Best Postman alternative options developers actually enjoy using

Postman has been a staple in modern API development for years. For many teams, it was the first tool they opened after spinning up a backend. It made API testing approachable, collections shareable, and workflows more structured.

But as Postman has grown, so has its weight, not just in megabytes, but in friction. Forced account creation, slow performance, telemetry, and cloud lock-in have pushed many developers to ask a simple question:

Do we still need Postman for this?

The answer, increasingly, is no.

A wave of modern API tools has emerged that are faster, leaner, and designed with developer workflows in mind. Some live in your terminal, others inside your editor, and a few still offer a polished GUI without getting in your way. What they all share is a respect for developer autonomy: your data stays with you, your requests are portable, and your workflow is faster.

This isn't a list of random alternatives. It's a look at the tools developers are genuinely adopting to replace Postman in production teams, open source projects, and day-to-day backend work.

Bruno - A familiar UI without the bloat

When developers talk about modern replacements for Postman, Bruno almost always comes up first. That's because it doesn't try to reinvent the workflow. It just removes everything that got in the way. Bruno gives you the familiar tabbed interface and collections structure of Postman but backs it with local plain text files stored directly in your project.

That small design choice is what makes Bruno powerful. You can version control your API requests, review changes in pull requests, and keep your tools as close to your code as your tests. You're not locked into a vendor's cloud or dealing with account gates to sync requests between teammates. It's just files.

Despite being lightweight, Bruno supports modern protocols like REST, GraphQL, and recently also WebSocket and gRPC. Teams that migrate rarely look back. The transition feels more like removing friction than learning something new.

Yaak - Minimalism done right

If Bruno represents familiarity, Yaak represents restraint. Built by the original creator of Insomnia, Yaak is what happens when you strip an API client down to its essentials and focus on speed, privacy, and polish.

The UI is clean, the app launches fast, and there's zero telemetry. For teams that don't want their API traffic passing through a third-party cloud or their workflow gated by logins, Yaak offers a straightforward desktop experience. It's early in its journey compared to some of the others here, but that's part of its charm: it feels fast and focused, not overloaded with features you'll never touch.

For many developers, Yaak has quietly replaced Postman as their daily driver, not because it's louder, but because it gets out of the way.

HTTPie - When the CLI isn't a compromise

For teams that spend their days in the terminal, HTTPie is an obvious choice. It started as a friendlier alternative to curl, turning unreadable flags and output into a clean, structured command-line experience. Over time, it evolved to include a polished desktop app too, making it a tool that comfortably serves both power users and those who prefer a GUI.

The key to HTTPie's appeal is that it doesn't force you to choose between speed and structure. You can start by running quick requests in the terminal, then open them in the GUI if you want to save, organize, or iterate on them further. There's no account requirement, no sync dependency, and everything works offline.

This makes HTTPie ideal for developers who don't want another full-blown Electron app, just a simple way to send requests and move on.

Hoppscotch - APIs in the browser

Hoppscotch, formerly Postwoman (at least until Postman didn't like that), takes a different approach. Instead of installing a desktop client at all, it runs entirely in the browser. That alone makes it perfect for quick API exploration or lightweight testing sessions, especially if you're jumping between projects or onboarding new contributors.

Hoppscotch is open source and is one of the most popular projects on GitHub with over 75K stars. You can self-host it if your team wants more control. And because it's browser-based, it works anywhere, from a laptop, a tablet, or even inside an internal developer portal. It's not trying to be a heavyweight testing suite, but for everyday REST and GraphQL calls, it's remarkably capable.

For a lot of smaller teams and open source maintainers, Hoppscotch replaces Postman not with “more,” but with “enough.”

Keeping requests where they belong - .http files

Sometimes, the best alternative isn't a separate app at all. Both JetBrains IDEs and VS Code have built-in support for .http files: simple, human-readable files that describe your API requests and can be executed right inside the editor.

This approach changes the way teams work with APIs. Instead of having an external collection that lives in a tool, your API requests live in the same repository as your application code. Developers can review them in pull requests, keep them versioned in Git, and even run them in CI/CD pipelines. No syncing, no exporting, no juggling separate tools.

For many backend teams, this is a natural evolution. Instead of a visual client, your API requests become part of your development workflow, just like tests, docs, or config.

Hurl - When your requests are also tests

For teams that want API tests to be fast, readable, and CI-friendly, Hurl is a compelling alternative. Hurl is a command-line tool that lets you describe HTTP requests and assertions in plain text. It's essentially a more structured, testable version of curl.

Because Hurl outputs results in formats like JUnit and TAP, it plugs seamlessly into pipelines. You can turn critical API checks into lightweight tests that run on every deploy, without pulling in a heavy testing framework. This isn't just a Postman alternative, it's a different way of thinking about API workflows entirely.

Thunder Client - Postman without leaving VS Code or Cursor

Thunder Client is a smart choice for teams who still want a visual interface but don't want another standalone app. It's a lightweight Postman-style client that runs entirely inside VS Code.

The interface is familiar, but because it lives in the editor, switching context is minimal. Collections can live in your workspace, and you don't need to deal with syncing or separate storage. For many developers, this is the perfect middle ground between a full-blown API client and an editor-native workflow.

Insomnia - A mature, extensible option

Finally, there's Insomnia. While many developers moved away from Postman because of cloud dependency, Insomnia remains a solid, mature alternative with strong scripting capabilities, environment management, and plugin support. It feels leaner than Postman and supports advanced use cases without feeling overloaded.

For teams that need a GUI client with more power under the hood and are okay with a desktop app, Insomnia remains one of the most capable options out there.

Feature comparison at a glance

A single wide table doesn't always translate well in blog layouts, especially on mobile.

Instead, here's a more readable block-style comparison grouped by the traits that matter most to developers: openness, workflow fit, and protocol coverage.

Openness and control

Postman's offline support depends on plan and feature availability.

Workflow integration

This makes it easier to see where each tool fits in your development stack.

For example:

• Teams working heavily in Git will likely lean towards Bruno, .http files, or Hurl.
• If you prefer staying inside your IDE, .http files or Thunder Client are great options.
• CLI-first users will be at home with HTTPie or Hurl.

Protocol coverage

Choosing the right alternative

There's no single “best” Postman replacement, because not every team works the same way.

If your workflow revolves around Git and local-first tooling, Bruno and .http files offer simplicity and control.

If you want privacy and speed with minimal overhead, Yaak or HTTPie will feel like a breath of fresh air.

If you value portability and low friction, Hoppscotch is excellent.

And if testing and automation matter as much as exploration, Hurl is hard to beat.

The important shift is this: your API client shouldn't own your workflow. It should fit into it.

Making the switch

Moving away from Postman doesn't have to be painful. Most of these tools can import Postman collections, so your existing requests don't have to be rebuilt from scratch. Once they're in, you can start reorganizing them around your team's actual development process - whether that means committing them to Git, wiring them into CI, or simply keeping them local and lightweight.

The biggest gain isn't just performance or privacy. It's control. You decide how your team works with APIs, not a vendor's cloud.

Final thoughts

Postman earned its place in modern development. But the ecosystem has evolved, and developers now have real choices, tools that are faster, leaner, and better aligned with how modern teams actually build software.

Whether that means going fully CLI-first with HTTPie or Hurl, keeping requests next to your code with .http files, or moving to a local-first GUI like Bruno or Yaak, the key is to choose a tool that disappears into the background. One that lets you focus on building, not managing your tools.

That's where the best developer tools live: quietly, inside your workflow.

More resources

• 7 reasons to not think twice before migrating from Vercel to Appwrite Sites
• Why developers are leaving Next.js for TanStack Start, and loving it
• Comparing the best vibe coding tools