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Software · head to head

curl vs Apigee

curl logo

curl

Software

Command-line tool for transferring data using URLs with wide protocol support

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Apigee logo

Apigee

Software

API management platform for designing, securing, and scaling APIs

From
$500/monthly
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only curl has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: curl free and open source under an MIT/X derivate license, with no commercial pricing tier; funded only by voluntary sponsorship; Apigee the free evaluation is a sandbox limited to 60 days
  • They diverge on capability: curl covers HTTP/HTTPS, Apigee covers API Gateway.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which curl and Apigee actually diverge.

Attributes where curl and Apigee differ
AttributecurlApigee
Starting priceFree$500/monthly
Pricing modelopen-sourcesubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsLinux, MacOS, Windows, Unix, MobileCloud, Hybrid, On-premises
Founded19972006

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 curl

  • HTTP/HTTPS
  • FTP
  • Multiple protocols
  • Universal compatibility
  • Scripting tools
  • Linux support
  • MacOS support
  • Windows support

Only in Apigee

  • API Gateway
  • API Analytics
  • Developer Portal
  • Google Cloud services
  • Azure
  • AWS
  • Okta
  • Cloud support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

curl

  • API Developmentnot Apigee
  • API Gatewaynot Apigee
  • API Testingnot Apigee
  • API Documentationnot Apigee
  • Microservicesnot Apigee

Apigee

  • Publishing, securing and versioning APIs for an enterprise API programnot curl
  • Monetizing APIs and running a developer portalnot curl
  • Analyzing API traffic and defending APIs against bots and abusenot curl

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

curl

  • Free and open source under an MIT/X derivate license, with no commercial pricing tier; funded only by voluntary sponsorship

Apigee

  • The free evaluation is a sandbox limited to 60 days
  • Pay-as-you-go has no SLA available at all
  • Pay-as-you-go bills environments separately from API calls, with a Base environment costing $365 per month per region
  • The Base environment is capped at 50 QPS with an SLA of up to 99%
  • Standard API Proxy calls are billed at $20 per 1M calls up to 50M, and Extensible API Proxy calls at $100 per 1M calls up to 50M
  • API Analytics is a paid add-on at $20 per 1M API calls and cannot be bought on a Base environment
  • Advanced API Security is a paid add-on at $350 per 1M API calls and cannot be bought on a Base environment
  • Monetization is unavailable on pay-as-you-go and requires a subscription tier
  • Additional API proxy deployments beyond those included cost $0.04 per hour per region on a Comprehensive environment
  • Subscription tiers Standard, Enterprise and Enterprise Plus are quote only with no published price
  • Google Cloud networking charges for IP addresses, data transfer out and forwarding rules are billed on top of Apigee usage

Pricing, plan by plan

curl

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Full curl functionality
    • Community support

Apigee

$500/monthly
  • Starter$500/monthly
    • API gateway
    • Analytics
    • Developer portal
  • Professional$2500/monthly
    • Advanced security
    • Traffic management
    • Monetization
  • Enterprise$undefined/monthly
    • Custom deployment
    • SLA
    • Dedicated 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.
curl review

Choose Apigee if

  • You need api gateway.
  • You work on Cloud, Hybrid, On-premises.
  • You also want api analytics.
Apigee review

Questions people ask

Is curl or Apigee better?
Neither clearly leads. curl starts at Free and Apigee at $500/monthly, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, curl or Apigee?
curl has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for curl and $500/monthly for Apigee.
Does curl or Apigee run on more platforms?
curl runs on Linux, MacOS, Windows, Unix, Mobile. Apigee runs on Cloud, Hybrid, On-premises.
Can I use curl for free?
Yes. curl has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Apigee starts at $500/monthly.
What is curl best used for?
curl is most often used for api development, api gateway, api testing, api documentation. Of those, api development and api gateway are not what Apigee is typically brought in for.
What can curl do that Apigee cannot?
curl covers HTTP/HTTPS, FTP, Multiple protocols, Universal compatibility. Apigee covers API Gateway, API Analytics, Developer Portal, Google Cloud services.
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