Buyer’s guide Β· Sales
Best API Management Software in 2026: Pricing & Comparison
We compared four API platform vendors on published prices, free tiers, request meters, and quote-only plans.
- API design before a gateway: Postman β free plan, Solo at $9/month billed annually.
- A managed gateway on a free tier: Zuplo β $0 for 100,000 requests, Builder at $25/month.
- Usage-based connectivity: Kong β Plus from $25/month plus usage.
- Quote or open source: Tyk β commercial cloud is contact-us; the open-source gateway is free.
API management software publishes, secures, and meters APIs. A client such as Postman is not the same product as a gateway, but buyers often shortlist both. This page keeps them in one price comparison and says which job each list price covers.
Every entry uses the same fields: published pricing, free plan or trial, what the fee buys, and the main limitation. The order is not a quality ranking. Public $0 / published price first, quote-led last. Postman and Zuplo both have a $0 plan. Postman is first because Solo was $9/month billed annually. Zuplo is next because Builder was $25/month. Kong is next at a $25 Plus floor plus usage. Tyk is last because commercial cloud prices were not published.
Compared at a glance
| Provider | Published pricing | Meter | Best for | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Postman | Free $0. Solo $9/month billed annually. Team $19 per user/month billed annually. Enterprise is contact sales. | Users and API calls | An API client with a free plan | Visit β |
| Zuplo | Free $0 with 100,000 requests/month. Builder $25/month. Enterprise from $1,000/month on an annual contract. | Requests | A managed gateway with a free tier | Visit β |
| Kong | Konnect Plus from $25/month plus usage, billed monthly. Serverless AI gateway control plane $25/month. Enterprise custom, billed annually. 30-day trial. | Control planes and requests | A published Plus floor plus usage | Visit β |
| Tyk | Cloud Core, Professional, and Enterprise are contact-us. Open-source gateway is free. Cloud trial is 48 hours. | Quote for commercial cloud | A quote-led gateway with a free open-source option | Visit β |
Prices checked on 8 October 2026 from each vendor’s official pricing or plan page. Figures are list prices in the currency shown. Free means a $0 plan or stated free allowance, trial means time-limited access, and quote means the dollar amount was not published. Confirm on the vendor page before you buy.
Apigee and AWS API Gateway were not given their own rows. Zuplo’s page compares itself with them, but we did not load a same-day official price for those two.
List price versus a quote
Gateway price and client price should not be added as if they were the same SKU. Use the meter column to see whether you are paying for seats, requests, or a quote.
The companies in detail
Postman
Fit for a free API client
Best for: developers who design and test APIs before they need a gateway contract.
| Attribute | Postman |
|---|---|
| Published pricing | Free $0. Solo $9 per month billed annually. Team $19 per user/month billed annually. Enterprise contact sales. |
| Free plan or trial | Free plan is $0 for 1 user, 50 AI credits/month, and 1,000 monitor requests a month. |
| Core focus | API client, collections, mocks, and docs. Team adds unlimited users and 1 million Postman API calls a month. |
| Main limitation | Enterprise features such as private API network and advanced RBAC are quote-only. |
- Solo was the lowest paid list price in this set, at $9/month billed annually.
- Free includes the multi-protocol client and public workspaces.
- Cloud performance testing was listed at $0.04 per virtual user hour on paid plans.
Zuplo
Fit for a free request tier
Best for: teams that want a managed gateway with a published free allowance.
| Attribute | Zuplo |
|---|---|
| Published pricing | Free $0. Builder $25/month. Enterprise from $1,000/month on an annual contract. |
| Free plan or trial | Free includes 100,000 requests/month and 2 developer seats. No credit card. |
| Core focus | API gateway, developer portal, and AI gateway. Builder is described as solo, not a team plan. |
| Main limitation | Builder caps at 2 seats and 2 custom domains. SSO and an SLA need Enterprise. |
- Free and Builder both listed 100,000 requests, with Builder charging $100 per extra 100,000.
- Enterprise starts at $1,000/month annually and includes 1 million requests in the base note.
- The page says Builder is not for teams.
Kong
Fit for usage-based Plus
Best for: teams that want a published Konnect floor and can add control-plane usage.
| Attribute | Kong |
|---|---|
| Published pricing | Plus from $25/month plus usage, billed monthly. Dedicated cloud gateway control plane $500/month. Enterprise custom, billed annually. |
| Free plan or trial | 30-day free trial, no credit card, on the Plus card. A Start for Free path was on the page. |
| Core focus | AI, API, and event traffic on Konnect. Plus serverless AI gateway control plane was $25/month, up to 5. |
| Main limitation | Plus caps requests at 10 million a month on the AI table. SSO and audit logs were marked Enterprise only. |
- The Plus headline was from $25/month plus usage.
- Extra AI requests were $200 per additional 1 million per month, after 1 million included.
- Enterprise is custom and can pay by invoice.
Tyk
Fit for a quote or open source
Best for: teams that will self-host the open-source gateway or ask Tyk for a cloud price.
| Attribute | Tyk |
|---|---|
| Published pricing | Core, Professional, and Enterprise commercial plans did not show a dollar amount. The page says contact us for pricing. |
| Free plan or trial | Open-source API gateway is free. Tyk Cloud has a 48-hour trial. Guided proofs of concept are available. |
| Core focus | API management for REST, GraphQL, gRPC, and async APIs. Professional is described as flat-rate with no consumption limits. |
| Main limitation | You cannot compare a cloud list price from the page we loaded. Commercial deployment is quote-led. |
- The open-source gateway is a real $0 option, separate from Tyk Cloud.
- Cloud, hybrid, and self-managed are offered on Core, Professional, and Enterprise.
- Professional removes usage limits, but the flat rate was not published.
Kurums Match
I design APIs, I do not run a gateway yetFree client
I want a gateway without a sales call100,000 requests
Zuplo lists a free tier at 100,000 requests a month. Builder is $25/month and is not a team plan.
I will pay usage on Plus$25 floor
Kong published Plus from $25/month plus usage, with a 30-day trial.
I can self-host or ask for a quoteNo cloud list price
Tyk offers a free open-source gateway. Commercial cloud plans were contact-us on the page we loaded.
Buying tip
Add the overage before you compare headlines. Zuplo Builder bills extra requests. Kong Plus bills extra request millions and control planes. A $25 floor is not a $25 bill.
How this comparison was put together
FAQ
Is Postman an API gateway?
Does Tyk have a free option?
Yes. The pricing page points to a free open-source gateway and a 48-hour Tyk Cloud trial. The commercial Core, Professional, and Enterprise prices were not on the page.
What does Kong’s $25 cover?
The Plus card said from $25/month plus usage. The AI table also listed a serverless AI gateway control plane at $25/month. Dedicated cloud gateway control planes were $500/month. Read the rate card, not only the headline.
Can I stay on a free plan?
Postman Free and Zuplo Free are lasting $0 plans with caps. Kong’s Start for Free path was tied to a 30-day trial on the Plus card. Tyk Cloud’s trial was 48 hours.
Related comparisons
Last updated 8 October 2026. Pricing checked 8 October 2026.
Disclosure: Kurums is reader-supported. Some outbound links use rel sponsored nofollow. Those links do not change order or fit labels. We do not award Kurums Recommends, Top Pick, or Verified badges on this page.
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