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 #8 with an average rating of 8.0. Oracle holds a 0.8% mindshare in APIM, compared to Kong’s 4.3% 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

1,087 Views
1,065 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Kong Gateway Enterprise

Read 26 Kong Gateway Enterprise reviews

6,827 Views
6,827 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: June 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Apiary vs. Kong Gateway Enterprise

June 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

8th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of June 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 4.3%, down from 6.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

API Management Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Kong Gateway Enterprise	4.3%
Apiary	0.8%
Other	94.9%

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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KuntalSaha

Business Consultant at Ernst & Young

Modernization projects have progressed well but documentation and security guidance still need work

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 focus should be on stabilizing the product, improving it, and increasing the documentation. Kong should focus on how the product can be self-onboarded or self-implemented, as this would ease and help customers significantly. The necessary deployment of Kong Gateway Enterprise, API management, and guidance on how customers can use it or improve that area would be helpful. Security is a major concern, especially with new security architecture coming into place. These are the areas that should be prioritized. Beyond these areas, I do not see anything lacking. Kong Gateway Enterprise is quite comprehensive.

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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

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

"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."

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

"I do like the overall performance of the solution."

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

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

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

"Git integration"

"The route limiting feature is very valuable."

"The solution's technical support is good and fast in terms of responsiveness and problem-solving skills."

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

"The most valuable feature of Kong Enterprise is its capability to integrate with various security tools."

"Kong enterprise has significantly enhanced our ability to manage and secure our Microservices. Its most valuable feature is monitoring."

"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."

"Kong is great at organising our API ecosystem and providing the required manageability, scalability, observability and security."

"Kong's most valuable features are its lightweight performance when handling millions of requests and the ability to write custom plugins to enhance security, such as end-to-end encryption, even in the open-source version."

More Kong Gateway Enterprise pros

Cons

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

"Swagger (OpenAPI Specification) and Blueprint Support"

"Better Swagger support."

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

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

"Validation messages could be a bit clearer."

"The product's price is an area of concern where improvements are required."

"They could focus more on pricing."

"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."

"The motivation to move to Enterprise edition is still license and cost based."

"The tool needs improvement in UX."

"The software version upgrade process should be improved."

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

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

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."

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

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

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

"Kong Enterprise's pricing is reasonable for our company size."

"The licensing is expensive."

"There are many factors that influence the price of Kong Enterprise, such as scale, licenses, and usage."

"The licensing fees are paid yearly."

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

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%

Outsourcing Company

Comms Service Provider

Financial Services Firm

18%

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software 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?

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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

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Compared 21% of the time

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Compared 10% of the time

Layer7 API Management vs Apiary

Compared 9% of the time

Oracle API Platform Cloud Service vs Apiary

Compared 5% of the time

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Compared 10% of the time

Microsoft Azure API Management vs Kong Gateway Enterprise

Compared 10% of the time

WSO2 API Manager vs Kong Gateway Enterprise

Compared 9% of the time

Apache APISIX vs Kong Gateway Enterprise

Compared 8% of the time

Kong Konnect vs Kong Gateway Enterprise

Compared 6% of the time

More Kong Gateway Enterprise Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

API Management

June 2026

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Buyer's Guide

Kong Gateway Enterprise

June 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

June 2026

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