Postman

What is Postman?

Postman is the leading API development and collaboration platform, for designing, testing, documenting and sharing APIs, used by millions of developers. Founded in 2014, it became the default tool for working with APIs, letting developers send requests and test APIs, design APIs (with OpenAPI), create collections, write automated tests, generate documentation, mock APIs, monitor them, and collaborate in teams through shared workspaces, plus an API network for discovering public APIs. Used by millions of developers and most software teams, Postman is the standard tool for building, testing and collaborating on APIs across the development lifecycle. For API development and collaboration, Postman is a leading choice.

Postman's distinction is being the ubiquitous, developer loved tool for the API development lifecycle. Almost every developer knows Postman, and it covers designing, testing, documenting, mocking and collaborating on APIs in one place, with team workspaces and a huge community, which no rival matches for reach and developer experience. That ubiquity, breadth across the API lifecycle, and collaboration set it apart, complementing runtime API management platforms and gateways.

Who Postman is best for

Postman is best for developers and teams that design, build, test, document and collaborate on APIs and want the ubiquitous, developer friendly tool across the API lifecycle, from individuals to large teams. It suits anyone working with APIs. It is a weaker fit for teams needing runtime API gateway, security and governance at scale, where Apigee, Kong or cloud gateways fit, or heavy system integration, where MuleSoft fits, since Postman focuses on development and collaboration.

Key features

The core strengths are sending requests and testing APIs, API design (OpenAPI), collections, automated testing, documentation, mock servers, monitoring, and team collaboration through shared workspaces, plus a public API network. Postman offers CI/CD and Git integration, governance features, and a huge community. Its coverage of the API development lifecycle, ubiquity and collaboration are its defining advantages.

Postman pricing

Postman is priced per user per month, with a free plan for individuals and small teams, Basic from around 14 US dollars per user, Professional around 29, and Enterprise higher, with usage limits rising by tier. The free plan is capable for individuals. Costs scale with users and tier. Confirm current figures on the Postman pricing page.

Integrations and ecosystem

Postman integrates with CI/CD, Git, API gateways and the broader API ecosystem, supports OpenAPI and standards, and offers a vast public API network and community. Its integrations and huge community and API network, which let developers discover, build and test APIs and connect to their pipelines, support its role across the API lifecycle and its ubiquity.

Postman and the API lifecycle

Coverage of the whole API development lifecycle is the signature strength: Postman lets developers design, test, document, mock, monitor and collaborate on APIs in one familiar tool, used by millions, so teams work on APIs consistently from design to testing. For developers and teams building and testing APIs, this breadth and ubiquity are the main reasons to choose Postman.

Ease of use and support

Postman is highly rated for ease of use, breadth and collaboration, among the most loved developer tools, with a huge community for support. Its G2 reviews praise testing, design, documentation and collaboration, with it being a development and collaboration tool rather than a runtime gateway the main consideration for governance needs.

Is Postman worth it?

For developers and teams that design, build, test, document and collaborate on APIs, Postman is the ubiquitous, highly rated, essential choice across the API lifecycle. The main caution is that it is a development and collaboration tool, not a runtime gateway, so teams needing runtime security and governance at scale should pair it with Apigee, Kong or a cloud gateway, but for API development and collaboration Postman leads.