postman-vs-smartbear-readyapi

Postman and ReadyAPI (formerly SoapUI Pro, LoadUI Pro, & ServiceV Pro) are API testing and development tools. Postman is designed as a centralized platform for teams to develop, test, and manage their APIs. ReadyAPI is more tightly focused on testing, with features aimed at helping teams create, maintain, and execute test suites. Both Postman and ReadyAPI are primarily used by enterprise-level organizations, likely because of their focus on helping large teams manage complex APIs and test suites.

Features

Although both Postman and ReadyAPI are centered around API testing and development, they vary in how general-use or specialized each product is.

Postman is designed to support more steps of the API development and testing process, with API design and development tools on top of testing capability. It also includes team collaboration features, such as shared workspaces for specific APIs, built-in version control, and granular access permissions. It offers support for a wide array of endpoint types, and users report that Postman makes it easy to switch between different testing modes, API languages, and request types when needed.

ReadyAPI stands out as a specialist in API testing and CI/CD features. It features native integrations with software lifecycle tools, such as Maven and Jenkins. ReadyAPI has plenty of features to help users perform comprehensive testing, with random data generation, support for test parameter variables, and test data importing from external datasheets. Its security testing features are powerful and cover a wide range of potential malicious actions, and its reporting dashboard helps teams analyze and understand test results.

Limitations

Despite the benefits of Postman and ReadyAPI, the two platforms have limitations as well. Make sure to consider the drawbacks of each before committing to either.

Some Postman users have experienced lagging and freezing, especially under heavy or complex API loads. Its reporting features aren’t robust enough for some users, and other testers wished for more test automation options for advanced QA and integration testing. Finally, Postman isn’t beginner-friendly. Its UI can be confusing, and it can take a long time to get familiar with its more advanced features.

ReadyAPI is a bulky tool, with many users reporting slow responsiveness, poor cache management, and clunky folder setup and organization. Some users found its web UI and mobile app testing capabilities lacking for their needs, while others wanted additional CI/CD tools for Azure integration. Finally, ReadyAPI is sold in three separate packages, each containing different features. Security testing and performance testing are split into different packages, which left some single-package customers frustrated at the seeming lack of desired features.

Pricing

Postman uses a tiered monthly per-user subscription model. The Free tier is free and includes basic API design, development, and test features for single users. The Team tier is $12 per user per month and adds additional collaboration and development tools for up to 19 users. The Business tier is $24 per user per month and adds SSO and access control features for up to 99 users. The Enterprise tier is priced by quote and is designed for 100+ users.

ReadyAPI offers three separate modules priced on an annual per-license basis. The API Test Module starts at $685 annually per license and includes CI/CD automated testing, security testing, and both scriptless and scripted testing options. The API Performance Module starts at $5,374 annually per license and includes server monitoring, load generation, and API load testing. The API Virtualization Module is $1,060 annually per license and includes tools to deploy virtual services, generate mock data, and simulate server-side behavior. Customers can also contact the vendor for bundle pricing, which includes all three packages.