Comparison · as of October 2026
Swastik Codes vs Insomnia
How Swastik Codes compares with Kong's Insomnia as of October 2026, and when Insomnia is the better pick.
Insomnia, maintained by Kong, is a desktop API client with a strong following among developers who like a clean interface and spec-first workflows. Swastik Codes is a browser-based API platform built around Postman-compatible collections. They overlap a lot: both send REST, GraphQL, WebSocket, SSE and gRPC requests, both talk to MCP servers, both run scripts, collections and mock servers, and both can edit OpenAPI specs. This comparison is accurate as of October 2026, based on Insomnia's official documentation and repository and on the Swastik Codes product itself.
Short verdict. Choose Insomnia if you want a desktop app that keeps data in a local vault or Git repository, need to reach localhost, want a CLI (Inso) in your CI pipeline, or use Kong Konnect. Choose Swastik Codes if you want to work in the browser with nothing to install, use Postman-format collections and pm.* scripts, need Socket.IO or MQTT alongside the other protocols, or want forks, pull requests and reviews for collections at no cost.
At a glance
| Swastik Codes | Insomnia (as of October 2026) | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | Web app at swastik.codes, plus a desktop app for Windows and Linux (macOS coming) | Desktop app for macOS, Windows and Linux |
| Size and memory | 11 MB Windows installer; 434 MB of memory a minute after launch in our test | 500 MB Windows installer; 656 MB of memory in the same test |
| Storage and sync | Local workspaces in your browser; cloud workspaces sync with your account | Local Vault, Git Sync or Cloud Sync (cloud can be end-to-end encrypted) |
| Protocols | HTTP/REST, GraphQL, WebSocket, Socket.IO, SSE, gRPC, MQTT, MCP | REST, GraphQL, WebSockets, SSE, gRPC, plus an MCP client |
| Scripting | Pre-request and test scripts with the swc.* API; Postman's pm.* runs as is | Pre-request and after-response scripts |
| Test runner | Collection runner with iterations and CSV/JSON data; load tests | Collection Runner with iteration data from CSV or JSON |
| Mock servers | Hosted mock servers from saved examples | Cloud-hosted or self-hosted mock servers |
| Monitors | Scheduled runs with email and webhook alerts | Not covered in the documentation we checked |
| API design | OpenAPI 3, Swagger 2, AsyncAPI editor with linting and versions | OpenAPI design with linting, including custom rules |
| Docs publishing | Published documentation per collection | Not covered in the documentation we checked |
| Collaboration | Teams, roles, comments, forks, pull requests, reviews | Git Sync and Cloud Sync projects shared with teammates |
| Import / export | Postman, Insomnia v4 and v5, OpenAPI, Swagger, cURL, HAR, RAML, WSDL | Imports Postman v2.0/v2.1, Insomnia v4/v5, HAR, OpenAPI, Swagger, WSDL, cURL |
| CLI | swc CLI for CI runs and code scanning (Linux, Windows) | Inso CLI for CI/CD |
| Licence / pricing | Proprietary; free to use today, no paid plans | Apache-2.0 licensed source; free Essentials plan plus paid Pro and Enterprise (checked 22 October 2026) |
Where Insomnia is the better fit
- Local-first storage. Insomnia's Local Vault keeps data on your device, and Git Sync stores projects in your own Git repository. If your policy says API collections must never leave developer machines, Insomnia fits that directly. Swastik Codes' local workspaces also stay in your browser, but sending a request from the web app goes through the swastik.codes server.
- Calling local services. A desktop app can call
localhost, Docker networks and VPN-only hosts. The Swastik Codes web app cannot, because its server refuses private and loopback addresses; the Swastik Codes desktop app for Windows and Linux can. - CI with a CLI. Inso runs Insomnia collections and spec linting in pipelines. Swastik Codes has no published CLI today.
- Self-hosted mocks and Kong. Insomnia supports self-hosted mock servers and connects to Kong Konnect, useful if you already run Kong.
- Open source. Insomnia's source code is available under the Apache-2.0 licence on GitHub.
Where Swastik Codes fits
- Nothing to install. Open swastik.codes/app in any modern browser, on any operating system, including locked-down work laptops and Chromebooks.
- Postman compatibility. If your team or your API vendors share Postman collections, Swastik Codes imports them, runs their
pm.*scripts and exports Postman v2.1 again. See import and export. - Your Insomnia data comes along. The importer reads Insomnia v4 exports and the v5 YAML format that recent Insomnia versions export. Workspaces become collections, request groups become folders, and scripts written against
insomnia.*are converted toswc.*. - More real-time protocols. In addition to WebSocket, SSE and gRPC, Swastik Codes has a Socket.IO client (v2, v3 and v4 servers) and an MQTT client (3.1.1 and 5).
- Hosted services included. Mock servers, monitors with email or signed webhook alerts, published docs and load tests run on the hosted service without extra setup.
- Review workflow. Collaboration includes teams with admin, editor and viewer roles, comments with mentions, collection forks and pull requests with approvals and merge checks.
- Free. There are no paid plans today.
API design in both tools
Both tools treat specs as first-class. In Swastik Codes, the API design editor handles multi-file OpenAPI 3, Swagger 2 and AsyncAPI 2 and 3 definitions, lints them, tags versions with a changelog and generates a collection. Re-syncing the collection after the spec changes keeps your request ids, scripts, tests and examples while adding new operations. Insomnia's design documents with linting and custom rules cover a similar need, with the Inso CLI for running lint in CI.
Moving from Insomnia
- In Insomnia, export your project or collection (the YAML export from recent versions works, as does the older JSON export).
- In Swastik Codes, choose Import and select the file. Environments come across as environments; the base environment becomes collection variables.
- Open a request, pick an environment and send. Review any converted scripts in the Scripts tab.
Variables written as {{ _.host }} in Insomnia become {{host}}. If you also use Postman, the guide to importing a Postman collection covers the other side.
Frequently asked questions
Can I import Insomnia collections into Swastik Codes?
Yes. Swastik Codes imports Insomnia v4 JSON exports and v5 YAML exports, including environments, folders and scripts. Insomnia gRPC, WebSocket and Socket.IO requests map to the matching Swastik Codes request types.
Is Swastik Codes open source like Insomnia?
No. Swastik Codes is a proprietary product that is free to use today. Insomnia's code is published under the Apache-2.0 licence.
Does Swastik Codes work offline?
The web app needs a connection to swastik.codes and a free account. Local workspaces keep their data in your browser, and the desktop app works without an account. Insomnia's desktop app with Local Vault is the better choice for fully offline work.
Which one is better for GraphQL?
Both have capable GraphQL clients. Swastik Codes adds schema introspection, autocomplete, an explorer and subscriptions; see the GraphQL client. Try both on your own schema and keep whichever you prefer.
Spotted something out of date? Email support@swastik.codes and we will correct it.