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APIs · head to head

Thunder Client vs Zeplo

Thunder Client logo

Thunder Client

APIs

Lightweight REST API client built as VSCode extension

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Zeplo logo

Zeplo

APIs

Message queue as a URL prefix, adding retries and delays to any HTTP request

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: 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; Zeplo zeplo sits directly in the execution path of your background work, so an outage at a very small vendor means your jobs do not run at all, and there is no published SLA below Enterprise.
  • They diverge on capability: Thunder Client covers REST Client, Zeplo covers URL prefix interface.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Thunder Client and Zeplo actually diverge.

Attributes where Thunder Client and Zeplo differ
AttributeThunder ClientZeplo
Pricing modelfreemiumPer month by request count
PlatformsVSCode extension, WebWeb, Cloud
Founded2021Unknown

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 Thunder Client

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

Only in Zeplo

  • URL prefix interface
  • Retries with backoff
  • Delayed delivery
  • Cron scheduling
  • Concurrency limits
  • Deduplication keys
  • Request logs
  • Team workspaces

What people use each for

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

Thunder Client

  • API Developmentnot Zeplo
  • API Gatewaynot Zeplo
  • API Testingnot Zeplo
  • API Documentationnot Zeplo
  • Microservicesnot Zeplo

Zeplo

  • A Vercel or Cloudflare Workers application that needs retried background jobs without deploying a separate always-on workernot Thunder Client
  • A team that wants a webhook receiver protected by a concurrency limit so a burst does not overwhelm a downstream APInot Thunder Client
  • A small product needing cron jobs against HTTP endpoints without adding a scheduler to its infrastructurenot Thunder Client
  • A developer adding idempotent retries to an unreliable third-party API call with a one-line URL changenot Thunder Client

Where each one falls short

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

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

Zeplo

  • Zeplo sits directly in the execution path of your background work, so an outage at a very small vendor means your jobs do not run at all, and there is no published SLA below Enterprise.
  • The free Developer tier includes only 500 requests a month and one team member, so it is a demonstration allowance rather than a usable free plan for anything real.
  • Overage on the Developer tier is 20 US dollars per 100,000 requests, two hundred times the marginal rate on the Company tier, so exceeding the free allowance without upgrading is expensive.
  • Team members cost 15 US dollars each beyond the plan allowance, which is an odd charge on an infrastructure product billed by request volume.
  • Log retention is 30 days on both published tiers, so anything requiring longer audit trails on job execution has to be logged separately.

Pricing, plan by plan

Thunder Client

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

Zeplo

Free
  • DeveloperFree
    • 500 requests a month included
    • $20 per additional 100,000 requests
    • 1 team member
  • Company$39/month
    • 1,000,000 requests a month included
    • $10 per additional million requests
    • Up to 3 team members
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Volume discounts
    • Custom team size
    • Support with SLA

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Zeplo if

  • You need url prefix interface.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Cloud.
  • You also want retries with backoff.
Zeplo review

Questions people ask

Is Thunder Client or Zeplo better?
Neither clearly leads. Thunder Client starts at Free and Zeplo at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Thunder Client or Zeplo?
Thunder Client starts at Free and Zeplo at Free.
Does Thunder Client or Zeplo run on more platforms?
Thunder Client runs on VSCode extension, Web. Zeplo runs on Web, Cloud.
Can I use Thunder Client for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Thunder Client best used for?
Thunder Client is most often used for api development, api gateway, api testing, api documentation. Of those, api development and api gateway are not what Zeplo is typically brought in for.
What can Thunder Client do that Zeplo cannot?
Thunder Client covers REST Client, Environment variables, Response testing, VSCode. Zeplo covers URL prefix interface, Retries with backoff, Delayed delivery, Cron scheduling.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
Zeplo: How does Zeplo work?

You prefix your endpoint URL with zeplo.to and add query parameters for retries, delay, cron or concurrency. No SDK or broker is needed.

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
Zeplo: What does it cost?

Free for 500 requests a month; 39 US dollars a month for a million requests, then 10 dollars per additional million.

Zeplo: Is it suitable for critical jobs?

It is a small vendor in your execution path with no published SLA below Enterprise, so weigh that against the convenience.

Zeplo: Does it work with serverless platforms?

Yes, that is its main use, covering Vercel, Cloudflare Workers, Netlify and similar environments that lack long-running workers.

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