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APIs · head to head

GraphQL Playground vs Hoppscotch

GraphQL Playground logo

GraphQL Playground

APIs

GraphQL IDE and documentation tool for building GraphQL APIs

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Hoppscotch logo

Hoppscotch

APIs

Open-source API development ecosystem with web-based REST client

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: GraphQL Playground apollo's own documentation states GraphQL Playground is officially retired and no longer recommended, directing users to Apollo Sandbox instead; Hoppscotch open-source project with no published commercial support plans or pricing
  • They diverge on capability: GraphQL Playground covers Query building, Hoppscotch covers REST Client.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which GraphQL Playground and Hoppscotch actually diverge.

Attributes where GraphQL Playground and Hoppscotch differ
AttributeGraphQL PlaygroundHoppscotch
Pricing modelopen-sourcefreemium
PlatformsWeb, Electron, Self-hostedWeb, Desktop, Self-hosted
Founded20182019

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (APIs).

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 GraphQL Playground

  • Query building
  • Schema introspection
  • Real-time testing
  • GraphQL servers
  • Apollo Studio
  • Custom servers
  • Electron support

Only in Hoppscotch

  • REST Client
  • WebSocket
  • gRPC Client
  • GitHub
  • Documentation tools
  • CI/CD
  • Desktop support

Both cover

  • Web support
  • Self-hosted support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

GraphQL Playground

  • API Development
  • API Gateway
  • API Testing
  • API Documentation
  • Microservices

Hoppscotch

  • API Development
  • API Gateway
  • API Testing
  • API Documentation
  • Microservices

Both are used for api development, api gateway, api testing, api documentation, microservices, on those jobs the choice comes down to price and fit rather than capability.

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

GraphQL Playground

  • Apollo's own documentation states GraphQL Playground is officially retired and no longer recommended, directing users to Apollo Sandbox instead

Hoppscotch

  • Open-source project with no published commercial support plans or pricing
  • No official enterprise tier or SLA information disclosed

Pricing, plan by plan

GraphQL Playground

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Full GraphQL IDE
    • Community support

Hoppscotch

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Full REST client
    • WebSocket support
    • Community
  • Teams$8/monthly
    • Team collaboration
    • Cloud sync
    • Priority support

Which should you pick?

Choose GraphQL Playground if

  • You need query building.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Electron, Self-hosted.
  • You also want schema introspection.
GraphQL Playground review

Choose Hoppscotch if

  • You need rest client.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Desktop, Self-hosted.
  • You also want websocket.
Hoppscotch review

Questions people ask

Is GraphQL Playground or Hoppscotch better?
Neither clearly leads. GraphQL Playground starts at Free and Hoppscotch at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, GraphQL Playground or Hoppscotch?
GraphQL Playground starts at Free and Hoppscotch at Free.
Does GraphQL Playground or Hoppscotch run on more platforms?
GraphQL Playground runs on Web, Electron, Self-hosted. Hoppscotch runs on Web, Desktop, Self-hosted.
Can I use GraphQL Playground for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is GraphQL Playground best used for?
GraphQL Playground is most often used for api development, api gateway, api testing, api documentation.
What can GraphQL Playground do that Hoppscotch cannot?
GraphQL Playground covers Query building, Schema introspection, Real-time testing, GraphQL servers. Hoppscotch covers REST Client, WebSocket, gRPC Client, GitHub. Both handle Web support, Self-hosted support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

GraphQL Playground: Is GraphQL Playground free to use?

GraphQL Playground is a testing tool for Apollo Server and is free to use as part of the Apollo Server documentation. However, the broader Apollo GraphQL platform has various paid tiers available for production use.

Source
Hoppscotch: Is Hoppscotch free to use for API development?

Yes, Hoppscotch is a completely free, open-source API development ecosystem. There are no subscription fees, license costs, or registration requirements to access the core platform.

Source
GraphQL Playground: Is GraphQL Playground part of a paid product?

GraphQL Playground is a testing tool within the Apollo ecosystem. While Playground itself is free, Apollo offers paid tiers starting at $5 per million requests for the Developer tier, with Standard and Enterprise plans available at custom pricing.

Source
Hoppscotch: Can I deploy Hoppscotch on my own infrastructure?

As an open-source project, Hoppscotch can be self-hosted and deployed on your own infrastructure. The source code is available for customization and deployment in private environments.

Source
GraphQL Playground: What is the cost structure for Apollo GraphQL's paid plans?

Apollo uses volume-based tiered pricing for requests: first 250M operations cost $5.00 per million plus $2.00 for performance add-on; next 750M operations are $4.25 per million plus $1.50 add-on; additional tiers scale down to $3.00 per million plus $0.50 add-on for operations over 5 billion.

Source
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