What is the difference between Hoppscotch and Thunder Client?

Hoppscotch is best for Developers wanting a fast, open-source API client, while Thunder Client is best for VS Code users wanting a lightweight API client. Hoppscotch starts at Free and Thunder Client starts at Free.

Is Hoppscotch or Thunder Client cheaper?

Hoppscotch starts at Free and is free. Thunder Client starts at Free and is free.

Is there a free alternative to Thunder Client?

Both Hoppscotch and Thunder Client offer free tiers.

Hoppscotch vs Thunder Client

Hoppscotch is Open-source API development ecosystem with real-time WebSocket testing and team collaboration, while Thunder Client is Lightweight REST API client built into VS Code with collections and environments. Hoppscotch is open source and can be self-hosted, giving you full control over your data. Hoppscotch is built for developers wanting a fast, open-source api client, whereas Thunder Client targets vs code users wanting a lightweight api client.

At a glance

	Hoppscotch	Thunder Client
Best for	Developers wanting a fast, open-source API client	VS Code users wanting a lightweight API client
Starting price	Free	Free
Free tier	✓	✓
Open source	✓	—
Free tier available	✓	✓
Open source	✓	—
CLI	—	✓
Collections	—	✓
Git Sync	—	✓
Open Source	✓	—
Real-Time	✓	—
Team Collab	✓	—
VS Code Extension	—	✓
WebSocket	✓	—

Hoppscotch

Strengths

Open source and transparent
Open-source codebase gives you full transparency and community-driven development
Fully open-source — you can self-host, audit the code, and avoid vendor lock-in
The core product is free with no paywalled essentials

Weaknesses

May lack some advanced features
Self-hosting is free but requires server maintenance and DevOps knowledge
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Ecosystem of third-party integrations is smaller than the market leaders in api development

Try Hoppscotch → Full review

Thunder Client

Strengths

Includes VS Code Extension as a core feature, purpose-built for api development workflows
Includes Collections as a core feature, purpose-built for api development workflows
The core product is free with no paywalled essentials
Includes cli alongside the core feature set — fewer separate tools needed

Weaknesses

May lack some advanced features
Some advanced features require upgrading to a paid plan
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Ecosystem of third-party integrations is smaller than the market leaders in api development

Try Thunder Client → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Both Hoppscotch and Thunder Client are free, so this decision comes down to features and philosophy rather than budget.

Feature gaps: Hoppscotch offers Open Source, Real-Time and Team Collab that Thunder Client lacks. Thunder Client brings CLI, Collections and Git Sync that Hoppscotch does not have.

Team fit: Hoppscotch is geared toward any size teams, while Thunder Client is aimed at individual users and small setups. Pick the one that matches where your team is today and where it is headed — migrating tools later is always painful.

Open source: Hoppscotch is open source, meaning you can self-host, audit the code, and avoid vendor lock-in. Thunder Client is proprietary — you are trusting the vendor with your data and uptime.

Where each tool shines: Hoppscotch's biggest strengths are: open source and transparent. open-source codebase gives you full transparency and community-driven development. Thunder Client's biggest strengths are: includes vs code extension as a core feature, purpose-built for api development workflows. includes collections as a core feature, purpose-built for api development workflows.

Watch out for: With Hoppscotch, users commonly note that may lack some advanced features. With Thunder Client, the main complaint is that may lack some advanced features.

Choose Hoppscotch if...

Your profile matches its sweet spot: developers wanting a fast, open-source api client
You need self-hosting, data sovereignty, or the ability to audit source code
You specifically need Open Source and Real-Time
You care about open-source codebase gives you full transparency and community-driven development
Your team size fits the any size profile Hoppscotch is designed for

Choose Thunder Client if...

You need a tool built for vs code users wanting a lightweight api client
You specifically need CLI and Collections
You care about includes collections as a core feature, purpose-built for api development workflows
Your team size fits the individuals profile Thunder Client is designed for