APIs · head to head
Akoya vs curl
Akoya
APIs
Bank-owned, token-based open finance network that replaces screen scraping for US financial data
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
curl
APIs
Command-line tool for transferring data using URLs with wide protocol support
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only curl has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Akoya coverage reaches several thousand institutions but does not match aggregators that can still scrape, so applications needing the long tail of small credit unions will run a second data provider alongside it.; curl open-source with no vendor pricing: curl is free and open-source under GPL 3.0; no subscription or licensing costs apply
- They diverge on capability: Akoya covers FDX standard APIs, curl covers HTTP/HTTPS.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Akoya and curl actually diverge.
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (APIs).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Akoya
- FDX standard APIs
- Token-based access
- Investment data
- Accounts, balances and transactions
- Statements and tax forms
- Customer identity
- Consumer permission management
- Single integration
Only in curl
- HTTP/HTTPS
- FTP
- Multiple protocols
- Universal compatibility
- Scripting tools
- Linux support
- MacOS support
- Windows support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Akoya
- A wealth management platform that needs Fidelity brokerage holdings and tax lots, which cannot be scraped since Fidelity closed that route in October 2023not curl
- A tax preparation product retrieving tax forms and cost basis directly from the institution rather than asking users to upload PDFsnot curl
- A lender that needs a permissioning trail defensible under CFPB section 1033 rather than a credential-sharing arrangementnot curl
- A bank that wants to meet data sharing obligations through one network connection instead of building and policing its own developer interfacenot curl
curl
- API Developmentnot Akoya
- API Gatewaynot Akoya
- API Testingnot Akoya
- API Documentationnot Akoya
- Microservicesnot Akoya
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Akoya
- Coverage reaches several thousand institutions but does not match aggregators that can still scrape, so applications needing the long tail of small credit unions will run a second data provider alongside it.
- The network is owned by large banks, so roadmap and coverage priorities reflect owner interests rather than those of the fintechs consuming the data, and a recipient has no leverage over which institutions are added next.
- Data availability is decided institution by institution, meaning a bank may expose balances but not transactions or investments, and recipients must verify field-level coverage per institution rather than assume the FDX model is fully populated.
- Pricing is unpublished and usage based, which makes it difficult to compare against aggregator pricing during a build-versus-buy decision and forces a sales cycle before you can model cost.
- The token model requires the institution to have implemented its side, so newly onboarded institutions arrive on the institution timetable, not yours, and a launch dependent on a specific bank can slip badly.
curl
- Open-source with no vendor pricing: curl is free and open-source under GPL 3.0; no subscription or licensing costs apply
- Commercial support costs hidden: site references 'commercial support available' but pricing is not detailed or accessible from homepage
- No SaaS model: curl is a command-line tool and library; costs are limited to optional commercial support contracts (pricing unknown)
- Self-support burden: free software means customers rely on community forums or undisclosed commercial support pricing
Pricing, plan by plan
Akoya
On request- Akoya Data Access$undefined/year
- Usage-based pricing quoted by data product and call volume
- Separate commercial terms for data recipients and for financial institutions joining the network
- No published rate card
curl
Free- Open SourceFree
- Full curl functionality
- Community support
Which should you pick?
Choose curl if
- You need http/https.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux, MacOS, Windows, Unix, Mobile.
- You also want ftp.
Questions people ask
- Is Akoya or curl better?
- Neither clearly leads. Akoya starts at On request and curl at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Akoya or curl?
- curl has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Akoya and Free for curl.
- Does Akoya or curl run on more platforms?
- Akoya runs on Web. curl runs on Linux, MacOS, Windows, Unix, Mobile.
- Can I use curl for free?
- Yes. curl has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Akoya starts at On request.
- What is Akoya best used for?
- Akoya is most often used for a wealth management platform that needs fidelity brokerage holdings and tax lots, which cannot be scraped since fidelity closed that route in october 2023, a tax preparation product retrieving tax forms and cost basis directly from the institution rather than asking users to upload pdfs, a lender that needs a permissioning trail defensible under cfpb section 1033 rather than a credential-sharing arrangement, a bank that wants to meet data sharing obligations through one network connection instead of building and policing its own developer interface. Of those, a wealth management platform that needs fidelity brokerage holdings and tax lots, which cannot be scraped since fidelity closed that route in october 2023 and a tax preparation product retrieving tax forms and cost basis directly from the institution rather than asking users to upload pdfs are not what curl is typically brought in for.
- What can Akoya do that curl cannot?
- Akoya covers FDX standard APIs, Token-based access, Investment data, Accounts, balances and transactions. curl covers HTTP/HTTPS, FTP, Multiple protocols, Universal compatibility.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Akoya: Who owns Akoya?
A group of large US banks. It was spun out of Fidelity, which is why Fidelity data access runs through it.
curl: How much does curl cost?
curl is free and open-source software under the GPL 3.0 license. There is no cost to download, use, or modify the software.
SourceAkoya: Is Akoya screen scraping?
No. It uses FDX standard APIs with OpenID Connect tokens, so credentials are never shared with or stored by the data recipient.
curl: Is commercial support available for curl?
Yes. The curl website references 'commercial support available,' but pricing and details are not disclosed on the homepage and require visiting the support page.
SourceAkoya: Can we use Akoya alone instead of an aggregator?
Usually not. Its investment and large-institution coverage is excellent, but the long tail of smaller institutions is thinner, so most teams run both.
curl: Can I sponsor curl financially?
Yes. The curl website offers an option to 'Sponsor curl financially.' Visitors can donate to support curl development, but the donation link must be accessed through the site's support section.
SourceAkoya: Does it help with CFPB section 1033?
It is designed around it, providing tokenised permissioned access and consumer revocation rather than credential sharing.
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