Hoppscotch vs Hurl
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted developer tools & git options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Hoppscotch
Open-source API development ecosystem
VS
Hurl
Run and test HTTP requests with a plain text format
| Feature | Hoppscotch | Hurl |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 100 · Excellent | 94 · Excellent |
| Category | Developer Tools & Git | Developer Tools & Git |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 80,488 | ★ 19,214 |
| First released | 2019 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Postman, Insomnia | Postman, Insomnia |
What are Hoppscotch and Hurl?
Hoppscotch
Hoppscotch is a lightweight, fast API client for testing REST, GraphQL, and WebSocket endpoints. The self-hosted edition adds team workspaces and collection sharing.
- REST, GraphQL, and WebSocket testing
- Team collections
- Environment variables
- Fast lightweight UI
Hurl
Hurl is an open-source command-line tool that runs HTTP requests defined in a simple plain text format. It is used for API testing and can be integrated into self-hosted CI pipelines.
- Plain text request files
- Built-in assertions
- CI friendly
- Chained requests
Hoppscotch vs Hurl: key differences
Hoppscotch is written in TypeScript, while Hurl is built with Rust. Licensing differs — MIT for Hoppscotch versus Apache-2.0 for Hurl. Hurl is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Hoppscotch. Hoppscotch has the considerably larger community, at 80,488 GitHub stars versus 19,214. Hoppscotch lists first-class Docker deployment; Hurl does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Hoppscotch if…
- Fast lightweight interface
- REST GraphQL WebSocket support
- Team workspaces built in
Watch out for
- Multi-container backend stack
- Some features enterprise-only
Choose Hurl if…
- Plain text request files
- CI-friendly and fast
- Built-in assertions
Watch out for
- No graphical interface
- Curl-style learning curve
Frequently asked questions
Is Hoppscotch or Hurl better?
Neither is universally better. Hoppscotch has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Hoppscotch and Hurl free and open-source?
Yes. Hoppscotch is licensed under MIT and Hurl under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Hoppscotch and Hurl with Docker?
Hoppscotch: yes. Hurl: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Hoppscotch or Hurl?
Hurl has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Hoppscotch. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.