Postman changed its plans in March 2026. The Free plan is now limited to one user and can't create a team, so a three-person team that used to collaborate for free now pays $19 per user per month on annual billing, or $23 month to month. Add the login and cloud sync Postman has required since it retired its offline Scratch Pad in 2023, and it's no surprise developers are shopping around.
We compared the API clients that come up most often when developers leave Postman, using each vendor's own pricing pages and documentation.
The short version
• Bruno: best open-source pick, keeps collections as plain files in Git
• Insomnia: the closest all-round replacement for Postman
• Hoppscotch: runs in your browser with nothing to install
• Thunder Client: lives inside VS Code and JetBrains
• HTTPie: best for the terminal
• Apidog: most generous free plan for small teams (up to 4 users)
• Yaak: fast native app with every major protocol
• Requestly: API client plus live traffic interception
Postman alternatives compared
Tool
Open source
Works offline
Free plan
Paid from
Bruno
Yes (MIT)
Yes, offline only
Yes
$6/user/mo
Insomnia
Yes (Apache 2.0)
Yes, Local Vault
Yes, Git Sync for up to 3 users
$12/user/mo
Hoppscotch
Yes (MIT)
Desktop app or self-hosted
Yes
$6/user/mo
Thunder Client
No
Yes, local files
Limited (3 collections)
$3/user/mo
HTTPie
CLI only
CLI, yes
Yes (CLI and beta app)
No public pricing
Apidog
No
Mostly cloud
Yes, up to 4 users
$9/user/mo
Yaak
Source is MIT
Yes
Personal use only
$79/year
Requestly
Partly
Yes, local workspaces
30-day trial
$10/user/mo
Prices were checked in October 2026 on each vendor's pricing page and use annual billing unless noted. Vendors change plans often, so confirm before you buy.
1. Bruno
Bruno is an open-source desktop API client that saves every request as a plain-text .bru file in a folder you choose. There's no account and no cloud sync, so your collections live in your Git repo next to your code and show up in pull requests like any other file.
Good for: developers who want API collections versioned in Git. It handles REST, GraphQL, gRPC and WebSocket, runs on Mac, Windows and Linux, and has a VS Code extension and a CLI for CI pipelines.
Watch out: importing Postman collections is free, but bringing over environments from a full Postman data export needs the paid Ultimate plan.
Pricing: free open-source edition (2 workspaces, public Git providers). Pro is $6 and Ultimate $11 per user per month.
2. Insomnia
Insomnia, owned by Kong, is the most Postman-like option here: a polished desktop app that covers REST, GraphQL, gRPC, WebSocket and server-sent events, with API design and mocking built in.
Good for: teams that want a familiar, full-featured app. You choose where data lives: a Local Vault on your machine, Git Sync, or cloud sync with optional end-to-end encryption.
Watch out: the Scratch Pad works without an account, but most features need a login. Insomnia had its own forced-login backlash in 2023, which matters if that's why you're leaving Postman.
Pricing: free Essentials plan, including Git Sync for up to 3 users. Pro is $12 and Enterprise $45 per user per month.
3. Hoppscotch
Hoppscotch started as a browser-based API client, and it's still the fastest way to send a request: open the site and go. It also has desktop apps, a CLI and browser extensions.
Good for: quick testing with nothing to install, and realtime APIs. It supports REST, GraphQL, WebSocket, server-sent events, Socket.IO and MQTT, and you can self-host the whole thing for free.
Watch out: there's no gRPC support, and calling localhost from the browser version needs the browser extension or a proxy.
Pricing: free for personal use. Business is $6 and Enterprise $11 per user per month.
4. Thunder Client
Thunder Client is a lightweight REST client that runs inside VS Code and JetBrains IDEs, so you can test an endpoint without leaving your editor.
Good for: developers who live in their IDE and mostly test REST APIs.
Watch out: the free plan caps you at 3 collections with 30 requests each and 5 imports a month, and Git sync, scripting and the CLI are paid features. For anything beyond light use, treat the free plan as a trial.
Pricing: Starter is $3, Business $7 and Enterprise $16 per user per month, billed annually.
5. HTTPie
HTTPie is best known for its command-line tool, which makes HTTP requests readable: http GET boredapi.com/api/activity instead of a wall of curl flags. There's also a web and desktop app.
Good for: developers who prefer the terminal and want requests they can paste straight into docs and scripts.
Watch out: the desktop app has been in public beta for a long time and there's no public pricing page, which makes it hard to plan a team rollout around.
Pricing: the CLI is free and open source. The web and desktop apps are free while in beta.
6. Apidog
Apidog is an all-in-one platform for API design, testing, mocking and documentation, aimed squarely at Postman teams. It covers HTTP, GraphQL, gRPC, SOAP, WebSocket and more, and imports Postman collections.
Good for: small teams that got pushed off Postman's free plan, since Apidog's free plan includes up to 4 users.
Watch out: it's proprietary and cloud-centric, with on-premises hosting only on Enterprise. Apidog also publishes much of the Postman comparison content you'll find online, so read those articles with that in mind.
Pricing: free for up to 4 users. Basic is $9, Professional $18 and Enterprise $27 per user per month.
7. Yaak
Yaak is a fast desktop client that supports REST, GraphQL, gRPC, WebSocket and server-sent events, and imports from Postman, Insomnia, OpenAPI and curl. It stores data locally, can mirror it to your file system for Git, and keeps secrets in your operating system's keychain.
Good for: individual developers who want speed and privacy without giving up protocol coverage.
Watch out: the source code is MIT-licensed, but using the prebuilt app for work requires a paid license. That catches people who assume it's free.
Pricing: free for personal use. An individual license is $79 a year or $399 for life, and Business is $149 per user per year.
8. Requestly
Requestly pairs an API client with tools for intercepting and modifying live HTTP traffic, so it's as useful for front-end debugging as for API testing. Workspaces can be stored as local files, and it imports Postman, cURL and OpenAPI.
Good for: front-end and QA teams who test APIs and also need to mock or rewrite requests in the browser.
Watch out: parts of the project are open source, but the API client itself isn't.
Pricing: a 30-day trial, then Team at $10 and Team Pro at $15 per user per month.
What about Paw (RapidAPI for Mac)?
Paw was a much-loved native Mac client. It was renamed RapidAPI for Mac in 2022, and its last update shipped in May 2023. It still runs, but we wouldn't move a team onto it today.
How to choose
• You want collections in Git and no cloud: Bruno
• You want the closest thing to Postman: Insomnia
• You're a team of 2 to 4 on a budget: Apidog's free plan, or Insomnia's free Git Sync for up to 3 users
• You never leave VS Code: Thunder Client
• You don't want to install anything: Hoppscotch
• You live in the terminal: HTTPie
How to move your collections out of Postman
Most tools on this list import Postman collections directly. In Postman, open the collection's menu, choose Export and save it in Collection v2.1 format. Then use the import option in your new client.
Export your environments separately, since they hold your variables and keys. Also check your pre-request and test scripts: they use Postman's pm.* scripting API, which other clients support to different degrees, so expect to rewrite a few.
To confirm the new client works, send a request to a free public API. For example, GET https://www.boredapi.com/api/activity returns a random activity as JSON, with no key or sign-up needed.
FAQ
Does Postman still have a free plan?
Yes, but since March 2026 it's limited to one user and can't create a team. Collaboration now starts on the Team plan at $19 per user per month, billed annually.
What's the best free Postman alternative?
For individuals, Bruno and Hoppscotch are free and open source. For small teams, Apidog's free plan covers up to 4 users, and Insomnia's free plan includes Git Sync for up to 3.
What's the best open-source Postman alternative?
Bruno, if you want an offline desktop app with collections in Git. Hoppscotch, if you want something browser-based you can self-host. Insomnia is also open source under the Apache 2.0 license.
Can I import my Postman collections?
Yes, into most of them. Bruno, Insomnia, Apidog, Yaak and Requestly all import Postman collections. Scripts that rely on Postman's pm.* API may need changes.