Written by the Apidog team. Apidog sells seats too, so the checklist at the end applies to us as much as to anyone; we say what we commit to and what we do not. Plan details were checked on each vendor's site on September 8, 2026.
If you have used API tools for more than a couple of years, you have been moved. The free plan you built on shrank, the storage model changed, a feature you relied on went behind a paywall. This is not a Postman story; it is the pattern of the category, and understanding it is the best protection against the next round.
The retrenchments, in order
| When | Tool | What changed |
|---|---|---|
| September 2023 | Insomnia | Version 8 required an account and cloud sync by default; after the backlash, local and Git storage options returned as first-class choices |
| 2023 | Thunder Client | Git-tracked collection storage, previously the default, became a paid feature; free collections moved into VS Code's extension storage, and WebSocket, SSE, gRPC, scripting, and the CLI followed onto paid plans |
| 2024 to 2025 | Bruno | Paid Pro and Ultimate tiers arrived around the free MIT client, with the unlimited runner, Git integration, SSO, and audit logs on paid |
| March 2026 | Postman | The Free plan went to one user who cannot create a team; Basic and Professional were retired; Team became $19 per user; in the same change runs and mocks became unlimited on every plan |
Each of these was rational from the vendor's side: free tiers that carried whole teams do not pay for the cloud they run on, and the features that teams need most (collaboration, Git storage, SSO) are exactly the ones worth charging for. The lesson for a team is not that vendors are villains; it is that the free tier you chose is a variable, not a constant.
Why it keeps happening
- Collaboration is the expensive part. A single-user client costs almost nothing to serve. A shared, synced workspace costs storage, compute, and support, so that is where paywalls land first.
- Open-source clients need a business model. Bruno, Insomnia, and Hoppscotch are open source and still sell paid tiers; the client stays free because the code is open, but the team layer around it is the product.
- Feature paywalls are quieter than price rises. Moving Git storage or a protocol behind a plan does not show up in a price comparison, which is why Thunder Client's change surprised so many people.
How to pick a tool you can leave
The defence is not to find a vendor who promises never to change. It is to choose so that leaving is cheap.
- Your data must be exportable in an open format. OpenAPI for the spec, a documented JSON for collections. If a tool can only export to itself, you are already locked in.
- Storage should be a choice, not a mandate. Local, Git, or cloud, selectable per project. Insomnia's 2023 episode is the case study.
- The free tier should be sized for a real team, not one seat. One user is a trial, not a plan. Four users covers most early teams.
- Paid pricing should be per seat and public. "Contact sales" for the second tier is a sign the price is negotiated per customer.
- Scripts should survive a move. If your tests are in a vendor-specific scripting model, check who else can run them.
- Enterprise controls should be documented, not promised. SSO, SCIM, and audit logs on a page you can read beat a sales deck.
- Watch the changelog and the pricing page quarterly. A price page with a "last updated" date is a good sign.
How the current tools score
| Tool | Open export | Storage choice | Free tier for a team | Public per-seat price | Runs Postman scripts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Postman | Collection JSON, OpenAPI | Cloud (lightweight local mode) | No (1 user) | Yes: $9 Solo, $19 Team, $49 Enterprise | Native |
| Apidog | OpenAPI, Postman-compatible import | Cloud global or EU, self-hosted runner, on-premises | Yes (4 users) | Yes: $9, $18, $27 | Yes, pm.* |
| Bruno | Plain-text files, OpenAPI | Local files, Git | Free client, Git for sharing | Yes: $6, $11 | Own scripting |
| Insomnia | Insomnia export, OpenAPI | Local, Git, cloud | 3 users on Git Sync | Yes: $12, $45 | Own scripting |
| Hoppscotch | Collection JSON, OpenAPI | Browser, self-host | Yes (uncapped stated) | Yes: $6 | Own scripting |
| Thunder Client | Collection JSON | Extension storage; Git paid | 1 user | Yes: $3, $7, $16 | Own scripting |
What Apidog commits to, and what it does not
We can say three things plainly. The free plan is four users with unlimited runs and mocks and no time limit. Every paid tier is public and per seat. Your data exports as OpenAPI and imports from Postman and Insomnia, and pm.* scripts run unchanged, so the door works in both directions. What we will not say is that pricing will never change; nobody in this category can promise that honestly. The protection is the export, and it is real.
If you are deciding now, the comparison is in Postman alternatives in 2026, the cost math in what switching from Postman actually costs, and the free tiers side by side in free Postman alternatives.
FAQ
Did Postman remove the free plan? No. Free still exists for one user with unlimited runs and mocks; it no longer supports a team workspace.
Which API tools have changed their free plans recently? Postman (March 2026), Thunder Client (2023), Insomnia (2023), and Bruno added paid tiers around its free client.
How do I protect my team from the next pricing change? Keep the spec in OpenAPI, keep collections exportable, prefer tools with a storage choice, and check who can run your test scripts.
Is Apidog going to change its free plan? We cannot promise the future; we can say the free plan is four users today, all pricing is public, and your data exports in open formats.
Checked on September 8, 2026.
