Insomnia
A streamlined, lightweight API client with excellent GraphQL support and local storage for privacy-conscious teams.
Overview
Insomnia, created by Kong in 2015, is an open-source API client designed for developers who find Postman too heavy or cluttered. It focuses on speed, simplicity, and developer experience. Insomnia stores collections locally by default (no cloud required), making it popular with privacy-conscious teams and government organisations.
In 2026, Insomnia is particularly strong for GraphQL workflows, offering schema introspection, query autocomplete, and variable management that rivals or exceeds Postman's GraphQL support.
What it's used for
Insomnia is ideal when:
- Lightweight API client needed: Fast startup, minimal UI chrome, no bloat.
- GraphQL is primary: Superior GraphQL IDE experience with schema-driven autocomplete.
- Privacy matters: Local storage by default — no data leaves your machine unless you choose to sync.
- Open source preferred: Fully open-source core with transparent development.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Fast and lightweight compared to Postman
- Best-in-class GraphQL support
- Local storage by default — privacy-first
- Clean, distraction-free UI
- Open source with active community
Cons
- Smaller ecosystem than Postman (fewer integrations, plugins)
- Collaboration features are weaker than Postman Teams
- No native CI runner equivalent to Newman
- Less suitable for non-technical testers
- Kong ownership has caused some community concern about future direction
Platforms & Integrations
Insomnia runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux. It supports REST, GraphQL, gRPC, and WebSocket APIs.
Pricing
| Tier | Cost | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Open Source | Free | All core features, local storage, unlimited requests |
| Insomnia Plus | $5/user/mo | Cloud sync, team collaboration, unlimited projects |
| Enterprise | Custom | SSO, audit logs, dedicated support, on-premise sync |
NZ Context
Insomnia is popular among NZ developers who prefer lightweight tools. It is particularly common in NZ government agencies where data residency and privacy are paramount. For GraphQL-heavy NZ startups (like Figured in agtech), Insomnia is often the preferred API client.
Alternatives
- Postman — More features, better collaboration, larger ecosystem.
- Hoppscotch — Web-based, open-source alternative. No install required.
- Bruno — Git-friendly API client with local collection storage.