Software · head to head
Insomnia vs Cypress
Insomnia
Software
REST and GraphQL API client for development and testing
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Cypress
Software
JavaScript end-to-end testing framework with browser-based runner and cloud service
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Insomnia git Sync on the free tier covers up to 3 users only; Cypress limited to web applications; mobile and desktop app testing not supported
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Insomnia and Cypress 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 Insomnia
- REST API Client
- GraphQL Support
- gRPC Support
- GitHub
- GitLab
- Slack
- Windows support
- MacOS support
Only in Cypress
Nothing recorded that Insomnia does not also cover.
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Insomnia
- Sending and debugging HTTP, GraphQL and gRPC requestsnot Cypress
- Storing collections in Git rather than a vendor cloudnot Cypress
- Mocking an API endpoint before it existsnot Cypress
- Running collections in CI with the Inso CLInot Cypress
- Environment management across staging and productionnot Cypress
Cypress
- End-to-end testing for modern JavaScript web applicationsnot Insomnia
- Continuous integration pipelines with parallelised test executionnot Insomnia
- Visual regression testing and accessibility verificationnot Insomnia
- Flaky test detection and eliminationnot Insomnia
- Team collaboration on test maintenance and debuggingnot Insomnia
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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
Cypress
- Limited to web applications; mobile and desktop app testing not supported
- Free tier capped at 500 test results/month; insufficient for most development teams
- Paid features (flake detection, analytics) not included in free tier
- JavaScript/TypeScript focused; less suitable for polyglot organisations
Pricing, plan by plan
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
Cypress
Free- Starter (Free)Free
- 500 test results/month
- 100 prompt executions/month
- Parallelisation
- Team$67/month
- 120k test results/year
- 9k prompt executions/year
- Flake detection
- Business$267/month
- 120k test results/year
- 24k prompt executions/year
- Spec prioritisation
- Enterprise$null/custom
- 1.8M test results/year
- 60k prompt executions/year
- Unlimited users
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 Insomnia or Cypress better?
- Neither clearly leads. Insomnia starts at Free and Cypress at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Insomnia or Cypress?
- Insomnia starts at Free and Cypress at Free.
- Does Insomnia or Cypress run on more platforms?
- Insomnia runs on Windows, MacOS, Linux, Web. Cypress runs on macOS, Windows, Linux.
- Can I use Insomnia for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Insomnia best used for?
- Insomnia is most often used for sending and debugging http, graphql and grpc requests, storing collections in git rather than a vendor cloud, mocking an api endpoint before it exists, running collections in ci with the inso cli. Of those, sending and debugging http, graphql and grpc requests and storing collections in git rather than a vendor cloud are not what Cypress is typically brought in for.
- What can Insomnia do that Cypress cannot?
- Insomnia covers REST API Client, GraphQL Support, gRPC Support, GitHub.