Hoppscotch Review

Hoppscotch is an API development ecosystem available as web, desktop, and CLI. The README lists REST (including custom methods), GraphQL, WebSocket, Server-Sent Events, Socket.IO, and MQTT, authorization with Basic, Bearer, OAuth 2.0, and OIDC with PKCE, pre-request and post-request scripts, environments, collections, workspaces and teams, a PWA with offline support, cURL import, request code snippets, and interface translations. The REST docs add history and tests that run against responses. OpenAlternative adds GraphQL schema introspection and autocompletion, shareable API documentation, and team collaboration.

The repository includes Docker Compose files (docker-compose.yml and docker-compose.deploy.yml), a production prod.Dockerfile, and Caddyfile examples for all-in-one (AIO) setups with multiport or subpath access, with the official self-hosting docs holding the step-by-step setup (the overview page we read lists no prerequisites, environment variables, or limits). The self-host docs describe two editions. The Community Edition is MIT-licensed, suited to individuals and small teams, supports Email, GitHub, Google, and Microsoft OAuth, has self-managed upgrades with quarterly releases and community-forum support, and does not include advanced admin tools, audit logs, or access controls. The Enterprise Edition adds SAML and OpenID Connect SSO, audit logs, advanced admin tools, domain whitelisting, and site protection, with guaranteed quarterly updates and dedicated support, listed at $19 per user per month billed monthly with a demo trial. The desktop app is available for Windows, Linux, and macOS, and the CLI is an official add-on. The README notes that the official proxy that works around CORS is hosted by Hoppscotch, and browser extensions are an alternative.

The interface is a fast, clean request builder with tabs for REST, GraphQL, and realtime protocols, with collections in a sidebar and environments for variables. Being browser-based means no installation to get started, and the desktop app helps when CORS or local network access gets in the way. This section reflects the README, docs, pricing page, and OpenAlternative; we did not use Hoppscotch hands-on.

• REST, GraphQL, WebSocket, SSE, Socket.IO, and MQTT in one client
• OAuth 2.0, OIDC, Bearer, and Basic auth support
• Collections, environments, history, workspaces, and teams
• Pre-request and post-request scripts, tests, and a collection runner
• Web PWA with offline support, desktop apps, and a CLI
• Self-hosting with Docker Compose and an all-in-one image

• Fast, lightweight, and free to start, with about 81,000 stars
• Broad protocol coverage beyond plain REST
• MIT license and an easy self-hosted deployment path
• Reasonable per-user pricing for team features

• SSO is an Enterprise edition feature, and SAML or OpenID Connect single sign-on is listed only on the Enterprise plan
• The Community Edition has no advanced admin tools, audit logs, or access controls, and upgrades are self-managed
• Team workspaces, API documentation publishing, mocking, and an admin dashboard require Business on the cloud
• Smaller ecosystem and fewer built-in testing and monitoring tools than Postman
• CORS in the browser needs the hosted proxy or an extension, and the Enterprise price is quoted differently in the self-host docs and on the pricing page

On the cloud pricing page, Free ($0) covers REST, GraphQL, and realtime testing, a personal workspace, collections and environments, scripts and tests, the collection runner, code snippets, and community support. Business is $6/user/month billed annually and adds team workspaces with real-time collaboration, shared collections, API documentation publishing, API mocking, MCP server support, an admin dashboard, and email support. Enterprise is $11/user/month billed annually and adds identity and access management, role-based access control, SSO via SAML or OpenID Connect, SCIM provisioning, AI agent features, audit logs, domain whitelisting, and priority support via Slack Connect. The self-host documentation lists the Enterprise Edition at $19/user/month billed monthly, so confirm the current figure with Hoppscotch.

Postman is the dominant API platform, with testing, monitoring, mock servers, API design, and a vast collection ecosystem, and it increasingly requires an account. Hoppscotch is lighter and open source, runs in the browser without installation, and covers the everyday request-building workflow with collections and environments. Choose it if you want something fast and self-hostable, and Postman if you rely on its larger platform features.

• Developers who want a fast, free API client without installation
• Teams that want a self-hosted API workspace
• People who work with GraphQL, WebSocket, or MQTT as well as REST

• Teams that depend on Postman's monitoring and large collection ecosystem
• Organizations that need SSO without paying for Enterprise
• Anyone who wants all team features in the free self-hosted edition