Compare
OpenAPI DevTools vs Postman
Postman is a full-featured API platform for design, testing and documentation, not a live spec generator.
OpenAPI DevToolsBrowser extension that generates API specs for any app or website 
PostmanAPI platform for designing, testing and documenting APIsWhich to pick
Pick OpenAPI DevTools if you want…
- Live OpenAPI generation in the browser
- A free, open-source tool
- Integrations with Chrome DevTools (on OpenAPI DevTools' list, not Postman's)
Pick Postman if you want…
- Full-stack API lifecycle platform
- Comprehensive API lifecycle management
- Integrations with VS Code, Git or AWS (on Postman's list, not OpenAPI DevTools')
Side by side
- What it is
- OpenAPI DevTools:OpenAPI DevTools is a Chrome extension that generates OpenAPI 3.1 specs in real time from network requests.
- Postman:Postman is an API platform for designing, testing, documenting, and monitoring APIs.
- Best for
- OpenAPI DevTools:Live OpenAPI generation in the browser
- Postman:Full-stack API lifecycle platform
- Who it’s for
- OpenAPI DevTools:Web developers who need to document APIs of any site or app quickly.
- Postman:Developers and teams building, testing, and managing APIs.
- Pricing
- OpenAPI DevTools:Free
- Postman:Freemium
- Plans
- OpenAPI DevTools:—
- Postman:Free $0 · Solo $9 per month (billed annually) · Team $19 per user/month (billed annuall
- Open source
- OpenAPI DevTools:Yes
- Postman:—
- Works with
- OpenAPI DevTools:Chrome DevTools
- Postman:VS Code, Git, AWS, Postman CLI, Postman API
OpenAPI DevTools features
- Real-time spec generation. Creates an OpenAPI 3.1 specification instantly as network requests occur.
- Automatic merging. Merges new request/response headers, bodies and query parameters per endpoint automatically.
- Path-parameter assistance. Click a path parameter to merge existing and future matching requests.
- In-tool view & download. Shows the spec inside the extension and lets you download it with one click.
- Session export & sharing. Export a recording session at any time and share it with others.
Postman features
- API design & discovery. Create, version, and explore APIs with the Context Graph and API discovery tools.
- Automated testing. Generate collections, run automated tests, and perform performance testing with unlimited runners.
- Mock servers. Spin up mock servers to simulate APIs before they exist.
- API monitoring. Monitor live endpoints for uptime, drift, and performance metrics.
- CI/CD integration. Run collection and governance checks on every commit via Postman CLI and integrations.
OpenAPI DevTools vs Postman FAQ
Is OpenAPI DevTools or Postman free?+
OpenAPI DevTools is free. Postman has a free plan; paid plans start at $9/month (Solo).
Which is cheaper, OpenAPI DevTools or Postman?+
OpenAPI DevTools is free, so it costs less. Postman starts at $9/month (Solo).
Is OpenAPI DevTools or Postman open source?+
OpenAPI DevTools is open source (AndrewWalsh/openapi-devtools on GitHub). DevHunt has no public source repository on record for Postman.
Do OpenAPI DevTools and Postman integrate with the same tools?+
Their integration lists don't overlap: OpenAPI DevTools lists Chrome DevTools; Postman lists VS Code, Git, AWS, Postman CLI and 1 more.
On DevHunt
Based on each tool's website and DevHunt data. Details may change; check the official sites.