10 Best Postman Alternatives in 2024 | Free & Open Source Tools

In this article, we’ll dive deep into the top alternatives to Postman, exploring their features, advantages, and drawbacks. By the end, you'll have a solid understanding of these tools, helping you pick the best one for your API development needs.

Postman has been a cornerstone in API development for nearly a decade, revered for its ability to design, test, and document APIs. However, its once-ubiquitous reign was challenged in 2021 when it significantly changed its pricing model, eliminating unlimited user licenses in favor of per-user monthly fees. This shift prompted many developers to seek cost-effective and open-source alternatives.

Luckily, the API tooling ecosystem has grown, offering a plethora of feature-rich, often free or open-source alternatives. In this article, we'll spotlight these tools, weighing their pros and cons.

Why Are Users Moving Away from Postman?

Despite Postman's popularity, several constraints in its free plan are causing users to look for alternatives:

• API Creation Limits: The free plan restricts teams to creating only three APIs, which is a major bottleneck for projects involving multiple microservices.
• Collection Runner Runs: Limited to 25 test runs per month, which is insufficient for projects requiring regular testing, pushing users towards paid plans or alternative tools.
• API and Mock Server Calls: Caps of 1,000 API calls and 1,000 mock server calls per month can restrict projects with higher traffic or complex testing needs.
• Limited Flows: With only five flows allowed, this restricts the complexity of workflows that can be automated within Postman.
• Team Collaboration Restrictions: The free plan limits team collaboration to only three users, forcing larger teams to upgrade or look for more inclusive alternatives.

These constraints disrupt developer workflows, leading many to seek more flexible and cost-effective solutions.

10 Popular Postman Alternatives for API Testing

1. EchoAPI: Overall Best Postman Alternative

EchoAPI is an all-encompassing API development platform designed to streamline designing, documenting, debugging, testing, and collaboration. Offering a user-friendly visual dashboard, EchoAPI allows developers to create APIs with real-time debugging and dynamic data handling.

Website: EchoAPI

Sure, let's add the additional advantages to the key features of EchoAPI in English.

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Key Features:

• Visual Editing Dashboard: Simplifies API design and configuration with an intuitive interface.
• API Debugging: Real-time testing with detailed logs and error reports.
• API Testing: Supports both automated and manual tests for complex scenarios.
• API Mocking: Allows frontend and backend teams to work in parallel by simulating API responses.
• API Collaboration: Features such as Sprint Branches and Versioning aid team collaboration.
• API documents: Generate API documents quickly with one click, and easily control access permissions. Instantly modify and update documents in real-time.
• IDEA Plugin: Provides one-click API documentation and one-click debugging, streamlining the development process within the IntelliJ IDEA environment.
• VS Code Plugin: An ultra-lightweight API debugging tool specifically designed for Visual Studio Code, enhancing the development experience.
• Chrome Extension: Features one-click API capture and one-click debugging, enabling more efficient API testing directly from the browser.

Pricing: A generous free plan with extensive API tools, with affordable paid plans for more advanced features.

Pros:

• Rich feature set in the free plan.
• All-in-one tool for API development.
• Detailed and actionable test reports.
• Works offline.

Cons:

• Frequent updates may be necessary due to agile development.

Choosing EchoAPI offers an efficient, feature-rich solution for API management, making it a standout alternative to Postman.

2. NativeRest: Free Postman Alternative for Rest API

NativeRest is a lightweight REST API client that doesn’t rely on the bulky frameworks like Electron, making it fast and resource-efficient.

Website: NativeRest

Key Features:

• Native application for macOS, Windows, and Linux.
• Comprehensive HTTP requests with structured data handling.
• Built-in code generation for multiple languages.

Pricing: No free tier, but competitively priced for its high performance.

Pros:

• High performance and efficiency.
• Works offline.
• Multilingual interface.

Cons:

• No free plan.
• Smaller community support.

Choosing NativeRest means opting for high performance and efficiency, perfect for developers working with large projects and minimal resources.

3. Swagger UI: Open Source Postman Alternative with Documentation

Swagger UI offers interactive API documentation and testing, making it an excellent tool for understanding and using APIs.

Website: Swagger UI

Key Features:

• Real-time API design with Swagger Editor.
• Interactive and auto-updating documentation.
• Automatic client library generation.

Pricing: Free and open-source, with commercial options available.

Pros:

• Interactive and real-time testing.
• Cost-effective.
• Widely recognized OpenAPI Specification.

Cons:

• Limited customization options.
• Primarily a documentation tool.

Choosing Swagger UI ensures a cost-effective, powerful solution for API development and documentation that adheres to industry standards.

4. Insomnia REST Client: Popular Open Source Postman Alternative

Insomnia REST Client is celebrated for its sleek interface and powerful features for managing APIs, covering everything from testing to GraphQL support.

Website: Insomnia

Key Features:

• Comprehensive API design experience.
• GraphQL and environment variable support.
• Advanced debugging and testing tools.

Pros:

• Cross-platform compatibility.
• User-friendly interface.
• Automated code snippets for multiple languages.

Cons:

• Can encounter performance issues with large APIs.
• Advanced features may require a subscription.

Choosing Insomnia REST Client means embracing a user-friendly, powerful tool that supports both REST and GraphQL APIs efficiently.

5. Paw (Rapid API): Powerful Postman Alternative on Mac

Paw provides robust API testing for macOS with features like dynamic values and automatic validation.

Website: Paw

Key Features:

• Advanced API testing and debugging.
• Dynamic values and environment management.
• Interactive documentation generation.

Pricing: Free for personal and professional use.

Pros:

• Generates client code in multiple languages.
• Supports various authentication methods.
• Customizable workflows.

Cons:

• Only available for Mac.
• Limited support for Swagger and RAML.

Choosing Paw offers a sophisticated tool tailored for macOS users that enhances API testing and development efficiency.

6. Apigee: Comprehensive API Management Tool as Postman Alternative

Apigee provides an enterprise-grade API management platform, perfect for businesses needing robust security and scalability.

Website: Apigee

Key Features:

• Full API lifecycle management.
• Advanced security and access control.
• Real-time analytics and monitoring.

Pricing: Custom pricing based on usage and deployment needs.

Pros:

• Scalable and multi-cloud support.
• Developer-friendly tools and resources.
• Robust traffic management features.

Cons:

• Costly for smaller organizations.
• Steeper learning curve.

Choosing Apigee offers a comprehensive API management solution with strong analytics and security features, suited for large enterprises.

7. SoapUI: Alternative for REST and SOAP API Testing

SoapUI stands out for supporting functional, performance, and security testing across both REST and SOAP APIs.

Website: SoapUI

Key Features:

• Comprehensive functional testing.
• Support for complex test scenarios and mock services.
• Performance and security testing tools.

Pricing: Available in both free and commercial versions.

Pros:

• Versatile support for SOAP and REST APIs.
• Intuitive user interface.
• Integration with popular development tools.

Cons:

• Can be resource-intensive.
• Steeper learning curve for new users.

Choosing SoapUI provides robust capabilities for diverse API testing needs, ensuring seamless integration and detailed validation.

8. Runscope: Cloud-Based Postman Alternative for API Testing

Runscope offers cloud-based API testing and monitoring, with features to ensure API reliability and performance.

Website: Runscope

Key Features:

• Automated and real-time API testing.
• Detailed validation of requests and responses.
• Integrations with popular tools like Slack and PagerDuty.

Pricing: Various plans based on team size and required features.

Pros:

• Easy to use with cloud-based flexibility.
• Advanced scripting and request chaining.
• Real-time monitoring from multiple locations.

Cons:

• Initial setup complexity.
• Higher learning curve.

Choosing Runscope ensures comprehensive API testing and monitoring, crucial for maintaining API reliability and performance.

9. Boomi: Postman Alternative with Low-Code UI

Boomi simplifies data and application integration with a low-code platform, designed to streamline API management.

Website: Boomi

Key Features:

• Pre-built connectors for quick integrations.
• Visual interface for low-code development.
• Scalable and cloud-based platform.

Pricing: Custom pricing based on the organization's needs.

Pros:

• Wide range of connectors.
• Robust security features.
• Rapid development and deployment.

Cons:

• Higher cost.
• Limited customization for specific needs.

Choosing Boomi provides a powerful integration and API management solution, well-suited for organizations seeking low-code, scalable options.

10. Restlet Studio: Web-Based Postman Alternative for API Design

Restlet Studio ensures easy API design, testing, and documentation with a user-friendly web interface.

Website: Restlet Studio

Key Features:

• Real-time API design with OpenAPI Specification.
• Interactive and automatically updating documentation.
• Mock server capabilities.

Pricing: Offers free and paid plans with additional features.

Pros:

• Comprehensive features for API design and testing.
• Cloud-based, easy access from anywhere.
• Supports collaboration and teamwork.

Cons:

• Limited features in the free version.
• Pricing can be high for smaller teams.

Choosing Restlet Studio provides a web-based solution perfect for API design and management, with robust collaboration features.

Conclusion

While Postman is a popular tool, these alternatives offer various features and pricing models to suit different needs. EchoAPI stands out as a particularly robust option, ideal for comprehensive API management and development. Explore these tools and find the one that best fits your project requirements to enhance your API development process.