Tools/usebruno/bruno

Bruno

Open source IDE for exploring and testing APIs

47.0k ★+77/wkgrowthJavaScriptMIT License →trending

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Replaces:Postman

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The Lens

By Erik Loyd, SaaS CEO and former COO/CFO of an AWS Premier Partner.

Updated Aug 2026

Bruno stores every API request as a plain text file in your repo. No cloud account, no proprietary collection format. The core app is MIT licensed, runs on Mac, Windows and Linux, and covers REST, GraphQL and gRPC with scripting, environments, assertions and a collection runner.

Version 4 added workspaces that group collections, plus an AI assistant for generating docs and autocompleting scripts. The free tier now caps you at two workspaces open at a time. Create as many as you like, just do not expect to open a third.

The pricing changed, and not in your favor. The $19 one-time Golden Edition is gone. Pro is $6 per user per month billed annually and adds private Git providers and unlimited workspaces. Ultimate is $11 and adds SSO, SCIM, audit logs and the AI assistant. Solo developers still get a complete client for free. Teams that need SSO now pay per seat, like everyone else.

The catch is that not paying a subscription for an API client was Bruno's whole pitch, and that pitch is gone. Gating SSO and audit logs is fair. Capping the MIT-licensed app at two open workspaces is what stings. Compare against Hoppscotch (hoppscotch/hoppscotch) and Insomnia (Kong/insomnia) before committing.

Free vs Self-Hosted vs Paid

open core

Free (Open Source)

MIT licensed desktop app for Mac, Windows and Linux
REST, GraphQL and gRPC requests
Scripting, environment variables, assertions, collection runner
Filesystem storage as .bru files. Git friendly, no account required
Capped at 2 workspaces open at a time
Community support

Paid

Pro: $6 per user per month, billed annually, which is $72 per user per year
Pro adds private Git providers, unlimited workspaces, email and chat support with a 48 hour SLA
Ultimate: $11 per user per month, billed annually, which is $132 per user per year
Ultimate adds SSO, SCIM, user management, audit logs, the AI assistant, unlimited OpenAPI syncs, a dedicated account manager and a 24 hour SLA
14 day Ultimate trial, no credit card required
The $19 one-time Golden Edition has been discontinued

Self-Hosted Costs

$0. Bruno is a desktop app with no server component. Collections live in your repo, so your existing Git hosting is the only infrastructure you need.

When to Pay

Pay for Pro when two open workspaces stops being enough, or when you need private Git provider integration. Pay for Ultimate when SSO, SCIM and audit logs are hard requirements. At $132 per user per year, Ultimate still undercuts Postman Team at $19 per user per month ($228 per year) and Postman Enterprise at $49. The value is still there. The one-time purchase is not.

The $19 one-time Golden Edition is gone. Pro is $6 and Ultimate $11 per user per month billed annually. The free MIT app is still complete for solo work but now caps you at two open workspaces.

What to do by team size

Solo: free; the open source app is a complete API client and .bru files live in your repo
Small team: free unless you need more than two workspaces open, then Pro at $6 per user per month billed annually
Medium team: Pro at $6 per user per month billed annually. Add Ultimate if you want the AI assistant
Large team: Ultimate at $11 per user per month billed annually for SSO, SCIM and audit logs

Self-hosting ops:trivial

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