Postman Free Plan Restrictions & Best Alternatives (2026)

Postman is the most popular API development platform, but its free plan has become increasingly restrictive over the years. In 2026, many developers are hitting limits that make Postman frustrating to use for anything beyond basic testing.

This guide covers exactly what you can and cannot do on Postman's free plan, and then walks through the best alternatives that give you more freedom without opening your wallet.

Current Postman Free Plan Restrictions (2026)

Here is a comprehensive breakdown of what the free tier limits:

Collection and Request Limits

Feature	Free Plan	Basic Plan ($14/mo)	Professional ($29/mo)
Collections	25 max	Unlimited	Unlimited
Requests per collection	500	Unlimited	Unlimited
Shared collections	3 max	25	Unlimited
Collection runs	25/month	250/month	Unlimited
API calls via collection runner	100/day	1,000/day	Unlimited
History retention	30 days	90 days	Unlimited

Collaboration Restrictions

Feature	Free Plan	Paid Plans
Team members	3 max	Based on plan
Workspaces	3 personal, 1 team	Unlimited
Fork and merge	Limited	Full support
Real-time collaboration	View only	Full editing
Version control	Basic	Advanced with changelog

Other Limitations

Environments: Limited to 5 active environments
Mock servers: 1,000 calls/month (used to be more generous)
Monitors: 1,000 calls/month across all monitors
Cloud storage: Collections are stored in Postman cloud by default, with no option for purely local storage in the desktop app
Offline access: Limited. Postman increasingly pushes users toward cloud-based workflows
Custom domains for documentation: Not available on free tier
Postbot AI: Limited number of AI-assisted queries per month

The Cloud-First Problem

One of the biggest frustrations with Postman in 2026 is the cloud-first architecture. Your collections, environments, and requests are synced to Postman's servers by default. For developers working with sensitive APIs, internal tools, or in regulated industries, this is a dealbreaker.

While Postman offers a "Scratch Pad" offline mode, it is limited and feels like an afterthought. You cannot collaborate, and some features simply do not work offline.

Best Free Alternatives to Postman

1. Bruno (Open Source, Offline-First)

Bruno is a fast, open-source API client that stores your collections as plain files on your filesystem. This is the standout alternative for developers who want Git-friendly, privacy-respecting API testing.

# Install Bruno
brew install bruno       # macOS
snap install bruno       # Linux
winget install bruno     # Windows

Why developers love Bruno:

Feature	Bruno	Postman Free
Collections	Unlimited	25 max
Offline support	Full (filesystem-based)	Limited scratch pad
Git integration	Native (plain files)	Export required
Cloud dependency	None	Required
Open source	Yes (MIT)	No
Price	Free	Free (with limits)

Bruno uses a custom markup language called Bru for storing requests:

meta {
  name: Get Users
  type: http
  seq: 1
}

get {
  url: https://api.example.com/users
  body: none
  auth: bearer
}

auth:bearer {
  token: {{access_token}}
}

assert {
  res.status: eq 200
  res.body.length: gt 0
}

Since collections are plain files, you can version them with Git, review changes in pull requests, and share them through your existing repository workflow.

2. Hoppscotch (Open Source, Web-Based)

Hoppscotch is a lightweight, fast API development tool available as a web app or self-hosted solution. It is open source and works directly in the browser with no installation required.

Quick start:

Visit hoppscotch.io or self-host
No account required for basic usage
Import Postman collections directly

Feature	Hoppscotch	Postman Free
Web-based	Yes (no install)	Desktop app or web
Self-hosted	Yes	No
WebSocket support	Yes	Yes
GraphQL support	Yes	Yes
Real-time collaboration	Yes (self-hosted)	Limited
Open source	Yes (MIT)	No

Self-host Hoppscotch for full team features:

# Docker deployment
docker compose up -d

# Or use the official Hoppscotch Enterprise for managed hosting

3. Insomnia (Open Source Core)

Insomnia is a mature API client that has been around for years. After some controversial cloud-focused changes, the community forked it and maintained the open-source version.

# Install Insomnia
brew install --cask insomnia    # macOS

Feature	Insomnia	Postman Free
Git sync	Built-in	Export only
Design-first (OpenAPI)	Yes	Yes
Plugin system	Yes	Limited
Local storage	Default	Cloud default
gRPC support	Yes	Yes
Open source	Core (MIT)	No

4. Thunder Client (VS Code Extension)

If you live in VS Code and want API testing without leaving your editor, Thunder Client is the best option.

Install it from the VS Code marketplace:

code --install-extension rangav.vscode-thunder-client

Feature	Thunder Client	Postman Free
IDE integration	Native VS Code	Separate app
Git sync	Yes (via files)	Cloud only
Collections	Unlimited (local)	25 max
Environments	Unlimited	5 max
Lightweight	Yes (~2MB)	No (~300MB)
Price	Free (Pro at $8/mo)	Free (Basic at $14/mo)

5. HTTPie (CLI + Desktop)

For developers who prefer the command line, HTTPie provides an elegant CLI tool plus a desktop GUI:

# Install CLI
pip install httpie

# Make requests with beautiful syntax
http GET api.example.com/users Authorization:"Bearer token123"

# POST with JSON body
http POST api.example.com/users name="John" email="john@test.com"

# Download files
http --download example.com/file.zip

Feature	HTTPie	Postman Free
CLI tool	Excellent	Limited (Newman)
Desktop app	Yes	Yes
Syntax highlighting	Beautiful	Standard
Sessions/cookies	Built-in	Built-in
Open source	CLI (BSD)	No

Migration Guide: Postman to Bruno

Since Bruno is the most common migration target, here is how to switch:

Step 1: Export from Postman

Open Postman
Right-click a collection
Select Export > Collection v2.1
Save the JSON file

Step 2: Import into Bruno

Open Bruno
Click Import Collection
Select Postman Collection
Choose the exported JSON file
Select a folder to store the Bru files

Step 3: Migrate Environments

Export your Postman environments as JSON and import them into Bruno using the same import flow.

Step 4: Commit to Git

cd your-project
git add bruno-collections/
git commit -m "Migrate API collections from Postman to Bruno"

Comparison Summary

Criteria	Bruno	Hoppscotch	Insomnia	Thunder Client	HTTPie
Best for	Git workflows	Quick testing	API design	VS Code users	CLI lovers
Offline	Full	Web app	Full	Full	Full
Open source	Yes	Yes	Core	No	CLI only
Learning curve	Low	Low	Medium	Low	Medium
Collection storage	Files	Cloud/self-host	Files/cloud	Files	N/A

Conclusion

Postman's free plan restrictions have pushed many developers to explore alternatives, and the good news is that the alternatives in 2026 are mature and often better for specific workflows. Bruno is the top choice for teams that want Git-friendly, offline-first API testing. Hoppscotch shines for quick web-based testing. Thunder Client is unbeatable for VS Code users.

If you are building APIs that involve AI media processing, such as image generation, video creation, or audio synthesis, Hypereal AI provides clean REST APIs that work perfectly with any of these testing tools. You can import the Hypereal API collection into Bruno or Hoppscotch and start testing in seconds.