head to head · open source
Insomnia vs routeros-api-php
Insomnia has 40,111 GitHub stars, 2,388 forks, 874 open issues and last shipped yesterday. routeros-api-php has 511 stars, 180 forks, 6 open issues and last shipped 5 months ago. Insomnia leads on adoption by 7,750% (40,111 vs 511 stars). Insomnia is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; routeros-api-php is written in PHP under MIT. Insomnia has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, routeros-api-php 35%. Insomnia was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (api-client), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| Insomnia | routeros-api-php | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 40K | ★ 511 |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | PHP |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-06-08 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.4K | ⑂ 180 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Insomnia if
- You weight community size — 40K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick routeros-api-php if
- You want the routeros-api-php feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches PHP
- You evaluated both and routeros-api-php fits your workflow better
About Insomnia
Insomnia API Client Insomnia is an open source, cross platform API client for GraphQL, REST, WebSockets, Server Sent Events (SSE), gRPC and any other HTTP compatible protocol. With Insomnia you can: Debug APIs using the most popular protocols and formats. Design APIs using the native OpenAPI editor and visual preview. Test APIs using native test suites and collection runner. Mock APIs using a cloud or self hosted mocking server. Build CI/CD pipelines using the native Insomnia CLI for linting and testing. Collaborate with others using the many collaboration features. And more including the ability to use 3rd…
read the full Insomnia overview →
About routeros-api-php
⚠️ Project Maintenance Notice This project is currently unmaintained by the original author. Due to limited time and shifting priorities, I am unable to actively develop, debug, or support this project. Key Points: Community contributions are welcome! Feel free to fork the repo and submit Pull Requests for fixes, improvements, or new features. I will review and merge reasonable PRs that align with the project’s scope. No guarantees are provided for issue resolutions, feature requests, or direct support. Future updates depend entirely on community involvement. Thank you for your understanding and contributions!…
read the full routeros-api-php overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Insomnia or routeros-api-php more popular?
Insomnia has 40,111 GitHub stars and routeros-api-php has 511. Insomnia has the larger community by that measure.
Are Insomnia and routeros-api-php free?
Both are open source. Insomnia is licensed under Apache-2.0 and routeros-api-php under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Insomnia and routeros-api-php?
Insomnia is written in TypeScript and routeros-api-php in PHP. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Insomnia or routeros-api-php?
Choose Insomnia if you want the larger community (40,111 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose routeros-api-php if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.