Open source alternatives to Insomnia

4 projects on starwire do the same job. Ranked by how much of what Insomnia does each one covers, read from its README and website. Ties go to the most active.

What Insomnia does

  1. Send HTTP requests and read responsescore
  2. Saved collections of requestscore
  3. Environments and variablescore
  4. GraphQL, WebSocket and gRPC
  5. OpenAPI design and import
  6. Scripts and automated tests
  7. Git sync for collections
  8. Run collections from the command line

Each dot in the table is one job, in this order. Square dots are core jobs and count double. Full means yes, half means partly. "See the evidence" under a project shows the line behind each one. Coverage is what a project documents, not how well it works or how hard it is to move to. How we score this

ProjectCoversStarsCommits, 12 weeksLast releaseClosed vs openedSetupLicense
tigerGit-native API client with plain-text collections, offline use and built-in MCP Replaces it82%107+2
205
 3 days agoToo few Install like an app MIT
Covers all 3 core jobs. Partly: GraphQL, WebSocket and gRPC; OpenAPI design and import. Not shown: Run collections from the command line.See the evidence
  • Send HTTP requests and read responsescoreYestesting REST, GraphQL and SOAP APIs
  • Saved collections of requestscoreYescommit your collections to Git
  • Environments and variablescoreYesEnvironments and secrets with masked secret variables.
  • GraphQL, WebSocket and gRPCPartlyDedicated GraphQL body with a variables pane.
  • OpenAPI design and importPartlyOpenAPI 3 or Swagger 2
  • Scripts and automated testsYesPre-request and post-response JavaScript
  • Git sync for collectionsYesShare a collection through Git with one
  • Run collections from the command lineNot shownNeither the README nor the website mentions it.
brunoGit-friendly desktop API client, a lightweight alternative to Postman Replaces it77%48k+121
321
 23 days ago65% Install like an app MIT
Covers all 3 core jobs. Partly: Scripts and automated tests. Not shown: GraphQL, WebSocket and gRPC; OpenAPI design and import.See the evidence
  • Send HTTP requests and read responsescoreYesOpensource IDE for exploring and testing APIs.
  • Saved collections of requestscoreYesBruno stores your collections directly in a folder on your filesystem.
  • Environments and variablescoreYesRun a folder against a specific environment
  • GraphQL, WebSocket and gRPCNot shownNeither the README nor the website mentions it.
  • OpenAPI design and importNot shownNeither the README nor the website mentions it.
  • Scripts and automated testsPartlyideal for automated testing and CI/CD pipelines
  • Git sync for collectionsYesCollaborate via Git
  • Run collections from the command lineYesrun your API collections from the command line
hoppscotchOpen source API client for web, desktop and CLI, self-hostable Replaces it77%81k+48
34
 9 days ago35% Install like an app MIT
Covers all 3 core jobs. Partly: GraphQL, WebSocket and gRPC; Git sync for collections; Run collections from the command line. Not shown: OpenAPI design and import.See the evidence
  • Send HTTP requests and read responsescoreYesSend requests and get responses in real time.
  • Saved collections of requestscoreYesKeep your API requests organized with collections and folders.
  • Environments and variablescoreYesEnvironment variables allow you to store and reuse values
  • GraphQL, WebSocket and gRPCPartlyGraphQL is a query language for APIs
  • OpenAPI design and importNot shownNeither the README nor the website mentions it.
  • Scripts and automated testsYesWrite tests associated with a request
  • Git sync for collectionsPartlyExport and import as a file or GitHub gist
  • Run collections from the command linePartlyWeb, Desktop & CLI
scalarOpen-source API client and documentation tool built on OpenAPI specs Covers one part49%16k+20
788
 4 days ago100% Hosted, free plan MIT
Covers 2 of 3 core jobs. Partly: Git sync for collections; Run collections from the command line. Not shown: Saved collections of requests; GraphQL, WebSocket and gRPC; Scripts and automated tests.See the evidence
  • Send HTTP requests and read responsescoreYesComes with an API testing tool
  • Saved collections of requestscoreNot shownNeither the README nor the website mentions it.
  • Environments and variablescoreYesHas environment variables, dynamic parameters and everything
  • GraphQL, WebSocket and gRPCNot shownNeither the README nor the website mentions it.
  • OpenAPI design and importYesFirst-class OpenAPI/Swagger support
  • Scripts and automated testsNot shownNeither the README nor the website mentions it.
  • Git sync for collectionsPartlyGitHub Sync
  • Run collections from the command linePartlyScalar CLI | Command-line interface

Vital signs from GitHub, checked weekly. How we read these · How setup is read

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