Insomnia

Active

Country: United States (US)
Founded: 2015
Developer: Kong Inc.
Pricing: Freemium
Open source: Yes
Platforms: macOS, Windows, Linux

Indexes

API Testing

Overview

Insomnia is a cross-platform API client for testing, debugging, and designing REST, GraphQL, gRPC, and SOAP endpoints. It supports workspaces for organizing requests, environment variables, chained requests, and export capabilities, aimed at developers handling API development and testing workflows.²⁴⁵

Key Features

Cross-platform support - Runs on Mac, Windows, and Linux for consistent API testing across operating systems.²⁴
Multiple protocol support - Handles REST, GraphQL, gRPC, and SOAP requests in a single interface.²⁴
Workspace organization - Organizes requests into workspaces and groups for structured API management.²
Query string builder - Provides tools to build and manage query parameters easily.²
Chained requests - Supports sequential request execution for complex API workflows.²
Export and sharing - Allows exporting workspaces for collaboration and sharing.²
Timeline view - Displays full request and response details including headers and timing.⁴
AI-powered capabilities - Includes AI-native features for enhanced API design and debugging.⁵

Pricing

Plan	Price	Includes
Core	Free	Open-source desktop app with core API testing features for REST, GraphQL, gRPC.
Insomnia Cloud	Freemium (paid tiers available)	Cloud workspaces, collaboration, AI tools, and team features.

Platforms & Requirements

Insomnia runs as a desktop application on macOS, Windows, and Linux with no web or mobile versions mentioned. Minimum requirements are standard for modern desktop OS; specific hardware details not specified in sources. No notable platform-specific limitations reported.²⁴

Integrations & Ecosystem

GraphQL
gRPC
SOAP
REST APIs
Git workflows
Cloud synchronization
CI/CD pipelines
MCP client support

Alternatives

App	Difference
Postman	More enterprise-focused with extensive team collaboration and automation, less emphasis on open-source desktop use.
Hoppscotch	Fully web-based and free, lighter weight but lacks advanced desktop features like full timeline views.

Reputation

Insomnia is regarded as a reliable, user-friendly open-source alternative to Postman for API testing, praised for its cross-platform support and features like chained requests and timeline views.²⁴ Users appreciate its speed and sophistication in handling REST and GraphQL. Some note it has been acquired by Kong, potentially shifting focus toward cloud features.⁷

Sources (8)