// dragonfly-vs-postman.md
Dragonfly vs Postman
Postman is a full API platform: a standalone app with accounts, cloud-synced workspaces, mock servers and paid team plans. Dragonfly is the opposite bet, a focused client that lives in your editor and builds requests from the code you already wrote.
#Where Dragonfly is different
- No app to switch to, no account to create, no sign in.
- Scan your Express and Next.js code and get a collection you can send right away.
- Everything stays on your machine, with no telemetry.
- Free and MIT licensed, with no paid tier gating features.
#Side by side
| Feature | Dragonfly | Postman |
|---|---|---|
| Runs inside VS Code | ||
| Builds requests by scanning your code (Express & Next.js) | – | |
| Collections foldered to match your codebase | – | |
| Auth secrets kept in VS Code secure storage | – | |
| Environments with {{variables}} | ||
| Works with no account | – | |
| Everything stays on your machine | – | |
| Free, no paid tier | – |
Comparison reflects the free, out-of-the-box experience of each tool.
#When to pick each
Pick Postman if
- Your team shares workspaces and collections in the cloud.
- You rely on mock servers, monitors or scheduled collection runs.
- You write pre-request and test scripts and run them in CI.
Pick Dragonfly if
- You work solo or in small teams and live in VS Code.
- Your API is built with Express or Next.js and you want requests generated from it.
- You want no account, no sync and nothing leaving your machine.