Apiary vs Kong Gateway Enterprise comparison

Oracle and Kong are both solutions in the API Management category. Oracle is ranked #35, while Kong is ranked #7 with an average rating of 8.0. Oracle holds a 0.8% mindshare in APIM, compared to Kong’s 4.6% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Oracle users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 92% of Kong users who would recommend it.

Apiary

Read 4 Apiary reviews

961 Views
942 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Kong Gateway Enterprise

Read 26 Kong Gateway Enterprise reviews

6,464 Views
6,464 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

Apiary

Kong Gateway Enterprise

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 17, 2024

Apiary and Kong Gateway Enterprise compete in the API management market. While Apiary is noted for its cost-effectiveness and strong support, Kong Gateway Enterprise is considered superior for its advanced features, making it a preferred option for those valuing scalability and security.

Features: Apiary provides API documentation and collaboration tools, GitHub integration for version control, and supports multiple API notations like Swagger. Kong Gateway Enterprise offers robust scalability, plugin-based network services, and seamless integration capabilities, essential for managing and securing microservices.

Room for Improvement: Apiary could benefit from enhanced scalability and more advanced security features. Adding more role-based control options and improving performance in high-demand environments would further strengthen its offering. Kong Gateway Enterprise could improve initial deployment complexity, simplify its configuration process, and offer more straightforward user interface options for less technical users.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Apiary is praised for its easy integration and responsive support, ensuring smooth deployment for users. Kong Gateway Enterprise, while challenging to deploy, compensates with extensive documentation and versatility across on-premises and cloud environments, appealing to enterprise needs. Its adaptability allows integration into diverse setups.

Pricing and ROI: Apiary's relatively low setup costs offer a quick ROI, particularly for organizations focused on improving API development processes efficiently. In contrast, Kong Gateway Enterprise requires a higher initial investment but delivers substantial long-term ROI through its comprehensive features and scalability, aligning with the needs of larger organizations seeking advanced management capabilities.

To learn more, read our detailed Apiary vs. Kong Gateway Enterprise Report (Updated: April 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Apiary vs. Kong Gateway Enterprise

April 2026

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Apiary

Ranking in API Management

35th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Kong Gateway Enterprise

Ranking in API Management

7th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the API Management category, the mindshare of Apiary is 0.8%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Kong Gateway Enterprise is 4.6%, down from 6.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

API Management Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Kong Gateway Enterprise	4.6%
Apiary	0.8%
Other	94.6%

API Management

Featured Reviews

Phil Wilkins

Enterprise Integration Architect at Capgemini

The ability to configure rules to check for consistency has helped

Apiary provides a free tier of the platform which allows a small group of developers to collaborate easily on the design of open source APIs. In addition to this, it provides mock endpoints allowing people to experiment with the API without depending or having to stand up a real backend. With our clients, using Apiary allows us to very quickly pull together an API definition (particularly when using API Blueprint). The whole API design process for the simpler use cases can be done in a relatively short workshop which makes it a lot easier to agree, publish, version-manage an API definition with suitable documentation. This can then be evolved and enhanced (particularly in the documentation aspects). With the ability to support Swagger (Open API v2 and introducing/ed support for v3) and API Blueprint makes it a very versatile tool.

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Evgeny Shkard

Enterprise Architect at El Al

Seamless integration and efficient security boost API management capabilities

More plugins for additional integrations would be helpful and openness for traditional development languages, such as .NET, because many enterprises are looking for .NET solutions or incorporating with .NET solutions. I mostly missed local resellers or partners that we could use within our enterprise, because it was difficult for some tech personnel to work with remote tech support.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The feature I find most valuable is that it offers authentication and allows us to develop communication points."

"This solution has allowed us to standardize API definitions and bring consistency into our shared components, reducing the effort and cost of using functionality across domains within the organization, with Apiary being crucial to our good API strategy."

"I find the generation of mock services very useful, especially when demonstrating for new consumers."

"Quick and easy way to share a new API design with teams."

"In two years, there was one time the service was down for an hour or so."

"Git integration"

"Quick and easy way to share a new API design with teams."

"Vey high - very easy API design with no setup effort"

More Apiary pros

"The route limiting feature is very valuable."

"There are a few features that I like about Kong when it comes to authentication and authorization. Specifically, being able to use Kong for role-based access control (RBAC), and then further being able to integrate the RBAC mechanism with our enterprise directory, was very useful."

"The most valuable feature of the solution stems from the fact that it seamlessly supports a vast number of tools."

"The most valuable features of Kong Enterprise are the out-of-the-box open source easy functionality."

"The route limiting feature is very valuable."

"Kong Enterprise has excellent plugin support."

"The tool's feature that I find most beneficial is rate limiting. In our usage, especially in the financial sector, we prioritize limiting API usage. This is crucial because we provide APIs to other companies and must ensure they adhere to their allocated usage limits. Without rate limiting, there's a risk of excessive usage, which could result in significant costs."

"The tool's scalability is good...The solution's technical support is good."

More Kong Gateway Enterprise pros

Cons

"Validation messages could be a bit clearer."

"I would like an integrated option to download a Swagger version of the definition."

"Better Swagger support."

"The Oracle release cycle is very bad because the patches only update once a year."

"I don't think this solution is very stable so we try to manage stability from our side."

"Swagger (OpenAPI Specification) and Blueprint Support"

"I would like an integrated option to download a Swagger version of the definition."

"The tool needs to improve in areas like documentation and UI."

"We are facing issues with the solution's features like reports and traffic analysis."

"The software version upgrade process should be improved."

"The ease of billing is lost when Kong is not available directly on the Azure marketplace. This is one area where they can improve."

"Kong is meant for north-south communications, so it will be interesting to see what solutions they can come up with in the realms of east-west communications, service-to-service communications, and Zero Trust architecture. I believe that if they can provide for these areas, then they will be able to solve the overall integration and security concerns for microservices architecture in general."

"We would like to see an automatic data API when we have a table in the database."

"Because it is open-source, it should be less expensive than others."

"There should be an easier way to integrate with other solutions, even though it's the same API solution layer. Comparability will be a good improvement."

More Kong Gateway Enterprise cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There is a free subscription option to start and try the service."

"It is easy to get started with personal (free) accounts, but a subscription is required for additional features."

"It's expensive in Thailand (10 million baht, in Thai currency)."

"The price is really reasonable compared to that of alternative solutions."

"The product is reasonably priced because it goes by the SaaS model."

"The licensing is expensive."

"The licensing fees are paid yearly."

"Kong Enterprise's pricing is at par compared to the other technologies."

"Kong Enterprise is cheaper than Apigee. I rate its pricing as four out of ten."

"I don't have any information on licensing costs currently."

More Kong Gateway Enterprise pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Construction Company

18%

Financial Services Firm

18%

Comms Service Provider

Media Company

Financial Services Firm

17%

Computer Software Company

10%

Manufacturing Company

Insurance Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	8
Large Enterprise	20

Questions from the Community

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How does Kong Enterprise compare with Mulesoft Anypoint API Manager?

The Mulesoft Anypoint API Manager was designed with its users in mind. Though it is a reasonably complex piece of software, it is easy to install and upgrade. While there are different things that ...

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What needs improvement with Kong Enterprise?

Bringing in additional features to Kong Gateway Enterprise would not necessarily help it. Improving the existing features, increasing security, and adding robustness would be more beneficial. The f...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Kong Enterprise?

Our primary use cases for Kong Gateway Enterprise are modernizations, migrations, and digitalizations of financial institutions. These are the primary areas we are looking for.

See all answers

Comparisons

Apigee vs Apiary

Compared 26% of the time

SwaggerHub vs Apiary

Compared 18% of the time

Postman Enterprise vs Apiary

Compared 10% of the time

TIBCO Cloud API Management vs Apiary

Compared 10% of the time

More Apiary Competitors

Apigee vs Kong Gateway Enterprise

Compared 11% of the time

WSO2 API Manager vs Kong Gateway Enterprise

Compared 10% of the time

Apache APISIX vs Kong Gateway Enterprise

Compared 9% of the time

Microsoft Azure API Management vs Kong Gateway Enterprise

Compared 7% of the time

Kong Konnect vs Kong Gateway Enterprise

Compared 7% of the time

More Kong Gateway Enterprise Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

API Management

May 2026

Download Apiary product report

Buyer's Guide

Kong Gateway Enterprise

May 2026

Download Kong Gateway Enterprise product report

Overview

Apiary offers dynamic solutions for designing, documenting, and managing APIs, tailored for professionals seeking a streamlined approach to API development. It is a comprehensive tool that enhances collaboration and speeds up the design-to-deployment process.

Built to facilitate seamless API management, Apiary provides advanced features for API design, prototyping, and collaboration. It supports businesses in creating robust APIs with reduced effort and increased efficiency. The ease of use and integration with existing development operations make Apiary a preferred choice for API-centric workflows. Its intuitive platform empowers developers to deliver high-quality APIs swiftly, catering to the demands of modern digital ecosystems.

What are the standout features of Apiary?

API Blueprint: Enables easy definition and sharing of API designs in a human-readable format.
Interactive Documentation: Provides real-time updates and testing capabilities for API documentation.
Mock Servers: Allows users to simulate APIs for testing without costly backend changes.
Collaboration Tools: Facilitates team communication and feedback integration directly within the platform.

What are the key benefits and ROI to consider?

Faster Development: Reduces time-to-market by streamlining API design and testing.
Cost Efficiency: Minimizes resources needed for backend changes with comprehensive mock testing.
Improved Team Collaboration: Enhances productivity through integrated communication features.
Enhanced API Quality: Provides tools for creating consistent and high-quality APIs, reducing post-launch issues.

Apiary has seen positive adoption in industries such as finance, healthcare, and retail. In finance, it supports the integration of secure APIs for transaction processing. Healthcare uses Apiary for creating interoperable systems that facilitate patient data exchange. Retail businesses leverage the agile development features for inventory management APIs and customer experience enhancements.

Oracle

Kong Gateway Enterprise is an advanced API management platform offering seamless integration, robust security features, and flexible deployment options for modern enterprises needing efficient API handling.

Kong Gateway Enterprise stands out with its plugin-based network services and ease of implementation in Kubernetes environments. It delivers robust API governance, impressive rate limiting, and customization with Lua scripts. Enhanced with high-performance handling and AI-driven functionality, it supports efficient API monetization. It also ensures competitive pricing, scalability, and strong community support.

What are the key features of Kong Gateway Enterprise?

Plugin-Based Services: Allows easy customization and integration.
Security: Delivers comprehensive API security options.
Rate Limiting: Offers control over API traffic for better performance.
Deployment Flexibility: Supports cloud environments effortlessly.
AI Integration: Enhances functionality with AI-driven applications.

What benefits and ROI should users consider in Kong Gateway Enterprise?

Ease of Use: Simplifies API management tasks.
Scalability: Supports growth with robust infrastructure.
Customizability: Tailors API management with Lua scripts.
Community Support: Offers strong resources and collaboration opportunities.
API Monetization: Enables revenue opportunities through efficient management.

Organizations across finance, IoT, manufacturing, and e-commerce sectors implement Kong Gateway Enterprise to streamline microservices deployment and integration. It manages API security and traffic while providing observability and scalability. The platform enables integration with IDPs and other systems, securing extensive API ecosystems.

Kong

Sample Customers

Microsoft, salesforce.com, Bloomberg, GoodData, Viacom, Akamai Technologies, DigitalGlobe

Cargill, Zillow, Ferrari, WeWork, Healthcare.gov, Yahoo! Japan, Giphy, SkyScanner

Buyer's Guide

Apiary vs. Kong Gateway Enterprise

April 2026

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