The Fall of Postman as a Favorite API Tool

TL;DR

• Postman began as a simple Chrome extension developers loved for testing APIs quickly.
• It evolved into a large, cloud-locked, Electron-based platform with performance and workflow issues.
• Security incidents involving public workspaces and API token leaks damaged trust.
• Postman’s Git-hostile sync model and manual JSON export hinder modern workflows.
• It introduced pricing limits that cut off team collaboration from the free tier.
• Postman’s late and surface-level AI integrations contrast with agentic IDE trends.
• Developers are moving to lighter tools like Bruno, Hoppscotch, and Insomnia.

Postman’s Evolution: Simplicity Lost

Postman started in 2012 as a Chrome extension to let developers test APIs with ease-no setup, no login, no sync. It was fast and minimal.

Today, Postman is a sprawling “API platform” that includes everything from mock servers to automated testing suites and drag-and-drop agent builders. While these features may serve large enterprises, they’ve alienated individual developers who just want a fast, local tool.

Security Concerns: Sync by Default, Secrets at Risk

Postman’s mandatory login and default cloud sync have led to major security issues. By automatically syncing headers, environments, and request history, many users unknowingly exposed sensitive data.

In 2023, CloudSEK discovered over 30,000 public Postman workspaces leaking API keys, including credentials for Razorpay and New Relic. Most users didn’t realize their collections were public. This wasn’t a fringe issue-it was systemic, made worse by the platform’s “team-first” UX.

Postman later introduced Vault to protect secrets, but the trust gap remains.

Git-Native Workflows? Not Here.

Postman’s design is fundamentally incompatible with Git-based workflows. Collections are stored as JSON with unstable key ordering and random UUIDs. This makes code reviews painful, and diffs unreadable.

To version your requests, you have to manually export and commit them-a process so tedious most teams abandon it. Tools like Bruno fix this by storing collections as human-readable text files directly in your Git repo. Git integration is built-in, not bolted on.

Even Postman’s CI tool, Newman, is bloated-users regularly report memory usage >1.5GB for large test runs.

Pricing Wall: Collaboration Isn’t Free

For years, Postman offered a generous free tier. But as of March 2026, the free plan is limited to a single user. No more collaborating with your small team unless you pay at least $19/month per user.

That change effectively ends free use for small teams, open-source projects, and student groups. Even Reddit threads are filled with users looking for alternatives.

Performance Pain: The Electron Tax

Postman runs on Electron, and it shows. Cold starts take 10+ seconds. Memory usage often exceeds 1GB. It’s not unusual to see the app freeze briefly when switching tabs.

Developers have complained for years about performance degradation. Tools like Hoppscotch (browser-native) and Bruno (Go-based desktop app) launch instantly and use a fraction of the RAM.

AI Features: Mostly Surface-Level

Postman introduced Postbot in 2024, and an AI Agent Builder in 2025. These let users generate tests or automate API workflows using natural language.

However, these features mostly wrap existing models like GPT-4, without deep customization. The AI doesn’t eliminate core issues like Git integration or cloud lock-in. It feels like a layer of automation on a foundation that still doesn’t serve developers well.

By contrast, agentic IDEs like Cursor, Windsurf, and Copilot Chat in VS Code allow developers to generate, run, and debug API calls inline-without leaving the editor.

Postman’s recent AI-native API platform announcement which came in March’2026, introduces Git-based workflows, protocol support, real-time traffic insights, and SDK generation. It’s a clear attempt to address long-standing developer pain points—especially around Git integration and automation. But for many developers and QA engineers already working in agentic IDEs, it’s a catch-up move, not a leap forward.

Tools like VS Code with REST Client, Thunder Client, and GitHub Copilot already offer real-time feedback, inline API testing, and Git-native storage—without cloud lock-in or vendor overhead. The value Postman now advertises is what many developers already get from their AI editor, and CI workflows. In short: the Postman “new era” arrives at a time when much of its target audience has already moved on. This 1000+ folks company having top notch product managers, aren’t able to deliver that can entice the eco-system!

The IDE Has Replaced the Client

Why open a heavy GUI app when your editor can handle API testing? REST Client and Thunder Client are VS Code extensions that let developers send HTTP requests in plain text.

They’re Git-native, fast, and always available. JetBrains IDEs offer similar support out of the box. With GitHub Copilot and OpenAI integrations, developers can now call APIs and interpret responses using prompts-without touching Postman.

Better Alternatives (That Respect Developer Workflows)

Bruno

• Git-native, local-first API client
• Requests are saved as .bru files (plain text)
• Fast and minimal, written in Go

Hoppscotch

• Web-based, no install required
• Open-source with self-hosting option
• Import Postman collections, collaborate freely

Insomnia

• Local-first with optional Git sync
• Better diffing, plugin system, OAuth support
• CLI automation via Inso

What’s next?

Postman isn’t going away, but it’s no longer the go-to API tool for developers who value speed, simplicity, and autonomy. New folks and companies aren’t picking it. Forced cloud sync, weak Git workflows, and paywalled collaboration have pushed many toward leaner, more developer-aligned tools.

The developer ecosystem has moved on. The rise of agentic IDEs, Git-native workflows, and open tools reflects a deeper shift about software companies. Developers want fast, local, composable tools—not monoliths. They want workflows that live in code, not in a vendor’s cloud.

Postman may still win enterprise deals and get its public listing soon. But the people who made it a favorite in the first place? Many of them already uninstalled it.