Postman vs Bruno
Start fast, scale seamlessly without the limits and risks of Bruno.
Why Postman?
Bruno appears to be “good enough." Exploring an API and running a quick test is simple. But roadblocks hit early: testing breaks, workflows fragment, visibility disappears. And when APIs drive your product and revenue, those cracks create real costs. Postman gives you one scalable platform to build, test, and collaborate on APIs without the fragmentation.
Buy cheap, buy risk. Or buy once and unlock real business value at scale.
Scalable testing you can trust
Can teams test reliably across protocols, auth, and performance at scale?
Supports REST, GraphQL, gRPC, WebSockets, MQTT, HTTP/2
12+ authentication methods, including OAuth 2.0
Schema and example validation
Auto-generated mocks from examples
Visual data iteration, scoped environments, reusable variables, declarative chaining
Shared test libraries, templates, and Vault for secure scripting
Monitors, test history, load testing, CI/CD integrations
Supports REST and GraphQL only; no gRPC, WebSockets, MQTT, HTTP/2
OAuth 2.0 limited to core flows; advanced JWT assertion requires scripting
Response examples limited to static storage; no schema validation or auto-mocking from examples
Data iteration via CLI/CSV only; manual environment setup; chaining requires custom scripting
No shared libraries, templates, or Vault for secure reuse
No monitors, history, test diffs, or performance metrics; no automation for regression testing
Collaboration without silos
Can all API stakeholders participate and provide input throughout the workflow?
Shared project-level API solutions
Real-time feedback and inline comments
GitHub/GitLab integration without requiring Git expertise
Role-based permissions and change tracking
Collaboration limited to Git commits and merges
API work stored in repos; difficult to find
Requires Git knowledge; enterprise Git permissions can slow iteration
Avoid drift across artifacts
Are specs, tests, mocks, and docs kept in sync from design to deployment?
Specs, mocks, tests, docs in one connected workflow
One-click transitions between lifecycle stages
Bidirectional spec ↔ collection sync
Auto-updates to docs; review history alongside artifacts
No integrated workflow linking specs, tests, mocks, and documentation
Docs require manual updates; no automated sync
Consistent standards at scale
Can teams enforce org-wide standards and track API quality over time?
Org-wide rules for naming, versioning, test coverage, auth
Real-time linting and policy enforcement
Dashboards for maturity, coverage, governance
Shared templates, reusable patterns, automated checks before merge
No org-wide standards enforcement
No schema linting, policy checks, dashboards, or reusable templates
Reviews are manual and inconsistent
Secure & visible by design
Is the platform built with secure, auditable workflows from the start?
Security-by-design approach, even on free plans
Built-in secret scanning and encrypted Vault storage
Audit logs, role-based access control, governance dashboards
Compliance-ready: SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA
Integrations with SSO/SAML, BYOK encryption, and major developer/security tools
Local-only workflows mean secrets and API data live on individual machines
Sharing often occurs over email/Slack, with no centralized visibility or audit trails
No policy enforcement, compliance certifications, or security integrations
No organizational view of API activity or risk
Support & success you can rely on
Can teams count on expert support, training, and enablement at scale?
Dedicated customer success and technical support teams
In-person and remote training and enablement programs
Enterprise SLAs and priority escalation paths
Postman Academy, community, and partner ecosystem
Community-based support only
No dedicated success or enablement resources
No enterprise SLAs or support guarantees
No structured training or adoption programs
→ The result
Start fast and scale seamlessly with a battle-tested platform that drives faster releases, fewer bugs, and consistent customer experiences
Start fast, hit limits early: testing breaks down, collaboration gaps grow, and API friction slows your product and your business
Challenge: API testing needs to cover modern protocols, complex auth flows, and real-world scenarios all while being fast, repeatable, and automated. Bruno’s limited protocol and auth support, lack of schema or example validation, no mocking from examples, and reliance on manual setup make tests fragile and debugging slow.
Why Postman: Postman delivers end-to-end testing from first request to full-scale automation. You get full protocol coverage (including gRPC, WebSockets, MQTT, HTTP/2), 12+ authentication methods, schema and example validation, and auto-generated mocks from examples. Reusable environments, secure Vault scripting, and built-in monitors ensure test logic is reliable and sharable across teams.
Postman enables:
- Full protocol & 12+ auth method coverage
- Schema & example validation for reliable results
- Auto-generated mocks from examples
- Visual data iteration, reusable environments, and declarative chaining
- Shared test libraries, templates, and secure scripting with Vault
- Monitors, test history, and CI/CD integration for continuous quality
Bruno considerations: Bruno supports only REST and GraphQL and has limited OAuth 2.0 coverage, with advanced flows like JWT assertions requiring custom scripting. Response examples are static and not validated against schemas or connected to mocks and documentation. Testing complex flows is constrained since data iteration is CLI/CSV-only, environments must be set up manually, and chaining requires custom scripting. The platform also lacks shared libraries, templates, and Vault-based secure scripting, and offers no monitors, test history, performance metrics, or regression automation.
Postman is trusted by over 500,000 companies, 40 million users, and 98% of the Fortune 500
Industry recognition
Don't just take our word for it—learn why G2 recognized Postman as the #1 API platform in 2024.
Why teams choose Postman
These are the most common questions we hear from teams evaluating Postman as a modern API platform:
Is Postman more than just an API testing tool?
Yes. Postman supports the entire API lifecycle, including design, mocking, testing, documentation, publishing, monitoring, and governance all in one connected platform. Bruno is a local-first API client for basic request/response testing that lacks the integrated lifecycle capabilities teams need to scale.
Why choose Postman if Bruno is free and “good enough”?
Bruno works for solo developers running basic requests. But teams quickly outgrow it when they need deeper testing, collaboration, a connected lifecycle (design, mocking, testing, documentation, publishing, monitoring) and scalable standards. Postman gives you all of that in one platform, reducing tool sprawl, integration overhead, and long-term cost of ownership. Review our pricing and capabilities here.
How does Postman handle collaboration compared to Bruno?
Bruno’s Git-only workflow hides API work in repos and excludes non-technical contributors. Postman gives all stakeholders access through shared workspaces, real-time comments, and role-based permissions while integrating seamlessly with your Git repos.
What about security and compliance?
Postman is trusted by 98% of the Fortune 500 for its enterprise-grade controls like RBAC, SSO/SAML, audit logs, BYOK encryption, SOC 2, GDPR, and HIPAA compliance. Bruno’s local-only approach avoids cloud storage but offers no centralized access control, audit logs, or policy enforcement.
Debunking common myths
Bruno may make claims about Postman. Here are the facts:
Myth: Postman requires the cloud, making Bruno safer because it’s local.
Fact: Postman supports both local-only and secure cloud-enabled solutions. You can start local and scale into governed multi-user collaboration when needed, with Git sync available at every stage. And while Bruno positions “local” as safer, it can actually increase risk. Files and secrets live on individual machines and often get shared over email or Slack, with no centralized visibility, auditability, or access control. Postman gives you the flexibility of local development with the security, governance, and oversight required to protect your APIs at scale. Read more about our security approach here.
Myth: Postman is bloated and slow compared to Bruno.
Fact: Postman is powerful yet beautifully simple, designed for users, and constantly tuned for performance across the entire product. Bruno may feel “faster” because it does far less, and its limited capabilities make it appear lightweight, but customers often start scaling out of it from day one. With Postman, you get speed and the depth to handle the full API lifecycle without switching tools as your needs grow.
Myth: Postman locks you in while Bruno stays open.
Fact: Postman works with open formats (OpenAPI, Async, GraphQL, gRPC, WebSocket, MQTT, and SOAP), supports exports, integrates with Git, CI/CD, and other tools, and even offers an open API for extensibility. You can take your data anywhere, extend the platform to fit your needs, and still benefit from built-in governance, automation, and security.
Myth: Bruno offers unlimited usage while Postman limits it.
Fact: Postman’s CLI lets you run unlimited tests for free, locally or in CI/CD. The difference is that Postman’s testing capabilities are deeper, more automated, and more reusable, so “unlimited” actually means more when the product is robust (review pricing and capabilities here). Bruno’s “unlimited” usage is limited in value if the testing framework can’t handle your real-world scenarios. And while Bruno’s pricing may seem cheaper, missing lifecycle capabilities lead to tool sprawl, hidden costs, and more operational overhead over time.
What evaluation teams want to know
Evaluators often ask about security, extensibility, automation, and integration. Postman delivers.
Security & governance
Is Postman Free safe for enterprise use?
Absolutely. Postman’s security-by-design approach means even the free tier includes essential governance features. The platform is built with visibility, enforceable policy, and data ownership from day one, so teams aren’t forced to use risky shadow workflows that bypass controls.
How does Postman prevent accidental secret exposure?
Postman automatically scans for secrets in shared content and removes them before exposure. With Vault, secrets and sensitive data are stored in end-to-end encrypted local storage.
What security rules can I enforce in Postman?
Postman Enterprise supports configurable API security rules based on OWASP API Top 10 and Spectral. You can enforce them in designer workflows and even integrate them into CI/CD pipelines via the CLI.
Does Postman offer data control like BYOK?
Yes. Postman intentionally trusts users with control over their own encryption keys through the BYOK feature. This allows teams to design, govern, and build APIs within a secure, single-platform workflow.
Git integration & extensibility
Can Postman work natively with Git?
Yes. Postman offers bi-directional sync with GitHub, GitHub Actions, and GitLab, enabling teams to keep API specs and collections in version control while enabling non-Git-savvy contributors to edit visually. This gives the best of both worlds: control with flexibility.
How open and extensible is Postman’s platform?
Postman supports and embraces open standards like OpenAPI, GraphQL, gRPC, WebSocket, MQTT, and SOAP. We also have our own open API endpoints available for further extensibility, allowing users to automate, customize, and integrate deeply.
Productivity & Support
Does Postman provide AI capabilities?
Yes. Postman includes AI-powered tools like Agent Mode for auto-generating tests and documentation, and API automation. Bruno does not include AI features, leaving users to rely on third-party tools that aren’t API-specific.
How does Postman help prepare APIs for AI use cases?
Postman provides tools like MCP server generation, API publishing via the Postman API Network, and an AI Agent Builder, helping teams design, test, and deploy APIs that are AI-ready. Bruno does not provide AI-related capabilities.
Does Postman have an ecosystem?
Yes. Postman has the largest API ecosystem with 40M+ users and the Postman API Network, where teams can discover and reuse public APIs, Flows, and collections. Bruno does not have a comparable ecosystem.
Can Postman integrate with our existing tools (Jira, Slack, BI, etc.)?
Yes. Postman integrates with Jira, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Datadog, GitHub, GitLab, and many other workflow and monitoring tools. Bruno does not provide comparable integrations.
What support and services does Postman provide?
Postman offers dedicated customer success, technical support, enablement programs, and in-person/remote training. Bruno is open-source with limited community-based support and no enterprise services.
Still have questions?
Still have questions? Talk to our team and see why teams are choosing Postman over Bruno.
