# Audiobookshelf vs Kong Gateway

> Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | Audiobookshelf | Kong Gateway |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 79/100 | 82/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #1 of 15 in Audiobook Management | #1 of 39 in API Gateway |
| GitHub stars | 14 839 | 44 319 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +402 ✓ | +129 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 14 ✓ | 3 |
| Latest release | v2.37.2 · 23 Oct 2026 ✓ | 3.9.4 · 12 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes ✓ | No |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | JavaScript | Lua |

## Which one should you pick?

Kong Gateway scores 82/100 against 79/100 for Audiobookshelf, so it is the safer default.

Audiobookshelf ships more often: 14 stable releases in the past year, against 3 for Kong Gateway.

If you want the quickest setup, Audiobookshelf is easier to run; Kong Gateway needs more configuration.

Audiobookshelf is growing faster right now (+402 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Audiobookshelf](https://selfhost.directory/project/audiobookshelf) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/audiobookshelf.md)
- [Kong Gateway](https://selfhost.directory/project/kong-gateway) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/kong-gateway.md)

---
Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/audiobookshelf-vs-kong-gateway