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API Gateway Comparison
Gatefull vs Kong Gateway
Gatefull vs Kong – Simpler API Gateway Without the Complexity
Overview
Kong is a powerful open-source API gateway built on NGINX. While feature-rich, it requires significant infrastructure expertise to deploy and manage. Gatefull offers a fully managed alternative with transparent pricing and zero ops overhead.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Gatefull | Kong Gateway |
|---|---|---|
| Setup Time | 10 minutes | Hours to days |
| Pricing Model | Transparent from $19/mo | Free (OSS) / Enterprise quote |
| Starting Price | $19/month | Free (limited) / ~$15k+/yr enterprise |
| Self-Hosted Option | ||
| Managed Cloud | ||
| OAuth 2.0 Built-in | Plugin required | |
| Rate Limiting | ||
| Multi-Tenancy | Enterprise only | |
| Audit Logging | Enterprise only | |
| Admin Dashboard | Enterprise only | |
| API Catalog Management | ||
| No Monthly Request Limits | ||
| Consumer Management | ||
| Open Source |
Kong Gateway Strengths
- Large open-source community and plugin ecosystem
- Highly customizable with Lua plugins
- Battle-tested at scale
Kong Gateway Weaknesses
- Complex self-hosted setup requiring database and orchestration
- Enterprise features locked behind expensive license
- Steep learning curve for configuration
- Plugin compatibility issues across versions
Gatefull Advantages
- Ready in 10 minutes vs hours of infrastructure setup
- Transparent flat pricing – no per-request charges or enterprise sales calls
- Built-in multi-tenancy, OAuth 2.0, and rate limiting out of the box
- No infrastructure to manage – fully managed cloud service
- Intuitive dashboard vs YAML-heavy configuration
Switch from Kong Gateway to Gatefull
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