Karve — a simpler Windows alternative to Hoppscotch
Karve is one native Windows app with nothing to deploy and no modes to choose between: write, organize, and run your .http requests from files on disk, bought once. Hoppscotch is a broad open-source platform — web, desktop, CLI, browser agent, and a self-hostable backend. If you just want to hit a local or private API on Windows without picking a client, a storage mode, and an edition first, Karve removes all of that.
Why Karve
What you get
One simple desktop app for local work on Windows — no web/desktop/CLI/self-host decision tree. Your requests are .http files on disk, organized into folders, in an app that's easy to buy, explain, and roll out to a Windows team.
What it leaves out — on purpose
No open-source code, self-hosting, team workspaces, CLI, or GraphQL, and Windows-only. Karve gives up the platform's flexibility for one app with nothing to deploy.
Side by side
| Dimension | Karve | Hoppscotch |
|---|---|---|
| Surface area | One native Windows desktop app | Web, desktop (Tauri), CLI, browser agent, self-host |
| Licensing & price | Proprietary; $39.99 one-time | Open source, free; Organization $6/user/mo billed annually — that's $72 per user every year; self-host editions |
| Files & Git | .http files on disk, diff in Git | Collections/workspaces; import/export; not Git-native |
| Organize requests | Virtual folders over files from any repo; files never move | Collections and workspaces |
| Protocols & auth | REST; headers, Basic (auto-encoded) | REST, GraphQL; Basic, Bearer, API Key, OAuth 2.0, Digest, AWS Signature, JWT |
| CLI & automation | None | Official CLI for tests, monitoring, collection management |
| Team | None — single-user tool | Workspaces, admin dashboard, SSO, audit logs, self-hosted enterprise |
Hoppscotch 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
Hoppscotch's flexibility is real, but it comes with a mental model: which client (web, desktop, agent), which storage (local, cloud, self-host), which edition. For a developer who just wants to hit a local or private API on Windows, that's a lot of upstream choices before sending the first request.
Karve removes them. There's one app, one place your files live, and one purchase. It's easier to buy, easier to explain, and easier to roll out to a Windows team that doesn't need the rest of the ecosystem.
What Hoppscotch does that Karve doesn't
- Open source, free for the core, with cloud and self-host options.
- Team workspaces, admin dashboard, SSO, and audit logs in the enterprise edition.
- A broad auth menu (OAuth 2.0, Digest, AWS Signature, JWT) and GraphQL.
- An official CLI for tests and monitoring.
- Deploy how you like — browser, desktop, or on your own servers.
Karve isn't a platform and doesn't try to be — it stays one simple Windows app you own outright.
FAQ
Is Karve simpler than Hoppscotch?
In scope, yes — Hoppscotch spans web, desktop, CLI, agent, and self-host; Karve is a single native Windows app. That's more flexibility for Hoppscotch, less to think about for Karve.
Can I self-host Karve?
No — it's a local desktop app, not a server. Hoppscotch can be self-hosted with Docker and has a self-hosted enterprise edition.
Does Karve have team workspaces?
No — it's single-user. Hoppscotch is built for teams, with workspaces, SSO, and audit logs.
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 comparisons
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