RelayPlane vs Kong AI Gateway
Kong AI Gateway is an enterprise LLM routing layer built on top of Kong's API platform. It requires Docker or Kubernetes and targets ops teams already running Kong. RelayPlane is npm-native, local-first, and built for LLM cost intelligence. No Docker. No YAML. 30-second setup.
TL;DR
Choose RelayPlane if you want:
- npm install in 30 seconds, no Docker or Kubernetes required
- Per-request USD cost tracking stored locally in SQLite
- Per-agent cost attribution with runaway loop detection
- Dynamic cost-optimized routing by task complexity
- Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and any OpenAI-compatible tool
Kong AI Gateway may fit if you need:
- Your team already runs Kong for API gateway and wants to add LLM routing
- Enterprise-grade rate limiting, semantic caching, and AI audit logs via Kong plugins
- You have a platform engineering team to manage container infrastructure
Feature Comparison
| Feature | RelayPlane | Kong AI Gateway |
|---|---|---|
| Installation method RelayPlane is a single npm command. Kong AI Gateway requires Docker (or Kubernetes), a running container, and a declarative kong.yml configuration file before any LLM request can be routed. | npm install -g @relayplane/proxy | docker run kong/kong-gateway + YAML config |
| Setup time RelayPlane runs on localhost:4100 immediately after install. Kong requires pulling a Docker image, writing a kong.yml routes file, enabling AI plugins, and validating the configuration. | ~30 seconds | 30+ minutes (Docker, kong.yml, plugin config) |
| Docker or Kubernetes required RelayPlane needs only Node.js and npm. Kong AI Gateway is distributed as a Docker image and is commonly deployed on Kubernetes in production, requiring container orchestration infrastructure. | ||
| Primary audience RelayPlane targets developers building AI agents who want cost visibility in minutes. Kong AI Gateway is designed for enterprise platform teams that already operate Kong for API management at scale. | Individual developers and agent builders | Enterprise ops teams already running Kong |
| Configuration style RelayPlane is configured with a simple local config. Kong uses a declarative YAML file with services, routes, and plugin definitions, or the Kong Admin REST API for dynamic configuration. | CLI flags and local config file | Declarative YAML (kong.yml) or Kong Admin API |
| Per-request USD cost tracking RelayPlane computes exact USD cost per request using live pricing tables and stores results locally. Kong AI Gateway tracks requests and tokens but does not compute or attribute dollar costs per request. | ||
| Per-agent cost attribution RelayPlane fingerprints system prompts to attribute cost and usage to individual agents. Kong has no concept of AI agents or per-agent spend attribution. | ||
| Cost dashboard RelayPlane provides a local cost dashboard showing spend by model, agent, and time period. Kong AI Gateway surfaces metrics through Kong's plugin system (Prometheus, Datadog) but has no built-in LLM cost dashboard. | ||
| Smart routing / cost-optimized routing RelayPlane dynamically routes by task complexity and cost, sending simple tasks to cheaper models. Kong supports load balancing across upstreams but does not route by LLM task complexity or cost. | Static load balancing across configured upstreams | |
| Semantic caching Kong AI Gateway offers a semantic caching plugin that can return cached responses for similar queries. RelayPlane does not currently include semantic caching. | Available via Kong AI Semantic Cache plugin | |
| Rate limiting Kong has a mature, production-grade rate limiting plugin with fine-grained controls built on years of API gateway experience. RelayPlane provides basic throttling. | Basic request throttling | Advanced rate limiting with Kong Rate Limiting plugin |
| Multi-provider LLM support Both tools support multiple LLM providers. RelayPlane uses OpenAI-compatible routing across providers. Kong AI Gateway configures providers through declarative plugin definitions in kong.yml. | OpenAI, Anthropic, Cohere, Azure OpenAI | |
| AI audit logs Kong offers an AI Audit Log plugin for compliance use cases. RelayPlane stores request and cost logs locally in SQLite, accessible without additional plugin configuration. | Local SQLite request log | AI Audit Log plugin available |
| npm-native RelayPlane is a standard npm package that integrates directly into Node.js and TypeScript workflows. Kong has no npm package and is not designed for npm-based development workflows. | ||
| Local-first (no infrastructure required) RelayPlane is fully local with no server, container, or cloud dependency. Kong AI Gateway requires a running container or cloud deployment, making local developer use significantly more complex. | ||
| Open source Kong Gateway CE is open source under Apache 2.0. Some Kong AI Gateway features and plugins are available only through Kong Konnect, the enterprise SaaS platform. RelayPlane's proxy core is MIT-licensed. | Core proxy is open source (MIT) | Kong Gateway is open source; AI features may require Kong Konnect |
Why Agent Developers Choose RelayPlane
npm install in 30 seconds, no Docker or Kubernetes required
RelayPlane is npm install -g @relayplane/proxy && relayplane start. That is it. No Docker image to pull, no kong.yml to write, no plugin configuration, no Admin API calls. Kong AI Gateway requires container infrastructure before a single LLM request can be routed, making it a multi-hour setup for a developer who just wants cost visibility.
Built for developer cost intelligence, not enterprise API management
Kong is a battle-tested API gateway built for platform engineering teams managing hundreds of microservices. The AI Gateway is an add-on to that platform. RelayPlane was designed from the ground up to answer one question: how much did each AI agent cost, and how can I reduce it? Per-request USD costs, per-agent attribution, and runaway loop detection are core features, not plugins.
Dynamic cost-optimized routing, not static upstream configuration
Kong routes LLM requests to configured upstreams using load balancing rules you define in kong.yml. RelayPlane routes dynamically: simple tasks go to Haiku, complex tasks go to Opus, and the routing decision is based on live cost and complexity signals. You get cost reduction without manually tuning YAML configuration files.
Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and any OpenAI-compatible tool in seconds
RelayPlane is a drop-in localhost proxy on port 4100. Point any OpenAI-compatible tool at http://localhost:4100 and cost tracking starts immediately. Routing Claude Code or Cursor through Kong AI Gateway requires Docker, a running container, network configuration, and plugin setup that is foreign to the typical agent developer workflow.
When Kong AI Gateway is the right fit
Kong is a mature, battle-tested API gateway with years of production use across large enterprise deployments. If your organization already runs Kong for API management, adding the AI Gateway plugin to your existing infrastructure is a natural extension. You get rate limiting, load balancing, semantic caching, and audit logs in the same platform your ops team already operates.
If you are building AI agents in Node.js or TypeScript, using Claude Code or Cursor, and need to understand and control your LLM spend without standing up container infrastructure, Kong is the wrong tool for the job. Its AI Gateway is built for enterprise platform teams, not individual developers. RelayPlane is built from the ground up for the agent developer workflow: one npm command, a localhost proxy, and cost intelligence running in 30 seconds.