SoapUI vs Hurl

SoapUI9.2Visit Hurl8.3Visit

Higher score SoapUI #2 in API Clients 9.2/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 1 of 6 features Visit SoapUI

vs

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

• SoapUI fits best

  Mature SOAP and API testing teams

• Hurl fits best

  Text-based CI API testing

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Side by side

Feature	SoapUI 9.2/10 Visit ↗	Hurl 8.3/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.2	8.3
Ranking	#2 in API Clients	#8 in API Clients
Best for	Mature SOAP and API testing teams	Text-based CI API testing
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Free	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Desktop	Self-hosted
Platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux	Windows, macOS, Linux
Support	Community, Docs	Docs, Community
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features SoapUI 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	Free, open-source testing across REST, SOAP, and GraphQL Covers functional, regression, performance, and load testing Runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux with command-line execution	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	More testing-focused than broad, general-purpose API clients Enterprise capabilities are provided through the separate ReadyAPI product Desktop-focused workflows may not suit teams seeking a browser-based client	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	SoapUI is an open-source desktop API testing tool from SmartBear for developers and testers working with REST, SOAP, HTTP, and GraphQL services. It is particularly suited to teams that need structured functional, regression,… 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

• SoapUI — where it wins

  • Free, open-source testing across REST, SOAP, and GraphQL
  • Covers functional, regression, performance, and load testing
  • Runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux with command-line execution

  Where it doesn't

  • More testing-focused than broad, general-purpose API clients
  • Enterprise capabilities are provided through the separate ReadyAPI product
  • Desktop-focused workflows may not suit teams seeking a browser-based client

• 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

• SoapUI9.2/10 · Free plan

  A mature, testing-focused API client for REST, SOAP, GraphQL, and CI workflows.

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

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

  Visit HurlFull verdict →