API Management · head to head
Swagger vs Hoppscotch
Swagger
API Management
API design and documentation platform for building, testing, and managing APIs
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Hoppscotch
API Management
Open-source API development ecosystem with web-based REST client
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Swagger swaggerHub, the commercial layer over the free open source Swagger tools, is sold in Free, Team and Enterprise tiers with the Enterprise tier requiring a sales contact and no public price, per the vendor pricing page; Hoppscotch hoppscotch's core client is MIT licensed, but hoppscotch.io/pricing (per prior and repeated fetch) renders no server-side pricing content, meaning any hosted Team/Enterprise tier pricing is not readable without a JavaScript-executing browser
- They diverge on capability: Swagger covers API Specification, Hoppscotch covers REST Client.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Swagger and Hoppscotch actually diverge.
| Attribute | Swagger | Hoppscotch |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Web, CLI, Desktop | Web, Desktop, Self-hosted |
| Founded | 2011 | 2019 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (API Management).
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 Swagger
- API Specification
- Interactive Documentation
- Code Generation
- GitLab
- Azure DevOps
- Jira
- CLI support
Only in Hoppscotch
- REST Client
- WebSocket
- gRPC Client
- Documentation tools
- CI/CD
- Self-hosted support
Both cover
- GitHub
- Web support
- Desktop support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Swagger
- 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.
Swagger
- SwaggerHub, the commercial layer over the free open source Swagger tools, is sold in Free, Team and Enterprise tiers with the Enterprise tier requiring a sales contact and no public price, per the vendor pricing page
Hoppscotch
- Hoppscotch's core client is MIT licensed, but hoppscotch.io/pricing (per prior and repeated fetch) renders no server-side pricing content, meaning any hosted Team/Enterprise tier pricing is not readable without a JavaScript-executing browser
Pricing, plan by plan
Swagger
Free- FreeFree
- OpenAPI specification
- Swagger UI
- API documentation
- Professional$20/monthly
- Advanced features
- Team collaboration
- API testing
- Enterprise$undefined/monthly
- Custom deployment
- Advanced security
- Dedicated 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 Swagger if
- You need api specification.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, CLI, Desktop.
- You also want interactive documentation.
Choose Hoppscotch if
- You need rest client.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Desktop, Self-hosted.
- You also want websocket.
Questions people ask
- Is Swagger or Hoppscotch better?
- Neither clearly leads. Swagger 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, Swagger or Hoppscotch?
- Swagger starts at Free and Hoppscotch at Free.
- Does Swagger or Hoppscotch run on more platforms?
- Swagger runs on Web, CLI, Desktop. Hoppscotch runs on Web, Desktop, Self-hosted.
- Can I use Swagger for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Swagger best used for?
- Swagger is most often used for api development, api gateway, api testing, api documentation.
- What can Swagger do that Hoppscotch cannot?
- Swagger covers API Specification, Interactive Documentation, Code Generation, GitLab. Hoppscotch covers REST Client, WebSocket, gRPC Client, Documentation tools. Both handle GitHub, Web support, Desktop support.