Insomnia
FreemiumKong's open-source API client for designing, debugging, and testing REST, GraphQL, and gRPC APIs with a lightweight local-first workflow.
✨ Key Features
Clean interface for REST requests
GraphQL queries with autocomplete
gRPC and WebSocket support
Local-first storage with Git sync
Environments and scriptable workflows
Pros
- Lighter and simpler than Postman
- Design-first API development support
- Free individual plan covers basics
Cons
- Newer versions push cloud accounts
- Smaller ecosystem of integrations
📝 About Insomnia
Insomnia is the API client developers switch to when Postman starts feeling bloated. Now owned by Kong and repositioned as an AI-native API collaboration platform, it still centers on a fast, clean interface for crafting REST, GraphQL, and gRPC requests, with local-first storage that keeps your collections in plain files you can commit to Git.
Recent releases lean into the moment. With Postman dropping free team collaboration in early 2026, Insomnia shipped migration guides and tooling specifically to welcome refugees, and AI features now help generate requests, mocks, and tests directly in the app.
Some friction exists: the newest beta versions require login for cloud collections, which sits uneasily with its open-source roots, and the plugin ecosystem trails its bigger rival. Still, for individual developers and small teams wanting a focused, keyboard-friendly API client, Insomnia in 2026 is the strongest mainstream answer.
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