What is the difference between Insomnia and Bruno?

Insomnia is best for Developers wanting a lightweight REST and GraphQL client, while Bruno is best for Developers wanting a Git-friendly API client. Insomnia starts at Free and Bruno starts at Free.

Is Insomnia or Bruno cheaper?

Insomnia starts at Free with a free tier. Bruno starts at Free and is free.

Is there a free alternative to Bruno?

Both Insomnia and Bruno offer free tiers.

Insomnia vs Bruno

Insomnia is Open-source API client for REST, GraphQL, and gRPC with environment variables and plugin support, while Bruno is Open-source API client that stores collections as files on your filesystem — Git-friendly and offline-first. Insomnia is built for developers wanting a lightweight rest and graphql client, whereas Bruno targets developers wanting a git-friendly api client.

At a glance

	Insomnia	Bruno
Best for	Developers wanting a lightweight REST and GraphQL client	Developers wanting a Git-friendly API client
Starting price	Free	Free
Free tier	✓	✓
Open source	✓	✓
Free tier available	✓	✓
Open source	✓	✓
Git-Friendly	—	✓
GraphQL	✓	—
No Cloud	—	✓
Offline-First	—	✓
Plugins	✓	—
REST	✓	—
Scripting	—	✓
gRPC	✓	—

Insomnia

Strengths

Open source and transparent
Includes REST as a core feature, purpose-built for api development workflows
Fully open-source — you can self-host, audit the code, and avoid vendor lock-in
Free for individuals — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done

Weaknesses

Free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade
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
Community support can be slower than the dedicated support teams at commercial alternatives

Try Insomnia → Full review

Bruno

Strengths

Open source and transparent
Includes Git-Friendly as a core feature, purpose-built for api development workflows
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 Bruno → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Both Insomnia and Bruno are free. You can try both without spending a dollar.

Feature gaps: Insomnia offers GraphQL, Plugins and REST that Bruno lacks. Bruno brings Git-Friendly, No Cloud and Offline-First that Insomnia does not have.

Team fit: Both tools target individuals teams, so the decision hinges on features and workflow fit rather than scale.

Open source: Both Insomnia and Bruno are open source, so self-hosting and code audits are on the table with either choice.

Where each tool shines: Insomnia's biggest strengths are: open source and transparent. includes rest as a core feature, purpose-built for api development workflows. Bruno's biggest strengths are: open source and transparent. includes git-friendly as a core feature, purpose-built for api development workflows.

Watch out for: With Insomnia, users commonly note that free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade. With Bruno, the main complaint is that may lack some advanced features.

Choose Insomnia if...

Your profile matches its sweet spot: developers wanting a lightweight rest and graphql client
You specifically need GraphQL and Plugins
You care about includes rest as a core feature, purpose-built for api development workflows
The free tier works for you: free for individuals

Choose Bruno if...

Your profile matches its sweet spot: developers wanting a git-friendly api client
You specifically need Git-Friendly and No Cloud
You care about includes git-friendly as a core feature, purpose-built for api development workflows