Bruno vs Hurl

Bruno8.6Visit Hurl8.3Visit

Higher score Bruno #5 in API Clients 8.6/10 Free plan · 14-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 1 of 6 features Visit Bruno

vs

Hurl #8 in API Clients 8.3/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 1 of 6 features Visit Hurl

• Bruno fits best

  Open-source API development teams

• Hurl fits best

  Text-based CI API testing

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Side by side

Feature	Bruno 8.6/10 Visit ↗	Hurl 8.3/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.6	8.3
Ranking	#5 in API Clients	#8 in API Clients
Best for	Open-source API development teams	Text-based CI API testing
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free
Starting price	$6/user/mo	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	14 days	—
Deployment	Desktop	Self-hosted
Platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux	Windows, macOS, Linux
Support	Email, Live chat, Community	Docs, Community
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Bruno 1/6 · Hurl 1/6
GraphQL support	✓	✓
gRPC support	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
WebSocket support	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Automated test runs	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
API documentation	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Team workspaces	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Specs
Available platforms	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Open-source, local-first collections stored as plain-text files Supports HTTP, REST, GraphQL, SOAP, gRPC, and WebSocket requests Git, CI/CD, OpenAPI, scripting, testing, and local mocking in one client	Chains requests and captures response values for later steps Validates REST, SOAP, GraphQL, JSON, XML, and HTML responses Creates text, JUnit, TAP, and HTML reports for CI/CD
Cons	OpenAPI synchronization is limited to five monthly syncs on the free plan Local mock servers are documented as a beta feature Advanced Git, workspace, and support features require paid plans	Command-line workflow is narrower than full graphical API clients Best suited to teams comfortable maintaining plain-text test files Focused on HTTP testing rather than broader API client workflows
Our verdict	Bruno is an open-source, local-first API client for developers and teams testing APIs. It supports HTTP, REST, GraphQL, SOAP, gRPC, and WebSocket requests, along with assertions, JavaScript test scripts, collection runs, documentation, and… Read the review →	Hurl is an open-source command-line tool for developers and DevOps teams who define HTTP requests and tests in plain-text Hurl files. It runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows, and is distributed as a single Rust binary powered by libcurl. The… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Bruno — where it wins

  • Open-source, local-first collections stored as plain-text files
  • Supports HTTP, REST, GraphQL, SOAP, gRPC, and WebSocket requests
  • Git, CI/CD, OpenAPI, scripting, testing, and local mocking in one client

  Where it doesn't

  • OpenAPI synchronization is limited to five monthly syncs on the free plan
  • Local mock servers are documented as a beta feature
  • Advanced Git, workspace, and support features require paid plans

• Hurl — where it wins

  • Chains requests and captures response values for later steps
  • Validates REST, SOAP, GraphQL, JSON, XML, and HTML responses
  • Creates text, JUnit, TAP, and HTML reports for CI/CD

  Where it doesn't

  • Command-line workflow is narrower than full graphical API clients
  • Best suited to teams comfortable maintaining plain-text test files
  • Focused on HTTP testing rather than broader API client workflows

• Bruno8.6/10 · Free plan · 14-day trial

  An open-source API client for teams building, testing, and versioning collections in Git.

  Visit BrunoFull verdict →
• Hurl8.3/10 · Free plan

  A focused open-source choice for text-based API tests in CI/CD.

  Visit HurlFull verdict →