Postman

Postman is a platform for building, testing, and managing APIs, suited to developers and teams that want these workflows together. Its breadth is a strength, but the right plan depends on whether you need solo work, collaboration, or enterprise controls.

Overview

Postman covers much of the API lifecycle, from design and testing to distribution, documentation, and monitoring. The client supports multiple protocols, including GraphQL and SOAP, with built-in authentication, response inspection, variables, environments, and request history. That makes it useful both for occasional requests and for repeatable team workflows.

The company was founded in 2014. It identifies Bangalore as its founding location and is headquartered in San Francisco.

Key features

One place for client work, design, and testing

Postman combines request tools with API specifications, mock servers, and definition imports in multiple formats. Collection runs and automated testing extend that workflow into integration, performance, regression, and end-to-end testing. The CLI, scheduled runs, CI/CD integration, and contract testing give teams options for fitting API checks into delivery processes. This range is valuable when a team wants to keep design and tests close to its client work; it may be more platform than needed for someone who only wants a lightweight request tool.

Integrations and safeguards

Integrations include Jira, Slack, GitHub, GitLab, Microsoft Teams, VS Code, Amazon API Gateway, AWS Secrets Manager, and 1Password Vault. Postman describes local secret protection, cloud secret detection, and runtime secret resolution, with integrations for HashiCorp, AWS Secrets Manager, Azure Key Vault, and 1Password. Its compliance credentials include SOC 2 Type II, PCI DSS, HIPAA, GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, CSA STAR, TX-RAMP, ISO 27001, and ISO 42001. Postman says customer data is not used to train its AI models; Enterprise teams control AI access and usage.

Pricing

Postman has a free plan and paid plans, with Basic and Professional no longer open to new customers. Existing Professional customers keep their current plan and pricing.

• Free — free. Includes 50 AI credits, the API client and core tools, specs and mock servers, Native Git, Collection Runner and performance testing runs, and Manual Flows. It is a substantial starting point, but the 50-credit allowance and lack of paid-plan additions make it better for individual or limited use than expanding teams.
• Solo — $9 a month, billed annually. Includes 400 AI credits/month, data-driven testing with exports, unlimited private NPM packages and library, custom-branded documentation, unlimited custom domains, and expanded API monitoring. It fits an individual needing those publishing, testing, and monitoring additions, but it does not include the team collaboration features named for Team.
• Team — $19 a month, billed per user and annually. Adds 400 AI credits/user/month, team collaboration, unlimited workspace and collection viewers, basic RBAC, SDK generation and distribution, and the Simple Security add-on. Per-user billing makes the cost rise with seats, but this is the clearer fit for teams that need shared workspaces and basic access controls.
• Enterprise — custom pricing. Includes an API Catalog, Private API Network, Advanced RBAC and organization controls, governance, audit logs and reporting, and private test and Flows runners. Teams can trial Enterprise features before upgrading. Premium Support is an Enterprise-only add-on, with contractual SLAs, 24/7 global coverage, a priority queue, and premium phone, screen-sharing, and chat channels.

Platforms

Postman is available as an extension and on Linux, macOS, Windows, and the web. The mix gives developers desktop options alongside browser access.

Who it's for

Postman is a strong fit for developers and API teams that need a client alongside design, testing, monitoring, and collaboration tools. Solo is the practical paid step for an individual who needs its added testing, publishing, or monitoring allowances; Team suits groups that need shared workspaces and basic RBAC. Enterprise is aimed at organizations that need governance, audit capabilities, private runners, or contractual support. A user seeking only a simple API client may be better served by a narrower alternative.

Pros and cons

• Pro: The client, design tools, mock servers, and varied test workflows sit in one platform, reducing the need to separate those API tasks.
• Pro: Free includes Native Git, mock servers, collection runs, and performance testing runs, giving individuals meaningful tools before paying.
• Pro: Enterprise includes advanced access controls, governance, audit logs, and private runners for organizations with stronger operational requirements.
• Con: Free includes just 50 AI credits, while Solo and Team each specify 400 credits on their respective monthly basis.
• Con: Team's annual per-user billing can become a material commitment as seats grow.
• Con: Basic and Professional are closed to new customers, limiting the plan choices for newcomers who might have wanted those tiers.

Alternatives

For a broader comparison, browse API clients, API Testing Tools, API Design Tools, API Monitoring Tools, API Marketplace Software, and API Governance Software.

• Apidog is worth considering if its free plan for four users or its listed $12.00 USD monthly Basic plan better fits your team and budget.
• SoapUI is a free alternative centered on REST, SOAP, and GraphQL API testing, mocking, and command-line automation.
• Insomnia may suit a small team that can work within Essentials' three-user Git Sync limit and 1,000 monthly mock-server requests.
• Bruno is an option for those who prefer an open-source plan with two workspaces and five OpenAPI syncs per month.
• Testfully offers a free Developer Edition with one offline and one cloud workspace and invitations for up to five users per workspace.
• Hoppscotch is a free alternative for REST, GraphQL, and realtime API testing with a personal workspace.
• OpenReq is a free and open-source option with self-hosted web and desktop applications.
• Altair GraphQL Client is a focused option for GraphQL queries, with a Basic plan supporting up to two team members and 20 queries.

Verdict

Choose Postman if you want a broad API workspace that brings client work, design, testing, and team workflows together. Its free plan makes it accessible, and its higher tiers address collaboration and governance; look elsewhere if you need a simpler tool or a plan with a better fit for your seat count and budget.