What is the difference between Postman and Insomnia?

Postman is best for API developers wanting a complete API platform, while Insomnia is best for Developers wanting a lightweight REST and GraphQL client. Postman starts at Free and Insomnia starts at Free.

Is Postman or Insomnia cheaper?

Postman starts at Free with a free tier. Insomnia starts at Free with a free tier.

Is there a free alternative to Insomnia?

Both Postman and Insomnia offer free tiers.

Postman vs Insomnia

Postman is API development platform for designing, testing, documenting, and monitoring APIs, while Insomnia is Open-source API client for REST, GraphQL, and gRPC with environment variables and plugin support. Insomnia is open source and can be self-hosted, giving you full control over your data. Postman is built for api developers wanting a complete api platform, whereas Insomnia targets developers wanting a lightweight rest and graphql client.

At a glance

	Postman	Insomnia
Best for	API developers wanting a complete API platform	Developers wanting a lightweight REST and GraphQL client
Starting price	Free	Free
Free tier	✓	✓
Open source	—	✓
Free tier available	✓	✓
Open source	—	✓
Collections	✓	—
Docs	✓	—
GraphQL	—	✓
Mock Servers	✓	—
Monitoring	✓	—
Plugins	—	✓
REST	—	✓
gRPC	—	✓

Postman

Strengths

Includes Collections as a core feature, purpose-built for api development workflows
Includes Mock Servers as a core feature, purpose-built for api development workflows
Free for 3 users — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done
Established product with 14+ years on the market and a mature ecosystem

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
Mobile experience lags behind the desktop version in features and polish

Try Postman → Full review

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

The bottom line

Pricing: Both tools offer free tiers, so you can test each before committing. Postman's free plan: Free for 3 users. Insomnia's free plan: Free for individuals.

Feature gaps: Postman offers Collections, Docs and Mock Servers that Insomnia lacks. Insomnia brings GraphQL, Plugins and REST that Postman does not have.

Team fit: Postman is geared toward any size teams, while Insomnia 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: Insomnia is open source, meaning you can self-host, audit the code, and avoid vendor lock-in. Postman is proprietary — you are trusting the vendor with your data and uptime.

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

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

Choose Postman if...

You need a tool built for api developers wanting a complete api platform
You specifically need Collections and Docs
You care about includes mock servers as a core feature, purpose-built for api development workflows
Your team size fits the any size profile Postman is designed for
The free tier works for you: free for 3 users

Choose Insomnia if...

Your profile matches its sweet spot: developers wanting a lightweight rest and graphql client
You need self-hosting, data sovereignty, or the ability to audit source code
You specifically need GraphQL and Plugins
You care about includes rest as a core feature, purpose-built for api development workflows
Your team size fits the individuals profile Insomnia is designed for