Ledger / API client
Self-hosted alternatives to Postman
Read 2026-11-14 · 4 projects · 4 pass
We read the repository pages of 4 projects that people put forward as a replacement for Postman (API client). 4 pass all three checks: hoppscotch/hoppscotch, usebruno/bruno, Kong/insomnia, mountain-loop/yaak. Nothing failed a check on the read date.
| Project | License as read | License · Live · Active | Stars | Latest release / last push |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| hoppscotch/hoppscotchTypeScript | MIT | licliveactive | 80,802 | 2026.10.1 2026-11-05 pushed 2026-11-05 |
What it says it is Open-Source API Development Ecosystem • https://hoppscotch.io • Offline, On-Prem & Cloud • Web, Desktop & CLI • Open-Source Alternative to Postman, Insomnia Install In the repository: Dockerfile, compose file README mentions GraphQL, WebSocket, collection, offline README says The README lists SSO as an enterprise edition feature. “[^EE]: Enterprise edition feature.” README line: “SSO (Single Sign-On)[^EE]”. We did not find where the enterprise edition code lives; no ee/ or enterprise/ folder exists in the repository tree. The license check above covers this MIT repository only. If you need SSO, ask the project before relying on it. | ||||
| usebruno/brunoJavaScript | MIT | licliveactive | 48,397 | v4.3.0 2026-10-22 pushed 2026-11-12 |
What it says it is Opensource IDE For Exploring and Testing API's (lightweight alternative to Postman/Insomnia) Install In the repository: compose file README mentions collection, offline, CLI, Postman | ||||
| Kong/insomniaTypeScript | Apache-2.0 | licliveactive | 40,157 | [email protected] 2026-10-29 pushed 2026-11-14 |
What it says it is The open-source, cross-platform API client for GraphQL, REST, WebSockets, SSE and gRPC. With Cloud, Local and Git storage. Install In the repository: Dockerfile README mentions GraphQL, gRPC, WebSocket, OpenAPI, collection, CLI | ||||
| mountain-loop/yaakRust | MIT | licliveactive | 19,494 | v2026.9.1 2026-11-01 pushed 2026-11-13 |
What it says it is The most intuitive desktop API client. Organize and execute REST, GraphQL, WebSockets, Server Sent Events, and gRPC 🦬 Install In the repository: Dockerfile README mentions GraphQL, gRPC, WebSocket, OpenAPI, collection, offline, Postman README says The source is MIT licensed, but the README says the prebuilt apps are priced separately. “The prebuilt binaries follow Yaak's [pricing terms](https://yaak.app/pricing): free for personal use, license required for commercial use.” The license check above is about the source repository only. Building from source is free for commercial use per the README; downloading the ready-made app for work is not. | ||||
Checks per row: lic = one open-source license across the whole repository (a commercial option on request is allowed), live = not archived, active = a release or push within 90 days of 2026-11-14. A red x marks a failed check. Full definitions and limits: method.
How they differ
Mentioned in some READMEs and not others
- GraphQL: hoppscotch/hoppscotch, Kong/insomnia, mountain-loop/yaak
- gRPC: Kong/insomnia, mountain-loop/yaak
- WebSocket: hoppscotch/hoppscotch, Kong/insomnia, mountain-loop/yaak
- OpenAPI: Kong/insomnia, mountain-loop/yaak
- offline: hoppscotch/hoppscotch, usebruno/bruno, mountain-loop/yaak
- CLI: usebruno/bruno, Kong/insomnia
- Postman: usebruno/bruno, mountain-loop/yaak
Main language
- TypeScript: hoppscotch/hoppscotch, Kong/insomnia
- JavaScript: usebruno/bruno
- Rust: mountain-loop/yaak
Install files
- In the repository: Dockerfile, compose file: hoppscotch/hoppscotch
- In the repository: compose file: usebruno/bruno
- In the repository: Dockerfile: Kong/insomnia, mountain-loop/yaak
From each README (first part) and file tree as read; a missing mention only means the README does not use the word.
Where people asked for this
- Hoppscotch: Open source alternative to Postman / Insomnia 177 points, 126 comments
Thread titles and counts as collected 2026-11-09. The original product: Postman.