# Kong Gateway vs Neko

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

| | Kong Gateway | Neko |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 82/100 ✓ | 78/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 39 in API Gateway | #3 of 22 in Remote Desktop |
| GitHub stars | 44 314 ✓ | 22 563 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +128 | +188 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 3 | 4 ✓ |
| Latest release | 3.9.4 · 12 Oct 2026 | v3.2.0 · 15 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Lua | Go |

## Which one should you pick?

Kong Gateway scores 82/100 against 78/100 for Neko, so it is the safer default.

Neko ships more often: 4 stable releases in the past year, against 3 for Kong Gateway.

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

## Details

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

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