# Postman vs Insomnia (2026): which to pick

> Postman vs Insomnia: Pick Postman for the biggest ecosystem, AI built into the app and an MCP server for your agents. Pick Insomnia if you want your work in…

Canonical: https://porticol.app/compare/postman-vs-insomnia
Last updated: 2026-10-20

Pick Postman for the biggest ecosystem, AI built into the app and an MCP server for your agents. Pick Insomnia if you want your work in a local vault or in Git, an open source client, and a cheaper paid plan.

## Choose Postman if

- You want AI credits and Agent Mode inside the app.
- Your agents need an MCP server to reach your workspace.
- You want hosted mocks and monitoring on the free plan.

## Choose Insomnia if

- You want collections in a Local Vault on your computer.
- You want an open source client under Apache 2.0.
- You want to test MCP servers you are building.

- Postman Team, 10 people **$2,280** a year
- Insomnia Pro, 10 people **$1,440** a year

## Where they differ

## Price

For a team of 10, a year of Postman Team costs $2,280 and Insomnia Pro $1,440, so Insomnia Pro saves $840.

- **Postman**: Free for one user [1]; Solo $9 a month, Team $19 a user a month, billed annually [1]
- **Insomnia**: Essentials is free; Git Sync for up to three users [2]; Pro $12, Enterprise $45 a user a month [2]

## Where your work lives

Postman keeps work on your computer only in some setups, while Insomnia keeps your work on your computer.

- **Postman**: Workspaces live in Postman Cloud; the lightweight client keeps its own work locally [3]; Partly: the lightweight API Client sends requests signed out; collections and environments need an account [3]
- **Insomnia**: Yes, in a Local Vault [4]; Only in the local Scratch Pad; the rest needs an account [4]

## AI coding agents

Postman has an MCP server for coding agents, while Insomnia has no official MCP server.

- **Postman**: Yes, the Postman MCP Server [1]
- **Insomnia**: No; Insomnia 12 is an MCP client for testing servers [6]

## Side by side

|  | Postman | Insomnia |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free plan | Free for one user [1] | Essentials is free; Git Sync for up to three users [2] |
| Paid plans | Solo $9 a month, Team $19 a user a month, billed annually [1] | Pro $12, Enterprise $45 a user a month [2] |
| Use it without an account | Partly: the lightweight API Client sends requests signed out; collections and environments need an account [3] | Only in the local Scratch Pad; the rest needs an account [4] |
| Collections kept on your computer | Workspaces live in Postman Cloud; the lightweight client keeps its own work locally [3] | Yes, in a Local Vault [4] |
| Collections as files in Git | Yes, with Native Git in the desktop app, synced to Postman Cloud [5] | Yes, with Git Sync [4] |
| MCP server for coding agents | Yes, the Postman MCP Server [1] | No; Insomnia 12 is an MCP client for testing servers [6] |
| CLI for CI | Yes, the Postman CLI [1] | Yes, the Inso CLI [4] |

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 Postman is stronger

- Postman's plans include AI credits and an Agent Mode that automates API workflows inside the app. [1]
- Its free plan includes mock servers and 1,000 monitoring requests a month. [1]

### Where Insomnia is stronger

- Insomnia is open source under the Apache 2.0 licence. [4]
- Insomnia 12 can connect to an MCP server and call its tools, for testing servers you build. [6]

## Or skip both: Porticol

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

## Questions

**Do Postman and Insomnia keep collections on your computer?**

Postman: Workspaces live in Postman Cloud; the lightweight client keeps its own work locally. Insomnia: Yes, in a Local Vault.

**Do Postman and Insomnia have an MCP server for AI agents?**

Postman: Yes, the Postman MCP Server. Insomnia: No; Insomnia 12 is an MCP client for testing servers.

**How much do Postman and Insomnia cost?**

Postman: Free for one user; Solo $9 a month, Team $19 a user a month, billed annually. Insomnia: Essentials is free; Git Sync for up to three users; Pro $12, Enterprise $45 a user a month. For a team of 10, a year of Postman Team costs $2,280 and Insomnia Pro $1,440, so Insomnia Pro saves $840.

**Is there an alternative to both Postman and Insomnia?**

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

## Sources

1. [www.postman.com/pricing/](https://www.postman.com/pricing/)
2. [insomnia.rest/pricing](https://insomnia.rest/pricing)
3. [learning.postman.com/docs/getting-started/basics/using-api-client/](https://learning.postman.com/docs/getting-started/basics/using-api-client/)
4. [github.com/Kong/insomnia](https://github.com/Kong/insomnia)
5. [learning.postman.com/docs/use/native-git/overview](https://learning.postman.com/docs/use/native-git/overview)
6. [konghq.com/company/press-room/press-release/kong-releases-insomnia-12-to-accelerate-api-and-mcp-development-with-ai-powered-testing-and-collaboration](https://konghq.com/company/press-room/press-release/kong-releases-insomnia-12-to-accelerate-api-and-mcp-development-with-ai-powered-testing-and-collaboration)

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