Insomnia

Open-source API design and testing client that prioritizes local development privacy, GraphQL support, and streamlined CI/CD integration.

About Insomnia

Insomnia is a popular, open-source API client and design platform built to help developers seamlessly design, debug, and test REST, GraphQL, WebSockets, and gRPC endpoints. Maintained by Kong, Insomnia distinguishes itself through an intuitive, clutter-free user interface and a strict commitment to local, offline-first development capabilities.

Engineered to prevent vendor lock-in and mandatory cloud syncing, Insomnia allows developers to keep their API data, environment variables, and authentication tokens completely localized. It provides robust capabilities for environment management, automated testing, and seamless integration with continuous delivery pipelines using its companion CLI tool, Inso.

Key Features

Multi-Protocol Support: Native support for REST, GraphQL, WebSockets, Server-Sent Events (SSE), and gRPC.
Local-First Privacy: Work entirely offline without mandatory cloud synchronization; securely store secrets locally.
Inso CLI: Automate API tests, validate OpenApi specifications, and generate configurations directly in CI/CD pipelines.
Native GraphQL Integration: Features intelligent GraphQL query autocompletion, schema fetching, and linting.
Environment Management: Easily switch between local, staging, and production environments with dynamic variable mapping.
Plugin Ecosystem: Extend functionality with custom plugins or the integrated Node.js scripting environment.

Pricing

Essentials: $0/user/month Includes unlimited cloud/local projects, unlimited Git sync for up to 3 users, Inso CLI access, end-to-end encryption, and 1,000 mock server requests/month.
Pro: $12/user/month Adds unlimited Git sync users, unlimited organizations, role-based access control (RBAC), and 10,000 mock server requests/month.
Enterprise: $45/user/month (Self-serve up to 50 users) Includes native Kong Konnect integration, SSO (SAML/OIDC), SCIM, mandated storage policies (local/git/cloud), native vault integrations (AWS, GCP, Azure), and SOC2 compliance.

Use Cases

Local, offline-first API development and debugging
Testing and validating Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers
Automated API testing integrated into CI/CD pipelines
API design and dynamic endpoint mocking

Pros & Cons

Pros:

Strong focus on privacy with offline, local-first capabilities
Exceptionally clean and fast graphical user interface
Outstanding native support for GraphQL

Cons:

Advanced team collaboration features require paid cloud syncing
Fewer built-in enterprise integrations compared to leading commercial competitors

Integrations

Kong, GitHub, GitLab, Jenkins, Git

FAQ

Is Insomnia free to use?

Yes, Insomnia provides a generous free 'Essentials' tier that includes a local-only Scratch Pad requiring no login, unlimited collection runs, Inso CLI access, and Git sync for up to 3 users.

Does Insomnia force me to store my API data in the cloud?

No. Insomnia allows organizations to mandate their storage policies. You can choose to work entirely locally, utilize a Git repository as your backend, use end-to-end encrypted cloud storage, or a hybrid approach.

What is the Inso CLI?

Inso is Insomnia's companion command-line interface. It empowers developers to automate API test suites, lint OpenAPI specs, and integrate API testing directly into continuous integration (CI) pipelines.

Can I test AI integrations with Insomnia?

Yes. Insomnia includes a native Model Context Protocol (MCP) client that allows developers to visually inspect, test, and debug MCP servers, tools, and prompts.

How does Insomnia integrate with Kong Konnect?

The Enterprise tier of Insomnia natively integrates with Kong Konnect, allowing teams to use Konnect as their API source of truth for endpoint discovery, eliminating manual syncing and reducing specification drift.

Does Insomnia support API mocking?

Yes, Insomnia allows users to generate API mocks with dynamic responses. The free tier includes 1,000 mock server requests per month, while paid tiers increase this limit.

Categories:

API & Performance Testing Tools Dev Tools Software Testing Tools