Compare
Insomnia vs SearXNG
Insomnia is an API client for testing endpoints, not a search engine.
InsomniaOpen-source API client for REST, GraphQL and gRPCWhich to pick
Pick Insomnia if you want…
- Collaborative AI-native API testing
- API testing and debugging
- Integrations with Kong Konnect, OIDC or SAML (on Insomnia's list, not SearXNG's)
Pick SearXNG if you want…
- Self-hosted private web search
- A free, open-source tool
- Integrations with Tor or Administration API (on SearXNG's list, not Insomnia's)
Side by side
- What it is
- Insomnia:Insomnia is an open-source API client for designing, testing, debugging and mocking REST, GraphQL, gRPC, SOAP and WebSocket APIs.
- SearXNG:SearXNG is a self-hosted metasearch engine that aggregates results without tracking users.
- Best for
- Insomnia:Collaborative AI-native API testing
- SearXNG:Self-hosted private web search
- Who it’s for
- Insomnia:API developers, security-focused teams, and organizations needing collaborative API workflows.
- SearXNG:Developers and privacy-conscious users who want a searchable web without profiling.
- Pricing
- Insomnia:Freemium
- SearXNG:Open source
- Open source
- Insomnia:Yes, 40,038 GitHub stars
- SearXNG:Yes, 38,081 GitHub stars
- Works with
- Insomnia:Kong Konnect, OIDC, SAML, SCIM, Inso CLI
- SearXNG:Tor, Administration API
Insomnia features
- Design-first API editor. Create and preview OpenAPI specs in real time with live linting.
- Native API mocking. Generate dynamic mock responses from collections, specs or plain language.
- Automated testing at scale. Run unlimited collection tests with pre/post scripts and CI/CD integration via Inso CLI.
- Kong Konnect integration. Sync API catalog directly with Kong Konnect for up-to-date endpoint discovery.
- Collaboration & RBAC. Real-time project sharing, role-based access controls and unlimited collaborators per project.
- Flexible storage options. Store data locally, in Git, in the cloud, or hybrid with end-to-end encryption.
- Enterprise identity & security. SSO via OIDC/SAML, SCIM provisioning, SOC 2 compliance and enterprise SLAs.
- MCP client support. Test and debug MCP servers with AI-powered workflows.
SearXNG features
- Meta-search aggregation. Combines results from up to 261 search services into a single query.
- No tracking or profiling. Never stores user queries or personal data.
- Tor support. Can be accessed over Tor for added anonymity.
- Self-hosting. Installable via scripts, containers, or package managers on your own server.
- Plugin system. Extend functionality with custom plugins and answerers.
- Administration API. Manage settings and instances programmatically.
Insomnia vs SearXNG FAQ
Is Insomnia or SearXNG free?+
Insomnia has a free plan and paid plans. SearXNG is free and open source.
Is Insomnia or SearXNG open source?+
Yes, both are open source: Insomnia (Kong/insomnia on GitHub, Apache-2.0 license) and SearXNG (searxng/searxng on GitHub, AGPL-3.0 license).
Do Insomnia and SearXNG integrate with the same tools?+
Their integration lists don't overlap: Insomnia lists Kong Konnect, OIDC, SAML, SCIM and 1 more; SearXNG lists Tor and Administration API.
On DevHunt
Based on each tool's website and DevHunt data. Details may change; check the official sites.