# Bruno vs Insomnia Published January 1, 2026 ยท Updated August 10, 2026 Bruno is the top pick for most Mac users looking at API tools. It is free and open-source and installs in one Homebrew command. Insomnia is the stronger choice if you are moving off Postman Solo. As of October 2026, both install with brew install --cask bruno and brew install --cask insomnia. For most Mac users in 2026, Bruno is the better choice for API tools because it ranks higher in Homebrew install popularity (#26). Both install with a single Homebrew command, so the switching cost is low. Choose Insomnia instead if you are moving off Postman Solo. ## Head to head | Factor | Bruno | Insomnia | | --- | --- | --- | | Price | Free | Free | | Open Source | Yes | Yes | | Replaces | Postman (paid plans) | Postman Solo ($9/month) | | Best for | api, testing, rest | api, testing, rest | | Install | brew install --cask bruno | brew install --cask insomnia | | Category | Developer Tools | Developer Tools | ## Bruno Open source IDE for exploring and testing APIs Install: `brew install --cask bruno` [Bruno on Bundl](https://bundl.run/apps/bruno) ## Insomnia HTTP and GraphQL Client Install: `brew install --cask insomnia` [Insomnia on Bundl](https://bundl.run/apps/insomnia) ## Features - **Storage & Version Control.** Bruno's native file-system approach makes Git integration free and inherent, whereas Insomnia treats version control as a secondary or paid add-on. - **Privacy & Offline Capability.** Bruno offers architectural guarantees of privacy, while Insomnia requires user vigilance and configuration to ensure data stays local. - **Protocol Support (gRPC/GraphQL).** Insomnia retains a slight edge in the maturity and polish of its gRPC and GraphQL introspection tools. - **Scripting & Automation.** Bruno's ability to treat scripts as code and run them via a free, simple CLI makes it superior for automation and testing. - **Environment Management.** Bruno's strict separation of configuration (Git) and secrets (Local) prevents accidental credential leaks better than Insomnia. - **User Interface & UX.** Insomnia wins on pure aesthetics and approachability, offering a more polished visual experience. - **Ecosystem & Plugins.** Insomnia's mature plugin marketplace offers ready-made solutions that Bruno users often have to script themselves. ## FAQ ### Does Bruno really replace Postman and Insomnia completely? For 95% of users, yes. Bruno covers all standard REST and GraphQL testing needs, environment management, and scripting. It lacks the 'Cloud Mock Server' and 'Public API Network' features of Postman/Insomnia. If you rely on hosting mock servers in the cloud via your API client, or browsing a public directory of APIs within the app, you might miss those features. But for actual request building and testing, it is a complete replacement. ### Is Bruno safe for corporate use? Bruno is arguably safer than Insomnia for corporate use. Because it processes everything locally, there is no risk of a third-party cloud breach exposing your internal API keys or customer data. The software is open-source, allowing security teams to audit the code. There is no 'data processing agreement' needed because Bruno (the company) never touches your data. It complies with strict data residency laws by default since the data stays on the device. ### Can I use Insomnia for free in 2026? Yes, but with limitations. The 'Free' tier of Insomnia allows for local use (Scratchpad) and basic collection management. However, collaboration features are locked. If you want to share a collection with a colleague, you must either export/import JSON files manually (the old way) or pay for a subscription to sync via the cloud. The free experience is designed to be a funnel toward the paid team tiers. ### How does Bruno handle team collaboration without a cloud? Bruno uses the collaboration tool you already use: Git (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, etc.). You save your API collection in a folder within your project's repository. When you make changes, you push them to a branch. Your teammates pull the branch, and they have the updates. Code reviews happen via Pull Requests, allowing your team to discuss API changes line-by-line just like they discuss backend code changes. ### Does Insomnia support Git sync? Insomnia does support 'Git Sync,' but it is different from Bruno's approach. Insomnia connects to a Git repo to push/pull a snapshot of its internal database. It is often brittle and prone to conflicts if multiple users edit the workspace simultaneously. It treats Git as a backup target, whereas Bruno treats the filesystem (and thus Git) as the primary source of truth. Insomnia's Git sync is often gated or complex to set up compared to Bruno's native file approach. ### Which tool is faster on macOS? Bruno is consistently faster. While both are Electron apps, Bruno strips away much of the 'browser' overhead required for cloud synchronization, analytics, and social features found in Insomnia. Bruno's startup time is nearly instant, and it uses significantly less RAM. Insomnia is not 'slow' by modern standards, but it feels heavier, especially when loading workspaces with thousands of historical requests. ### Can I run tests in CI/CD pipelines? Both tools allow this. Bruno uses the `bru` CLI tool, which is free, open-source, and installs via npm. It runs your collections against your environments easily. Insomnia uses `inso` (CLI), which is strong but often tied to the enterprise licensing for advanced features or specific integration capabilities with Kong. Bruno's CLI is generally preferred for its simplicity and lack of licensing hurdles in automated environments. ### Does Bruno support plugins? Bruno does not have a traditional 'Plugin Store' like Insomnia. Instead, it allows you to require standard Node.js modules in your scripts. This is more strong for developers (access to the whole npm ecosystem) but less convenient for non-coders looking for a 'one-click' solution for a specific task. Insomnia's plugin ecosystem is more mature for UI-based extensions and themes. ### What are Bruno's paid tiers? Bruno offers three tiers: Open Source (free) with 2 workspaces and public Git repos; Pro ($6/user/month) with unlimited workspaces, private Git repos, data-driven testing, and report generation; and Ultimate ($11/user/month) adding secret manager integration, SSO, SCIM, and dedicated enterprise support. All tiers keep data local, there is no cloud sync. A 14-day free trial is available for Ultimate features. ### Which tool has better documentation? Insomnia has more polished, corporate-grade documentation, complete with tutorials and videos, largely due to Kong's resources. Bruno's documentation is community-driven; while it covers all technical aspects, it can sometimes be terse or assume a higher level of technical proficiency. However, Bruno's community on Discord is extremely active and helpful if the docs fall short. ## Sources - [Bruno Pricing](https://www.usebruno.com/pricing) - [Bruno home](https://www.usebruno.com/) - [Bruno changelog](https://www.usebruno.com/changelog) - [Bruno GitHub Repository](https://github.com/usebruno/bruno) - [Insomnia pricing](https://insomnia.rest/pricing) - [Insomnia Official Website](https://insomnia.rest/) - [Kong Insomnia product](https://konghq.com/products/kong-insomnia) - [Insomnia 13 / Konnect integration](https://konghq.com/company/press-room/press-release/kong-announces-insomnia-and-kong-konnect-integration-to-unify-api-and-ai-development-workflows) ## Related - [Bruno vs Postman](https://bundl.run/compare/bruno-vs-postman) - [Bruno vs Hoppscotch](https://bundl.run/compare/bruno-vs-hoppscotch) - [Insomnia vs Postman](https://bundl.run/compare/insomnia-vs-postman) - [Hoppscotch vs Insomnia](https://bundl.run/compare/hoppscotch-vs-insomnia) ```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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