Hoppscotch is an open-source API development ecosystem that gives developers a fast, lightweight alternative to Postman for building and testing APIs. We rate it 82/100 — an excellent free-first choice for individual developers and small teams who value speed and simplicity over enterprise bells and whistles.

What is Hoppscotch?

Hoppscotch was created by Liyas Thomas in August 2019, originally under the cheeky name "Postwoman." What began as a personal project — Thomas needed a lightweight API request builder that could run smoothly on older hardware — has since grown into a full-featured API development platform with over 78,000 GitHub stars, making it one of the most popular open-source developer tools on the platform. The project raised a $3M seed round in December 2021 and has been adopted by over 500,000 developers worldwide.

Where Postman has become increasingly bloated with features many developers never touch, Hoppscotch takes the opposite approach: a clean, browser-first interface that loads instantly and focuses on what matters — sending requests and inspecting responses. It supports REST, GraphQL, WebSocket, Server-Sent Events, Socket.IO, and MQTT protocols, covering virtually every API testing scenario.

Hoppscotch — main API request builder interface — Hoppscotch: The main request builder interface with a clean, distraction-free design

Key Features of Hoppscotch

Multi-Protocol Support: REST, GraphQL, WebSocket, SSE, Socket.IO, and MQTT — all in one tool. No plugins or extensions required.
Collections & Environments: Organize requests into collections with folders, and manage environment variables across development, staging, and production setups.
Real-Time Collaboration: Team members can work on shared collections simultaneously with live sync — no manual import/export of files.
Pre-Request & Post-Request Scripts: JavaScript-based scripting for automating authentication flows, chaining requests, and validating responses.
Cross-Platform: Runs in any modern browser at hoppscotch.io, plus native desktop apps for macOS, Windows, and Linux, and a CLI for CI/CD pipelines.
Code Generation: Automatically generates code snippets in 30+ programming languages from any request.
Self-Hosting: Community Edition can be self-hosted on your own infrastructure via Docker, giving teams full control over their data.

Hoppscotch collections and folders interface — Hoppscotch: Organizing API requests into collections and folders

What Users Say About Hoppscotch

On G2, Hoppscotch holds an impressive 4.9 out of 5 rating across 84 reviews — one of the highest in the API testing tools category. Reviewers consistently praise the intuitive interface and near-instant load times compared to Postman's Electron-based desktop app.

On Reddit's r/webdev and r/programming, sentiment is broadly positive. Developers cite the lightweight feel and open-source nature as primary reasons for switching. The most common complaint? Limited integrations compared to Postman's ecosystem. On Hacker News, technical users appreciate the project but some have raised concerns about long-term direction after venture funding.

Product Hunt users gave it a 4.7/5 rating, reaching #2 Product of the Day. Early adopters highlighted the speed advantage but noted that SAML SSO is gated behind the Enterprise plan.

Hoppscotch real-time team collaboration — Hoppscotch: Real-time collaboration lets teams work on shared collections simultaneously

Hoppscotch Pricing

Hoppscotch uses a generous freemium model where the core product is completely free with no artificial limits on requests, collections, or workspaces.

Plan	Price	Key Features
Free	$0/month	Unlimited requests, collections, workspaces, runners. Web, Desktop, CLI. Community support.
Organization	$6/user/mo (annual)	Admin dashboard, team management, dedicated support.
Enterprise	Custom	SAML SSO, on-premise, audit logs, custom integrations.

Who Should Use Hoppscotch?

Best for: Solo developers, freelancers, and small-to-medium teams who want a fast, free API testing tool without Postman's bloat. Open-source enthusiasts who prefer community-driven tools. Teams needing self-hosting capabilities.

Not ideal for: Large enterprises needing deep CI/CD integrations, extensive plugin ecosystems, or advanced governance features. Teams heavily invested in Postman's Flows automation.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

Completely free for individuals with no artificial feature gates — unlike Postman which has moved many features behind paywalls.
Loads in under 2 seconds in the browser versus Postman's 5-10 second startup (per multiple Reddit users).
Open-source MIT license with 78K+ GitHub stars and active community.
Self-hostable Community Edition provides full data sovereignty at zero cost.
Multi-protocol support (REST, GraphQL, WebSocket, SSE, MQTT) built-in without plugins.

Cons:

Smaller integration ecosystem — no equivalent of Postman Flows or Newman's CI/CD depth.
Browser-first approach means CORS issues can block requests unless you use the desktop app or proxy.
Enterprise features like SAML SSO require custom pricing with no transparent cost.
Documentation is less comprehensive than Postman's extensive learning resources.

Alternatives to Hoppscotch

Postman: The industry standard with the largest ecosystem and best documentation — but increasingly paywalled and heavier. Best for enterprises needing the full API lifecycle platform.

Insomnia (Kong): More mature open-source alternative with better plugin support and Git sync, but has faced backlash over mandatory cloud accounts in recent versions.

Bruno: A newer open-source API client storing collections as plain files on your filesystem. Great for privacy and Git workflows, but lacks real-time collaboration.

Verdict: Is Hoppscotch Worth It?

At 82/100, Hoppscotch earns a strong recommendation for developers frustrated with Postman's bloat and paywalls. It's fast, free, open-source, and covers the core API testing workflow excellently. For solo developers and small teams, it's arguably the best free API development tool available today. Larger teams should evaluate whether the $6/user/month Organization plan covers their needs, or whether Postman's deeper enterprise tooling is still required.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Hoppscotch free?: Yes, Hoppscotch is completely free for individual use with unlimited requests, collections, and workspaces. Paid plans start at $6/user/month for team features.
What platforms does Hoppscotch support?: Web (any modern browser), desktop (macOS, Windows, Linux), and CLI for automation and CI/CD pipelines.
How does Hoppscotch compare to Postman?: Hoppscotch is lighter, faster, and free for core features Postman now paywalls. Postman offers more integrations and enterprise features. Choose Hoppscotch for speed and simplicity; Postman for enterprise workflow automation.
Is Hoppscotch open source?: Yes, MIT license. Source at github.com/hoppscotch/hoppscotch with 78K+ stars. Self-hostable Community Edition also available.

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