API Gateway Feature Comparison 2026
Side-by-side comparison of the six major API gateway providers across protocols, authentication, traffic management, developer experience, and observability. Use this alongside the cost calculator to pick the right provider for your use case and budget.
Protocols
| Feature | AWS API Gateway | Azure API Management | Google Apigee | Kong Konnect | Cloudflare API Gateway | Traefik Hub |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| REST / HTTP | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| WebSocket | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes (beta) | Yes |
| gRPC | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| GraphQL | No | No | Yes | Yes (plugin) | No | No |
Authentication
| Feature | AWS API Gateway | Azure API Management | Google Apigee | Kong Konnect | Cloudflare API Gateway | Traefik Hub |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| API Key | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| JWT / OAuth 2.0 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| mTLS | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (plugin) | Yes | Yes |
| AWS IAM / SigV4 | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Traffic Management
| Feature | AWS API Gateway | Azure API Management | Google Apigee | Kong Konnect | Cloudflare API Gateway | Traefik Hub |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rate Limiting | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Circuit Breaker | No | No | Yes | Yes (plugin) | No | Yes |
| Canary / A/B Routing | Yes (stages) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Response Caching | Yes (paid) | Yes (tier) | Yes (paid) | Yes | Yes (free) | Yes |
Developer Experience
| Feature | AWS API Gateway | Azure API Management | Google Apigee | Kong Konnect | Cloudflare API Gateway | Traefik Hub |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Developer Portal | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| OpenAPI Import | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Terraform Provider | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Kubernetes Ingress | No | No | Yes (Apigee hybrid) | Yes | Yes (Workers) | Yes |
Observability
| Feature | AWS API Gateway | Azure API Management | Google Apigee | Kong Konnect | Cloudflare API Gateway | Traefik Hub |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Built-in Metrics | CloudWatch | Azure Monitor | Cloud Monitoring | Konnect Analytics | Analytics | Prometheus |
| Distributed Tracing | X-Ray | App Insights | Cloud Trace | Yes | Yes | OpenTelemetry |
| Log Streaming | CloudWatch Logs | Event Hubs | Cloud Logging | Yes | Logpush | Yes |
Pricing Model
| Feature | AWS API Gateway | Azure API Management | Google Apigee | Kong Konnect | Cloudflare API Gateway | Traefik Hub |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per-request billing | Yes | Yes (Consumption) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Flat monthly fee option | No | Yes (Basic+) | Yes (subscription) | Yes (Enterprise) | No | Yes |
| Self-hostable | No | Yes (hybrid) | Yes (hybrid) | Yes (OSS) | No | Yes (OSS) |
Which Provider Should You Choose?
AWS API Gateway (HTTP API)
If your backend is Lambda, ECS, or EC2, AWS HTTP API is the default choice. Native IAM integration, no data transfer costs between services in the same region, and tight CloudWatch observability make it the path of least resistance on AWS.
Cloudflare API Gateway
Cloudflare routes requests through 300+ edge locations automatically, achieving sub-10ms response times globally. Free data transfer and the cheapest per-request pricing make it compelling for public-facing APIs with global traffic patterns.
Azure API Management
Azure APIM includes a full developer portal out of the box, making it ideal for organisations that need to expose APIs to external partners or customers. The flat-fee tier model provides cost predictability at scale that pay-per-request pricing cannot.
Kong Konnect or Traefik Hub
Both run natively as Kubernetes ingress controllers. Kong has a larger plugin ecosystem (250+ plugins) and mature enterprise support. Traefik integrates deeply with GitOps workflows and uses configuration-as-code through its IngressRoute CRDs.