Insomnia vs Bruno

Both are open source desktop clients that keep work on your computer. Pick Insomnia for optional cloud sync, Git Sync and MCP server testing. Pick Bruno if you never want an account, want plain files in Git, and want the lower price and the lighter app at idle.

Choose Insomnia if

You want optional cloud sync beside a local vault.
You test MCP servers you are building.
You want an Apache 2.0 licence.

Choose Bruno if

You never want to sign in.
You want collections as plain files in your repository.
You want paid plans from $6 a user.

Insomnia Pro, 10 people$1,440a year
Bruno Pro, 10 people$720a year
Insomnia, first window1.43 s802 MB at idle
Bruno, first window1.70 s411 MB at idle

Where they differ

Price

For a team of 10, a year of Insomnia Pro costs $1,440 and Bruno Pro $720, so Bruno Pro saves $720.

Insomnia: Essentials is free; Git Sync for up to three users¹
Pro $12, Enterprise $45 a user a month¹
Bruno: The open source edition is free, with two workspaces and public Git providers²
Pro $6, Ultimate $11 a user a month, billed annually²

Where your work lives

Insomnia works only partly without an account, while Bruno works without an account.

Insomnia: Yes, in a Local Vault³
Only in the local Scratch Pad; the rest needs an account³
Bruno: Yes, in a folder on your filesystem⁴
Yes, Bruno is offline-only with no cloud sync⁴

Speed

In our benchmark on an Apple M4 Pro, macOS 26.4, arm64, 18 Oct 2026, Insomnia opened its first window in 1.43 s and Bruno in 1.70 s. At idle Insomnia used 802 MB of memory and Bruno 411 MB; on disk they take 1,081 MB and 500 MB. See how we measured.

Side by side

	Insomnia	Bruno
Free plan	Essentials is free; Git Sync for up to three users¹	The open source edition is free, with two workspaces and public Git providers²
Paid plans	Pro $12, Enterprise $45 a user a month¹	Pro $6, Ultimate $11 a user a month, billed annually²
Use it without an account	Only in the local Scratch Pad; the rest needs an account³	Yes, Bruno is offline-only with no cloud sync⁴
Collections kept on your computer	Yes, in a Local Vault³	Yes, in a folder on your filesystem⁴
Collections as files in Git	Yes, with Git Sync³	Yes, the folder goes in Git like any other⁴
MCP server for coding agents	No; Insomnia 12 is an MCP client for testing servers⁵	No official server; community servers exist⁶
CLI for CI	Yes, the Inso CLI³	Yes, the Bruno CLI⁴

Every fact comes from each app's own pages, checked on 20 Oct 2026. The numbers link to the sources at the end.

What each does better

Where Insomnia is stronger

Insomnia is open source under the Apache 2.0 licence.³
Insomnia 12 can connect to an MCP server and call its tools, for testing servers you build.⁵

Where Bruno is stronger

Bruno is open source under the MIT licence.⁴
Its paid plans start lower, at $6 a user a month.²

Or skip both: Porticol

Porticol has an MCP server for coding agents, and opened its first window in 0.24 s in our benchmark. Free for one seat.

Download free Porticol vs Insomnia

Questions

Do Insomnia and Bruno work without an account?

Insomnia: Only in the local Scratch Pad; the rest needs an account. Bruno: Yes, Bruno is offline-only with no cloud sync.

How much do Insomnia and Bruno cost?

Insomnia: Essentials is free; Git Sync for up to three users; Pro $12, Enterprise $45 a user a month. Bruno: The open source edition is free, with two workspaces and public Git providers; Pro $6, Ultimate $11 a user a month, billed annually. For a team of 10, a year of Insomnia Pro costs $1,440 and Bruno Pro $720, so Bruno Pro saves $720.

Is there an alternative to both Insomnia and Bruno?

Yes, Porticol. Porticol has an MCP server for coding agents, and opened its first window in 0.24 s in our benchmark. Free for one seat.