Hasura
Insomnia
| Feature | Hasura | Insomnia |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $99/mo | Free / from $5/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.4 / 5 | 4.2 / 5 |
| Best For | backend-developers, startups, api-developers, full-stack-teams | developers, api-designers, small-teams, individual-developers |
| Founded | 2017 | 2015 |
| Graphql Api | ✓ | ✗ |
| Rest Api | ✓ | ✗ |
| Real Time | ✓ | ✗ |
| Authorization | ✓ | ✗ |
| Event Triggers | ✓ | ✗ |
| Remote Schemas | ✓ | ✗ |
| Api Client | ✗ | ✓ |
| Graphql Explorer | ✗ | ✓ |
| Environment Variables | ✗ | ✓ |
| Git Sync | ✗ | ✓ |
| Plugins | ✗ | ✓ |
| Design Specs | ✗ | ✓ |
| Automated Testing | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Hasura Pros
- Instant APIs
- Real-time subscriptions
- Great developer experience
- Performance
✗ Hasura Cons
- PostgreSQL-focused
- Complex authorization
- Pricing changes
✓ Insomnia Pros
- Beautiful and intuitive desktop application
- Git-based sync for version control of API specs
- Plugin system for extending functionality
- Supports REST, GraphQL, gRPC protocols
✗ Insomnia Cons
- Kong acquisition changed direction (cloud-focused)
- Free tier became more limited over time
- Fewer integrations than Postman
The Verdict
Hasura is built for backend developers and startups, with a focus on graphql-api and rest-api. Insomnia targets developers and api designers and leads with api-client and graphql-explorer.
On pricing, Insomnia is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $5/mo compared to $99/mo for Hasura. That $94/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Feature-wise, Insomnia offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while Hasura takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.