Skip to content
Day 69: new resources are added every day. See what's new
Best Productivity ResourcesBy Shushant LakhyaniVerified creator

Desktop App

Insomnia

An API client for designing, testing and debugging APIs, with a free tier.

Visit Insomnia4.4

  • Rating

    4.4 / 5

  • Pricing

    Freemium

  • Difficulty

    Intermediate

  • Works on

    Windows, macOS

Built with love by Shushant Lakhyani. Building bestproductivityresources.com

Free: 1,100+ ways people make money onlineFree: 399+ ways to make money online

What is Insomnia?

Insomnia is an API collaboration platform. It supports REST, GraphQL, gRPC, WebSocket and more, with API design, mocking, testing, debugging and an MCP client. Its free tier lists unlimited projects, an unlimited collection runner, Git and filesystem CLI, and a Scratch Pad that needs no login. Downloads are offered for macOS and Windows, with other builds on GitHub.

Pros: what Insomnia does well

  • Free tier with unlimited projects and collection runner
  • Supports REST, GraphQL, gRPC and WebSocket
  • Scratch Pad works without a login

Cons: where it falls short

  • Git sync on the free tier is limited
  • Some team features sit on paid plans

Who Insomnia is for

Developers who build and debug APIs.

Who can skip it

People who never work with APIs.

Insomnia alternatives

Not sold on Insomnia? These do a similar job, and each card says what it has in common.

All Collaboration resources

Bruno

Focus: postman alternative, git and open source. Shares api client and api testing with Insomnia. Free (Insomnia: Freemium). Adds Linux. Rated 4.6 (Insomnia: 4.4).

Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.6Visit

Postman

Focus: api, developer tools and rest. Shares api testing with Insomnia. Adds Web. Rated 4.6 (Insomnia: 4.4).

Desktop AppFree planCross-Platform, Web
4.6Visit

Hoppscotch

Focus: postman alternative, developer tools and open source. Shares api client with Insomnia. A web app, not a desktop app. Adds Web and Linux. Rated 4.6 (Insomnia: 4.4).

Web AppFree planWeb, Windows
4.6Visit

Yaak

Focus: rest, open source and github. Shares api client and graphql with Insomnia. Adds Linux and Offline. Rated 4.5 (Insomnia: 4.4).

Desktop AppFree planmacOS, Windows
4.5Visit

D2

Focus: diagrams, diagram as code and command line. Also in Collaboration and Workflows, like Insomnia. Free (Insomnia: Freemium). Adds Linux and Offline. Rated 4.6 (Insomnia: 4.4).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.6Visit

delta

Focus: git, diff and code review. Also in Workflows and Collaboration, like Insomnia. Free (Insomnia: Freemium). Adds Linux. Rated 4.6 (Insomnia: 4.4).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.6Visit

Free alternatives to Insomnia

Want to spend nothing? These free picks cover similar ground.

Dolt

Focus: database, version control and sql. Also in Workflows and Collaboration, like Insomnia. Free (Insomnia: Freemium). Rated 4.6 (Insomnia: 4.4).

Desktop AppFreeCross-Platform
4.6Visit

RustDesk

Focus: remote desktop, remote support and self-hosted. Also in Collaboration and Workflows, like Insomnia. Free (Insomnia: Freemium). Adds Linux. Rated 4.6 (Insomnia: 4.4).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.6Visit

Whiteboard

Focus: software design, code review and diagrams. Also in Collaboration and Workflows, like Insomnia. Free (Insomnia: Freemium). Adds Linux. Rated 4.5 (Insomnia: 4.4).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.5Visit

dufs

Focus: file sharing, file server and upload. Also in Collaboration and Workflows, like Insomnia. Free (Insomnia: Freemium). Same 4.4 rating.

Desktop AppFreeCross-Platform
4.4Visit

Lunacy

Focus: ui design, graphic design and offline. Also in Collaboration and Workflows, like Insomnia. Free (Insomnia: Freemium). Adds Linux. Rated 4.3 (Insomnia: 4.4).

Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.3Visit

Runner

Focus: multi-agent, terminal and claude code. Also in Workflows and Collaboration, like Insomnia. Free (Insomnia: Freemium). Rated 4.3 (Insomnia: 4.4).

Desktop AppFreeCross-Platform
4.3Visit
Are you the maker of Insomnia?Get a free Featured badge for your site, a share image and ready-to-paste posts. No sign-up.

Free Notion database

1,100+ ways people are making money online

Real online businesses, creators and projects, broken down by how they make money: apps, online stores, AI tools and more. Free on Gumroad.

Get the free database

Free Notion database

399+ ways to make money online

Hundreds of online income methods in one place, so you can compare options and pick one to try. Free on Gumroad.

Get the free list

For research and ideas only. Results vary and nothing here is a promise of income. See our Disclaimer.

Weekly newsletter

Everything new, every Monday.

One short email every Monday with everything shipped that week: new free tools and websites, new guides, new free browser tools and what's new in my free Gumroad libraries, plus how the site is growing. Free, and you can unsubscribe anytime.

Join the newsletter

You sign up on Gumroad, which stores your email to send the newsletter. See our Privacy Policy.