Side by side
| RequestFox | Insomnia | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | A side panel in Chrome, a sidebar in Firefox | Desktop app for macOS, Windows and Ubuntu [1] |
| Storage and account | In your browser; no account | Local Vault (on your device), Scratch Pad (before logging in), Git Sync, or Cloud Sync after you log in [2] |
| Calls your web app makes | Recorded as you click, with problems flagged | You build the requests |
| Mocking | Mock, fail, slow or pause calls your app makes, in the browser; mock sets that stay on, and in Chrome a script can rewrite a request or reply | Mock servers that simulate endpoints, including cloud-hosted ones [1] |
| CI | A one-file CLI exported from the panel | Inso CLI [1] |
| Extending it | No plugins (no third-party code) | Plugins [1] |
| Source | Free; MIT licence, repository not public | Open source [1] |
Where Insomnia is stronger
- It is open source and extends with plugins [1].
- Storage choices, from local only to Git and cloud sync for teams [2].
- Mock servers that other people and services can call [1].
Where RequestFox is different
- It works on what your app really sends, in the session you are signed in to.
- It flags failed, slow, duplicate and silently broken calls as you test, tied to your click.
- Nothing to install outside the browser, and no account for anything.
- Imports Insomnia exports (v4 JSON and v5 YAML), and exports your collections as Insomnia v5 YAML, so your requests come with you and can go back.
Bring your Insomnia requests, then run them in CI
Import an Insomnia export (v4 JSON or v5 YAML) from Compose → Import → Import a collection…. Chain the requests into a suite, and Export as CI config gives you a config file and a one-file command-line tool for your pipeline.
Sources
- Kong Developer, "Insomnia". Checked 1 November 2026. developer.konghq.com
- Kong Developer, "Storage options in Insomnia". Checked 1 November 2026. developer.konghq.com
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