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Insomnia REST Client vs Paw: What are the differences?
Interface: Insomnia REST Client has a minimalist design, making it easy to navigate and use, which is great for beginners. On the other hand, Paw offers a more polished interface with a wider range of customization options, making it ideal for advanced users looking for a highly customizable tool.
Authentication Support: Insomnia REST Client provides basic authentication methods like API keys and headers, while Paw offers a more extensive range of authentication methods, including OAuth, HMAC, and more. This makes Paw more versatile for testing APIs that require complex authentication processes.
Code Generation: Insomnia REST Client allows users to generate code snippets in languages like JavaScript, Python, and Ruby, making it easier for developers to integrate API calls into their code. Paw, on the other hand, offers a wider range of code generation options, including Objective-C, Swift, Java, and more, catering to a broader range of developers.
Team Collaboration: Insomnia REST Client offers limited team collaboration features, mainly through file sharing and syncing. Paw, on the other hand, provides advanced team collaboration features like synchronized team workspaces and API documentation sharing, making it a better choice for teams working on API projects together.
Price: Insomnia REST Client is an open-source tool available for free, making it accessible to individual developers and small teams with budget constraints. Paw, on the other hand, is a paid tool with a one-time purchase fee, making it more suitable for larger teams and enterprises looking for a comprehensive API testing solution.
Supported Platforms: Insomnia REST Client is available on macOS, Windows, and Linux, catering to a wide range of users across different operating systems. Paw, on the other hand, is exclusively available for macOS, limiting its accessibility to users who don't use Apple devices.
In Summary, Insomnia REST Client offers a simpler interface and is free, making it ideal for individual developers and small teams, while Paw provides a more advanced feature set, including extensive authentication support and code generation options, catering to larger teams and enterprises.
Postman supports automation and organization in a way that Insomnia just doesn't. Admittedly, Insomnia makes it slightly easy to query the data that you get back (in a very MongoDB-esque query language) but Postman sets you up to develop the code that you would use in development/testing right in the editor.
Pros of Insomnia REST Client
- Easy to work with16
- Great user interface11
- Works with GraphQL6
- Cross platform, available for Mac, Windows, and Linux4
- Opensource3
- Vim and Emacs key map2
- Preserves request templates2
- Does not have history feature0
Pros of Paw
- Great interface46
- Easy to use37
- More stable and performant than the others25
- Saves endpoints list for testing16
- Supports environment variables13
- Integrations12
- Multi-Dimension Environment Settings9
- Paste curl commands into Paw4
- Creates code for any language or framework2
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Cons of Insomnia REST Client
- Do not have team sharing options4
- Do not store credentials in HTTP2
Cons of Paw
- It's not free3
- MacOS Only2