Postman
API platform for testing, mocking, documenting and sharing APIs
Postman is a aPI & developer docs tool for Developers and Small businesses, offered as freemium ($9/mo). Founded in United States in 2014. Popular alternatives include Insomnia, Speakeasy, Hoppscotch.
About Postman
Postman is an API platform that the company says is used by more than 50 million developers and 500,000 companies. It began in 2012 as Abhinav Asthana's side project in Bangalore, became a company in 2014 and is now based in San Francisco. Its core job is sending and testing HTTP requests, but it has grown into a shared workspace for designing, documenting, mocking, monitoring and publishing APIs.
Work is organized into collections of requests with scripts and tests, environments for variables and workspaces for collaboration. Postman also offers mock servers, scheduled monitors, a collection runner and CLI for CI pipelines, Spec Hub for API definitions, native Git sync, the public API Network, and AI features including Agent Mode and an MCP server that gives coding agents API context. Free is for one user, Solo raises limits for individuals, Team adds collaboration for unlimited users, and Enterprise adds governance and pooled AI credits.
Postman suits teams that want one shared place for requests, tests and docs. Its weak spots are weight and lock-in: the desktop app is heavy, most features require a cloud account, and collections use Postman's own format. Insomnia and Bruno are lighter clients that keep files in Git, while ReadMe, Stoplight and Scalar are stronger when polished public documentation is the main goal.
In 2026 Postman restructured its plans: Free is now strictly single-user, so any team of two or more needs Team at $19 per user per month billed annually. If you plan to lean on Agent Mode, check AI credits, since overages are billed per credit.
Key features of Postman
- 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
- Agent Mode AI and an MCP server for coding agents
- Public API Network to publish and discover APIs
Pros and cons
Pros
- Industry standard; many API vendors ship ready Postman collections
- Testing, mocking, docs and monitoring in a single tool
- Capable Free plan for solo developers
- Broad protocol support well beyond REST
- Large community and searchable public API Network
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
- Monitoring calls, Flows credits and AI overages add to the bill
- Feature sprawl makes the interface crowded for simple tasks
Postman pricing
Postman uses a freemium model.
| Plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 1 user; collections, mock servers, up to 5 integrations |
| Solo | $9 / mo | Billed annually; 1 user, 400 AI credits/mo |
| Team | $19 / user/mo | Billed annually; unlimited users, 400 AI credits/user |
| Enterprise | Custom | Governance, 800 pooled AI credits/user, 100 integrations |
Source: www.postman.com · checked on Oct 20, 2026
How Postman compares in API & developer docs
- Rank by votes
- #2 / 16
- Starting price
- $9
- Free alternatives
- 4
0 votes from members
76% below the category median ($38/mo)
Free or open-source tools in API & developer docs
Postman ranks #2 of 16 api & developer docs tools by community votes and is priced below most tools in the category.
Common use cases
- 1Exploring and debugging third-party APIs
- 2Automated API regression tests in CI pipelines
- 3Sharing request examples with frontend and QA teams
- 4Mocking endpoints so frontend work can start early
- 5Publishing public collections for API customers
- 6Giving AI coding agents API context through MCP
Best for
Development teams that want a shared, full-featured workspace for testing, mocking and documenting APIs.
Not ideal for
Developers who want a lightweight Git-native client or just a docs portal (Bruno, Insomnia, ReadMe, Scalar).
Integrations
- GitHub
- GitLab
- Bitbucket
- Slack
- Microsoft Teams
- Datadog
- AWS API Gateway
- VS Code
Our take
Postman is still the default API platform, and the Free plan covers solo work. Teams should budget for the Team plan from day one; if you mainly need public API docs, ReadMe or Scalar is cheaper and cleaner.
FAQ
- What is Postman?
- Postman is a API & developer docs tool: API platform for testing, mocking, documenting and sharing APIs.
- How much does Postman cost?
- Postman uses a Freemium model; paid plans start at $9 per month.
- What are the best alternatives to Postman?
- Community-listed alternatives to Postman include Insomnia, Speakeasy, Hoppscotch.
- What does Postman integrate with?
- Postman integrates with GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Datadog and more.
- Which platforms does Postman support?
- Postman is available on web, macos, windows, linux.
- Who is Postman for?
- Development teams that want a shared, full-featured workspace for testing, mocking and documenting APIs.
Alternatives to Postman
Insomnia
▲ 0Open-source API client for REST, GraphQL, gRPC and MCP from Kong
Open source · $12DevelopersSmall businessesSpeakeasy
▲ 0OpenAPI-to-SDK, Terraform and MCP generator, now an AI control plane
PaidDevelopersEnterpriseHoppscotch
▲ 0Open-source API client for REST, GraphQL and realtime testing
Open source · $8DevelopersSmall businesses
More API & developer docs tools
OrcaSMM
▲ 1Cheap, automated SMM panel: followers, likes and views with instant start
PaidFreelancersSmall businessesApidog
▲ 0All-in-one API design, testing, mocking and docs; a Postman rival
Freemium · $12DevelopersSmall businessesSwaggerHub
▲ 0SmartBear's hosted OpenAPI design, governance and docs platform
Paid · $25DevelopersEnterprise
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