Our verdict: Hoppscotch is a lean, open-source alternative to Postman with a clean interface and support for REST, GraphQL and realtime protocols. The free plan covers personal workspaces, collections, scripts and the collection runner. Shared team workspaces and API mocking are on the paid Business plan.
About Hoppscotch
Hoppscotch started as a web app and is now also a desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux. You build requests with any HTTP method, headers, parameters, bodies and authentication such as Bearer tokens or OAuth 2.0, then inspect the response as JSON, XML, HTML or an image. Besides REST it handles GraphQL with schema docs, WebSocket, Server-Sent Events, Socket.IO and MQTT.
The code is open source under the MIT license. The Free plan costs nothing and includes a personal workspace, collections and environments, pre-request scripts and tests, the collection runner and code snippets. The Business plan, at $6 per user per month billed annually, adds team workspaces with real-time collaboration, shared collections, API documentation publishing and mocking. Companies can also self-host Hoppscotch.
What it does well
- REST and GraphQL. Sends requests with any method and explores GraphQL schemas with built-in docs.
- Realtime protocols. Connects to WebSocket, Server-Sent Events, Socket.IO and MQTT endpoints.
- Collections and environments. Organizes requests in nested folders and swaps variables per environment.
- Scripts and tests. Runs JavaScript before requests and checks responses afterwards.
- Code snippets. Generates request code for more than ten languages and imports cURL commands.
Who it is for
Good fit
Developers who want a lightweight, open-source API client for solo work across REST, GraphQL and realtime APIs.
Look elsewhere
Teams that want shared workspaces for free, and people who need a full API design and governance platform.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Open source under the MIT license
- REST, GraphQL, WebSocket, SSE, Socket.IO and MQTT in one app
- Collection runner and scripts on the free plan
- Light interface with themes and a Zen mode
Cons
- Team workspaces and mocking need the paid Business plan
- Fewer integrations and advanced testing tools than Postman
How to install Hoppscotch
The download is the 64-bit MSI installer for Hoppscotch Cloud. A separate Self-Host build on the GitHub releases page connects to your own Hoppscotch server. Sign in with a free account to sync collections and history; without it, data stays in local storage.
Questions about Hoppscotch
Is Hoppscotch free?
Yes. Hoppscotch is open source under the MIT license, and the Free plan costs nothing. Team collaboration features are part of the Business plan at $6 per user per month, billed annually.
Does Hoppscotch support GraphQL?
Yes. You set the endpoint, load the schema, browse the documentation and run queries with custom headers.
Can I self-host Hoppscotch?
Yes. Hoppscotch offers a self-hosted edition, and the Windows desktop app has a separate Self-Host build that connects to your own server.
