Azure API Management vs Kong: API Gateways Comparison (2026)

An independent side-by-side comparison of Azure API Management and Kong for api gateways buyers — pricing, features, integrations, and how often each is cited by major AI engines.

AI Citation Scorecard

How often each is cited by major AI engines when buyers ask api gateways questions. Last 90 days across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, and Copilot.

Kong leads overall — 100% cited vs Azure API Management 0% across 10 probes.
ChatGPT
Azure API Management
0 / 1 probes
0%
Invisible
KongLeads
1 / 1 probes
100%
Excellent
Perplexity
Azure API Management
0 / 1 probes
0%
Invisible
KongLeads
1 / 1 probes
100%
Excellent
Gemini
Azure API Management
0 / 1 probes
0%
Invisible
KongLeads
1 / 1 probes
100%
Excellent
Claude
Azure API Management
0 / 1 probes
0%
Invisible
KongLeads
1 / 1 probes
100%
Excellent
Copilot
Azure API Management
0 / 1 probes
0%
Invisible
KongLeads
1 / 1 probes
100%
Excellent
Scale:NoneLowFairStrongExcellent

Probes run hourly; each (engine × query) combo retests every ~3 days.

Pricing

Kong
Starting price
$12/user/month
Free tier
Yes
konghq.com ↗

Key Features

Azure API Management

Feature data is being indexed.

Kong
  • ✓API, protocol, and service support
  • ✓Unlimited agents for agent-to-agent traffic
  • ✓AI Observability with token-level tracking
  • ✓Advanced analytics for up to 1M API requests
  • ✓Developer portal support for 2 portals
  • ✓Enterprise-grade security controls
  • ✓Email support during trial
  • ✓Unlimited access to plugins

When to choose Azure API Management

Choose Azure API Management if your team prioritizes its strengths over Kong's. Full guidance populates as Azure API Management's feature data is indexed.

When to choose Kong

Choose Kong if your team prioritizes its strengths over Azure API Management's. Full guidance populates as Kong's feature data is indexed.

AI visibility profiles

Is one of these your brand?

Get the full report by email: every api gateways buyer question we ask, which engines name you, and who gets named instead.

Azure API Management

azure.microsoft.com/en-us/products/api-management

Kong

konghq.com

Free check

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We ask the buyer questions in this market across ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity and Copilot, and show you who gets named.

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