In every field, there is one software name that pops out any time you mention it. For image editing, that’s Photoshop. For API clients, that would be Postman. This tool is ubiquitous, which is deserved, as it helped democratizing API testing and development. It also packs a lot of features that were game-changing when it entered the scene.

However, it can be interesting to consider other options, as the tech landscape evolves so rapidly. “It’s what everyone uses” shouldn’t be your motto, instead you should focus on re-considering your workflow regularly and check out the current tools. On top of that, people have started having issues with Postman, in particular:

• Performance: Postman is built on the Electron network for cross-platform compatibility, but it comes with high memory and CPU usage.
• The freemium model becoming increasingly restrictive: features in the free tier are getting more and more limited to push you to a paid version, which is fine, but the paid version is much more expensive than other paid alternatives.
• Collaboration limits: most of Postman’s collaboration features are hidden behin the highest-paid plans and can be a bit complex when compared to tools like Figma or Google Docs.
• Complex UI: Postman’s interface can feel a bit overwhelming with a large number of tabs, settings and panels that can distract from the core task: designing and testing APIs.
• Privacy and security: with Postman cloud sync, all your API request data is stored on Postman’s servers, including potentially sensitive headers and bodies.

So, what are the alternatives?

1. Bruno

Bruno comes first in this list, as it’s the app we use at WP Expert. It’s a tool built for developpers that avoids unnecessary bloat, connects to Git out-of-the-box, and avoids cloud-syncing for security and privacy reasons. If you choose to go Pro, it’s much cheaper than Postman. They also putted up a comparison of their tool with Postman, you can check it here.

2. Hoppscotch

Hoppscotch is a fast and lightweight tool to build, test and share APIs. If comes as an open source, self-hosted version, or a cloud version. It comes packed with tons of features, such as workspaces, access-level roles, real-time collaboration, environment variables, history, and much more.

3. Thunder Client

If you work with VS Code and enjoy having everything in one place, Thunder Client might by your best option. It supports collections, environments, git collaboration and local storage, all packed into a simple to install VS Code extension.

4. HTTPie

Originally based in the terminal only, HTTPie now also comes as a standalone app with a graphical interface. You can use the app offline and without an account, accessing cool features such as previewing requests before sending them, using variable and environment parameters for your requests, or getting helped by AI features.

5. Insomnia

Insomnia is another very useful API client with a focus on API design. The free version will already be enough for freelancers and small teams, and it’s extendable, thanks to a cool plugin ecosystem.

Conclusion

As you can see from this small selection, you can get away from Postman to a cheaper or free alternative without compromising the features you can access. Do not hesitate to also test other alternatives, as this short list is far from comprehensive.