Best Insomnia alternatives (2026)
Last updated: September 2026
If you are looking for an Insomnia alternative, you probably want the same fast desktop client without an account wall and without wondering whether the storage model will change under you again. This page covers six options, starting with Scalar's open-source client, and it is honest about the fact that Insomnia today is in better shape than it was in 2023.
This page is written by Scalar, so read it with that in mind. Every claim about Insomnia and the other tools links to the vendor's own site, documentation, blog or GitHub, checked on September 26, 2026.
Why people leave Insomnia
Most people searching for this are reacting to one event, so it is worth getting the details right.
The Insomnia 8.0 account change (September 2023)
Insomnia 8.0 changed how data was stored. In the GitHub discussion opened on September 27, 2023, users reported updating the app and finding a login screen where their projects used to be. A Kong maintainer explained that 8.x supported local-only storage without an account only in the Scratch Pad, "which is limited to one collection", and that cloud data was end-to-end encrypted. For many users, the problem was not encryption. It was that an upgrade had moved their existing work behind an account they never asked for. Issues such as "Cloud syncs are forbidden. Insomnia just removed that ability" show why: some employers do not allow API data in any third-party cloud.
Kong responded quickly. On October 3, 2023 it announced that local-only projects would return in 8.3 as Local Vault, while noting "you will need an account with Local Vault, or you can keep using Scratch Pad locally without having an account."
Where Insomnia stands in 2026
Here is the current picture, from Kong's own docs and pricing:
| Insomnia today | |
|---|---|
| Without an account | Scratch Pad, stored locally |
| With a free account | Local Vault (100% local), Cloud Sync (optionally end-to-end encrypted), Git Sync |
| Free collaboration | Cloud for unlimited users; Git Sync for up to 3 users |
| Paid plans | Pro $12, Enterprise $45 per user per month |
| License | Apache-2.0 |
| Recent additions | Vault integrations, per-project Git sync and multi-tabs in Insomnia 11; an MCP client and AI mock generation in Insomnia 12 |
So the remaining reasons people leave are narrower than in 2023:
- An account is still required for anything beyond the Scratch Pad, including fully local Local Vault projects.
- Trust. Some teams decided in 2023 that they did not want their client's storage model controlled by a vendor, and nothing since has changed that decision for them.
- Scope. Insomnia has grown toward Kong's platform, with Konnect integration and AI features. Some users just want a request client.
- OpenAPI drift. Insomnia can design and import OpenAPI, but collections and the spec are separate things you keep in step.
Insomnia alternatives at a glance
| Tool | License | Account needed | Where your work lives | OpenAPI role | Protocols today | Paid from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scalar | MIT | No | On your machine | The collection format | HTTP (gRPC, GraphQL, WebSocket, SOAP coming soon) | Client free on every plan (pricing) |
| Bruno | MIT | No | Plain-text files in your repo | Import and sync | REST, GraphQL, gRPC, WebSocket | $6/user/month, annual |
| Yaak | MIT | No | On your device, mirrorable to files | Import | REST, GraphQL, WebSockets, SSE, gRPC | $79/year for work use |
| Hoppscotch | MIT | For workspaces | Hoppscotch cloud or self-hosted | Import | REST, GraphQL, WebSocket, SSE, Socket.IO, MQTT | $6/user/month, annual |
| Postman | Closed source | For collections | Postman cloud, or Git on desktop | Import | HTTP, GraphQL, gRPC, WebSocket, MQTT, MCP | $9/month Solo |
| VS Code REST Client | MIT | No | .http files in your repo |
None | HTTP, GraphQL | Free |
The options, one by one
1. Scalar: no account, OpenAPI at the centre
Verdict: the best fit if the 2023 change taught you to prefer tools that never need an account, and your API has an OpenAPI document.
The Scalar API Client is MIT licensed and offline-first. It runs on macOS, Windows and Linux, or in the browser at client.scalar.com, and the full client works without signing in. There is no Scratch Pad tier and no local mode that needs a login: your workspace is simply on your machine.
Where Scalar differs most from Insomnia is how it treats OpenAPI. In Insomnia, a design document and a collection sit side by side. In Scalar, the OpenAPI document is the collection. Import a file or URL and operations, security schemes, servers and examples all come with it. Keep the document on disk and the client can watch it for changes, so the requests follow the API rather than drifting away from it. Export gives you OpenAPI back.
You also get environments with local, environment, collection and global scopes, pre-request scripts and tests using the Postman-compatible pm API, a collection runner, and code snippets for 40+ HTTP clients. The same client powers the Test Request button in every Scalar API reference.
Where Insomnia is ahead: it handles GraphQL, gRPC, WebSockets and SSE today, and Scalar lists those as "Coming Soon" on the pricing page. Insomnia also has cloud and Git collaboration now; Scalar has no cloud sync yet. Scalar does not import Insomnia exports directly. Its importer takes OpenAPI, Swagger 2.0, Postman Collections and cURL, so the smoothest path is an OpenAPI document for your API, or exporting from Insomnia in a format Scalar reads.
Best for: REST API teams who want an account-free client driven by their OpenAPI document.
2. Bruno: the Git-first answer
Verdict: the tool many people moved to in 2023, and still the clearest "your files, your repo" option.
Bruno's README states that it is "offline-only. There are no plans to add cloud-sync to Bruno, ever." Collections are plain-text files that live next to your code, it needs no account, and it covers REST, GraphQL, gRPC and WebSocket, with a CLI for running collections in CI. Some team features, such as the Git UI and unlimited OpenAPI syncs, are paid. See Bruno alternatives for an honest comparison with Scalar.
Best for: teams who want requests reviewed in pull requests and a hard promise of no cloud.
3. Yaak: Insomnia's original author, starting again
Verdict: the closest in spirit to early Insomnia.
Yaak is built by Gregory Schier, who built Insomnia before it was acquired and wrote in 2024 that it had "drifted in a direction that I no longer agree with." Yaak is MIT licensed, local-first, supports REST, GraphQL, WebSockets, SSE and gRPC, imports Insomnia, Postman and OpenAPI collections, and can mirror workspaces to your filesystem for Git. It is free for personal use; work use needs a licence at $79 per year, or $149 per user per year for businesses.
Best for: developers who liked Insomnia's feel and are happy to pay a small licence for it.
4. Hoppscotch: open source, in the browser
Verdict: a good pick if you want your team's client on your own servers.
Hoppscotch is MIT licensed, runs in the browser with a desktop app and CLI, and can be self-hosted as a Community Edition. It imports Insomnia collections and environments, though Hoppscotch notes scripts, tests and advanced auth are not carried over. See Hoppscotch alternatives.
Best for: teams that want a shared, self-hosted client.
5. Postman: if you are leaving for more platform, not less
Verdict: only makes sense if you want monitors, mocks and a large ecosystem.
Postman covers the most protocols and has the biggest ecosystem. It is also the tool many Insomnia users left in the first place: collections need an account, and since March 2026 the Free plan is limited to one user. See Postman alternatives.
Best for: larger teams that want a full platform and budget per seat.
6. VS Code REST Client: no app at all
Verdict: the minimal option.
The REST Client extension for VS Code is MIT licensed and sends requests written in plain .http files in your editor. No account, no separate app, and the files go in Git with your code. You give up a visual client, environments UI and test runner.
Best for: developers who want requests in their editor and nothing else.
When to stay on Insomnia
Insomnia is a capable client, and for some teams it is the right one in 2026.
- You need GraphQL, gRPC, WebSockets or SSE in one app. Insomnia covers all of them. Scalar does not yet.
- You want free cloud collaboration for a whole team. Kong says Insomnia Cloud is free for unlimited users. No open-source client on this list offers hosted team sync for free.
- You test MCP servers. Insomnia 12 added a native MCP client.
- You run Kong. Integration with Kong Gateway and Konnect is a real advantage.
- Local Vault meets your policy. If a free account is acceptable and your data stays local, the 2023 problem may already be solved for you.
Frequently asked questions
Does Insomnia require an account?
Only for features beyond the Scratch Pad. According to Kong's storage docs, you can use the local Scratch Pad without an account; Local Vault, Cloud Sync and Git Sync need a free account.
What happened with Insomnia 8.0?
Insomnia 8.0, released in September 2023, moved projects behind a login, with local-only storage limited to a single-collection Scratch Pad. After user backlash, Kong restored local-only projects as Local Vault in version 8.3 in October 2023, still requiring an account.
Is Insomnia still open source?
Yes. The Kong/insomnia repository is Apache-2.0 licensed and actively developed as of September 2026.
What is the best Insomnia alternative with no account?
Scalar, Bruno and Yaak all work fully without an account. Choose Scalar if you work from OpenAPI, Bruno if you want collections as files in Git, and Yaak if you want the closest feel to classic Insomnia and multi-protocol support.
Can I import Insomnia collections into Scalar?
Not directly. Scalar imports OpenAPI 3.x, Swagger 2.0, Postman Collections v2.0 and v2.1, and cURL. If your API has an OpenAPI document, import that: you get schemas, auth and examples along with every request.
Related
- Learn: What is an API client? · Best open-source API clients (2026)
- Docs: API Client getting started
- Product: Scalar API Client — MIT licensed, no account, built on OpenAPI
This page is based on Kong's Insomnia documentation, pricing page, blog and GitHub discussions, and on the public pages of every other tool listed, as checked on September 26, 2026. Insomnia ships frequently and its plans may change. If something here is wrong or out of date, please open an issue and we will correct it.
