Both store requests as files on disk — what's different?

Kreya stores projects as structured JSON files that Kreya manages — diffable in Git, but written and read by Kreya. Karve works on plain .http files in the format VS Code, Visual Studio, and JetBrains IDEs already understand: any editor can create or change them, and Karve is one of several tools that can run them.

Karve — a native Windows alternative to Kreya

Q: Should I pick Karve or Kreya?

If gRPC is central to your day, pick Kreya — its proto import, server reflection, and streaming support are the deepest around, and Karve doesn't do gRPC at all. If your work is REST and you want requests as standard .http files in a fast native Windows app bought once, pick Karve.

Q: Is Karve free like Kreya's free plan?

Karve has a 15-day free trial, then a one-time purchase — no free tier, but also no feature-gated plans: one price buys the whole app, with every v1.x update included.

Kreya and Karve share more DNA than most pairs on this list: both are privacy-first desktop clients that keep your data on disk in Git-diffable files, with no forced account. The split is the center of gravity. Kreya is gRPC-first — proto imports, server reflection, streaming — with REST alongside. Karve is REST-only on purpose: standard .http files, a native WinUI 3 app, one payment.

Why Karve

What you get

Requests in the editor-agnostic .http standard rather than app-managed project files — created in any editor, versioned in any repo, gathered into Karve's virtual folders without moving. Native Windows speed, per-file .env environments, persistent searchable history, and one flat price with no feature gates.

What it leaves out — on purpose

No gRPC, GraphQL, WebSocket, or SSE; no scripting or snapshot testing; no macOS/Linux; no free tier. If protobuf services are your daily work, Kreya is simply the better tool.

Side by side

Dimension	Karve	Kreya
Platform & engine	Native WinUI 3, Windows only	Cross-platform desktop (Windows, macOS, Linux)
Licensing & price	$29.99 sale ($39.99 regular), one-time, all features	Free plan; paid Pro & Enterprise tiers gate scripting, testing, and team features (pricing via vendor)
Request format	Standard .http/.rest files, editor-agnostic	Kreya-managed project of structured JSON files (Git-diffable)
Protocols	REST / HTTP	gRPC (proto import, reflection, streaming), REST, and more
Organize requests	Virtual folders over files from any repo; files never move	Projects and folders managed in the app
Environments & history	Per-file .env environments; persistent, searchable history across sessions	Environments and authorization configs per project
Scripting & tests	None — deliberately declarative	Scripting and snapshot testing on paid tiers
Account required	No	No

Kreya details reflect its public product and pricing pages as of July 2026; Karve's reflect the shipping v1.0.5 scope.

Where Karve fits

Be honest with yourself about one question: is gRPC your daily work, or an occasional guest? If protobuf services are the job, Kreya has earned its reputation — Karve doesn't compete there and won't pretend to.

But most Windows teams reaching for an API client are debugging REST endpoints, and there the trade flips. Kreya's project format is Git-diffable but Kreya-shaped — the app writes it, the app reads it. Karve's requests are plain .http files that predate it and outlive it: your editor writes them, Visual Studio scaffolds them, JetBrains runs them, and Karve gives them a native Windows workspace with environments and history. One flat price instead of feature-gated tiers, and nothing in your repo that only one app can open.

Why developers choose Karve

Requests as standard .http files — no app-managed project format between you and Git.
Native WinUI 3 app that feels at home on Windows — Mica, file associations, fast cold start.
One-time $29.99 during the current sale ($39.99 regular) buys every feature — no Pro tier to unlock.
Virtual folders organize request files from every repo without moving them.
Per-file .env environments and persistent searchable history built in.

REST done natively, in files any tool can read.

FAQ

Should I pick Karve or Kreya?

gRPC-centric day → Kreya, no contest. REST work on Windows with requests as standard .http files → Karve.

Both store requests as files — what's different?

Kreya's JSON project files are diffable but app-managed; Karve's .http files are an editor-agnostic standard that VS Code, Visual Studio, and JetBrains IDEs read and write too.

Is Karve free like Kreya's free plan?

No free tier — a 15-day trial, then one payment for the whole app with every v1.x update included, and nothing feature-gated.

On Karve's roadmap

Everything above ships in Karve v1.0.5 today — including environments and persistent, searchable history. A few more things are planned for upcoming v1.x updates, included in the one-time price and on the way:

Workspace Code completion Import (Postman & cURL) WebSocket

See the full roadmap for what's coming and what's deliberately out of scope.

More alternatives

Karve vs Postman Karve vs Insomnia Karve vs VS Code REST Client Karve vs Thunder Client Karve vs HTTPie Desktop Karve vs Bruno Karve vs Hoppscotch Karve vs Yaak Karve vs JetBrains HTTP Client Karve vs Visual Studio HTTP files Karve vs httpyac Karve vs Hurl Karve vs RapidAPI All alternatives →

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