Hoppscotch vs Yaak
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
Open-source app for building, sending, and testing API requests in the browser, desktop, or CLI.
Open source · MIT
A desktop app for sending and organizing API requests across REST, GraphQL, gRPC, WebSocket and SSE.
The short answer
Choose Hoppscotch if you need…
- Developers who want to test REST, GraphQL, WebSocket, or other APIs without a heavy desktop client
- Teams that want to share collections and environments across members
- People who prefer an open-source tool they can self-host or run offline
- Developers who want to run API tests from the command line via the Hoppscotch CLI
Choose Yaak if you need…
- Developers who want a desktop client for REST, GraphQL, gRPC, WebSocket or SSE in one place
- Teams that want request collections stored as files they can version in Git
- People who want to import existing collections from Postman, Insomnia, OpenAPI or Curl
- Users who prefer keeping secrets in their OS keychain rather than in a cloud account
Side-by-side
| Hoppscotch | Yaak | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | App | App |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 80.7k | 19.4k |
| Setup difficulty | Beginner | Beginner |
| How you get it | Use it in the browser (or self-host) | Download the app |
| Main language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last code update | 6 days ago | 4 days ago |
What each one is
Hoppscotch
Hoppscotch is an open-source tool for making and testing requests to web APIs. You enter a URL, choose a method such as GET or POST, send the request, and inspect the response. It is offered as a web app, a installable desktop or PWA app, and a command-line interface, and the README positions it as an open-source alternative to Postman and Insomnia.
Yaak
Yaak is a desktop application for testing and working with APIs, the way web and mobile software talks to servers. You can build requests over several protocols, including REST, GraphQL, gRPC, WebSocket and Server-Sent Events, and group them into workspaces and folders. The README describes it as offline-first and privacy-focused, with no telemetry, and it is built with Tauri, Rust and React.
Best for
Hoppscotch
- Developers who want to test REST, GraphQL, WebSocket, or other APIs without a heavy desktop client
- Teams that want to share collections and environments across members
- People who prefer an open-source tool they can self-host or run offline
- Developers who want to run API tests from the command line via the Hoppscotch CLI
Yaak
- Developers who want a desktop client for REST, GraphQL, gRPC, WebSocket or SSE in one place
- Teams that want request collections stored as files they can version in Git
- People who want to import existing collections from Postman, Insomnia, OpenAPI or Curl
- Users who prefer keeping secrets in their OS keychain rather than in a cloud account
Strengths
Hoppscotch
- Open source under the MIT license with a large community (about 80,700 stars at the time of metadata)
- Supports many protocols beyond basic HTTP, including GraphQL, WebSocket, and MQTT
- Available as a web app, PWA, and CLI, with offline support noted in the README
Yaak
- Covers many protocols (REST, GraphQL, gRPC, WebSocket, SSE) in a single desktop app
- Stores data locally and mirrors workspaces to files, which suits Git-based workflows
- The source code is MIT licensed and can be built for free
Not ideal for
Hoppscotch
- Users who need features the README does not describe; the README is truncated and feature depth is not fully covered
- People who want a fully managed, closed hosted service with no interest in self-hosting or sync setup
- Non-developers with no need to call APIs
Yaak
- People who need cloud sync or real-time team collaboration, since the README emphasizes offline use and filesystem mirroring rather than cloud features
- Anyone needing a commercial license without cost: the README says prebuilt binaries are free for personal use but require a license for commercial use
- Non-developers with no exposure to APIs, since the tool assumes you know what requests and endpoints are
Trade-offs
Hoppscotch
- Some features, such as cloud sync and teams, depend on signing in and may involve a hosted service
- The README is truncated and does not fully document installation for every platform
- The latest release listed has no downloadable binaries, so setup may require building from source or using the web app
Yaak
- Prebuilt binaries require a paid license for commercial use, per the README's pricing terms
- Community contributions are currently limited to bug fixes, according to the contribution policy
- The README is truncated and does not detail every feature, so some capabilities may be unverified here
Getting started
Hoppscotch
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/hoppscotch/hoppscotchYaak
Download the app for your platform
Download from https://yaak.app/downloadFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between Hoppscotch and Yaak?
Hoppscotch: Open-source app for building, sending, and testing API requests in the browser, desktop, or CLI. Yaak: A desktop app for sending and organizing API requests across REST, GraphQL, gRPC, WebSocket and SSE. Hoppscotch suits developers who want to test rest, graphql, websocket, or other apis without a heavy desktop client, while Yaak suits developers who want a desktop client for rest, graphql, grpc, websocket or sse in one place.
Are Hoppscotch and Yaak free?
Hoppscotch: Free and open source. Yaak: Free and open source.
Is Hoppscotch or Yaak more popular?
Hoppscotch has more GitHub stars (80.7k) than Yaak (19.4k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to Hoppscotch and Yaak?
Other options people compare them with include Bruno, Scalar, Krayin CRM, Vue Admin Better, YesPlayMusic.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.