Quick Answer
Last verified:

Kong pricing varies by team size and features, ranging from $0 to $500 per month in 2026. Your actual cost depends on the tier you choose, contract length, and negotiated discounts.

Use the interactive pricing calculator to estimate your exact cost based on team size and requirements.

  • Free tier: No free tier available
  • Billing: Monthly and annual (save 15-20%)
  • Hidden costs: Add ~35% for implementation, support, and training
Last verified: February 2026 | Sources: 1 pricing pages and reviews
Forever Free plan type
Forever Free

Kong's free plan is available indefinitely with no time limit.

What's Included in the Free Plan

  • Core API gateway features
  • Load balancing
  • Health checks
  • Rate limiting
  • Authentication plugins
  • Logging and monitoring
  • Community support
  • Self-hosted deployment
  • Unlimited API calls

What's NOT Included (Paid Only)

  • All Open Source features
  • Serverless, Self-Hosted, or Dedicated Cloud deployment
  • Usage-based pricing ($34.25 per million requests)
  • Cloud-native control plane
  • Service catalog
  • Advanced analytics
  • Dev Portal
  • Multi-cloud support
  • Standard support
  • 30-day free trial

Free Plan Limits

Limit Free Plan Paid Plans
support Community only
features Core features

You'll Need to Upgrade When...

  • You exceed the user limit
  • You need features like All Open Source features or Serverless, Self-Hosted, or Dedicated Cloud deployment
  • You require premium support or SLA guarantees
  • You need to remove branding or watermarks
  • You need advanced integrations or API access

Hidden Restrictions on Free Plan

  • ! Kong branding may appear on your content or communications
  • ! Support is limited to community forums or email with longer response times
  • ! Export options may be restricted or include watermarks
  • ! API access is typically limited or not available
  • ! Advanced reporting and analytics require paid plans

Free vs Paid: Which Do You Need?

Free Plan is Enough If...

  • You're an individual or very small team
  • You need only basic features
  • You don't mind usage limits
  • Branding on output is acceptable
  • Community support is sufficient

Free vs Konnect Plus Plan Comparison

Open Source $0
Features 9 included 10+ included
Support Community/Email Priority Support
Branding Kong branding Your branding
Best For Developers and small teams looking for a free, self-hosted API gateway with core features Growing organizations needing flexible deployment options with usage-based pricing for production APIs

Frequently Asked Questions

01 Is Kong free?

Yes, Kong offers a forever free plan with 9 core features included. However, there are limits on support, features that may require upgrading.

02 What's included in Kong's free plan?

Kong's free plan includes: Core API gateway features, Load balancing, Health checks, Rate limiting, Authentication plugins, and 4 more features. Key limits include support: Community only, features: Core features.

03 What's NOT included in Kong's free plan?

The free plan excludes: All Open Source features, Serverless, Self-Hosted, or Dedicated Cloud deployment, Usage-based pricing ($34.25 per million requests), Cloud-native control plane, Service catalog. You'll also have Kong branding and limited support options.

04 When should I upgrade from Kong's free plan?

Consider upgrading when: you hit user or storage limits, need features like All Open Source features or Serverless, Self-Hosted, or Dedicated Cloud deployment, require premium support, or want to remove branding. The cheapest paid plan starts at $105/per service/month.

05 Is Kong's free plan really free forever?

Yes, Kong's free plan is available indefinitely with no time limit. However, feature and usage limits may restrict what you can do without upgrading to a paid plan.

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