How to Find the Best API Client: Postman vs Hoppscotch vs Insomnia vs ThunderClient

As a developer, you’re no stranger to the challenges of working with APIs. Thankfully, HTTP REST API client simplify the process by enabling you to send HTTP requests to test and interact with APIs. While Postman has long been the go-to API client for many developers, lately, many developers have expressed interest in finding other alternatives. This is because Postman seems a bit complex after the addition of a lot of new features recently. 

So now developers have started asking the age-long question again: Which API client to choose?

The endless options out there might leave you in even bigger chaos and decision fatigue. So we thought we’d chip in by writing a post comparing and contrasting four popular HTTP REST API clients – Postman, Hoppscotch, Insomnia, and ThunderClient – based on their pros and cons. By the end of this post, you’ll know which REST API client fits your bill and your use case.

Postman

Most Popular, API Testing, Collaboration, Free-tier, Not Open Source, No local data option

Postman is a widely used HTTP REST API client that has evolved into a complete API lifecycle platform.

Features

• Design, test, and document APIs
• Workspaces for team collaboration
• Governance rules and API security
• Web and desktop clients available
• Extensive integrations: Jira, Slack, GitHub, etc.

Pricing

• Free Tier: Limited features
• Basic Plan: $14/user/month
• Professional Plan: $29/user/month
• Enterprise Plan: $49/user/month

Pros

• User-friendly interface
• Large community and extensive documentation
• Powerful collaboration tools

Cons

• Overwhelming for simple API testing 
• Expensive paid plans

Hoppscotch

Lightweight, Open Source, Web-only, Minimalistic, Free-tier

Hoppscotch is a simple and lightweight open-source API client accessible directly from your browser.

Features

• Support for WebSockets, MQTT, SSE, and GraphQL
• Proxy server for browser-blocked requests
• API collections for organization

Pricing

• Completely free

Pros

• Open source and free to use
• Minimalistic, intuitive interface
• No installation required

Cons

• Limited documentation and features
• Smaller community support

Insomnia

Multi-Protocol, Code Generation, Modern Design, Free and Paid Plans, CLI Support

Insomnia is a powerful API client offering robust functionality and support for modern protocols.

Features

• Multi-protocol support: REST, gRPC, GraphQL, SOAP
• Auto code generation for various languages and frameworks
• Workspaces for project organization
• CLI version for CI/CD pipelines

Pricing

• Free Tier: One project
• Pro Plan: $12/user/month
• Enterprise Plan: $45/user/month

Pros

• Intuitive interface and organized workflows
• Affordable compared to Postman
• Multi-protocol support and code generation

Cons

• Limited community support compared to Postman
• Slight learning curve for new users

ThunderClient

VS Code Extension, Lightweight, No Collaboration, Free-tier

ThunderClient is a lightweight API client built as a VS Code plugin, designed for developers who want to stay within their code editor.

Features

• Organize requests into collections
• Support for multiple development environments
• CLI version available

Pricing

• Completely free

Pros

• Seamlessly integrates with VS Code
• Minimal and easy to use
• No additional installation required

Cons

• Limited features compared to Postman and Insomnia
• No collaboration or extensive documentation

Comparison

So far, we have seen that each tool has its own strengths and weaknesses in terms of the user interface, features, pricing, ease of use, and integrations. Let’s put it all together to generate a holistic comparison between the four based on the above-mentioned factors. 

User Interface & Ease of Use

• Postman and Insomnia shine with their modern and intuitive interfaces, making them the go-to choices for teams that need powerful features. However, their extensive functionality often results in a steep learning curve. While these tools are visually appealing, they can be overwhelming for developers who only need basic API testing.
• In contrast, Hoppscotch and ThunderClient offer more minimalistic and lightweight designs. This simplicity leads to a cleaner, more intuitive user experience, especially for developers looking for an easy-to-use tool without distractions. While Postman and Insomnia may have the edge in design at first glance, Hoppscotch and ThunderClient win for their simplicity and ease of use, making them perfect for quick API testing without the clutter.

Features

• When it comes to features, Postman and Insomnia clearly lead the pack, offering an extensive set of tools suitable for enterprise teams and large-scale API management. Postman boasts support for multiple protocols, integrations with other tools, and an impressive suite of collaboration features. Insomnia, on the other hand, excels with its auto-code generation for various languages, making it a great choice for developers building APIs quickly.
• Hoppscotch and ThunderClient, while excellent lightweight tools, offer limited features in comparison. Their streamlined designs make them easy to use for basic API testing, but they fall short when it comes to advanced functionality. If you need in-depth testing, multi-protocol support, or automation, Postman and Insomnia are the obvious winners.

Documentation & Community Support 

• Postman stands out for its extensive documentation and strong community support, thanks to its large user base. The wealth of tutorials, guides, and active forums makes it easier for developers to get help when they run into issues. Insomnia also has good documentation but lags behind Postman in terms of community activity and resources.

• Hoppscotch and ThunderClient have smaller communities and less documentation, which can make troubleshooting more difficult, especially for new users or those tackling complex API issues.

Pricing & Integrations

• All four tools offer free versions, but Postman and Insomnia come with paid plans that offer more advanced features. Insomnia is notably more affordable than Postman while offering many of the same features.

• Postman is particularly strong in terms of integrations, offering connections to popular tools like Jira, Slack, and GitHub, which can streamline team workflows. Insomnia also integrates well with tools like Git and AWS but lacks the extensive integration ecosystem that Postman offers.

• Hoppscotch and ThunderClient have fewer integrations but still support essential features like OAuth 2.0 authentication and GraphQL. Postman has recently introduced support for WebSockets, gRPC, and GraphQL, giving it even more versatility.

So which API client should I use?

Before we conclude this post, we want to introduce an API Client developed by Requestly. Requestly extended its support to API Developers and added an API Client to its features list.

Earlier offerings of Requestly were an HTTP Interceptor, Mock server, and SessionBook. These offerings helped developers integrate APIs in their Web, Mobile, and Desktop apps. However, developers had to use a separate API Client tool, which resulted in the hassle of managing data in 2 tools parallelly.

Requestly’s API Client

With the new API Client in Requestly developers can manage their API Contracts within Requestly and manage their Interception rules and mocks within the same tool.

API Collections, Environment Variables, Authorization, Collection Variables, pre-scripts, post-scripts, API History, and team workspaces are some of the basic features you need to create, test, and manage APIs. Additionally, Requestly solves API overrides to create different edge cases like

• error cases, empty or extra-long responses without actually modifying the APIs
• cross-environment connection like connecting staging frontend to local APIs or vice-versa
• Insert custom code on a webpage
• add delay to a request etc.

Its pricing is also very competitive, so you can save lots of budget. API Client comes with a free first year and a 50% discount for the year ahead.

Conclusion

Let’s sum up which REST API client fits your use case best. For beginners or those who want open source, an easy-to-use interface, Hopscotch is a terrific choice. You can start using it within minutes, right from your browser. 

If you want a free tool with limited features that you can use directly within VS Code, ThunderClient is the best choice.

If collaboration is quintessential for your team and you prefer a well-organized API testing/development with tons of features, opt from Requestly, Postman, or Insomnia. Further, you can choose Requestly over Postman & Insomnia if you wish to opt for a tool that provides value with some savings. Requestly comes with great support.

So what’s it going to be? Let us know your favourite API testing tool and why.