Best Kubernetes Ingress Controllers in 2026
Updated
In short: Airlock Microgateway is ranked #1 of 27 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of Apache APISIX and ngrok. The best-ranked option with a free plan is ngrok. The lowest first paid tier on this page is ngrok at $10/mo.
Traffic entering Kubernetes services calls for a controller that fits your routing model and operating setup. Compare Apache APISIX, agentgateway and Airlock Microgateway on deployment model and ingress API model, then weigh canary routing, rate limiting and auth policies against the security controls listed, including TLS automation and a web application firewall. NGINX Ingress Controller, Traefik Proxy and Contour follow among the first entries. Check free-plan availability and paid-from pricing as additional comparison points. The ranking gives you a set of options to assess against the traffic policies, deployment approach and protections your Kubernetes environment calls for.
27 Kubernetes ingress controllers 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 | Ingress API model | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Airlock Microgateway | 7.3 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | both | View |
| 2 | Apache APISIX | 7.3 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | — | View |
| 3 | ngrok | 7.3 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $10/mo | Yes | 10 /mo | — | View |
| 4 | agentgateway | 7.2 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | both | View |
| 5 | HAProxy Enterprise | 6.6 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | No | — | — | View |
| 6 | NGINX Ingress Controller | 5.9 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | ingress | View |
| 7 | Contour | 5.8 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | both | View |
| 8 | HAProxy Ingress | 5.8 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | both | View |
| 9 | kgateway | 5.8 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | both | View |
| 10 | Traefik Proxy | 5.8 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | — | View |
| 11 | Kong Ingress Controller | 5.5 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | both | View |
| 12 |  Kusk Gateway | 5.5 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | ingress | View |
| 13 | Varnish Gateway | 5.5 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | gateway | View |
| 14 | BFE Ingress Controller | 5.4 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | ingress | View |
| 15 |  Caddy Gateway | 5.4 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | ingress | View |
| 16 |  LiteSpeed Ingress Controller | 5.4 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $59.58/mo | No | 65 /mo | both | View |
| 17 |  OpenNJet Ingress Controller | 5.4 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | both | View |
| 18 | Envoy Gateway | 5.3 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | — | View |
| 19 | NGINX Gateway Fabric | 5.3 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | — | View |
| 20 | Higress | 5.2 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | — | View |
| 21 | A10 Thunder Kubernetes Connector | 5.1 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | — | — | ingress | View |
| 22 |  N42 Gateway | 5.1 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | — | — | both | View |
| 23 | F5 BIG-IP Container Ingress Services | 5.0 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | — | — | ingress | View |
| 24 |  NetScaler Ingress Controller | 5.0 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | No | — | ingress | View |
| 25 | Skipper | 5.0 | 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 Kubernetes ingress controller is ranked first on Inferse?
Airlock Microgateway is ranked #1 of 27 with a score of 7.3. Apache APISIX is second and ngrok third.
How many of these have a free plan?
7 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, ngrok has the lowest first paid tier we found: $10/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.