Insomnia is a REST API Client and Design tool.  Insomnia Inso is a command-line tool for enabling automated testing and API management.  Functional API testing is a main component.  Some people don’t like how much ram or disk space it uses.  Let’s review some top Insomnia API Client alternatives in these categories:

1. Installation Type and User Interface – Do you need to install something on your computer?  Is there an option to use the API Client online?
2. Performance – when looking for an API Client, you want to find one which doesn’t slow down your APIs.  In other words, if you have to wait for a response it should be due to the API and not the client.
3. Documentation – is it easy to find answers when you are learning to use the API Client?
4. Pricing – is the pricing straightforward or confusing?  How many factors determine the price?

Related: Postman vs Insomnia vs Paw

For the purposes of this article, we will review the following API Clients:

• RapidAPI Client (by Paw)
• Postman
• Hoppscotch
• Advanced REST Client (ARC)
• APIRequest.io
• RESTer
• Reqbin
• RESTninja

The specific Application Programming Interface (API) we will test with is the Skyscanner Flight Search.  In order to simplify the process we will use the following REST API call to get low-cost airplane tickets between New York and San Francisco:

GET https://skyscanner-skyscanner-flight-search-v1.p.rapidapi.com/apiservices/browsequotes/v1.0/US/USD/en-US/SFO-sky/JFK-sky/anytime?inboundpartialdate=anytime HTTP/1.1
X-Rapidapi-Host: skyscanner-skyscanner-flight-search-v1.p.rapidapi.com
X-Rapidapi-Key: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Host: skyscanner-skyscanner-flight-search-v1.p.rapidapi.com

Top Insomnia API Client Alternatives

1. RapidAPI Client

RapidAPI has an API Client developed by Paw.  It is an effective alternative to Insomnia.

Installation Type and User Interface

You can test and explore API interactions with the RapidAPI Client in a browser.  The test API even has a built in interface at https://rapidapi.com/skyscanner/api/skyscanner-flight-search/.  Here is what the UI looks like:

Performance

This is what the performance looked like using RapidAPI in Chrome.  For this API request the majority of time was spent by the API, not the client:

Documentation

The documentation for RapidAPI Client is organized into major topics with a global search at the top.  It is an intuitive interface that is easy to navigate.

Pricing

The pricing for RapidAPI Client is very simple and easy to understand.  For one person it is a one-time low price with all API management features included:

2. Postman

Postman is a complex application including an API platform.  The API Client is one of its features, enabling functional tests.

Installation Type and User Interface

Postman let me create a Workspace and add a collection and even browse public APIs in a browser.  In order to use an available public API I had to fork the example public APIs.  Then there is a subtle “new” button next to the “My Workspace” header which allowed me to add an API and send requests to it.  This behaved very similar to the RapidAPI Client.  There are many additional features available.  Most have extra fees.

Performance

Again, most of the time spent in the API call from the Postman Client was by the API itself:

Documentation

Postman has a learning center that has extensive documentation for the many features available and being developed.  The “Getting Started” section of the left navigation is auto-expanded and I’m not able to collapse it.  But if you scroll down or use the search bar you can view other topics.

Pricing

The pricing page for Postman is intimidating with its complexity.  They even have an FAQ section for pricing because it is so complicated.

3. Hoppscotch

Hoppscotch began as a personal project which has blossomed into a popular open-source offering.

Installation Type and User Interface

With Hoppscotch the API Client is in a browser so there is no installation needed.  Also, since the API Client is all you get with Hoppscotch you don’t need to search their website to find it.

Performance

Hoppscotch is very fast, likely due to its strict focus on being an API Client.

Documentation

For such a streamlined product I am surprised at how robust the Hoppscotch documentation is.  It is well organized and managed through GitHub with 3 active contributors.

Pricing

Hoppscotch is an open-source project funded by donations.  It is free to use.

4. Advanced Rest Client (ARC)

Advanced Rest Client (ARC) is a Chrome extension that is supposedly deprecated by Google.  However, since that is just a note in the overview I installed the extension anyway.  I think Mulesoft wants to get people to use the downloadable application since the Chrome extension has a different developer’s contact info in the UK.  It takes some work to see anything else before installing it on the official website.  It uses Electron, which is also common to Postman and Insomnia.  Electron is developed by Github and makes it easy to develop cross-platform desktop applications in mac, Linux, and pc using standard web languages (HTML, javascript, CSS).

Installation Type and User Interface

Installing a Chrome extension works great, in spite of the deprecation notice in the overview.  When I use it though, a new window appears outside of the browser.  That means the browser tools are not accessible, however, there is a “Details” section that shows network activity.

Performance

ARC API call timings are listed below for the Skyscanner API:

Documentation

The documentation on the overview page for ARC is detailed for a Chrome extension.  On the ARC website the features are listed more like a sales pitch instead of documentation.

Pricing

The Chrome extension is free.  The application install says it is free.  But it may use other paid applications in Anypoint Exchange to add features.  Paying for features separately is common with Mulesoft applications (just like Postman).

5. APIRequest.io

APIRequest.io is an online API client.

Installation Type and User Interface

You do not need to install anything.  Just set your parameters and make your API call.

Performance

The performance is as fast as possible because the request is made from your browser directly to your API:

Documentation

There is an FAQ section below the UI but the title tag of the page says it all:

APIRequests.io Make HTTP requests and share

Pricing

APIRequests.io is a free tool.  The author has related paid products on their site.

6. RESTer

RESTer is a Chrome extension with some API Client features like authentication methods and environments.

Installation Type and User Interface

RESTer is a Chrome extension.  That means you can use it with a browser.  You do need to install an extension.  But it is within Chrome so you don’t need a whole new application on your computer.

Performance

The performance of RESTer is very fast within the Chrome browser.  The sole purpose of RESTer is to enable HTTP requests so it is very focused:

Documentation

The documentation for RESTer is less than a page of text on it’s Chrome extension overview page.  But it is fairly intuitive so I’m not missing anything.

Pricing

RESTer is free.

7. Reqbin

Reqbin is an online REST & SOAP API Testing Tool.

Installation Type and User Interface

Since this is an online service, there is no installation needed.  The UI is intuitive and all on one page.

Performance

The performance is in line with the other tools reviewed:

Documentation

The documentation for Reqbin is above the tool on the same page.  Each one of the navigation links below goes to a different URL on the site.  Each page has the same UI but different example inputs and descriptions at the top:

Pricing

Reqbin is free to use.   There is a premium product for API debugging that is referenced and linked from the tool.

8. REST ninja

REST ninja is an online REST client and HTTP requests playground.

Installation Type and User Interface

REST ninja is an online tool that you do not install.  The UI takes up the whole window.  That makes you feel like you are using an application and not just a website.

Performance

The performance is in line with the other tools:

Documentation

The documentation is very light.  All I could find was a description with some key points.  But since it is easy to use I don’t need any more instruction than that.

Pricing

REST ninja is free to use.  There are no advertisements or premium products to be found.  There is also no author info.  I don’t know who is sponsoring it.

Summary: RapidAPI vs Postman vs Hoppscotch vs Advanced REST Client vs APIRequest.io vs RESTer vs REST Ninja

FAQ