Side-by-side comparison of two listed Dev Tools — real listing data only, no paid placement.
On record, they differ in: pricing (Bruno Free vs Insomnia Freemium); unique tags (Bruno 2: #open-source #git-friendly vs Insomnia 2: #graphql #testing); category rank (Bruno #11 vs Insomnia #15). Same category (Dev Tools). Listing facts only — not a recommendation.
Offline-first open-source API client, a Postman alternative
Bruno stores API collections as plain files in your repo so they version with git, runs fully offline with no forced cloud account, and supports scripting, environments and CLI runs — open source at its core.
Published 2026-08-06 · Links checked 2026-09-16
API client for designing, debugging and testing REST and GraphQL
Insomnia by Kong combines API design (OpenAPI), debugging and automated testing in one desktop app, covering REST, GraphQL, gRPC and WebSockets with environments, code generation and CI integration.
Published 2026-08-06 · Links checked 2026-09-16
| Bruno | Insomnia | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Freemium |
| Category | Dev Tools | Dev Tools |
| Rank in Dev Tools | Position #11 of 77 | Position #15 of 77 |
| Alternatives listed | 1 → | 1 → |
| Shared tags | #api-client | |
| Unique tags | #open-source #git-friendly | #graphql #testing |
| Platforms | Windows | Not detected on official site (checked 2026-09-17) |
| Pricing page | Not detected on official site (checked 2026-09-17) | Official pricing page |
| Free trial | Not detected on official site (checked 2026-09-17) | Mentioned on the official pricing page |
| Source code | Not detected on official site (checked 2026-09-17) | github.com/Kong/insomnia |
| Documentation | docs.usebruno.com/ | insomnia.rest/docs |
| Company | Bruno | Not detected on official site (checked 2026-09-17) |
| Founded | 2022 | Not detected on official site (checked 2026-09-17) |
| In their own words | Bruno is the Git-native API client for REST, GraphQL, gRPC and Websocket. A local and open-source solution to Postman. Fast, developer-first, and no cloud…— official site (homepage description), checked | Leading Open Source API Development Platform for HTTP, REST, GraphQL, gRPC, SOAP, and WebSockets— official site (homepage description), checked |
| Official channels | X (Twitter)LinkedInDiscorddeclared on www.usebruno.com via schema.org sameAs | X (Twitter)declared on insomnia.rest via homepage link with a matching handle |
| Official website | www.usebruno.com | insomnia.rest |
| Site preview | ||
Rank = neutral rotation by listing ID, not a quality score · how it works
Only platforms with an official store or installer link are listed; others may exist.
Bruno is Free; Insomnia is Freemium. Both are listed in Dev Tools on ToolDock.
What they have in common: #api-client
Bruno is listed as free; Insomnia is listed as freemium (free tier alongside paid plans). Pricing label set at listing time; official pricing page linked where verified — see each official website for current details.
Both are Dev Tools listed on ToolDock, and they share the tag api-client.
ToolDock keeps a tag-matched alternatives list for each: see Bruno alternatives and Insomnia alternatives.