Bruno Review (2026): Pricing, Features & Honest Verdict
TLDR
Bruno is an open-source, offline-first API client that stores collections as plain text files you can version control with Git. Best for: developers who want API testing without cloud dependency or vendor lock-in. Price: free and open-source, Pro at $6/user/month. Rating: 8.4/10.
What is Bruno?
We found Bruno on Product Hunt where it won Product of the Day as the anti-Postman. While Postman has moved aggressively toward cloud-first workflows, mandatory accounts, and per-seat restrictions, Bruno goes the opposite direction: everything runs locally, nothing touches the cloud, and your API collections live as plain text files on your filesystem.
Bruno uses a custom markup language called “Bru” to store request definitions. These files sit in regular folders alongside your code. You can commit them to Git, branch them, review them in pull requests, and merge them just like source code. This is not a workaround. It is the core design philosophy.
The client supports REST, GraphQL, gRPC, and WebSocket protocols. It runs as a desktop app on macOS, Windows, and Linux. No browser extension, no account creation, no cloud sync. Your data stays on your machine.
Key Features
Git-native version control is the killer feature. API collections are plain text files, so they work with any Git workflow your team already uses. Clone a repo, and the API collection comes with it. Create a branch for a new feature, and the API tests branch too. Review API changes in pull requests alongside the code they test. No proprietary sync layer, no merge conflicts with binary formats.
The offline-first architecture means Bruno works everywhere: airplanes, coffee shops with spotty WiFi, secure environments with no internet access. No login required, no background telemetry, no data leaving your machine.
Testing and scripting are built in. Write assertions, chain requests, use environment variables, and run entire collections with data-driven testing. The collection runner has no artificial limits on the free plan, unlike Postman which caps free users at 25 runs per month.
Multi-protocol support covers REST, GraphQL, gRPC, and WebSocket in one tool. Most lightweight alternatives only handle REST and maybe GraphQL. If your stack uses gRPC internally, Bruno handles it without needing a separate tool.
Pricing
The open-source version is completely free. It includes the full API client, testing, scripting, authentication, secret management, code generation, history, and 2 workspaces. This covers what most individual developers need.
Pro at $6 per user per month adds native Git integration (clone, commit, push, pull, branching, merge conflict resolution directly in the UI), OpenAPI import and export, unlimited workspaces, report generation, and 48-hour email support. The Git features alone justify the price for team workflows.
Ultimate at $11 per user per month adds secret manager integration, SSO with SCIM, audit logs, CSV upload, unlimited license admins, a dedicated account manager, and 24-hour support SLA. Enterprise-focused features for larger teams.
A 14-day free trial of Ultimate is available without a credit card.
| Plan | Price | Plan Features | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Source | Free | Full API client, REST/GraphQL/gRPC, testing, scripting, 2 workspaces | Individual developers testing APIs |
| Pro | $6/user/month | Native Git integration, OpenAPI import/export, unlimited workspaces, reports | Teams with Git-based API workflows |
| Ultimate | $11/user/month | SSO/SCIM, audit logs, secret manager integration, dedicated account manager | Enterprise teams with compliance needs |
Who is Bruno For?
Backend developers who test APIs daily and want a fast, lightweight tool. Teams that treat API definitions as code and want them in their Git repos. Privacy-conscious organizations that cannot send API data through third-party cloud services. Engineers frustrated with Postman’s cloud-first direction and escalating pricing.
Where Bruno Falls Short
The ecosystem is smaller than Postman’s. Fewer integrations, fewer community-contributed collections, and less documentation for advanced patterns. When you hit an edge case, you are more likely to need to read source code than find a blog post with the answer.
No cloud collaboration means teams need their own Git workflow to share collections. For teams already using Git, this is a strength. For non-technical team members who need to run API tests, the Git requirement is a barrier.
The UI is functional but not as polished as Postman’s. Response visualization, documentation rendering, and collection organization are all more basic. If you spend hours daily in your API client, the interface differences matter.
No built-in mock server. Postman and Insomnia let you create mock endpoints for frontend development. With Bruno, you need a separate tool for API mocking.
Alternatives
Postman
The dominant API platform with the largest ecosystem, most integrations, and best documentation. But increasingly cloud-dependent, expensive at scale, and opinionated about workflows. Free plan caps collection runs at 25/month. Bruno wins on privacy, Git integration, and philosophy. Postman wins on ecosystem, polish, and non-technical accessibility.
Insomnia
Another open-source API client from Kong, also Git-friendly. Has gone through controversial licensing changes that shook user trust. Similar positioning to Bruno but with a more complex history. Better plugin ecosystem than Bruno. Worse community trust after the licensing drama.
Thunder Client
A VS Code extension for API testing. Lightweight and convenient if you live in VS Code. But paywalls WebSocket, SSE, and gRPC behind paid tiers at $3 per user per month. Bruno is a standalone app with more protocol support on the free tier.
FAQ
Bruno Pros & Cons
What We Like
- Git-native collections version control API definitions alongside code
- Completely offline, no cloud dependency, no data leaving your machine
- No artificial limits on collection runs (Postman caps free at 25/month)
- Multi-protocol: REST, GraphQL, gRPC, and WebSocket in one tool
What Could Be Better
- Smaller ecosystem with fewer integrations and community resources than Postman
- UI is functional but less polished than Postman
- No built-in mock server for frontend development
Bruno FAQ
Can I migrate from Postman to Bruno?
Yes. Bruno supports importing Postman collections. Export your collection from Postman as JSON, then import it into Bruno. Environment variables and basic scripts transfer, though some Postman-specific features may need adjustment.
Does Bruno require an internet connection?
No. Bruno runs entirely offline on your local machine. No account creation, no cloud sync, no telemetry. You only need internet connectivity to make the actual API requests to your endpoints.
How does Git integration work in Bruno?
API collections are stored as plain text files using the Bru markup language. These files live in regular folders on your filesystem. Commit them to any Git repository, branch them, review them in pull requests, and merge them like source code. Pro plan adds in-app Git operations.
What is Bruno?
Open-source, offline-first API client that stores collections as Git-friendly plain text files. Free and open-source, Pro at $6/user/month.
How much does Bruno cost?
Bruno pricing starts at $6/user/month. A free plan is available.
Is Bruno worth it?
Bruno is the best API client for developers who believe API collections belong in Git, not in the cloud. The offline-first, open-source approach solves real pain points that Postman has created by going cloud-first. At $6/user/month for Pro, the Git integration alone justifies the cost. A smaller ecosystem and basic UI are fair trade-offs for privacy and freedom. We rate it 8.4/10.
