with built-in API monetization and fine-grained traffic control
CI/CD Integrations
Kong supports CI/CD through Kong Konnect and plugins that facilitate integration with CI/CD tools
Strong (built for GitOps with CRDs + ArgoCD/Flux integration), native canary/blue-green deployments via Envoy
Dynamic traffic splitting with plugins, integrates with popular DevOps tools and supports customizable workflows
Plugins/Extensibility
Offers 100+ plugins but limits most to the enterprise version
Envoy filters, limited plugins
100+ open-source plugins, and enterprise-grade plugins, including ai-proxy, traffic-label, soap, etc.
Pricing Model
Subscription-based (Enterprise), tiered pricing for features/support. About 5350 USD for 5 million API requests and 50 services
Usage-based pricing for Edge Stack, free open-source tier (Emissary)
Custom pricing, often competitive for high-scale deployments, CPU core-based. Only 1260 USD for 5 million API requests, 3 clusters and 50 services, lower than a quarter of Kong
Ready to get started?
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