# Best API Testing Tools for Linux in 2026

Source: https://listme.name/best/api-testing-tools/linux

API clients differ on where requests are stored, how teams share them and what they cost. This ranking favors clients that are free for everyday use and keep collections in a form teams can review, then weighs hosted team features and the depth of each product.

## 1. Postman (score 91.5)

A hosted platform with shared workspaces, monitoring and a free plan. Its client is proprietary, and the Team plan is priced per user, so open-source clients cost less for solo work.

- Best for: Hosted team workspaces and monitoring
- Free plan, paid upgrades | Windows, macOS, Linux, Web, Command line
- Website: https://www.postman.com/
- Page: https://listme.name/software/postman

## 2. Bruno (score 90.0)

Free and MIT-licensed, with collections stored as Git-friendly files and no cloud sync needed. Team features need Pro at $6 per user a month, and it has fewer hosted collaboration features than Postman.

- Best for: Git-based API collections
- Free plan, paid upgrades | Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line | open source (MIT)
- Website: https://www.usebruno.com/
- Page: https://listme.name/software/bruno

## 3. Insomnia (score 88.0)

A Kong-maintained client with a free local Scratch Pad, Git Sync for small teams and Apache-2.0 source. Team pricing is per user, with Pro at $12 and Enterprise at $45 per user a month.

- Best for: Commercial client with Git Sync
- Free plan, paid upgrades | macOS, Windows, Linux | open source (Apache-2.0)
- Website: https://insomnia.rest/
- Page: https://listme.name/software/insomnia

## 4. Hoppscotch (score 87.0)

MIT-licensed, with web, desktop and CLI versions and self-hosting on your own servers. Self-hosting adds server upkeep, while the web and desktop apps need no setup.

- Best for: Self-hosted open-source API testing
- Free and open source | Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line, Self-hosted | open source (MIT)
- Website: https://hoppscotch.io/
- Page: https://listme.name/software/hoppscotch

## 5. Yaak (score 85.0)

A local-first desktop client that stores requests as YAML files for Git. It is free for personal use and MIT-licensed, while work use needs a paid license, and its ecosystem is smaller than Postman's.

- Best for: Local-first desktop client with Git files
- Free plan, paid upgrades | Linux, macOS, Windows, Command line | open source (MIT)
- Website: https://yaak.app/
- Page: https://listme.name/software/yaak

## 6. Kreya (score 84.5)

Desktop client for gRPC, REST, GraphQL and WebSockets, with a free forever plan for core features and paid Pro and Enterprise tiers for scripting, snapshot tests and collections. It is the strongest option here for gRPC work.

- Best for: gRPC and mixed API work in a desktop client
- Free plan, paid upgrades | macOS, Windows, Linux
- Website: https://kreya.app/
- Page: https://listme.name/software/kreya

## 7. Thunder Client (score 82.0)

REST client that runs inside VS Code and JetBrains, with a free version at $0 per user and a Starter plan at $3 per user a month. It is the lightest option here for developers who stay in the editor, and it is tied to that editor.

- Best for: Quick API tests inside VS Code
- Free plan, paid upgrades | Windows, macOS, Linux
- Website: https://www.thunderclient.com/
- Page: https://listme.name/software/thunder-client

## 8. Hurl (score 81.5)

Apache-2.0 command-line tool that runs HTTP requests and assertions written as plain text, with installs for macOS, Windows and Linux. It has no graphical interface, so it suits scripted and CI tests more than interactive use.

- Best for: Scripted and CI tests written as plain text
- Free and open source | Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line | open source (Apache-2.0)
- Website: https://hurl.dev/
- Page: https://listme.name/software/hurl

## 9. HTTPie (score 79.5)

An open-source BSD-3-Clause terminal client with readable output, plus a desktop app that is still in public beta. It suits people who work mainly in the terminal.

- Best for: Terminal-first HTTP testing
- Free and open source | Command line, Web, Windows, macOS, Linux | open source (BSD-3-Clause)
- Website: https://httpie.io/
- Page: https://listme.name/software/httpie