Kong vs Zuplo:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Kong had more branded searches than Zuplo among API gateways worldwide. Kong had about 5,700 branded searches, while Zuplo had 1,300. Kong made up 7.9% of all API gateway searches we track, and Zuplo accounted for 1.8%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about API gateways, Kong appeared in all five answers and Zuplo in two. Kong was mentioned before Zuplo in every answer.
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Top API gateways in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Kong appeared in all five answers. Zuplo was mentioned in two out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Kong was listed before Zuplo in every answer.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Kong1st
AWS API Gateway2nd
Apache APISIX3rd
Azure API Management4th
Apigee5th
Tyk6th
Zuplo7th
KrakenD–
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- AWS API Gateway5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Kong5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Apigee3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Apache APISIX3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Azure API Management3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Tyk2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Zuplo2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- KrakenD0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about API gateways
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which API gateway should I use?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best API gateways?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best API gateway for backend teams?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“api gateways”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“api gateway for microservices”
Not named in any answer:
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 20, 2026.
Is Kong or Zuplo more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Kong and Zuplo by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all eight API gateways we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.
Share of searches by month for Kong, Zuplo. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Apigee | Tyk | AWS API Gateway | Apache APISIX | Azure API Management | Kong | KrakenD | Zuplo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 30.5% | 16.7% | 16.7% | 9.7% | 9.1% | 10.8% | 5% | 1.5% |
| Nov 2025 | 28.8% | 15.7% | 19.2% | 11.1% | 10.5% | 8.3% | 4.7% | 1.7% |
| Dec 2025 | 31.2% | 17% | 17.1% | 12.1% | 7.6% | 9% | 4.1% | 1.8% |
| Jan 2026 | 29.2% | 19.5% | 16% | 11.3% | 8.7% | 8.4% | 4.7% | 2% |
| Feb 2026 | 30.1% | 16.5% | 20.2% | 10% | 9% | 8.1% | 4% | 2.1% |
| Mar 2026 | 28.2% | 18.8% | 15.4% | 11.4% | 10.3% | 9.4% | 4.6% | 2% |
| Apr 2026 | 30.2% | 16.5% | 16.5% | 11.7% | 11% | 8.1% | 4% | 1.8% |
| May 2026 | 30.2% | 20.2% | 16.5% | 11.7% | 9% | 6.7% | 4% | 1.8% |
| Jun 2026 | 31.8% | 17.3% | 14.2% | 12.9% | 9.5% | 8.2% | 4.2% | 1.9% |
| Jul 2026 | 33.7% | 15% | 15.1% | 13.7% | 8.2% | 8.7% | 3.6% | 2% |
| Aug 2026 | 30.5% | 20.4% | 13.6% | 12.4% | 9.1% | 7.8% | 4% | 2.2% |
| Sep 2026 | 30.7% | 20.4% | 13.7% | 12.4% | 9.1% | 7.9% | 4% | 1.8% |
How has the Kong and Zuplo comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Kong was ahead of Zuplo in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Kong’s share of searches among API gateways worldwide moved from 10.8% to 7.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 11.7K to 5.7K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Zuplo’s share of searches among API gateways worldwide moved from 1.5% to 1.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.6K to 1.3K.
How did search popularity change for API gateways worldwide in September 2026?
2 changes
How are branded searches counted?
4 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Kong’s and Zuplo’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
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