Karve — a standalone Windows alternative to Thunder Client
Karve is a standalone native Windows app with one price and no feature gates: a real desktop product where you write, organize, and run your .http requests as plain files on disk. Thunder Client is a capable client that lives inside VS Code with a free tier and paid plans. If you'd rather your API client have its own window — and no per-seat math — Karve is the simpler story.
Why Karve
What you get
A standalone Windows app you buy once — no per-seat math, nothing creeping behind a paywall later. Your requests are .http files on disk, organized into folders, with its own window and no dependency on the editor you happen to use.
What it leaves out — on purpose
No collection runner, CLI, GraphQL, or team features in v1. Karve stays a focused single-user tool rather than a gated platform — what you buy is what you keep.
Side by side
| Dimension | Karve | Thunder Client |
|---|---|---|
| Form factor | Standalone native Windows app (WinUI 3) | VS Code extension |
| Price | $39.99 one-time, all v1.x updates | Free; paid plans $3 / $7 / $16 per seat/mo billed annually — that's $36 / $84 / $192 per seat every year |
| Files & Git | .http files on disk, diff in Git | GUI collections; import/export (some paid); Git Sync |
| Organize requests | Virtual folders over files from any repo; files never move | GUI collections inside the editor |
| Protocols & auth | REST; headers, Basic (auto-encoded) | REST, GraphQL; OAuth 2.0 |
| Runner & CLI | None | GUI collection runner and official CLI (gated by plan) |
| Team | None — single-user tool | Team features on paid plans; Enterprise SSO, audit logs |
Thunder Client details reflect its public product and pricing pages; Karve's reflect the shipping v1.0 scope. "On the roadmap" means planned, not yet available.
Where Karve fits
Thunder Client's free tier has narrowed over time, and several capabilities — the runner, CLI, and team features — now sit behind per-seat plans. For a buyer who wants a stable, predictable tool, Karve's single price avoids that drift: what you buy is what you keep, with every v1.x update included.
It's also a real desktop product rather than an extension. If you'd rather your API client have its own window, its own identity, and no dependency on the editor you happen to use, Karve is the simpler story — and the math favors it: $39.99 once versus $36 to $192 per seat every year.
What Thunder Client does that Karve doesn't
- A GUI collection runner with tests, request chaining, and reports.
- GraphQL and built-in OAuth 2.0.
- An official CLI and CI/CD integration.
- Git Sync and team features, plus Enterprise SSO.
- Runs anywhere VS Code does, not just Windows.
Karve doesn't chase the runner-and-CLI workflow — it stays a fast, standalone Windows workspace you own outright.
FAQ
Is Karve cheaper over time?
It can be — Karve is one-time $39.99, while Thunder Client gates features behind per-seat plans, so a team's cost grows with seats and features each year.
Does Karve need VS Code?
No — it's a standalone Windows app. Thunder Client runs inside VS Code.
Does Karve have a runner and CLI?
Not in v1. Thunder Client offers a runner, CLI, tests, and CI/CD on its paid plans.
On Karve's roadmap
Everything above is Karve's shipping v1.0 — what's in the app today. A few things are planned for upcoming v1.x updates, included in the one-time price and not yet available:
See the full roadmap for what's coming and what's deliberately out of scope.
More alternatives
Organize and run your .http requests.
$39.99, one-time. No account, no subscription — a native Windows workspace you own forever.
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