Comparison between Mockoon and Postman's API mocking
Discover the differences between Postman's API mocking and Mockoon's desktop application and CLI mocking features
Postman is an online platform and desktop tool enabling developers to design and test APIs. Postman also includes an API mocking feature integrated into their application. While not an API mocking tool first, it allows running cloud mock endpoints out of a collection of responses received while testing an API.
However, Mockoon provides a more powerful mocking experience by including more features out of the box. It is easy to use and has no learning curve. You can easily start using it and create your first mock API in under a minute. From a powerful templating system to generate dynamic and realistic mock data to a proxy mode to partially mock API endpoints, Mockoon takes API mocking to the next level. It also offers a CLI and Docker image to deploy your mocks anywhere and many customization options (status codes, dynamic headers, rules system, etc.).
What is API mocking for? Discover the different use cases or read our API mocking guide.
Postman (left) and Mockoon (right) UIs side by side
Features comparison#
| Features | Postman | Mockoon |
|---|---|---|
| Offline/Cloud based | Cloud only Deployed on a postman.com subdomain | Offline (desktop application) Deploy anywhere with the CLI and Docker image |
| Free/paid service | Paid Free, up to 3 users and 1000 calls/month | Free |
| Open-source | ✖ Some tools are open-source but not the API mocking feature | ✔ |
| CLI | ✖ | ✔ A CLI and a Docker image are available |
| Proxy mode | ✖ | ✔ Documentation |
| OpenAPI support | ✔ | ✔ Documentation |
| Recording | ✔ Mocks can be created from previously called endpoints | ✔ Mockoon can create mock endpoints based on entering requests |
| Response rules | ✔ Simple matching algorithm | ✔ Advanced system of rules |
| Dynamic/realistic data | ✔ Basic fake data can be generated with dynamic variables | ✔ Advanced templating system to generate realistic fake data |
| File serving | ✖ | ✔ Documentation |
| Custom headers | ✔ At endpoint's level | ✔ At endpoint's and server's levels Supports templating helpers for dynamically generated headers |
| Customizable status code | ✔ | ✔ |
| Route regex | ✖ | ✔ Documentation |
| GraphQL support | ✔ | ✖ |
| CORS and pre-flight handling | ✔ CORS is enabled on the remote server | ✔ Automatically answers 200 to OPTIONS pre-flight requests Headers can be customized |
| Slow network/server simulation | ✔ At server's level | ✔ At server's and endpoint's levels |