Software · head to head
CircleCI vs Insomnia
Insomnia
Software
REST and GraphQL API client for development and testing
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: CircleCI the free plan covers 6,000 build minutes and 5 active users a month; Insomnia git Sync on the free tier covers up to 3 users only
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which CircleCI and Insomnia actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in CircleCI
Nothing recorded that Insomnia does not also cover.
Only in Insomnia
- REST API Client
- GraphQL Support
- gRPC Support
- GitHub
- GitLab
- Slack
- Windows support
- MacOS support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
CircleCI
- Continuous integration pipelines for application codenot Insomnia
- Parallel test execution across containersnot Insomnia
- Docker-based builds with layer cachingnot Insomnia
- Deployment pipelines with approval gatesnot Insomnia
- Self-hosted runners for private infrastructurenot Insomnia
Insomnia
- Sending and debugging HTTP, GraphQL and gRPC requestsnot CircleCI
- Storing collections in Git rather than a vendor cloudnot CircleCI
- Mocking an API endpoint before it existsnot CircleCI
- Running collections in CI with the Inso CLInot CircleCI
- Environment management across staging and productionnot CircleCI
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
CircleCI
- The free plan covers 6,000 build minutes and 5 active users a month
- Active users are billed at $15 each beyond the included five, and an active user is anyone who commits to a project
- Everything runs on credits, so compute, Docker layer caching at 200 credits a job and IP ranges at 450 credits per GB all draw from the same pool
- Network and storage overage costs 420 credits per GB
- Free credits expire monthly with no rollover, and paid credits expire after a year
- Scale is annual billing only
Insomnia
- Git Sync on the free tier covers up to 3 users only
- Mock servers are capped at 1,000 requests a month on free, then $10 per 25,000
- Role-based access control requires Pro at $12 per user per month
- SSO, SCIM and vault integrations are Enterprise only at $45 per user per month
- Working without an account is limited to the local-only Scratch Pad
Pricing, plan by plan
CircleCI
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the CircleCI review.
Insomnia
Free- FreeFree
- REST, GraphQL, gRPC support
- Local data
- Pro$5/monthly
- Cloud sync
- Team collaboration
- Advanced features
- Team$30/monthly
- Team management
- Advanced analytics
- Priority support
Which should you pick?
Choose Insomnia if
- You need rest api client.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Windows, MacOS, Linux, Web.
- You also want graphql support.
Questions people ask
- Is CircleCI or Insomnia better?
- Neither clearly leads. CircleCI starts at Free and Insomnia at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, CircleCI or Insomnia?
- CircleCI starts at Free and Insomnia at Free.
- Does CircleCI or Insomnia run on more platforms?
- CircleCI runs on Web. Insomnia runs on Windows, MacOS, Linux, Web.
- Can I use CircleCI for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is CircleCI best used for?
- CircleCI is most often used for continuous integration pipelines for application code, parallel test execution across containers, docker-based builds with layer caching, deployment pipelines with approval gates. Of those, continuous integration pipelines for application code and parallel test execution across containers are not what Insomnia is typically brought in for.
- What can CircleCI do that Insomnia cannot?
- Insomnia covers REST API Client, GraphQL Support, gRPC Support, GitHub.