Bowire vs. Hoppscotch
Hoppscotch is a fast, open-source client that runs in the browser. Bowire adds gRPC, SignalR, MCP and the messaging protocols, plus record & replay, mocks and security scanning.
When Hoppscotch is the better fit
Pick Hoppscotch when you want a fast, lightweight, MIT-licensed API client that runs in the browser with no install, covers REST, GraphQL and the realtime protocols (WebSocket, SSE, Socket.IO, MQTT) in one UI, and a free self-hosted Community Edition via Docker or Helm — with a cheap upgrade path to SSO / SCIM, published docs and mocks.
When Bowire is the better fit
Pick Bowire when the service speaks gRPC, SignalR, MCP, AMQP, NATS, Kafka or OData as well, when the contract should be discovered from the running server instead of maintained in a collection, or when you need record & replay, mocks from real traffic, security scanning and contract tests in the same workbench — locally, without an account.
Where they differ
Only the rows where Hoppscotch and Bowire differ, from the full comparison. Rows we could not verify for Hoppscotch are left out rather than guessed. Facts as of 2026-08; correct one.
| Feature | Hoppscotch | Bowire |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-protocol supportHoppscotch: REST, GraphQL, WebSocket, SSE, Socket.IO, MQTT | 6 | 20+ |
| gRPCHoppscotch: Not among the documented protocols | ✗ | ✓ |
| Auto-discoveryHoppscotch: OpenAPI import and GraphQL schema only | partial | ✓ |
| Embedded in ASP.NET appHoppscotch: Vue / TypeScript app, not a .NET library | ✗ | ✓ |
| On-premise deploymentHoppscotch: Self-hosted Community Edition (MIT); Enterprise Edition paid | Community Edition | ✓ |
| Kubernetes / HelmHoppscotch: Official Helm chart | ✓ | planned |
| SSO / SCIMHoppscotch: SAML / OIDC SSO and SCIM on the Enterprise plan | Enterprise (paid) | ✓ |
| Native .NETHoppscotch: TypeScript / Vue, desktop on Tauri | ✗ | ✓ |
| Native export format | Collection JSON | .bwr |
| Replay as mock serverHoppscotch: A collection's saved examples become mock routes; no traffic recording | partial | ✓ |
| Mock engine depthHoppscotch: Static routes by method and path, variables, delays, status and headers; no logic | partial | ✓ |
| CI test runner (JUnit / SARIF / HTML)Hoppscotch: hopp test with JUnit XML onlyBowire: bowire test — runs recordings or flows headless with JUnit, SARIF and HTML reports, GitHub annotations, --fail-on gates | partial | ✓ |
| Traffic interception / reverse proxyHoppscotch: The Interceptor routes requests around CORS; it does not capture trafficBowire: In-process app.UseBowireInterceptor() middleware plus a YARP-based standalone reverse proxy; Intercept rail with Captured | Live overrides | Mock servers | ✗ | ✓ |
| AI assistant (local-first, BYOK)Hoppscotch: Alpha AI features in Cloud / Desktop; BYOK and local models not documented | partial | ✓ |
| Local-first, no accountHoppscotch: Usable signed out with local storage; sync and teams need sign-in | partial | ✓ |
| Public API catalogHoppscotch: Published docs from collectionsBowire: Internal catalogue built in (browsable in the workbench + bowire catalogue list|providers|use|clear); public hosted docs via the Surgewave Registry | Business plan | internal ✓ / public via Registry |
| Hosted docs pageHoppscotch: Public URL, synced with the collection | ✓ | ✗ |
| API versioning | ✓ | via Surgewave Registry |
| Platform ops as MCP toolsHoppscotch: Official MCP server: 53 tools over stdio for collections, environments, requests and teams | ✓ | ✓ 15 tools |
| LicenseHoppscotch: Community Edition; the Enterprise Edition is open-core | MIT | Apache 2.0 |
| PriceHoppscotch: Free; paid Business and Enterprise plans per user | Freemium | Free |
● supported · ◐ partial or paid tier · ○ not supported
Moving over from Hoppscotch
Bowire has no importer for Hoppscotch's collection JSON. What works today:
- Point Bowire at the service. Discovery reads the OpenAPI document, the GraphQL schema (introspection) or gRPC reflection — no collection needed.
- OpenAPI on disk. If your Hoppscotch collection came from an OpenAPI document, drop that document on Bowire's Schema Files tab.
- Realtime. WebSocket, SSE, Socket.IO and MQTT connect by URL in Bowire as they do in Hoppscotch; see protocols.