# Bruno Published January 1, 2026 · Updated August 10, 2026 Open source IDE for exploring and testing APIs Category: Developer Tools · Free · Open source · Replaces Postman (paid plans) · [Official website](https://usebruno.com) ## Install with Homebrew `brew install --cask bruno` ## Quick take August 2026 Bruno is the API client to pick for Git-centric engineering teams. v4's optional BYOK AI and OpenAPI Sync GA modernize the tool without dropping offline roots. Pay Pro ($6/user/month annual) or Ultimate ($11/user/month annual) when governance and advanced Git UI matter; otherwise the free core still replaces expensive Postman seats for many squads. Best for: DevOps and platform teams, Privacy-sensitive API work, Open-source maintainers, Teams practicing API-as-code ## What is Bruno? Bruno is an open-source, offline-first API client that stores collections as plain files you can commit to Git. Created by Anoop M.D., it covers REST, GraphQL, gRPC, and WebSocket work on your filesystem using Bru markup and, increasingly, OpenCollection YAML. Pull requests review API definitions the same way they review application code. In 2026 Bruno moved fast. Version 3.0 (January 2026) added workspaces, a redesigned UI, improved Git UI, and YAML/OpenCollection support. Version 4.0.0 (23 July 2026) is the summer headline: BYOK (bring-your-own-key) AI sidebar with OpenAI-compatible providers, help for docs/scripts/tests, Apps for interactive request and collection UIs, secret-manager revamps, collection caching, a major Collection Docs redesign, OpenAPI Sync promoted to GA, richer WebSocket/gRPC/SSE handling, and CLI support for external secrets (AWS Secrets Manager, Azure Key Vault, HashiCorp Vault). macOS code-signing stayed careful through mid-2026 certificate rotations so updates remain trusted by Gatekeeper. Pricing on usebruno.com/pricing (August 2026): Open Source at $0 with the full core client; Pro at $6/user/month billed annually; Ultimate at $11/user/month billed annually; 14-day Ultimate trial without a credit card. Free tier includes HTTP/REST/GraphQL/gRPC client work, testing, scripting, docs, and community support. Paid tiers add deeper Git UI (merge conflict resolution, stash), more workspaces, OpenAPI sync volume, secret-manager integrations, SSO/SCIM (Ultimate), and support SLAs. Golden Edition one-time SKUs were sunset earlier; existing Golden users were grandfathered. Bruno stays offline by default. There is no mandatory cloud sync of collections. Collaboration is Git. That is still why regulated teams and open-source maintainers leave Postman. Competitors in 2026 include Postman (cloud ecosystem), Insomnia, Hoppscotch, and editor-embedded clients. Bruno's bet is developer-native files over SaaS workspaces. On Mac in 2026, prefer the official download or `brew install --cask bruno`, confirm Gatekeeper and notarization prompts, and grant only the disk access you need for collection folders. On Apple Silicon and macOS Tahoe 26.x, use current arm64 builds. Pin the cask version in team Brewfiles when CI depends on CLI behavior from `@usebruno/cli`. Re-check pricing and release notes when a major version lands (v3 and v4 both shipped with breaking-change pages). Export or commit collections before upgrades that rewrite on-disk formats, and keep a previous DMG handy for rollback. Store secrets in `.env` files that stay out of Git, not in shared `.bru` files. Day-to-day Mac workflow is simple: keep a `bruno/` folder next to each service, commit `.bru` or OpenCollection YAML with the PR that adds the endpoint, and run `bru run` in CI with `@usebruno/cli`. The free open-source core already covers REST, GraphQL, gRPC, and WebSocket requests with testing and scripting. Teams typically pay only when they want deeper Git UI (merge conflict resolution and stash), higher OpenAPI sync volume, secret-manager integrations, SSO/SCIM on Ultimate, or a support SLA. That split is why Bruno undercuts Postman seat math for many engineering squads while still offering Pro at $6/user/month annual and Ultimate at $11/user/month annual for orgs that need governance. v3's workspaces matter when one person owns collections across multiple repos: you group them in one dashboard without merging directories. v4's BYOK AI sidebar is optional sugar for docs, scripts, and tests; the sticky reason people migrate remains collections-as-files. Import paths from Postman still work, though complex scripts may need tweaks. If you are upgrading a large team from earlier major versions, read the breaking-changes notes before rolling v4 across every laptop. ## Features - **Git-native file collections (Bru + OpenCollection YAML).** Collections live as text files on disk. Diff them, open pull requests on them, and avoid proprietary cloud lock-in. v3 and v4 push OpenCollection YAML as a first-class format while Bru remains readable for day-to-day editing. - **Local Workspaces.** Group collections from different repos into one workspace dashboard. Useful for microservices when you do not want to merge directories into a single tree. - **Scripting with npm modules.** Pre-request and post-response JavaScript can require local npm packages (faker, dayjs, etc.) for advanced test data and assertions. - **Bruno CLI and CI integrations.** Run collections headlessly via @usebruno/cli, the official GitHub Action, and CLI Docker images. External secrets providers are supported in the v4 CLI (AWS Secrets Manager, Azure Key Vault, HashiCorp Vault). - **BYOK AI assistant (v4).** Optional AI sidebar uses your keys and providers to help with docs, scripts, and tests, with model switching, diffs, history, and an AI security tab for context control. Not required for core API work. - **OpenAPI Sync (GA).** Keep collections aligned with OpenAPI specs; v4 promotes sync to GA and preserves user-configured values during updates. - **Offline-first privacy.** No mandatory Bruno cloud for collections. Secrets stay local or in your secret managers. You choose what leaves the machine. ## How to Install Bruno on Mac Install Bruno on macOS with Homebrew when you want easy updates, or download the binary from usebruno.com if you avoid package managers. 1. **Install via Homebrew.** Open your terminal and run the cask installation command to download the latest stable version: `brew install --cask bruno` 2. **Verify Installation.** Once finished, verify the installation and check the version by launching the app or running: `ls /Applications/Bruno.app` 3. **Install Bruno CLI (Optional).** To run collections from your terminal or CI pipelines, install the companion CLI tool globally via npm: `npm install -g @usebruno/cli` ## Pros - True local-first collections as Git-friendly text - Generous free open-source core with CLI - Transparent Pro ($6) / Ultimate ($11) annual pricing - v4 BYOK AI without forcing a single vendor model - OpenAPI Sync GA and strong import paths - No per-seat tax required for basic team sharing via Git ## Cons - UI polish still trails Postman's marketing surface - File-based mindset is a learning curve for cloud-only users - Paid Git/enterprise features needed for some org controls - Electron app, not a tiny native binary - Major v3/v4 jumps can include breaking changes ## Closer look: Local-first architecture Bruno's main architectural choice is to keep the GUI separate from data storage. The OS filesystem is the single source of truth for collections. ## FAQ ### Does Bruno store collections in the cloud? No mandatory cloud. Collections are local files. You sync via Git or your own storage. Paid plans add collaboration conveniences without forcing Postman-style cloud lock-in for the core workflow. ### What is Bruno v4? Major release on 23 July 2026 adding BYOK AI, Apps, secret-manager revamps, docs redesign, OpenAPI Sync GA, performance caching, and CLI secrets integrations. Review the breaking-changes page before upgrading large teams from v3. ### How much does Bruno Pro cost? $6/user/month billed annually on the official pricing page. Ultimate is $11/user/month billed annually. Open Source remains $0 for the core offline client. ### Can I import Postman collections? Yes. Bruno imports Postman collections/environments and continues to improve translators; complex scripts may need tweaks. ### Is the open-source edition enough for teams? For many Git-based engineering teams, yes: unlimited local collections and CLI runs. Buy Pro or Ultimate when you need advanced Git UI, governance, SSO/SCIM, or vendor support SLAs. ### Does Bruno support GraphQL, gRPC, and WebSockets? Yes. These protocols are first-class in modern Bruno releases, with ongoing SSE/WebSocket multi-message improvements in v4. ### What happened to Golden Edition? One-time Golden Edition SKUs were sunset in favor of Pro/Ultimate subscriptions. Existing Golden customers were documented as retaining features per Bruno's update posts. ### Does Bruno run on Apple Silicon macOS? Yes. Desktop builds support modern macOS. Mid-2026 releases specifically fixed macOS code-signing trust chains for updates after certificate rotations. ## Sources - [Bruno Pricing](https://www.usebruno.com/pricing) - [Bruno Changelog v4.0.0](https://www.usebruno.com/changelog) - [Bruno homepage](https://www.usebruno.com/) - [Bruno vs Postman 2026](https://crosscheck.cloud/blogs/postman-vs-bruno-vs-insomnia-2026/) - [State of Bruno Updates (pricing history)](https://blog.usebruno.com/bruno-update) - [usebruno/bruno GitHub](https://github.com/usebruno/bruno) - [Bruno downloads/changelog entry points](https://www.usebruno.com/downloads) ## Related - [Cursor](https://bundl.run/apps/cursor) - [Claude Code](https://bundl.run/apps/claude-code) - [ChatGPT](https://bundl.run/apps/chatgpt) - [Claude](https://bundl.run/apps/claude) - [Codex](https://bundl.run/apps/codex) - [Windsurf](https://bundl.run/apps/windsurf) - [Bruno vs Postman](https://bundl.run/compare/bruno-vs-postman) - [Bruno vs Insomnia](https://bundl.run/compare/bruno-vs-insomnia) - [Bruno vs Hoppscotch](https://bundl.run/compare/bruno-vs-hoppscotch) - [Free alternative to Postman](https://bundl.run/https:/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://bundl.run/#organization", "name": "Bundl.run", "url": "https://bundl.run", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://bundl.run/og-image.png", "width": 1200, "height": 630 }, "description": "The Ninite for Mac. 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