Bruno vs Insomnia
Verdict: Bruno scores 9.4/10 against 9.4/10 for Insomnia on our data score for API testing tools.
Bruno is cheaper to start: paid plans from $6 vs $10 per user/month on annual billing.
Both have a free plan.
Bruno leads on 1 check and Insomnia on 0; 7 are even, out of 8 checks (yes/no, price and seats) where we have data for both.
Choose Bruno for developers who want API collections versioned in Git with no cloud account. Choose Insomnia for developers who want a local-first or Git-synced API client with CLI test runs.
Scoreboard: 8 checks
| Check | Bruno | Insomnia |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Even | Even |
| Free trial | Even | Even |
| Lower entry price (annual) | Leads | |
| Smaller seat minimum | Even | Even |
| REST API testing | Even | Even |
| GraphQL testing | Even | Even |
| API mocking | Even | Even |
| CI/CD integration | Even | Even |
| Total | 1 | 0 |
At a glance
| Bruno | Insomnia | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 9.4/10 (#4) | 9.4/10 (#5) |
| Best for | Developers who want API collections versioned in Git with no cloud account | Developers who want a local-first or Git-synced API client with CLI test runs |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Paid from (annual) | $6/user/mo | $10/user/mo |
| Paid from (monthly) | — | $12/user/mo |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of Ultimate, no credit card required | 14-day Enterprise trial, no credit card required |
| Minimum seats | 1 | 1 |
| Platforms | Desktop (Windows, macOS, Linux), CLI, IDE extension | Desktop app, Cloud sync |
Features
| Tool | Score | REST API testing | GraphQL testing | Load testing | API mocking | CI/CD integration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bruno | 9.4/10 | Yes | Yes | Not confirmed | Yes | Yes |
| Insomnia | 9.4/10 | Yes | Yes | Not confirmed | Yes | Yes |
Pros and cons
Bruno
Pros- Open-source edition is free and works without an account
- Collections are plain files that live in Git alongside code
- Paid tiers are low per-user prices and include a 14-day Ultimate trial with no credit card
- Paid plans are listed only with annual billing
- Mock server is a beta feature run locally on your machine
- SSO and SCIM are Enterprise-only; open-source edition is limited to 2 workspaces and public Git providers
Insomnia
Pros- Free Essentials plan includes unlimited collection runs and Inso CLI access for CI/CD
- Projects can be kept local, synced through Git, or stored in the cloud
- Enterprise has a self-serve 14-day trial with no credit card
- Mock server requests are capped at 1,000/month on Essentials and 10,000/month on Pro; extra is $10 per 25,000
- Git Sync on the free plan is limited to small teams (up to 3 users)
- SSO and SCIM require Enterprise at $45 per user/month
Frequently asked questions
How do Bruno and Insomnia compare on features and price?
Bruno leads on 1 check and Insomnia on 0; 7 are even, out of 8 checks (yes/no, price and seats) where we have data for both.
Is Bruno better than Insomnia?
Bruno scores 9.4/10 against 9.4/10 for Insomnia on our data score for API testing tools. Bruno is best for developers who want API collections versioned in Git with no cloud account; Insomnia is best for developers who want a local-first or Git-synced API client with CLI test runs.
Which is cheaper, Bruno or Insomnia?
Bruno is cheaper, starting at $6 vs $10 per user/month on annual billing.
Do Bruno and Insomnia have free plans?
Bruno: yes. Insomnia: yes.
See the full API Testing Tools ranking for other options.