Community Edition is fully free, open source and production-capable
Declarative configuration avoids the need for custom plugin development
Frequently benchmarked among the fastest available API gateways
AI Gateway features are bundled into Enterprise at no extra license cost
Enterprise pricing is not linked to API count or traffic volume, unlike many competitors
Cons
Enterprise pricing is not publicly listed and requires a sales conversation
Smaller plugin/extension ecosystem than more established competitors like Kong
Some advanced security and governance features are Enterprise-only
Declarative-only configuration can feel restrictive to teams wanting custom plugin logic
Smaller company size than larger API management vendors may affect long-term support depth
Gloo Gateway
Pros
Free, open-source core with no vendor lock-in
Built on the battle-tested Envoy proxy
Supports multiple protocols in a single gateway
Backed by a well-funded company with enterprise support options
Used in production for 7+ years by Fortune 500 customers
Cons
Enterprise pricing is not publicly listed and requires a sales conversation
Effective use generally requires Kubernetes and Envoy expertise
Compliance features like FIPS and multicluster routing are enterprise-only
Steep learning curve for teams new to API gateway or service mesh concepts
Use Cases
KrakenD
High-throughput microservices gateway — Engineering teams use KrakenD in front of microservices to handle routing, rate limiting and aggregation at high performance.
AI traffic governance — Teams route and secure calls to multiple LLM providers through KrakenD's Enterprise AI Gateway.
API response aggregation — Teams use KrakenD to combine multiple backend calls into a single simplified API response for client apps.
Gloo Gateway
Microservices API management — Platform teams routing and securing traffic across many internal microservices.
Multi-protocol API gateway — Organizations needing a single gateway in front of REST, gRPC, and GraphQL APIs.
Regulated enterprise deployments — Large organizations needing FIPS compliance and dedicated support for gateway infrastructure.
AI/agent traffic routing — Teams building AI agent infrastructure that needs a gateway layer in front of models and tools.