Higress
7.7#2 in api gateway softwareFree planFree planWebAPILinuxmacOS
VisitHigress vs Kusk Gateway
Kusk Gateway
7.5#5 in kubernetes ingress controllersFree planFree planWebAPILinuxmacOS
VisitWhat both publish
| Fact | Higress | Kusk Gateway |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment | A Docker all-in-one deployment exposes the console on port 8001, HTTP gateway on 8080 and HTTPS gateway on 8443. | Kusk says APIs can be published by adding an annotation to a service deployment, without additional configuration or DevOps support. |
| Documentation depth | Documentation covers quickstarts, Helm configuration, plugin usage, CRDs, service discovery, protocol conversion, operations and contributor workflows. | Documentation includes getting-started tutorials, CLI reference, dashboard reference, Kubernetes resources, guides and a detailed OpenAPI extension reference. |
| Licence | The main Higress project is licensed under Apache License 2.0, while bundled components can carry separate licences. | Kusk is presented as 100% open source under the MIT License. |
Higress plans
- Alibaba Cloud AI Gateway Serverless StandardPriced on request
- Higress CommunityFree
- Higress Community EditionFree
- Alibaba Cloud AI Gateway Serverless EnterprisePriced on request
- Feitian Exclusive EditionPriced on request
Kusk Gateway plans
- FreeFree
- Kusk GatewayFree
Pick Higress if…
Higress suits teams that need a self-hosted gateway for AI services and cloud-native traffic. It may also fit those needing MCP, Kubernetes gateway, or API lifecycle capabilities.
Pick Kusk Gateway if…
Kusk Gateway suits teams building REST APIs on Kubernetes that use OpenAPI-first practices. It may fit teams seeking an open-source gateway with API validation, policy controls, and a central dashboard.