A Thunder Client alternative with nothing behind a paid plan
Gostman sends requests from VS Code like Thunder Client, and keeps the collection as one YAML file per request in your repository, so Git is the sync. The same folder opens in the desktop app and the web app and runs in CI, and every feature is in the free download.
ext install Gostman.gostmanWhat you get without paying
- A Send lens above each request file in VS Code, the collection in the Test Explorer and an environment picker in the status bar
- Collections saved in your workspace as plain YAML, with no limit on requests or collections
- Assertions, pre-request and post-response scripts, and a collection runner with CSV or JSON data files
- gostman run for CI, with JUnit, JSON and HTML reports
- A desktop app and a web app for when you are not in the editor, plus a mock server and an MCP server for coding agents
Moving over from Thunder Client
Export the collection and its environments from Thunder Client and import the files together. Requests, folders and environments come across, and the tests res-code, res-body, res-header and json-query become assertion rows. Other test types and unsupported auth are named in the import summary.
Where Thunder Client may suit you better
- A request editor that opens inside VS Code itself; Gostman's extension sends saved requests and shows results, and editing happens in the file or the app
- Teams that already pay for Thunder Client and use its team features