Hoverfly vs Smocker
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted developer tools & git options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Hoverfly
Lightweight service virtualization and API simulation
VS
Smocker
Simple and efficient HTTP mock server
| Feature | Hoverfly | Smocker |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Developer Tools & Git | Developer Tools & Git |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Go | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,509 | ★ 1,284 |
| First released | 2016 | 2019 |
| Replaces | WireMock | WireMock, Mockoon |
Why pick each one
Choose Hoverfly if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2.5k GitHub stars)
- Written in Go
Choose Smocker if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.3k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is Hoverfly or Smocker better?
Neither is universally better. Hoverfly has the larger community, while Smocker is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Hoverfly and Smocker free and open-source?
Yes. Hoverfly is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Smocker under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Hoverfly and Smocker with Docker?
Hoverfly: yes. Smocker: yes.