Postman vs Insomnia vs Bruno vs Paw: Complete API Tools Comparison 2025

Introduction

The API testing tool landscape has evolved dramatically, with options ranging from enterprise-grade platforms to lightweight open-source alternatives. In 2025, choosing the right API testing tool means balancing features, cost, team collaboration needs, and integration capabilities. This comprehensive comparison examines the four leading API testing tools: Postman, Insomnia, Bruno, and Paw.

Overview of Each Tool

Postman

Market Position: Industry leader, enterprise-focused First Released: 2012 Pricing: Freemium (Free, Basic $12/user/month, Professional $29/user/month, Enterprise custom) Platform: Cross-platform (Windows, macOS, Linux, Web)

Postman dominates the API testing market with comprehensive features, extensive ecosystem, and enterprise-grade collaboration tools. It’s evolved from a simple Chrome extension to a full API development platform.

Insomnia

Market Position: Developer-friendly alternative First Released: 2016 Pricing: Freemium (Free, Plus $5/month, Team $8/user/month) Platform: Cross-platform (Windows, macOS, Linux)

Insomnia focuses on simplicity and developer experience, offering GraphQL-first support and a cleaner interface than Postman. Acquired by Kong in 2019, it now integrates with Kong Gateway ecosystem.

Bruno

Market Position: Open-source disruptor First Released: 2022 Pricing: Completely free (MIT license) Platform: Cross-platform (Windows, macOS, Linux)

Bruno is the newcomer that challenges the status quo with its offline-first, Git-native approach. Collections are stored as plain text files, eliminating cloud dependency and vendor lock-in.

Paw

Market Position: macOS-native premium tool First Released: 2013 Pricing: One-time purchase $49.99 or RapidAPI subscription Platform: macOS only (acquired by RapidAPI in 2019)

Paw is known for its beautiful native macOS interface and powerful dynamic value system. Now part of RapidAPI ecosystem, it bridges API testing with API marketplace.

Detailed Feature Comparison

Core Features Matrix

Collaboration Features

Postman

• Cloud workspaces with real-time sync
• Team libraries and templates
• Role-based access control (RBAC)
• Activity feed and comments
• Version history
• Fork and merge workflows
• Best for: Large teams with complex collaboration needs

Insomnia

• Cloud sync (paid tiers)
• Git sync for all versions
• Basic sharing capabilities
• Team workspaces (Team plan)
• Best for: Small to medium teams preferring Git workflows

Bruno

• Git-native collaboration
• No cloud dependency
• PR-based review process
• Plain text collections
• Best for: Developer teams already using Git heavily

Paw

• Cloud sync via RapidAPI
• Team sharing (subscription)
• iCloud sync for individuals
• Best for: Small macOS-focused teams

Pricing Breakdown

Postman

Free: 3 users, basic features, 1000 API calls/month (monitoring)
Basic ($12/user/month): Unlimited API calls, advanced features
Professional ($29/user/month): Team collaboration, integrations
Enterprise (custom): SSO, advanced security, dedicated support

Annual discount: ~25% off

Insomnia

Free: Core features, local storage
Plus ($5/month): Cloud sync, version history
Team ($8/user/month): Team workspaces, collaboration

All plans include unlimited requests

Bruno

Free: Everything, forever (open-source)
No paid tiers or limitations
Self-hosted, no cloud costs

Paw

One-time: $49.99 (legacy)
RapidAPI subscription: Included in RapidAPI plans
Free trial: 30 days

macOS only - no cross-platform

Platform and Integration Support

User Experience Comparison

Interface Design

Postman

• Feature-rich but can feel cluttered
• Learning curve for advanced features
• Customizable workspaces
• Desktop and web versions
• Rating: 7/10 (powerful but complex)

Insomnia

• Clean, minimal interface
• Dark theme by default
• Intuitive navigation
• Fast and responsive
• Rating: 9/10 (excellent UX)

Bruno

• Simple, developer-focused
• File-based mental model
• Minimal GUI, maximum control
• Fastest startup time
• Rating: 8/10 (great for devs)

Paw

• Beautiful native macOS design
• Fluid animations
• Best-in-class dynamic values UI
• Feels premium
• Rating: 10/10 (macOS only)

Performance Benchmarks

Startup Time (average on mid-range laptop):

• Postman: 3-5 seconds
• Insomnia: 2-3 seconds
• Bruno: 1-2 seconds
• Paw: 1-2 seconds

Memory Usage (idle):

• Postman: 300-500 MB
• Insomnia: 150-250 MB
• Bruno: 100-150 MB
• Paw: 100-200 MB

Request Execution Speed: All tools execute requests at similar speeds (network-bound)

Advanced Capabilities

Scripting and Automation

Postman

// Pre-request Script
const crypto = require('crypto-js');
pm.variables.set("signature", crypto.HmacSHA256(
  pm.request.body.raw,
  pm.environment.get("secret_key")
).toString());

// Test Script
pm.test("Response time < 200ms", function() {
  pm.expect(pm.response.responseTime).to.be.below(200);
});

pm.test("User has valid email", function() {
  const jsonData = pm.response.json();
  pm.expect(jsonData.email).to.match(/.+@.+\..+/);
});

Insomnia

// Pre-request
const timestamp = Date.now();
req.setHeader('X-Timestamp', timestamp);

// Post-response
const token = res.body.access_token;
bru.setEnvVar('token', token);

Bruno

// Pre-request script
bru.setVar("timestamp", Date.now());

// Post-response script
const userId = res.body.id;
bru.setEnvVar("user_id", userId);

// Tests
test("Status is 200", function() {
  expect(res.status).to.equal(200);
});

Paw

• Visual dynamic value system
• JavaScript extensions
• Powerful value transformations
• Limited scripting compared to Postman

CI/CD Integration

Postman (Newman)

# Install Newman
npm install -g newman

# Run collection
newman run collection.json -e environment.json

# Generate reports
newman run collection.json --reporters cli,json,html

# CI Integration
newman run collection.json --bail --suppress-exit-code

Insomnia (inso)

# Install inso
npm install -g insomnia-inso

# Run tests
inso run test "Test Suite" --env production

# Lint spec
inso lint spec api-spec.yaml

# Generate config
inso generate config api-spec.yaml

Bruno CLI

# Install Bruno CLI
npm install -g @usebruno/cli

# Run collection
bru run --collection ./api-tests --env production

# Run specific folder
bru run --collection ./api-tests --folder auth

# Output formats
bru run --output results.xml --format junit

Paw

• Limited CLI support
• Export to various formats
• Less suitable for CI/CD
• Focus on interactive use

Decision Matrix

Choose Postman If:

✓ Enterprise requirements (SSO, RBAC, compliance) ✓ Comprehensive features (mock servers, monitoring, documentation) ✓ Large team collaboration with cloud sync ✓ API lifecycle management beyond testing ✓ Budget allows for paid tiers ✓ Need web-based access in addition to desktop

✗ Avoid if: Budget constrained, prefer lightweight tools, Git-native workflows

Choose Insomnia If:

✓ GraphQL is primary use case ✓ Clean interface priority ✓ Medium-sized teams (5-20 people) ✓ Kong Gateway integration needed ✓ Lower cost than Postman acceptable ✓ Git sync important but want GUI

✗ Avoid if: Need advanced monitoring, extensive mock servers, largest ecosystem

Choose Bruno If:

✓ Open-source requirement ✓ Git-native workflows essential ✓ Privacy/data sovereignty critical ✓ No cloud dependency wanted ✓ Budget is $0 ✓ Collections as code philosophy

✗ Avoid if: Need GUI-heavy features, team unfamiliar with Git, require cloud sync

Choose Paw If:

✓ macOS-only environment ✓ Native app experience valued ✓ Beautiful UI important ✓ RapidAPI ecosystem user ✓ One-time purchase preferred ✓ Dynamic values heavily used

✗ Avoid if: Cross-platform needed, team on Windows/Linux, require extensive scripting

Migration Guides

From Postman to Bruno

# 1. Export Postman collection (v2.1)
# 2. Import into Bruno
# 3. Adjust environment variables
# 4. Convert scripts (pm.* → bru.*)
# 5. Commit to Git

# Script conversion example:
# Postman: pm.environment.set("token", value)
# Bruno: bru.setEnvVar("token", value)

From Postman to Insomnia

1. Export Postman collection
2. Import via Insomnia → Import → Postman
3. Recreate environments
4. Verify scripts work
5. Set up Git sync or cloud sync

Between Any Tools

Universal workflow:

1. Export to OpenAPI/Swagger spec
2. Import spec into target tool
3. Manually recreate dynamic behaviors
4. Verify all requests work
5. Train team on new tool

Real-World Use Case Scenarios

Scenario 1: Startup with 5 Developers

Best Choice: Bruno or Insomnia Free

• Budget constraints
• Git workflow already established
• Small team doesn’t need enterprise features
• Winner: Bruno (free + Git-native)

Scenario 2: Mid-Size Company (50 developers)

Best Choice: Insomnia Team or Postman Basic

• Need team collaboration
• Some budget available
• Mix of GraphQL and REST
• Winner: Insomnia Team ($8/user = $400/month)

Scenario 3: Enterprise (500+ developers)

Best Choice: Postman Enterprise

• SSO, RBAC required
• Comprehensive API lifecycle
• Budget for proper tooling
• Winner: Postman Enterprise

Scenario 4: macOS-Only Agency

Best Choice: Paw

• All developers on macOS
• Value native experience
• RapidAPI integration useful
• Winner: Paw

Scenario 5: Open-Source Project

Best Choice: Bruno

• Community contributors
• No budget
• Git-based collaboration
• Winner: Bruno (obvious choice)

Future Outlook

Postman

• Expanding API governance features
• More AI-powered capabilities
• Deeper enterprise integrations
• Trend: Moving upmarket to enterprise

Insomnia

• Tighter Kong integration
• Improved GraphQL tooling
• Potential Kong-branded version
• Trend: Kong ecosystem play

Bruno

• Growing community adoption
• Plugin ecosystem development
• Enterprise features (self-hosted)
• Trend: Challenging Postman’s dominance

Paw

• RapidAPI Hub integration
• Potential cross-platform version
• AI-powered features
• Trend: Marketplace integration

Conclusion

The “best” API testing tool depends entirely on your context. When choosing an API testing tool, consider these key factors:

• Most powerful: Postman (but expensive and complex)
• Best UX: Insomnia (clean, fast, affordable)
• Best value: Bruno (free, Git-native, growing)
• Best for macOS: Paw (beautiful, native, premium)

For most teams in 2025, the decision comes down to:

• Budget ≥ $20/user/month → Postman Professional
• Budget $5-10/user/month → Insomnia Team
• Budget $0 → Bruno
• macOS only → Paw

The trend is clear: tools like Bruno are democratizing API testing, making enterprise-grade workflows accessible to everyone. Meanwhile, established players like Postman are moving upmarket, creating opportunity for lightweight alternatives.

Try multiple tools before committing. Most teams benefit from having 2-3 options: Postman/Insomnia for comprehensive testing, Bruno for Git-based workflows, and VS Code extensions (Thunder Client/REST Client) for quick debugging. For deeper insights on building robust API tests, see our guide on API testing mastery.