Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

swagger.io VS Postman

Compare swagger.io VS Postman and see what are their differences

swagger.io logo swagger.io

Swagger is an open source RESTapi Documentation Tool.

Postman logo Postman

The Collaboration Platform for API Development
  • swagger.io Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-11
  • Postman Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-07-23

swagger.io features and specs

  • Comprehensive Documentation
    Swagger.io offers extensive documentation that is easy to understand, making it accessible for both beginners and advanced users to document and visualize APIs.
  • Interactive API Exploration
    Swagger UI allows developers to test endpoints directly from the browser, which significantly enhances the API development and debugging process.
  • Automated Code Generation
    Swagger can generate client and server code in multiple languages, reducing the time and effort needed to develop APIs.
  • Standardization
    Swagger adheres to the OpenAPI Specification, which is widely recognized and helps in maintaining a standard format across different APIs.
  • Wide Adoption
    Being one of the most popular tools for API documentation, Swagger has a large community and wide industry adoption, which facilitates better support and resources.
  • Third-Party Integrations
    Swagger supports numerous third-party integrations, enabling seamless integration into CI/CD pipelines and other development workflows.

Possible disadvantages of swagger.io

  • Learning Curve
    Despite its comprehensive documentation, there can be a steep learning curve for beginners who are not familiar with API documentation and the OpenAPI Specification.
  • Complexity with Large APIs
    For very large APIs with numerous endpoints, the Swagger UI can become unwieldy and less performant, making it difficult to manage and visualize.
  • Customization Limitations
    While Swagger offers a lot of out-of-the-box features, there are limitations in terms of customizing the UI and some other aspects without delving into code.
  • Dependency on Additional Tools
    To fully utilize Swagger's capabilities, especially in code generation and testing, developers often need to rely on additional tools and libraries, which can add to the complexity.
  • Performance Overhead
    Running the Swagger documentation server can introduce some performance overhead, which might be noticeable in environments with limited resources.

Postman features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Postman features an intuitive and user-friendly interface that simplifies the process of constructing API requests and visualizing responses. This makes it accessible for both beginners and advanced users.
  • Collaboration
    Postman offers robust collaboration features, such as shared workspaces, collections, and real-time editing, enabling teams to work together more efficiently on API development.
  • Comprehensive Testing Tools
    Postman provides a suite of testing tools to create, automate, and manage test cases. It supports automated testing through its scripting environments, which ensure APIs perform as expected.
  • Extensive API Documentation
    Postman can automatically generate comprehensive API documentation, making it easier to maintain and share API specifications with stakeholders and other developers.
  • Mock Servers
    Postman allows users to create mock servers to simulate API responses. This is particularly useful for testing and development purposes when the actual API is not yet available.
  • Integration Capabilities
    Postman offers integrations with various CI/CD tools, version control systems, and other services like Jenkins, GitHub, and Slack, facilitating seamless integration into development workflows.

Possible disadvantages of Postman

  • Resource Intensive
    Postman can sometimes be resource-intensive, consuming substantial memory and CPU, which can impact the performance of your system, especially when dealing with large collections.
  • Steep Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    While Postman is generally user-friendly, some of its advanced features, like scripting and automation, can have a steep learning curve and might require additional effort to master.
  • Pricing
    Although Postman offers a free tier, many of its advanced features, such as enhanced collaboration tools and extended integrations, are locked behind paid plans, which may not be cost-effective for smaller teams or individual developers.
  • Dependency on Internet
    Some of Postman's features, particularly those related to collaboration and synchronization, require a stable internet connection, which can be a limitation in environments with poor connectivity.
  • Limited Native Support for Certain Protocols
    Postman primarily focuses on HTTP/HTTPS protocols and may offer limited or no native support for other protocols, which can be restricting for developers working with diverse sets of technologies.

Analysis of Postman

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Postman is widely regarded as a good tool for API development and testing. Its combination of powerful features and ease of use makes it a popular choice among developers.

Why this product is good

  • Postman is considered a top choice for API development due to its user-friendly interface, extensive features for testing, automation, and collaboration, and strong community support. It simplifies the process of creating, managing, and testing APIs, making it accessible for both beginners and experienced developers.

Recommended for

  • Developers working on API integration
  • QA engineers involved in testing APIs
  • Teams in need of collaborative API development
  • Developers looking to automate API testing
  • Individuals looking for a comprehensive API testing tool

swagger.io videos

No swagger.io videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

Postman videos

POST/CON 2018 workshop in review: Running Postman Collections

More videos:

  • Review - POST/CON 2018 workshop in review: Postman Collections
  • Tutorial - How to Share Postman Collections

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to swagger.io and Postman)
API Tools
11 11%
89% 89
Documentation
100 100%
0% 0
APIs
6 6%
94% 94
Documentation As A Service & Tools

User comments

Share your experience with using swagger.io and Postman. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare swagger.io and Postman

swagger.io Reviews

Introduction to Doxygen Alternatives In 2021
Swagger io is a software application In the Documentation as a Service & Tools department of a technology stack. It is an open-source tool. Swagger io is an independent set of Javascript, CSS, and HTML tools from a Swagger-compliant API that dynamically produces paperwork and sandbox.
Source: www.webku.net
Doxygen Alternatives
Swagger io is a software In the Documentation as a Service & Tools division of a technology stack. It is an open-source tool. Swagger io is an independent set of Javascript, CSS, and HTML tools from a Swagger-compliant API that dynamically creates documentation and sandbox.
Source: www.educba.com

Postman Reviews

Top 20 Open Source & Cloud Free Postman Alternatives (2024 Updated)
As the digital landscape evolves, the significance of APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) has surged, facilitating seamless communication between various software applications. Postman has been a leading tool in this space, offering a comprehensive platform for API development, testing, and documentation. However, recent shifts in its pricing model and user experience...
Source: medium.com
Best Postman Alternatives To Consider in 2025
- Focus on specific needs: Does the tool excel at SOAP APIs or cater to microservices? - Resource usage: Does it handle complex projects without impacting system performance? - Script reusability: Does it allow for efficient code sharing across projects?3. Is Postman the best API tool?Not all-encompassing. While Postman is powerful, the "best" tool depends on your specific...
Postman Alternatives for API Testing and Monitoring
Some engineers turn to Postman for API testing and monitoring needs. However, Postman is a costly and limited solution. QA, DevOps and other engineers may find it lacks capabilities that can answer their needs. In this blog post, we provide 12 Postman alternatives built for the enterprise.
Beeceptor vs Postman
You cannot download request log. Although, you can use Postman APIs to query and retrieve.
Source: beeceptor.com
Top 15 MuleSoft Competitors and Alternatives
Postman is an API platform with the world’s largest public API hub that helps developers design, build, test, and iterate APIs. In 2022, Postman served over 20 million developers and 500,000 organizations.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, swagger.io should be more popular than Postman. It has been mentiond 97 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

swagger.io mentions (97)

  • Scalable REST API Architecture with NestJS, Prisma, Swagger, & Docker: How To.
    Swagger (OpenAPI) is a powerful tool for documenting and testing APIs. It provides interactive documentation that makes it easier for front-end developers and API consumers to understand and use your endpoints. (Check out Swagger). - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • 6 Game-Changing Postman Alternatives That Will Revolutionize Your API Development in 2025
    For teams that follow an OpenAPI-first approach, Swagger UI provides a straightforward way to visualize and interact with APIs. It's not a complete replacement for Postman's testing capabilities, but it excels at creating a bridge between documentation and testing. - Source: dev.to / 26 days ago
  • How API Schema Validation Boosts Effective Contract Testing
    OpenAPI (Swagger): A comprehensive approach to API design that includes built-in schema validation capabilities. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • 🚀 The Ultimate Guide to REST API Design: Best Practices & Patterns You Can’t Ignore
    Not documenting your API (use tools like Swagger). - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Squido: A Beginner’s Guide to the HTML Website Generator
    Swagger API doc: It enables swagger and generates your super fast static API documentation. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
View more

Postman mentions (30)

  • Best API Mocking Platforms in 2024
    Postman (postman.com) is a comprehensive API platform that goes beyond mocking, offering a full suite for API development, testing, and monitoring. With its mock server feature, Postman enables teams to simulate responses for various endpoints, making it a popular choice for end-to-end API management. - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
  • 10 Best API Mocking Tools (2024 Review)
    Postman is a widely used tool for API testing and interaction. Its "Mock Servers" feature lets you create a mock version of your API, returning specific responses for testing. While useful, Postman may lack advanced mock server management features compared to other tools. - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
  • The 3 Best Tools for API Design for Software Architects
    Postman is a widely adopted tool for API design and development, offering an intuitive interface for creating, testing, and documenting APIs. It simplifies the API design process, allowing architects to quickly prototype and refine their designs. - Source: dev.to / 11 months ago
  • How to use ApyHub to Build a Serverless Function in NodeJs?
    Once deployed, thoroughly test your serverless function to confirm it behaves as expected. Invoke the function manually from the cloud platform’s console or use tools like Postman, Apidog, or Fusion ( Fusion is ApyHub’s own API Client ) to test HTTP-triggered functions. Ensure the function executes correctly and handles errors gracefully. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • Mastering Microservices: A Hands-On Tutorial with Node.js, RabbitMQ, Nginx, and Docker
    To test the API endpoints, you can use Postman. Download and install Postman from Postman's official website. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing swagger.io and Postman, you can also consider the following products

Doxygen - Generate documentation from source code

Insomnia REST - Design, debug, test, and mock APIs locally, on Git, or cloud. Build better APIs collaboratively for the most popular protocols with a dev‑friendly UI, built-in automation, and an extensible plugin ecosystem.

Swagger UI - Swagger UI is a dependency-free collection of HTML, Javascript, and CSS assets that dynamically generate beautiful documentation from a Swag

MuleSoft Anypoint Platform - Anypoint Platform is a unified, highly productive, hybrid integration platform that creates an application network of apps, data and devices with API-led connectivity.

Apigee - Intelligent and complete API platform

DreamFactory - DreamFactory is an API management platform used to generate, secure, document, and extend APIs.