Postman vs Thunder Client

Pick Postman for a standalone app with a full free plan for one user. Pick Thunder Client if you want to test APIs without leaving VS Code or a JetBrains editor, with paid plans from $3 and MCP on the free plan.

Choose Postman if

You want a standalone app, not an editor panel.
You need more than three collections without paying.
You want hosted mocks and monitoring.

Choose Thunder Client if

You live in VS Code or a JetBrains editor.
You want the cheapest paid plan, from $3 a user.
You want MCP on the free plan.

Postman Team, 10 people$2,280a year
Thunder Client Business, 10 people$840a year

Where they differ

Price

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

Postman: Free for one user¹
Solo $9 a month, Team $19 a user a month, billed annually¹
Thunder Client: Free for three collections of up to 30 requests²
Starter $3, Business $7, Enterprise $16 a user a month, billed annually²

Where your work lives

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

Postman: Workspaces live in Postman Cloud; the lightweight client keeps its own work locally³
Partly: the lightweight API Client sends requests signed out; collections and environments need an account³
Thunder Client: Yes, on your device⁴
Not stated²

Collections in Git

Postman keeps collections in Git, while Thunder Client syncs with Git only on some plans or setups.

Postman: Yes, with Native Git in the desktop app, synced to Postman Cloud⁵
Thunder Client: On paid plans, with Git Sync⁶

CI and the command line

Postman has a CLI for CI, while Thunder Client has a CLI only on some plans or setups.

Postman: Yes, the Postman CLI¹
Thunder Client: On paid plans²

Side by side

	Postman	Thunder Client
Free plan	Free for one user¹	Free for three collections of up to 30 requests²
Paid plans	Solo $9 a month, Team $19 a user a month, billed annually¹	Starter $3, Business $7, Enterprise $16 a user a month, billed annually²
Use it without an account	Partly: the lightweight API Client sends requests signed out; collections and environments need an account³	Not stated²
Collections kept on your computer	Workspaces live in Postman Cloud; the lightweight client keeps its own work locally³	Yes, on your device⁴
Collections as files in Git	Yes, with Native Git in the desktop app, synced to Postman Cloud⁵	On paid plans, with Git Sync⁶
MCP server for coding agents	Yes, the Postman MCP Server¹	Yes, on the free plan too²
CLI for CI	Yes, the Postman CLI¹	On paid plans²

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 Thunder Client is stronger

Its free plan includes the Thunder Client MCP server.²
Its paid plans start at $3 a user a month.²

Or skip both: Porticol

Porticol keeps your work on your computer and keeps collections in Git, and opened its first window in 0.24 s in our benchmark. Free for one seat.

Download free Porticol vs Postman

Questions

Do Postman and Thunder Client keep collections on your computer?

Postman: Workspaces live in Postman Cloud; the lightweight client keeps its own work locally. Thunder Client: Yes, on your device.

Do Postman and Thunder Client work with Git?

Postman: Yes, with Native Git in the desktop app, synced to Postman Cloud. Thunder Client: On paid plans, with Git Sync.

Do Postman and Thunder Client have a CLI for CI?

Postman: Yes, the Postman CLI. Thunder Client: On paid plans.

How much do Postman and Thunder Client cost?

Postman: Free for one user; Solo $9 a month, Team $19 a user a month, billed annually. Thunder Client: Free for three collections of up to 30 requests; Starter $3, Business $7, Enterprise $16 a user a month, billed annually. For a team of 10, a year of Postman Team costs $2,280 and Thunder Client Business $840, so Thunder Client Business saves $1,440.

Is there an alternative to both Postman and Thunder Client?

Yes, Porticol. Porticol keeps your work on your computer and keeps collections in Git, and opened its first window in 0.24 s in our benchmark. Free for one seat.