Insomnia vs Postman
Insomnia and Postman are both API & developer docs tools aimed at developers and small businesses. Postman costs less, from $9/mo versus $12/mo for Insomnia. Both have a free plan.
Open-source API client for REST, GraphQL, gRPC and MCP from Kong
API platform for testing, mocking, documenting and sharing APIs
| Pricing | Open source · $12 | Freemium · $9 |
| Starting price | $12/mo | $9/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | 14 days | — |
| Built for | Developers, Small businesses, Enterprise | Developers, Small businesses, Enterprise |
| Platforms | macos, windows, linux | web, macos, windows, linux |
| Country | US · 2015 | US · 2014 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose Insomnia if
Developers who want a fast, local-first, open-source API client with Git-based collaboration.
- Open-source core under the Apache 2.0 license
- Local-first storage keeps sensitive requests off the cloud
- Clean, fast interface that is lighter than Postman
Look elsewhere if: Teams that need a full API platform with published docs and broad workspace collaboration (Postman, Apidog, Stoplight).
Choose Postman if
Development teams that want a shared, full-featured workspace for testing, mocking and documenting APIs.
- Industry standard; many API vendors ship ready Postman collections
- Testing, mocking, docs and monitoring in a single tool
- Capable Free plan for solo developers
Look elsewhere if: Developers who want a lightweight Git-native client or just a docs portal (Bruno, Insomnia, ReadMe, Scalar).
Insomnia vs Postman pricing
Insomnia
- Essentials$0Local, Git and cloud projects; Git Sync for up to 3 users
- Pro$12/user/mo$10 billed annually; unlimited users, RBAC, 10K mock requests
- Enterprise$45/user/moSelf-serve up to 50 users; SSO, SCIM, storage policies
Postman
- Free$01 user; collections, mock servers, up to 5 integrations
- Solo$9/moBilled annually; 1 user, 400 AI credits/mo
- Team$19/user/moBilled annually; unlimited users, 400 AI credits/user
- EnterpriseCustomGovernance, 800 pooled AI credits/user, 100 integrations
Insomnia · Key features
- Requests for REST, GraphQL, gRPC, WebSocket, SSE and Socket.IO
- MCP client for testing Model Context Protocol servers
- OpenAPI design editor with live preview and linting
- Local, Git or end-to-end encrypted cloud storage per project
- Collection runner with pre- and post-request scripts and tests
- Mock servers built from specs, responses or plain-language prompts
Cons
- Collaboration and API documentation features trail Postman
- Free Git Sync is limited to 3 users
- Past login and sync changes hurt community trust
Postman · Key features
- Collections with pre-request scripts, tests and environment variables
- Requests for REST, GraphQL, gRPC, WebSocket and MQTT APIs
- Mock servers that simulate endpoints before the backend exists
- Scheduled monitors for uptime and response checks
- Collection runner and Postman CLI for CI/CD pipelines
- Spec Hub and native Git sync for API definitions
Cons
- Free plan no longer allows team collaboration
- Heavy desktop app and a cloud account needed for most features
- Collections live in a proprietary format, not plain files in your repo
Insomnia vs Postman: FAQ
Which is cheaper, Insomnia or Postman?
Postman starts at $9/mo and Insomnia at $12/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.
Do Insomnia and Postman have a free plan?
Yes, both Insomnia and Postman have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.