Best API Gateway Software in 2026
Updated
In short: Kong Gateway is ranked #1 of 22 as of 3 October 2026, ahead of Apache APISIX and Tyk Gateway. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Tyk Gateway. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Google Cloud API Gateway at $1.50/mo.
22 API gateway software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
| # | Platform | Score | Why | From | Free plan | Paid from | Deployment model | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kong Gateway | 9.0 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | hybrid | View |
| 2 | Apache APISIX | 8.8 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | self-hosted | View |
| 3 |  Tyk Gateway | 8.7 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | hybrid | View |
| 4 | Gravitee API Gateway | 8.3 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $2,500/mo | Yes | 2,500 /mo | hybrid | View |
| 5 |  Tyk API Management | 8.2 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | No | — | hybrid | View |
| 6 | API7 Enterprise | 7.7 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | No | — | hybrid | View |
| 7 | Google Cloud API Gateway | 7.4 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $1.50/mo | Yes | — | cloud | View |
| 8 | KrakenD API Gateway | 7.0 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | hybrid | View |
| 9 | Higress | 6.8 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | hybrid | View |
| 10 | Amazon API Gateway | 6.5 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | No | — | cloud | View |
| 11 | Envoy Gateway | 6.3 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | self-hosted | View |
| 12 | NGINX Gateway Fabric | 6.2 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | self-hosted | View |
| 13 |  Emissary-ingress | 6.0 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | self-hosted | View |
| 14 |  WSO2 Choreo Connect | 5.7 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | — | — | hybrid | View |
| 15 |  Traefik Hub API Gateway | 5.4 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | No | — | hybrid | View |
| 16 |  Ocelot | 5.4 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | — | — | self-hosted | View |
| 17 | Ambassador Edge Stack | 5.3 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | — | — | self-hosted | View |
| 18 |  Tencent Cloud API Gateway | 5.2 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | No | — | cloud | View |
| 19 | Oracle Cloud Infrastructure API Gateway | 5.1 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | — | — | cloud | View |
| 20 |  Lura | 5.1 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | self-hosted | View |
| 21 |  Zuul | 5.0 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | — | — | self-hosted | View |
| 22 | Automic Continuous Delivery Automation | 4.4 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | — | — | — | View |
Is your platform on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which API gateway software is ranked first on Inferse?
Kong Gateway is ranked #1 of 22 with a score of 9.0. Apache APISIX is second and Tyk Gateway third.
How many of these have a free plan?
4 of the 22 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Google Cloud API Gateway has the lowest first paid tier we found: $1.50/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes, open and connectable first: a public API, open-source code, the depth of its documentation and a free tier to try it on. Model lists are sorted by the figure in their title, exactly as each provider publishes it. Paid placements never change a rank.