Updated November 2026

Best Postman alternatives

Bruno, Insomnia, Hoppscotch, Yaak, Thunder Client and Apidog compared: free plan, paid price, open source and where your collections live, from each pricing page.

The short answer · November 15, 2026

Bruno is the best Postman alternative: it is MIT-licensed, stores collections as plain files in your Git repo, and its paid plans start at $6 per user a month against Postman’s $19 Team plan. Hoppscotch (MIT, free self-host, $6 Business) is the pick for a browser-based team workspace, and Insomnia is the closest drop-in if you want Postman’s feel with free use for up to 3 users.

Best overall, collections in GitBruno
Best in the browser and for self-hostingHoppscotch
Best drop-in for Postman usersInsomnia
Best fast native desktop appYaak
Best inside VS CodeThunder Client
Best all-in-one design, test and docsApidog

Comparison

checked 2026-11-15

Tool	Best for	Free plan	Paid from	Open source
Bruno	Best overall, collections in Git	Yes, open-source edition	$6/user/mo (Pro, annual)	Yes (MIT)
Hoppscotch	Best in the browser and for self-hosting	Yes, $0 forever	$6/user/mo (Business, annual)	Yes (MIT)
Insomnia	Best drop-in for Postman users	Free for up to 3 users	$12/user/mo (Pro, annual)	Yes (Apache-2.0)
Yaak	Best fast native desktop app	Personal use only	$79/yr (Individual); $149/user/yr (Business)	Yes (MIT)
Thunder Client	Best inside VS Code	Yes, personal and commercial	$3/user/mo (Starter)	No
Apidog	Best all-in-one design, test and docs	Up to 4 users, 5 team projects	$9/user/mo (Basic)	No

1.Bruno· Best overall, collections in Git

Offline-first, Git-friendly open-source API client

Collections are plain-text files next to your code, so review and sync go through Git instead of a vendor cloud. There is no hosted workspace to share in real time; Pro ($6), Ultimate ($11) and Enterprise ($18) add the paid features.

Bruno on DevHunt →Alternatives Official pricing

2.Hoppscotch· Best in the browser and for self-hosting

Open source API development ecosystem.

Fast web app with REST, GraphQL and realtime testing, collections, environments and a runner on the free plan, and an MIT codebase you can host yourself. Team features sit in Business ($6) and Enterprise ($11).

Hoppscotch on DevHunt →Alternatives Official pricing

3.Insomnia· Best drop-in for Postman users

Open-source API client for REST, GraphQL and gRPC

Kong’s client feels the most like Postman and has a local-only Scratch Pad that never needs an account. Past three users you pay $12 a month each ($15 monthly), which is cheaper than Postman but double Bruno.

Insomnia on DevHunt →Alternatives Official pricing

4.Yaak· Best fast native desktop app

The API client for modern developers

A lightweight, MIT-licensed desktop client from the original creator of Insomnia. Free for personal use, but a license is required at work: $79 a year, $349 lifetime, or $149 per user a year for business.

Yaak on DevHunt →Alternatives Official pricing

5.Thunder Client· Best inside VS Code

Runs as a VS Code extension, so you never leave the editor to send a request. The free version covers only a subset of features; Git sync and team collaboration are in Starter ($3), Business ($7) and Enterprise ($16).

Official pricing

6.Apidog· Best all-in-one design, test and docs

Combines API design, testing, mock servers and published docs, the closest to Postman’s full platform. It is a closed cloud product, and the free plan caps you at 4 users and 7 days of change history.

Official pricing

How we picked

Every tool here is listed on DevHunt. We compared them on the points below and read each price, free plan and license on the tool's own pricing page and GitHub repository on November 15, 2026. Prices change: follow the official pricing link before you decide.

Free plan you can actually use at work
Price per user against Postman Team ($19)
Open-source license and local or Git storage
REST, GraphQL and scripting coverage

Insomnia vs Postman All API tools on DevHunt

FAQ

What is the best free alternative to Postman?+

Bruno: the open-source edition is free, MIT-licensed, and keeps collections in your Git repo. Hoppscotch is free forever in the browser and can be self-hosted, and Insomnia is free for up to 3 users.

How much does Postman cost?+

Postman has a Free plan for 1 user, Solo at $9 a month and Team at $19 per user a month (billed annually), as of November 2026. Bruno and Hoppscotch start at $6 per user and Insomnia at $12.

Is Bruno better than Postman?+

For teams that already review code in Git, yes: collections are files in the repo, it works offline and there is no forced cloud account. Postman is still stronger for hosted workspaces, monitors and API governance.

Which Postman alternatives are open source?+

Bruno (MIT), Hoppscotch (MIT), Yaak (MIT) and Insomnia (Apache-2.0). Thunder Client and Apidog are closed source.

Can I import my Postman collections?+

Bruno, Insomnia, Hoppscotch, Yaak and Apidog all import Postman collections, so moving usually starts with an export from Postman and one import.