Insomnia

insomnia.rest
DevOps
Weekend Project

The Collaborative API Development Platform

How to Replace Insomnia

Overview

An AI-native API collaboration platform for developers to test, debug, and design any endpoint with MCP client support and AI-powered capabilities. Insomnia provides seamless local, git, or cloud workflows for API development with support for HTTP, gRPC, GraphQL, Socket.io, WSS, and SSE protocols. The platform is available as open-source with a free tier and paid plans for teams and enterprises.

Features

49 features across 11 categories

AI(2)

AI-powered CommitsAIPremium

AI-powered commit generation for version control integration

Create MCP ClientsAI

Create custom MCP (Model Context Protocol) clients for AI integration

Also in: monday.com, Notion, Airtable

API Design(5)

API Spec Editor

Edit and manage API specifications directly in Insomnia

Autogenerated Mock ServersAIPremium

AI-powered automatic generation of mock servers with natural language support

Live Preview

Preview API specifications in real-time while editing

Mock Server Requests

Generate mock API responses with 1,000 free requests per month in Essentials tier

OpenAPI Linting

Lint OpenAPI specifications to ensure compliance and best practices

API Testing(13)

Automated API Testing in CLI

Run automated API tests from the command line for CI/CD integration

GraphQL Client

Dedicated client for testing and debugging GraphQL APIs

gRPC Client

Native support for gRPC protocol testing and debugging

JavaScript API Testing

Write API tests using JavaScript for advanced testing scenarios

MCP Client SupportAI

Support for up to 3 MCP (Model Context Protocol) clients in free tier, unlimited in Pro and Enterprise

REST Client

Full-featured REST API client for testing and debugging HTTP endpoints

Scratch Pad

Quick testing environment for ad-hoc API testing without creating collections

SOAP Client

Support for SOAP API testing and debugging

Socket.IO Client

Native support for Socket.IO protocol testing

SSE Client

Server-Sent Events (SSE) protocol support for testing streaming APIs

Test Results

View and track results from API tests and test suites

Test Suites

Organize and manage multiple related API tests in test suites

WebSocket Client

WebSocket protocol support for real-time API testing

Automation(4)

After-response Scripting

Write scripts to execute after API responses for validation and processing

Collection Runner

Execute multiple API requests in sequence with unlimited collection runs

Inso CLI

Command-line interface for CI/CD automation and scripting

Pre-request Scripting

Write scripts to execute before API requests for setup and data preparation

Also in: monday.com, Notion, Airtable

Collaboration(4)

Git Sync

Synchronize API projects with Git repositories for version control and collaboration

Native Insomnia Sync

Synchronize projects using Insomnia's native cloud synchronization

Real-time CollaborationPremium

Collaborate with team members in real-time on API projects

Unlimited CollaboratorsPremium

Add unlimited team members for collaboration on projects

Also in: Notion, Airtable, Obsidian

Configuration(4)

Collection Environments

Define environment-specific variables at the collection level

Global Environments

Create global environment variables accessible across all projects

Local and Private Sub-environments

Create private sub-environments for local development and testing

Storage ControlPremium

Control where projects are stored: local-only, Git, Cloud, or any combination

Enterprise(1)

Custom Payment OptionsPremium

Flexible payment options for enterprise customers

Extensibility(1)

Plugins

Extend Insomnia functionality with plugins or build custom plugins

Also in: Labelbox, Obsidian, WordPress.com

Organization(3)

Collections

Organize API requests into logical collections for better workflow management

OrganizationsPremium

Create and manage multiple organizations for different teams or projects

Unlimited Projects

Create unlimited API projects in free tier

Security(10)

Domain Capture/LockPremium

Control and lock domains for enterprise security and compliance

End-to-end Encryption (E2EE)

Encrypt data end-to-end for secure collaboration and storage

Invite ControlPremium

Manage and control invitation rules with unlimited domain rules in Enterprise

Native Vault IntegrationsPremium

Native integrations with AWS, GCP, Hashicorp, and Azure vaults for credential management

OAuth Support

Support for OAuth authentication including Dynamic Client Registration

Role-based Access Control (RBAC)Premium

Define user roles and permissions at both organization and project levels

SCIMPremium

System for Cross-domain Identity Management for user provisioning

SOC2 CompliancePremium

Access to SOC2 compliance documentation and latest security testing results

Social SSOPremium

Single sign-on using social identity providers

SSO (SAML/OIDC)Premium

Enterprise single sign-on with SAML and OIDC support

Support(2)

Enterprise SupportPremium

Dedicated enterprise-level support from Kong team

Kong Professional ServicesPremium

Professional services to help organizations get started quickly with Insomnia

Pricing

Essentials

Free
  • Unlimited Git Sync projects for up to 3 users
  • Unlimited Cloud/Local projects for all users
  • Access to Inso CLI for CI/CD automation
  • Unlimited collection runs
  • Unlimited environments
  • 1,000 mock server requests per month
  • End-to-end encryption (E2EE)
  • Unlimited access to plugins or build your own
  • Scratch Pad
  • REST Client
  • gRPC Client
  • GraphQL Client
  • SOAP Client
  • WebSocket Client
  • Socket.IO Client
  • SSE Client
  • Collections
  • Pre-request scripting
  • After-response scripting
  • Collection environments
  • Global environments
  • Local and private sub-environments
  • Test results
  • Collection runner
  • API Spec Editor
  • Live Preview
  • OpenAPI Linting
  • Automated API Testing in CLI
  • JavaScript API Testing
  • Test Suites
  • Create MCP Clients
  • OAuth support
  • Native Insomnia sync

Pro

$12/mo or $10.20/mo (annual)
  • Everything in Essentials, plus...
  • Unlimited users
  • All users have access to Git Sync projects
  • Unlimited organizations
  • Role-based access control (RBAC)
  • 10,000 mock server requests per month
  • Real-time collaboration
  • Unlimited collaborators
  • Invite collaborators
  • Manage RBAC on Organizations
  • Organization security
  • Private Projects
  • Kong Customer Success
  • Support via Email

Enterprise

$45/mo (self-serve up to 50 users, contact sales for larger teams)
  • Everything in Pro, plus...
  • SSO (SAML/OIDC) and SCIM
  • Mandate where projects are stored (local, git, or cloud)
  • Domain capture/lock and invite control
  • Enterprise support
  • Access to SOC2 compliance and latest security testing results
  • Native vault integrations including AWS, GCP, Hashicorp, and Azure
  • Unlimited mock server requests
  • Custom payment options
  • Kong professional services
  • Social SSO
  • Enterprise RBAC
  • Enterprise Storage Control
  • Unlimited domain rules
  • Kong Professional Services
  • Enterprise Support

Cost Calculator

Keep Paying Insomnia

Monthly$12/mo
Yearly$144/yr
5-Year Total$720

Build It Yourself

Est. Build Time~4 hrs
Hosting$20/mo
DifficultyVery Easy

Total Cost Comparison

1 Year
SaaS
$144
DIY
$240
3 Years
SaaS
$432
DIY
$720
5 Years
SaaS
$720
DIY
$1.2k

DIY hosting estimate based on Vercel + Supabase free/pro tiers (~$20/mo). Build time estimated from 49 features at very easy complexity.

Build vs Buy

Should you build a Insomnia alternative or buy the subscription? Estimate based on 49 features.

Buy Insomnia

Better Value
Monthly cost$120/mo
3-year total$4,320
Time to deployDays

Build Your Own

Development cost$24,000
Maintenance$360/mo
3-year total$36,960
Dev time~2 months

Buying Insomnia saves ~$32,640 over 3 years vs building.

Estimates based on 49 features and a BuildScore of 5/5. Actual costs vary.

Integrations

4 known integrations

AWSAzureGCPHashicorp