Softwr

APIs · head to head

GraphQL Playground vs Thunder Client

GraphQL Playground logo

GraphQL Playground

APIs

GraphQL IDE and documentation tool for building GraphQL APIs

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Thunder Client logo

Thunder Client

APIs

Lightweight REST API client built as VSCode extension

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; Thunder Client paid plans are billed annually only: Starter is $3 per user per month and capped at a maximum of 10 seats, Business is $7 per user per month with 500 monthly collection runs per user, and Enterprise is $16 per user per month for unlimited runs
  • They diverge on capability: GraphQL Playground covers Query building, Thunder Client 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 Thunder Client actually diverge.

Attributes where GraphQL Playground and Thunder Client differ
AttributeGraphQL PlaygroundThunder Client
Pricing modelopen-sourcefreemium
PlatformsWeb, Electron, Self-hostedVSCode extension, Web
Founded20182021

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
  • Self-hosted support

Only in Thunder Client

  • REST Client
  • Environment variables
  • Response testing
  • VSCode
  • GitHub
  • Webhook support
  • VSCode extension support

Both cover

  • Web 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

Thunder Client

  • 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

Thunder Client

  • Paid plans are billed annually only: Starter is $3 per user per month and capped at a maximum of 10 seats, Business is $7 per user per month with 500 monthly collection runs per user, and Enterprise is $16 per user per month for unlimited runs

Pricing, plan by plan

GraphQL Playground

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Full GraphQL IDE
    • Community support

Thunder Client

Free
  • FreeFree
    • REST client
    • Collection management
    • Local testing
  • Pro$8/monthly
    • Cloud sync
    • Team collaboration
    • Advanced features

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 Thunder Client if

  • You need rest client.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on VSCode extension, Web.
  • You also want environment variables.
Thunder Client review

Questions people ask

Is GraphQL Playground or Thunder Client better?
Neither clearly leads. GraphQL Playground starts at Free and Thunder Client at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, GraphQL Playground or Thunder Client?
GraphQL Playground starts at Free and Thunder Client at Free.
Does GraphQL Playground or Thunder Client run on more platforms?
GraphQL Playground runs on Web, Electron, Self-hosted. Thunder Client runs on VSCode extension, Web.
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 Thunder Client cannot?
GraphQL Playground covers Query building, Schema introspection, Real-time testing, GraphQL servers. Thunder Client covers REST Client, Environment variables, Response testing, VSCode. Both handle Web 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
Thunder Client: How much does Thunder Client cost?

Thunder Client publishes a free plan at no cost, then Starter at $3, Business at $7 and Enterprise at $16, all priced annually.

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
Thunder Client: Is Thunder Client free?

Yes, there is a free plan. It is used through the Thunder Client extension for VS Code, available from the marketplace, with limits applied compared with the paid tiers.

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
Share

Related pages

More on GraphQL Playground

More on Thunder Client

Keep looking

Other head to heads