Gud API vs the alternatives
There are a lot of API clients out there. This page compares Gud API against the three most common options developers ask about: Postman, Thunder Client, and Bruno.
No hype. No trashing competitors. Just an honest breakdown so you can pick the right tool for your workflow.
Quick summary
| Gud API | Postman | Thunder Client | Bruno | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Platform | Any code editor (Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf, VSCodium… via Open VSX) | Desktop app + web | VS Code extension | Desktop app |
| Account required | No | Yes | Yes (since v2.0) | No |
| Free tier | Unlimited collections, 1 environment | Limited (cloud-first) | 20 collections | Full (no limits) |
| Paid entry price | £4/mo or £29 lifetime | $14/user/mo | $3/user/mo | $19/user/mo (teams) |
| Team plan | £8/seat/mo (admin pays, members free) | $29–49/user/mo | Limited | $19/user/mo per member |
| Offline-first | Yes | No (cloud-first) | Partial | Yes |
| Storage | Local files (optional sync) | Postman Cloud | Local or cloud | Plain git-friendly files |
| Open source | No (source-available) | No | No | Yes (MIT) |
| cURL import | ✅ Paste in URL bar | ✅ Import dialog | ✅ Import dialog | ✅ |
| GraphQL | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Team collaboration | Shared collections with read/write permissions | Workspaces, cloud-based | Limited | Git-based |
| Lifetime purchase | ✅ (£29 Pro) | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| AI agent integration (MCP) | ✅ Agents write collections your editor reads live | Cloud-first (Postbot) | ❌ | ❌ |
Deep-dive comparisons
- Gud API vs Thunder Client: the editor extension showdown
- Gud API vs Postman: the industry standard vs a lightweight native alternative
- Gud API vs Bruno: two offline-first approaches compared
Which should you choose?
Pick Gud API if:
- You live in your editor (Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf, and more) and want your API client there too
- You want to try before you buy: no signup, no credit card
- You prefer a one-time lifetime purchase over subscriptions
- Your team needs shared collections but you don't want to pay per-seat for every member
Pick Postman if:
- You need mock servers, API documentation generation, and monitors
- Your team is already deeply invested in Postman workspaces
- You don't mind a separate desktop app and cloud-first workflow
Pick Thunder Client if:
- You want a native client in your editor and are fine with the post-2024 paid model
- You have simple needs (under 20 collections on free tier)
Pick Bruno if:
- You want an open-source, git-versioned API client
- Plain-text collection files in your repo matter to you
- You don't need editor integration
Migrating to Gud API
Already using one of these? Gud API imports collections from all of them:
- From Postman → export as
Collection v2.1JSON → import in Gud API - From Thunder Client → export collection JSON → import in Gud API
- From Bruno → export individual requests as cURL, paste into Gud API's URL bar
- From anywhere → paste cURL commands directly (from browser DevTools, docs, Postman, etc.)
See the import guide for details.
Try Gud API
Install from the Visual Studio Marketplace or Open VSX. Free forever for solo use, no signup required.