Best Kubernetes Ingress Controllers in 2026
Updated
In short: Airlock Microgateway is ranked #1 of 27 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of NGINX Ingress Controller and ngrok. The best-ranked option with a free plan is NGINX Ingress Controller. The lowest first paid tier on this page is ngrok at $10/mo.
Kubernetes ingress controllers govern how incoming traffic is handled on its way to services. Compare the ingress API model and deployment model, then weigh routing features such as canary routing alongside rate limiting, auth policies, TLS automation, and a web application firewall. NGINX Ingress Controller, Traefik Proxy, and Contour lead the entries, followed by HAProxy Ingress and kgateway. Free-plan availability and paid-from pricing are also listed for comparison. Consider which traffic-management and security controls suit your setup, and how the deployment and API models fit the way you work with Kubernetes.
27 Kubernetes ingress controllers ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
Recognised 40% · Phone app 26% · Documented 20% · Free plan 14% of the score
- 1 Airlock Microgateway No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.3Free Ingress API model: bothTLS automation: Yes
- 2 NGINX Ingress Controller No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.3Free Ingress API model: ingressTLS automation: YesCanary routing: Yes
- 3 ngrok No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.3$10/mo
- 4 agentgateway No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.2Free Ingress API model: bothTLS automation: YesCanary routing: Yes
- 5 Contour No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.2Free Ingress API model: bothTLS automation: YesCanary routing: Yes
- 6 Envoy Gateway No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.2Free
- 7 HAProxy Ingress No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.2Free Ingress API model: bothTLS automation: YesCanary routing: Yes
- 8 Traefik Proxy No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.2Free
- 9 Apache APISIX No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.7
- 10 kgateway No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.7 Ingress API model: bothTLS automation: YesCanary routing: Yes
- 11 LiteSpeed Ingress Controller No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.6$59.58/mo Ingress API model: bothTLS automation: YesCanary routing: Yes
- 12 N42 Gateway No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.6 Ingress API model: bothTLS automation: YesCanary routing: Yes
- 13 HAProxy Enterprise No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.4
- 14 A10 Thunder Kubernetes Connector No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.3 Ingress API model: ingress
- 15 Kong Ingress Controller No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.3 Ingress API model: bothTLS automation: Yes
- 16 Varnish Gateway No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.3 Ingress API model: gatewayTLS automation: NoCanary routing: Yes
- 17 BFE Ingress Controller No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.2 Ingress API model: ingressCanary routing: Yes
- 18 Caddy Gateway No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.2 Ingress API model: ingressTLS automation: Yes
- 19 F5 BIG-IP Container Ingress Services No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.2 Ingress API model: ingressCanary routing: Yes
- 20 Kusk Gateway No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.2 Ingress API model: ingress
- 21 OpenNJet Ingress Controller No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.2 Ingress API model: bothCanary routing: Yes
- 22 Skipper No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.2
- 23 NetScaler Ingress Controller No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.1 Ingress API model: ingressCanary routing: Yes
- 24 FortiWeb No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.0
- 25 NGINX Gateway Fabric No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.0
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which Kubernetes ingress controller is ranked first on Samsung Mobile US Press?
Airlock Microgateway is ranked #1 of 27 with a score of 6.3. NGINX Ingress Controller is second and ngrok third.
How many of these have a free plan?
8 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, ngrok has the lowest first paid tier we found: $10/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked mobile-first: a phone app alongside the web or desktop product, a free tier and the depth of its documentation. Paid placements never change a rank.