Best API Gateways in 2026
AWS bills per million requests. Kong bills a control plane. The open-source ones bill the box you run them on.
AWS API Gateway HTTP APIs are about $1 per million requests (AWS's 432 million example is $418.80). REST is $3.50 per million on the first 333 million, plus data transfer. Kong Konnect Plus starts at $25 a month for a serverless control plane, or $200 hybrid. Kong Gateway and Apache APISIX are free to self-host. Tyk has an open-source gateway; the cloud is a separate bill.
Key facts5 tools compared: AWS API Gateway, Kong Konnect, Kong Gateway (open source), Apache APISIX, Tyk
- 5 tools compared: AWS API Gateway, Kong Konnect, Kong Gateway (open source), Apache APISIX, Tyk
- Kong Konnect (best for: Teams that want Kong's plugin model with a hosted control plane): From $25/month (Plus serverless control plane); open-source gateway is free, Enterprise is quote-only
- Kong Gateway (open source) (best for: Teams that will run the proxy themselves and keep config in Git): Free (Apache license); you pay for the machines and any Konnect or Enterprise add-on
- Apache APISIX (best for: Teams that want a fast, etcd-backed gateway without paying Kong prices): Free (Apache License 2.0); API7 Cloud is $250 per gateway group/month plus $2 per million calls
API gateways all terminate HTTP and apply auth, rate limits and routing. They do not sell the same unit. AWS meters requests. Kong Konnect meters a control plane, then requests after a million. Self-hosted Kong and APISIX meter nothing but CPU. A comparison that lines up $1, $25 and $0 as if they were the same SKU is how a team picks the wrong bill.
The useful question is who runs the data plane, because that is what you are paying for when the traffic is real.
Top Picks
Based on features, real-world fit, and value for money.
The metered gateway: about $1 per million on HTTP, $3.50 on REST, plus transfer.
From about $1 per million requests (HTTP APIs); free tier of 1 million REST and 1 million HTTP requests/mo for 12 months
APIs that already live on AWS and want a managed endpoint without running a proxy
Kong with a bill: $25 for serverless control, $200 for hybrid, requests after the first million.
From $25/month (Plus serverless control plane); open-source gateway is free, Enterprise is quote-only
Teams that want Kong's plugin model with a hosted control plane
Free (Apache license); you pay for the machines and any Konnect or Enterprise add-on
Teams that will run the proxy themselves and keep config in Git
| Tool | Pricing | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| AWS API Gateway | From about $1 per million requests (HTTP APIs); free tier of 1 million REST and 1 million HTTP requests/mo for 12 months | APIs that already live on AWS and want a managed endpoint without running a proxy |
| Kong Konnect | From $25/month (Plus serverless control plane); open-source gateway is free, Enterprise is quote-only | Teams that want Kong's plugin model with a hosted control plane |
| Kong Gateway (open source) | Free (Apache license); you pay for the machines and any Konnect or Enterprise add-on | Teams that will run the proxy themselves and keep config in Git |
| Apache APISIX | Free (Apache License 2.0); API7 Cloud is $250 per gateway group/month plus $2 per million calls | Teams that want a fast, etcd-backed gateway without paying Kong prices |
| Tyk | Free to self-host; Tyk Cloud and licensed enterprise are custom quotes | Teams that like Tyk's middleware model and will either self-host the open-source gateway or pay for Cloud |
Pricing read from each vendor's own pricing page, checked Sep 2026. 3 of 5 publish prices for some plans and quote the rest.
AWS API Gateway
The metered gateway: about $1 per million on HTTP, $3.50 on REST, plus transfer.
- Pricing
- From about $1 per million requests (HTTP APIs); free tier of 1 million REST and 1 million HTTP requests/mo for 12 months
Best for: APIs that already live on AWS and want a managed endpoint without running a proxy
Pros
- Published request math, including a worked monthly example
- No proxy fleet to patch
- Free tier is enough to learn the product before traffic is real
Cons
- REST is more than 3x HTTP on the first tier, so the API type you pick is the price
- Data transfer is a second meter people forget
Kong Konnect
Kong with a bill: $25 for serverless control, $200 for hybrid, requests after the first million.
- Pricing
- From $25/month (Plus serverless control plane); open-source gateway is free, Enterprise is quote-only
Best for: Teams that want Kong's plugin model with a hosted control plane
Pros
- Same plugin model as OSS Kong, so you are not rewriting config to go hosted
- Plus publishes control-plane and overage numbers, which most API management suites do not
- Hybrid lets you keep the data plane on your nodes
Cons
- The $25 plan and the $200 plan are different products. Do not budget the cheap one for hybrid
- Request overage at $200 per million can beat AWS HTTP on a busy public API
Kong Gateway (open source)
The free Kong data plane. No request meter, and you are the operator.
- Pricing
- Free (Apache license); you pay for the machines and any Konnect or Enterprise add-on
Best for: Teams that will run the proxy themselves and keep config in Git
Pros
- No per-million fee
- Huge plugin list and a lot of existing examples
- Declarative config fits CI
Cons
- You patch, scale and observe it
- Admin GUI and some enterprise plugins are not in OSS
Apache APISIX
The other serious open-source gateway. Free until you pay for API7's hosted control plane.
- Pricing
- Free (Apache License 2.0); API7 Cloud is $250 per gateway group/month plus $2 per million calls
Best for: Teams that want a fast, etcd-backed gateway without paying Kong prices
Pros
- Genuinely free, with a plugin model that covers auth and limits
- etcd config suits Kubernetes shops
- No vendor request meter on the Apache build
Cons
- You operate etcd and the data plane
- Commercial features live in API7, a separate product billed per gateway group and per call
Tyk
Open-source gateway plus a cloud. Confirm the cloud price; the gateway itself is free to run.
- Pricing
- Free to self-host; Tyk Cloud and licensed enterprise are custom quotes
Best for: Teams that like Tyk's middleware model and will either self-host the open-source gateway or pay for Cloud
Pros
- Open-source gateway you can run without a license key
- Analytics and a dashboard exist in the commercial line if you want them
- Go codebase is easy to read if you will patch it
Cons
- Cloud pricing did not get a locked public number in this pass
- OSS versus Cloud feature split is easy to miss in a demo
What it is
An API gateway sits in front of services and handles TLS, auth, routing, rate limits and sometimes transformation. The category split is simple. Cloud-native gateways are a managed endpoint you point DNS at. Self-hosted gateways are a process you run next to the services. Most vendors now sell both: an OSS binary, and a control plane that bills monthly.
Why it matters
The hidden meter is not features. It is requests versus control plane. A quiet internal API on AWS still pays per million. A noisy public API on self-hosted Kong pays for the instance. Konnect Plus includes 1 million requests, then $200 per extra million on some SKUs. Those units do not convert cleanly, which is why a "cheapest gateway" table is usually wrong.
Key features to look for
Pricing
AWS API Gateway and Kong Konnect Plus publish prices. API7 Cloud publishes $250 per gateway group a month plus $2 per million calls. Kong Enterprise, API7 Enterprise, Tyk Cloud and Tyk licensed enterprise are quote-only. Kong Gateway, Apache APISIX and Tyk Gateway are free to self-host, so the bill is the machines and the people who run them.
The cheapest published paid entry is AWS HTTP APIs at about $1 per million requests, with a free tier of 1 million REST and 1 million HTTP requests a month for 12 months. Kong Konnect Plus starts at $25 a month for a serverless control plane, or $200 a month for hybrid.
Costs jump on REST at $3.50 per million for the first 333 million plus $0.09/GB in US East, on a dedicated cloud gateway at $500 a month plus $0.15/GB, and on Plus overage at $200 per additional million after 1 million included requests (checked 26 August 2026).
| Plan | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| AWS API Gateway HTTP APIs | About $1 per million requests | Per million HTTP API requests |
| AWS API Gateway HTTP example | $418.80 for 432 million requests | AWS monthly example for HTTP APIs |
| AWS API Gateway REST APIs | $3.50 per million (first 333 million) | First 333 million, then volume tiers |
| AWS API Gateway data transfer | $0.09/GB in US East | Data transfer in US East on top of requests |
| AWS API Gateway free tier | Free for 12 months | 1 million REST and 1 million HTTP requests a month |
| Kong Konnect Plus Serverless | $25/month | Plus serverless control plane |
| Kong Konnect Plus Hybrid | $200/month | Plus hybrid control plane |
| Kong Konnect Dedicated Cloud Gateway | $500/month plus $0.15/GB | Dedicated Cloud Gateway plus data transfer |
| Kong Konnect Plus overage | $200 per additional million | 1 million requests included, then overage on Plus |
| Kong Konnect Enterprise | Custom quote | Enterprise features are sales-quoted |
| Kong Gateway (open source) | Free | Apache-licensed; pay for machines and Konnect or Enterprise |
| Apache APISIX | Free | Apache License 2.0; you operate the gateway |
| API7 Cloud | $250/gateway group/month + $2 per million calls | Hosted APISIX control plane, plus $10 per service; 99.95% SLA |
| API7 Enterprise | Custom quote | Separate commercial product; confirm the price with API7 |
| Tyk Gateway | Free | Open-source gateway you run yourself |
| Tyk Cloud | Custom quote | Confirm current Cloud dollars on tyk.io/pricing |
| Tyk licensed enterprise | Custom quote | Licensed enterprise is a commercial product |
The bottom line
Use AWS API Gateway HTTP APIs when the services are already on AWS and you want a published per-million price. Use Kong Konnect when you want Kong plugins and a hosted control plane, and budget hybrid or dedicated if that is what the demo used. Run Kong Gateway or Apache APISIX yourself when you will staff the proxy. Treat Tyk Cloud as a separate quote from the free Tyk gateway.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free API gateway?
How much does AWS API Gateway cost?
How much does Kong Konnect cost?
API gateway versus API security tool?
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