Bruno vs ReadyAPI
These tools sit in different categories, and it's worth being upfront about it. Bruno is a free, open-source, local-first API client focused on building and testing API requests. SmartBear's ReadyAPI is a commercial enterprise testing suite - functional, performance/load, and virtualization - sold under quote-based licensing. If you need heavyweight load or security testing, ReadyAPI does things Bruno doesn't; if you want a fast, free, Git-native API client, that's Bruno.
Different tools for different jobs
ReadyAPI is a commercial enterprise testing platform (functional, performance, and virtualization modules) with quote-based pricing and a free trial. Bruno is a free, open-source API client. This page compares them honestly rather than pretending they're the same. ReadyAPI pricing.
BrunoPricing & Licensing
Commercial software sold under quote-based, per-license subscriptions (contact sales); a free trial is available, but there is no free tier. As of October 2025, SmartBear uses ID-based license management. See ReadyAPI pricing.
Free and open source. No license to buy, no trial clock, and no per-seat subscription.
Open Source
ReadyAPI is proprietary, commercial software. (SmartBear's open-source SoapUI is a separate, more limited tool.)
Bruno is open source on GitHub and free for everyone.
BrunoWhere Collections Live
Work is organized as ReadyAPI projects managed inside the suite, aimed at dedicated QA/testing workflows.
Collections are plain-text files on your filesystem in an open format, versioned with Git like code.
Account & Offline Use
Requires an active commercial license (ID-based licensing as of October 2025) to use. See ReadyAPI licensing.
No account and no license - a local desktop app that works fully offline.
BrunoWhat Each Tool Does
A full testing suite: API functional testing, performance/load testing, and API virtualization (service mocking), with SOAP and REST support - built on SmartBear's SoapUI lineage.
A focused API client for building, sending, and testing API requests. It does not do load testing, security testing, or service virtualization - and stays lean as a result.
BrunoSupport & SLAs
Enterprise support is included with the commercial subscription.
Free support for every user, typically with a response in under 4 hours - no paid tier required. Enterprise customers also get a dedicated Customer Success Engineer and SLAs.
When Bruno is the better choice
- ✓You want a free, open-source API client with no license to purchase or renew.
- ✓You want collections as plain-text files versioned in Git, owned by you.
- ✓You want a fast, focused tool for building and testing requests, not a heavyweight suite.
- ✓You want to work locally with no account, license server, or sales process.
When ReadyAPI may be the better choice
- •You need enterprise-grade performance/load testing of APIs.
- •You need API security testing or service virtualization (mocking dependencies at scale).
- •You work with heavy SOAP/WSDL enterprise services and want SoapUI's mature tooling.
- •You want all your API testing - functional, load, security, and virtualization - consolidated in one commercial platform.
Migrating from ReadyAPI to Bruno
Bruno doesn't import ReadyAPI projects directly, but it does import OpenAPI and WSDL - so most teams bring their API definition into Bruno that way.
- Get your API definition as an OpenAPI specification (REST) or a WSDL file (SOAP).
- In Bruno, click the + button and choose Import Collection.
- Select OpenAPI Specification or WSDL and pick your file or URL.
- Save the collection to a repository folder, then commit and push to version it with your code.
Ready to make the switch?
Download BrunoWe're Here for You
Whether you're a solo dev or a massive organization - Bruno is here for you. If you run into an issue, email us at support@usebruno.com and we'll get back in less than 4 hours. If you're interested in account management and customer success, contact our sales team.