Kong vs Stoplight Pricing (2026)
Compare / Kong vs Stoplight
Shortlist
Team size
25 seats

Kong vs Stoplight

API Management pricing comparison · 2026

Kong has a free plan, then $25/mo, while Stoplight costs $56–$453/mo. Kong is typically 83% more affordable, though your actual cost depends on tier and team size.

Visit
See pricing on each vendor's site
Above-the-fold path — each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit Kong pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Visit Stoplight pricing
Discount programs →
Compare
2 products · API Management
Side-by-side · live
Kong
Kong is an open-source API gateway and microservices management platform that enables deve
verified 4mo ago
$2.5K $65K
View pricing →
Stoplight
Stoplight is a collaborative API design and documentation platform that enables teams to d
verified 1d ago
$2.5K $65K
View pricing →
Recorded annual contract medians
Stoplight median is $63K less than Kong · different customer contracts; not a quote
Cheapest $2.5K
Spread 96%
Estimated license cost
at 25 seats
List price × seats. Click a tier below to lock it.
Plus
$300/yr
year 1 license · flat plan price
Startup
$1.8K/yr
year 1 license · flat plan price
What buyers actually pay
median, annual
Vendr deal-flow data. The real benchmark, not list price.
Median annual
$65K/yr
Vendr · n=32
↓ Lowest median
Median annual
$2.5K/yr
Vendr · n=70
REF · 01

Sources & confidence

Every dollar amount and contract clause below traces back to a sourced fact. We don't manufacture composite scores.

Where this data comes from
Vendr · TrustRadius · Reddit · BBB · official docs
Sources 12 sourced facts
10 hidden-cost · Vendr median · 1 review platform
Last verified 4mo ago
Confidence Medium confidence
Sources 5 sourced facts
2 contract · Vendr median · 2 review platforms
Last verified 1d ago
Confidence Medium confidence
REF · 02

Plans at a glance

Every tier per product. Lock one to drive the cost row above and reveal a tier-specific outbound CTA.

Tier ladder
Click a tier to lock the cost row to it. Locking surfaces a tier-specific Visit CTA.
REF · 03

Hidden costs

Each cost is severity-ranked, with the dollar range quoted from its source (Vendr, Reddit, TrustRadius, BBB, official docs) — never our estimate.

Beyond the sticker
Severity-ranked, sourced
5 documented
  • Professional Services
    $30,000-$150,000
    1 source
  • Custom Plugin Development
    $10,000-$50,000+ per plugin
    1 source
  • Infrastructure Costs (Self-Hosted)
    $10,000-$100,000+ annually
    1 source
  • Training and Enablement
    $2,000-$10,000 per session or comprehensive program
    1 source
  • Support Tier Upgrades
    15-30% to base licensing costs; 20-40% to base licensing costs overall
    1 source
No hidden costs documented
REF · 04

Contract terms

The fine print, surfaced. Green = buyer-friendly. Each clause backed by a quoted source.

Kong
Stoplight
Auto-renewal
—
Yes
Cancellation
—
typically 30-180 days before renewal
Commitment
$30,000–$50,000 annually for small deployments
—
Price escalation
—
5% to 10% or tied to an index like the Consumer Price Index (CPI) plus an additional percentage
Can downgrade
—
—
Based on 2 verified sources (Vendr · TrustRadius · BBB)
REF · 05

What users say

Aggregated, with sample sizes. We use whichever review platform has data.

User reviews
TrustRadius · Trustpilot · G2
Trustpilot
1out of 5 (1)
Best for
Developers and small teams wanting a free, self-hosted API gateway with core features
Watch out
Sends unsolicited emails
TrustRadius
9out of 5 (6)
Trustpilot
1out of 5 (1)
Best for
Individuals designing an API
Watch out
Integration between components not working properly
Decide
Get a quote from each vendor
Each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit Kong pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Visit Stoplight pricing
Discount programs →
License cost is computed from publicly listed plans (real math, list price × seats). Median annual cost is from Vendr's deal flow when available — see source badges. Hidden costs and contract terms each cite their own sources. We do not invent composite scores.
API Management

Kong

Free plan; paid $25
/mo
3 plans · Free tier
Full pricing breakdown →
VS
API Management

Stoplight

$56–$453
/mo
4 plans
Full pricing breakdown →

Kong and Stoplight both operate in the api management category. This page compares their list pricing.

Plan-by-Plan Pricing

Plan Kong Stoplight
Open Source Free /free $56 /month
Plus $25 /month $147 /month
Enterprise Custom $453 /month
Enterprise — Custom

Cost at Scale

Total cost of ownership — licenses, implementation, and hidden costs included.

Kong

1 scenario
$65,328/year
Enterprise License (Vendr Median)

Stoplight

1 scenario
$99/month ($1,188/year)
Small Development Team (2 developers)

Market Intelligence

Kong

Median annual cost
$65,328
Based on
32 deals

Stoplight

Median annual cost
$2,494
Based on
70 deals

What Users Say

Kong

Trustpilot
1out of 5 (1)
Top complaints
  • Sends unsolicited emails

Stoplight

Trustpilot
1out of 5 (1)
TrustRadius
9out of 10 (6)
Top complaints
  • Integration between components not working properly
  • Code view changes get overridden when editing OAS files
  • Azure DevOps integration is very slow

Contract Terms

Term Kong Stoplight
Auto-renewal — Yes
Cancellation — typically 30-180 days before renewal
Minimum commitment $30,000–$50,000 annually for small deployments —
Price escalation — 5% to 10% or tied to an index like the Consumer Price Index (CPI) plus an additional percentage

Continue researching

Kong

Stoplight

Related Comparisons