Postman vs Insomnia in 2026
Postman vs Insomnia compares the biggest API platform with Kong's open source API client. Postman's Free plan is for one user, Solo is $9 a month and Team is $19 per user a month, billed yearly. Insomnia's free Essentials plan includes local, Git Sync (up to 3 users) and cloud projects, Pro is $12 per user a month, and its code is on GitHub under Apache-2.0.
Facts and prices checked on against the sources listed below.
Quick verdict
Postman
Starts atSolo $9/mo
Pick Postman if your team wants one platform for requests, automated tests, monitors, mock servers and flows, and you will pay per user for collaboration.
Insomnia
Starts atPro $12/user/mo
Pick Insomnia if you want a lighter, open source client, free Git Sync for a small team, or projects that stay on your machine.
Postman vs Insomnia at a glance
| Feature | Postman | Insomnia |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | API platform: client, tests, monitors, mock servers, flows | Open source API client and design tool from Kong |
| Free plan | 1 user, 1,000 monitoring requests a month | Essentials: local, cloud and Git Sync projects (Git Sync up to 3 users) |
| Paid plans | Solo $9 a month; Team $19 per user a month (billed yearly) | Pro $12 per user a month (billed yearly); Enterprise $45 |
| Team use | Team: unlimited users and viewers | Pro: unlimited users and organizations |
| Mock servers | Included on every plan | 1,000 requests free, 10,000 on Pro, unlimited on Enterprise |
| Monitoring | 1,000 requests free, 10,000 on paid plans | Not on the pricing page |
| AI credits | 400 a month on Solo, 400 per user on Team | Not on the pricing page |
| Source code | Not covered on the pricing page | Apache-2.0 on GitHub, 40.1k stars |
Pricing and plans (checked Oct 2026)
Postman has four plans. Free costs nothing but is limited to 1 user with no viewers, 1,000 monitoring requests a month and 25 Automation Flows credits. Solo costs $9 a month billed yearly, for 1 user, with 10,000 monitoring requests, 400 AI credits a month and unlimited automated testing in the Collection Runner. Team costs $19 per user a month billed yearly, with unlimited users and viewers, basic role-based access and 400 AI credits per user. Enterprise is custom and adds advanced roles, private runners and pooled AI credits. Postman shows a monthly billing option but lists only yearly prices.
Insomnia, from Kong, has three plans. Essentials is free, with local projects, cloud projects and Git Sync for up to 3 users, plus 1,000 mock server requests a month. Pro costs $12 per user a month billed yearly, with unlimited users and organizations, Git Sync for everyone and 10,000 mock requests a month. Enterprise costs $45 per user a month, self-serve for up to 50 users, with unlimited mock requests and controls over where projects are stored.
Platform or client
Postman has grown into a platform: requests and collections, automated tests, monitors that run on a schedule, mock servers, performance testing in the cloud ($0.04 per virtual user hour on paid plans), Automation Flows and AI features paid with credits. If your team uses all of that, the per-user price buys a lot.
Insomnia stays closer to an API client and design tool. Its source code is in the Kong/insomnia repository under the Apache-2.0 license. Projects can stay on your machine, sync through Git or live in the cloud, and Enterprise admins can require one of those options.
Collaboration
The free plans differ most here. Postman Free is for one person; sharing with a team means Team at $19 per user. Insomnia Essentials lets up to 3 people share projects through Git Sync for free, and Pro opens it to unlimited users at $12 each.
When to pick Postman
- Your team uses monitors, mock servers, flows and automated tests together.
- You want one platform that QA and developers share.
- You have budget for per-user seats.
When to pick Insomnia
- You want an open source client with a free plan for a small team.
- You prefer projects stored locally or in Git.
- You want lower per-user prices.
For other developer APIs, see Resend vs SendGrid. If you build APIs in TypeScript, read Hono vs Express.
FAQ
Is Insomnia free?
Yes. The Essentials plan costs nothing and includes local projects, cloud projects and Git Sync for up to 3 users, plus 1,000 mock server requests a month.
Is Postman free for teams?
Not anymore for real collaboration. Postman's Free plan is for 1 user with no viewers. Teams need the Team plan at $19 per user a month, billed yearly, at the time of writing.
Is Insomnia open source?
Its code is published in the Kong/insomnia repository on GitHub under the Apache-2.0 license. Paid plans add team and admin features on top.
Which is cheaper for a team of five?
Insomnia. At the time of writing, five users on Insomnia Pro cost $60 a month and on Postman Team $95 a month, both billed yearly. A team of up to 3 can share projects through Git Sync on Insomnia's free plan.
Sources, checked October 30, 2026
Prices and plans change often. If something here is out of date, tell us through the contact page.