Thunder Client review

Thunder Client ranks sixth because it is the easiest way to test an API from inside a code editor. It runs as an extension in VS Code and JetBrains IDEs and also supports editors such as Cursor, Antigravity and Kiro, with WebSocket, SSE and gRPC requests and an MCP server for AI assistants. Collections and environments are stored locally on your machine rather than in the vendor's cloud. The free plan allows 10 collections with 50 requests each and may be used commercially. Starter at $3 per user a month billed annually is an individual license that removes the collection limits and adds Git Sync, data-driven testing and 50 local collection runs per user a month. Business at $7 adds user management, central billing and invoice payment, and Enterprise at $16 adds offline activation, secrets manager integration with Azure and AWS and SSO for an extra fee. It is a client, not a full test platform, so it lacks hosted mocks, monitors and docs.

Who it is for

Developers who want to test APIs without leaving the code editor, at a very low price.

Price

Free plan; Starter $3 per user per month billed annually, Business $7, Enterprise $16.

Starter For individual developers $3 / user / month Billed annually
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 9, 2026.

Key features

• Extension for VS Code and JetBrains, with support for Cursor, Antigravity and Kiro
• WebSocket, SSE and gRPC requests and an MCP server for AI tools
• CLI for CI/CD with no limit on collection runs in pipelines
• Git Sync and data-driven testing in the Collection Runner on paid plans
• Collections and environments stored locally on your machine

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Starter at $3 is the cheapest paid plan in this list
• Strength: Works inside the editor developers already use
• Strength: Free version may be used commercially
• Weakness: Free plan caps collections at 10 and requests at 50 per collection
• Weakness: Local collection runs are limited per month on each plan
• Weakness: SSO on Enterprise carries an extra cost

Key facts

• Free plan: 10 collections, 50 requests per collection
• Plans: Free, Starter, Business and Enterprise
• Users: Over 7 million, per Thunder Client
• Free trial: 14 days for teams, on request

Where it ranks

Thunder Client is No. 6 in our Best API Testing Tools verdict.