Swastik Codes vs Thunder Client: a fair comparison

Q: Can Swastik Codes test my local development server?

Yes. Run swc bridge on your computer and switch on Local bridge in the web app, or use the Swastik Codes desktop app, which sends requests from your own machine and reaches localhost directly. Without either, the web app sends from our server, which will not connect to private or loopback addresses.

Q: Can I write tests without code in Swastik Codes?

Tests in Swastik Codes are JavaScript, using the swc.* API (the same API as Postman's pm.*). The scripts pane includes snippets for common checks such as status codes, headers, response time and JSON values, so you rarely start from a blank editor.

Thunder Client is an API client that runs as an extension inside your code editor. It started in VS Code and now also supports JetBrains IDEs and VS Code-based editors. Swastik Codes is a full API platform that runs in a web browser. If you mostly want to fire off a request without leaving your editor, Thunder Client is built for that. If you want collections, tests, mocks, monitors and team review in one place you can open from any machine, Swastik Codes is built for that. This page reflects Thunder Client's website, documentation, marketplace listing and pricing page as of October 2026.

Short verdict. Choose Thunder Client if you want to stay in VS Code or a JetBrains IDE, keep request data on your machine or in Git, and call localhost while you develop. Choose Swastik Codes if you want a dedicated workspace that works the same in any browser, Postman-compatible pm.* scripts, many real-time protocols, hosted mock servers and monitors, and team features with no paid plan.

At a glance

	Swastik Codes	Thunder Client (as of October 2026)
Where it runs	Web app at swastik.codes, plus a desktop app for Windows and Linux (macOS coming)	Extension for VS Code, JetBrains IDEs and VS Code-based editors
Storage and sync	Local workspaces in your browser; cloud workspaces sync with your account	Data saved locally on your device; optional Git sync for teams
Protocols	HTTP/REST, GraphQL, WebSocket, Socket.IO, SSE, gRPC, MQTT, MCP	REST, with WebSocket, SSE and gRPC listed on the pricing page
Scripting and tests	`swc.` pre-request and test scripts with chai assertions (Postman's `pm.` runs as is)	Scriptless (GUI) tests plus a scripting API
Test runner	Collection runner with iterations and CSV/JSON data; load tests	Collection runner (local run limits vary by plan)
Mock servers	Hosted mock servers from saved examples	Not covered in the documentation we checked
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	Not covered in the documentation we checked
Docs publishing	Published documentation per collection	Not covered in the documentation we checked
Collaboration	Teams, roles, comments, forks, pull requests, reviews	Git sync; team features on paid plans
CLI	`swc` CLI for CI runs and code scanning (Linux, Windows)	CLI for CI/CD on paid plans
Licence / pricing	Proprietary; free to use today, no paid plans	Proprietary extension; Free plan with limits plus paid Starter, Business and Enterprise plans (checked 22 October 2026)

Where Thunder Client is the better fit

You live in your editor. Requests sit beside your code, and switching windows is not needed. For quick checks during development, this is hard to beat.
Local development servers. Because it runs on your machine, Thunder Client can call localhost and services on your private network. The Swastik Codes web app sends requests through its server, which refuses loopback and private addresses; the Swastik Codes desktop app sends them from your machine and can reach local services too.
Data stays local. Thunder Client states that all data is saved locally on your device, with Git sync as an option for sharing.
GUI assertions. Thunder Client's scriptless testing lets you check status codes, headers and JSON values with form fields instead of code.
CI integration. Paid plans include a CLI for CI/CD pipelines. Swastik Codes has no published CLI today.

Where Swastik Codes fits

A complete workspace, not a panel. Collections with folders, environments with variable highlighting, a history of every request, a cookie manager, a console, and response views with timing breakdown, TLS details and pretty, raw and preview modes. See the REST API client.
Postman-style tests. Write tests once with swc.test, swc.expect, swc.response.to.have.status() and to.have.jsonSchema(), and they run the same in single sends and the collection runner. Existing Postman suites usually run unchanged. See API testing.
Real-time and RPC protocols. GraphQL with introspection and subscriptions, WebSocket, Socket.IO, SSE, gRPC, MQTT and MCP.
Hosted services. Mock servers with public URLs, scheduled monitors, published documentation and load tests with virtual users.
Team review. Comments with mentions, roles, forks and pull requests with approvals. See collaboration.
No usage tiers. Swastik Codes has no paid plans today, so there are no caps on collections, requests per collection or imports tied to a plan.

Using both

The two tools work well together. Many developers keep an editor extension for quick calls against their local server and use a browser workspace for shared collections, test suites that run in the collection runner, mock servers for the front-end team, and monitors against staging and production. If you go this route, exchange collections in Postman Collection v2.1 format, which Swastik Codes imports and exports.

Moving to Swastik Codes

Export your requests from Thunder Client in a format Swastik Codes reads, such as Postman Collection v2.1, if your plan includes export. Alternatively, copy individual requests as cURL commands.
In Swastik Codes, open Import and paste the cURL command or choose the file. The format is detected automatically.
Recreate GUI assertions as swc.test scripts. The guide to writing API tests shows the common patterns.

Frequently asked questions

Does Swastik Codes have a VS Code extension?

No. Swastik Codes runs in the browser at swastik.codes/app, and as a desktop app for Windows and Linux.

Can Swastik Codes test my local development server?

Yes. Run swc bridge on your computer and switch on Local bridge in the web app, or use the Swastik Codes desktop app, which sends requests from your own machine and reaches localhost directly. Without either, the web app sends from our server, which will not connect to private or loopback addresses.

Is there a free plan?

Swastik Codes is free to use today with no paid plans. Thunder Client has a Free plan with usage limits and paid plans that add team features and the CLI (checked 22 October 2026).

Can I write tests without code in Swastik Codes?

Tests in Swastik Codes are JavaScript, using the swc.* API (the same API as Postman's pm.*). The scripts pane includes snippets for common checks such as status codes, headers, response time and JSON values, so you rarely start from a blank editor.

Spotted something out of date? Email support@swastik.codes and we will correct it.