Alternatives to Insomnia
Kong's API client with design and testing
Insomnia ranks #2 of 6 in API clients, with an Alt Score of 100. It is licensed under Apache-2.0, freemium from Free and available on Windows, macOS and Linux. 12 of 12 checklist rows are verified against a public source.
API developers and teams building, testing, and documenting REST, GraphQL, gRPC, or WebSocket APIs, from individual devs to enterprise teams needing governance and access controls.
A desktop API client for sending requests and organizing them into collections, with support for REST, GraphQL, gRPC, WebSocket, and Socket.io. It includes automated collection-runner testing, pre/post-request scripting, OpenAPI-based design-first workflows, and native API mocking. Team features include real-time sync, role-based access, and three-way merge conflict handling, with data stored locally, in Git, or in the cloud.
You create requests or import an OpenAPI spec, organize them into collections and environments, then run and test them manually or via the collection runner. Results and collections can be synced across a team, and the Inso CLI lets you run tests in CI/CD pipelines.
Why people leave Insomnia
Dashed reasons are sourced facts; the rest are opinions. Vendors can dispute.
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Ranked alternatives
Ordered by Alt Score. Click any score to see the breakdown.
Feature comparison
Rows come from the API clients checklist (16 rows). Human-verified cells only. ? means the value has not been verified.
| API clients checklist | Insomnia | Bruno | Yaak | Hoppscotch | Postman | HTTPie |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | ||||||
| Starts at | ||||||
| License | ||||||
| Platforms | ||||||
| Collections & environments | ||||||
| Local-first storage (no forced cloud) | ||||||
| Git-friendly formats | ||||||
| GraphQL support | ||||||
| gRPC support | ||||||
| WebSocket support | ||||||
| Scripting / pre-request hooks | ||||||
| CLI runner | ||||||
| Open source | ||||||
| Team collaboration | ||||||
| OpenAPI import | ||||||
| Offline use |
Every fact and feature listed for Insomnia is verified against its own pages. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.
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License Apache-2.0 verified 2026-07-08
License")"
Copyright 2016-2023 Kong Inc. Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Kong/insomnia/develop/LICENSE -
Pricing model Freemium verified 2026-07-08
Essentials - Free ($0/user/month)
https://insomnia.rest/pricing -
Starts at Free verified 2026-07-08
Essentials - Free ($0/user/month)
https://insomnia.rest/pricing -
Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux verified 2026-07-08
You can install Insomnia on macOS, Windows, and Ubuntu.
https://developer.konghq.com/insomnia/ -
Status active verified 2026-07-08
Latest Version: 13.0.2, Release Date: June 24, 2026
https://github.com/Kong/insomnia/releases -
Collections & environments Yes verified 2026-07-08
Collections are a way to group requests in Insomnia.
https://developer.konghq.com/insomnia/collections/ -
Local-first storage (no forced cloud) Yes verified 2026-07-08
All project files are stored on your local machine with no data sent to or stored in the cloud.
https://developer.konghq.com/insomnia/storage/ -
Git-friendly formats Yes verified 2026-07-08
Insomnia stores project resources as YAML files in your repository.
https://developer.konghq.com/insomnia/git-sync/ -
GraphQL support Yes verified 2026-07-08
Insomnia is an open-source, cross-platform API client for GraphQL, REST, WebSockets, Server-Sent Events (SSE), gRPC and any other HTTP compatible protocol.
https://github.com/Kong/insomnia/blob/develop/README.md -
gRPC support Yes verified 2026-07-08
Insomnia is an open-source, cross-platform API client for GraphQL, REST, WebSockets, Server-Sent Events (SSE), gRPC and any other HTTP compatible protocol.
https://github.com/Kong/insomnia/blob/develop/README.md -
WebSocket support Yes verified 2026-07-08
Insomnia is an open-source, cross-platform API client for GraphQL, REST, WebSockets, Server-Sent Events (SSE), gRPC and any other HTTP compatible protocol.
https://github.com/Kong/insomnia/blob/develop/README.md -
Scripting / pre-request hooks Yes verified 2026-07-08
Pre-request and after-response scripts enable users to modify requests and validate responses.
https://developer.konghq.com/insomnia/collections/ -
CLI runner Yes verified 2026-07-08
Inso CLI is a command line tool that allows you to use Insomnia features in your terminal and CI/CD environments for automation.
https://developer.konghq.com/inso-cli/ -
Open source Yes verified 2026-07-08
Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Kong/insomnia/develop/LICENSE -
Team collaboration Yes verified 2026-07-08
Role-based access control (RBAC)
https://insomnia.rest/pricing -
OpenAPI import Yes verified 2026-07-08
Insomnia JSON, Postman v2.0/v2.1, HAR, OpenAPI 3.0/3.1, Swagger, WSDL, and cURL" formats."
The system accepts
https://developer.konghq.com/insomnia/import-export/ -
Offline use Yes verified 2026-07-08
work on your projects without needing an internet connection
https://developer.konghq.com/insomnia/storage/
FAQ
Yes. Bruno, Yaak and Postman have a free tier or are fully free. Free-tier limits in the comparison table are verified and dated.
Bruno, Yaak and Hoppscotch — every license claim links its source.