Apiboo vs Thunder Client
Thunder Client’s pitch is seductive: never leave VS Code. It is a lightweight REST client in the editor sidebar, with collections, environments and a GUI-based test builder that skips scripting entirely. For solo developers making straightforward REST calls between edits, that is genuinely convenient.
Its constraints show up as the work grows. Thunder Client moved from free-for-everyone to a feature-gated freemium model in stages: since August 2025 the free tier has no collections at all, WebSocket, SSE and gRPC are listed on the paid plans, and Git sync and team features are paid too. A panel squeezed next to your file tree is also a cramped place to inspect a large response.
Apiboo is the tool for when the API is the job, not a side glance: full protocol coverage, serious auth, mocking, and the team layer — in a window built for it.
| Feature | Apiboo | Thunder Client |
|---|---|---|
| Protocols | REST, GraphQL, WebSocket, SSE and gRPC | REST and GraphQL; WebSocket, SSE and gRPC listed on paid plans |
| Runs as | Native desktop app for macOS, Windows and Linux | VS Code extension (free tier: VS Code only); JetBrains plugin on paid plans |
| Where your data lives | Local-first desktop app; works offline — collections live on your disk | Local files; Git sync and team sharing on paid plans |
| Collections | Unlimited local collections on the free plan | Not in the free tier since August 2025 |
| Secrets | Vault encrypted with a passphrase only you know (passwords, keys, DB and SSH logins) | Environment variables; encrypted environments and cloud secret managers on paid plans |
| Auth depth | OAuth 2.0 with PKCE, AWS Signature v4, client certificates (mTLS) | Common auth types including OAuth 2.0 and AWS signature |
| Scripting & runner | Pre-request & post-response scripts (boo.* plus Postman’s pm.*, Bruno’s bru.* and Hoppscotch’s pw.*), collection runner | Scriptless GUI tests, scripting and a CLI; collection runs metered per paid plan |
| Import / export | Imports Postman, Insomnia, Bruno (whole collections: .bru or YAML folders and Bruno exports), Hoppscotch, OpenAPI/Swagger, HAR and pasted cURL; exports to Postman, Insomnia, Bruno and OpenAPI | Import and export, including conversion to the Postman format |
| Task boards | Kanban task boards built in | Not built in — though VS Code has extensions for everything |
| Team chat | Team chat (DMs, channels) where requests, collections and tasks are shareable cards | Not built in |
| Database manager | Built-in DB manager (PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite) | Not built in |
| Pricing | Free to start, no credit card; sync and team workspaces from Pro | Free tier; Starter $3, Business $7, Enterprise $16 per user/month, billed annually |
| Hosting & compliance | Built in the EU; hosted on EU and US infrastructure; GDPR compliant | Collections stored locally, per the vendor’s FAQ |
Last updated 2026-09-25. Competitor details are based on publicly available information and can change — check the vendor for current specifics. Spotted something out of date? Write to hello@apiboo.com
A sidebar is not a workspace
Editor integration is Thunder Client’s greatest strength and its permanent constraint. A sidebar panel is superb for firing the endpoint you just wrote; it is a cramped place to diff two large JSON responses, watch a WebSocket stream, or step through an OAuth consent flow. And the protocols modern backends start with — WebSocket, SSE and gRPC — are listed on its paid plans rather than the free one.
Apiboo gives API work a full window and the full protocol set — REST, GraphQL, WebSocket, SSE and gRPC — with OAuth 2.0 (PKCE), AWS Signature v4 and mTLS handled natively, plus a local mock server and a collection runner with real pre-request and post-response scripts, all on the free plan.
Free where it counts, team-ready when you are
Thunder Client’s free tier is now a request sender without collections, and the features teams actually need (collections, Git sync, the modern protocols, more collection runs) sit in its paid Starter, Business and Enterprise tiers. That is a legitimate business model; it just means the "free lightweight client" is not what your team would be running.
Apiboo keeps every local tool free, with no account and no credit card: unlimited collections, all five protocols, scripts, the runner, the local mock server, Git sync to GitHub. When you want sync and a team, Pro adds cloud workspaces, vault sync and one team of up to three people, and the Team plan covers larger teams, with boards, chat, a database manager and a terminal in the same app rather than as add-ons to a sidebar.
Your collections come with you
Thunder Client can convert its exports to the Postman format, and Apiboo imports Postman collections and environments directly, with folders, requests, variables and auth. If you only have a few requests, paste each one as cURL.
Where Thunder Client is still the better fit
If your API usage is genuinely light — a handful of REST endpoints you poke while editing the code that serves them — an in-editor client is the lowest-friction option there is, and installing a full workspace app would be overkill. For that kind of light REST use, Thunder Client’s free tier is genuinely enough.
When the requests get harder (streaming, gRPC, real auth), the responses get bigger, or a second person joins the project, that is the point where a dedicated workspace pays for its window — and where Apiboo is built to take over.
Frequently asked questions
Can I import Thunder Client collections into Apiboo?
Yes. Export them from Thunder Client, convert the export to the Postman format (Thunder Client has a "Convert to Postman Format" command), and import that file into Apiboo.
Does Apiboo integrate with VS Code?
Apiboo is a standalone native app rather than an editor extension. It runs beside your editor, Git sync connects a workspace to the same GitHub repos your code lives in, and its built-in terminal can run Claude Code or Codex next to your collections.
Is Apiboo free for commercial use?
Yes. The free plan covers every local tool for any use, with no account and no credit card; sync, cloud workspaces and teams are part of the paid plans.
