# BentoPDF vs Kong Gateway

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

| | BentoPDF | Kong Gateway |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 77/100 | 82/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #2 of 12 in Document Processing | #1 of 39 in API Gateway |
| GitHub stars | 16 188 | 44 321 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +477 ✓ | +131 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 15 ✓ | 3 |
| Latest release | v2.8.10 · 19 Oct 2026 ✓ | 3.9.4 · 12 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes ✓ | No |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | JavaScript | Lua |

## Which one should you pick?

Kong Gateway scores 82/100 against 77/100 for BentoPDF, so it is the safer default.

BentoPDF ships more often: 15 stable releases in the past year, against 3 for Kong Gateway.

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

BentoPDF is growing faster right now (+477 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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

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