APIs · head to head
curl vs Presto
curl
APIs
Command-line tool for transferring data using URLs with wide protocol support
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Presto
Databases
The Meta-lineage distributed SQL query engine, distinct from the Trino fork
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: curl open-source with no vendor pricing: curl is free and open-source under GPL 3.0; no subscription or licensing costs apply; Presto the original creators and most of the active contributor base left for Trino in 2020, so Presto has the smaller community, fewer connectors and slower feature delivery of the two branches.
- They diverge on capability: curl covers HTTP/HTTPS, Presto covers Federated querying.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which curl and Presto actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).
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 Presto
- Federated querying
- In-memory execution
- Open table format support
- Presto C++ workers
- ANSI SQL
- Pluggable connectors
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
curl
- API Developmentnot Presto
- API Gatewaynot Presto
- API Testingnot Presto
- API Documentationnot Presto
- Microservicesnot Presto
Presto
- An existing PrestoDB estate that needs continued upgrades rather than a migration to Trinonot curl
- A team buying IBM watsonx.data, where Presto is the underlying query enginenot curl
- Joining a Hive or Iceberg lake to an operational PostgreSQL database in one query without an ETL stepnot curl
- Very large scale interactive SQL where the Meta-tested branch is a specific requirementnot curl
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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
Presto
- The original creators and most of the active contributor base left for Trino in 2020, so Presto has the smaller community, fewer connectors and slower feature delivery of the two branches.
- Documentation, tutorials and Stack Overflow answers for the two projects are frequently mixed up, and a solution written for Trino often does not apply, which costs real debugging time.
- It is a query engine with no storage of its own, so query performance is dictated by your file layout, partitioning and statistics, and a badly organised lake makes Presto look slow.
- Memory-bound execution means a single large join can fail the whole query rather than spilling gracefully, and tuning cluster memory settings is a persistent operational chore.
- Commercial support has consolidated into IBM since the Ahana acquisition, so the independent vendor market that once existed around Presto is largely gone.
Pricing, plan by plan
curl
Free- Open SourceFree
- Full curl functionality
- Community support
Presto
Free- PrestoFree
- Apache 2.0 licence
- Presto Foundation governance under the Linux Foundation
- No node or query limits
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.
Choose Presto if
- You need federated querying.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes.
- You also want in-memory execution.
Questions people ask
- Is curl or Presto better?
- Neither clearly leads. curl starts at Free and Presto at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, curl or Presto?
- curl starts at Free and Presto at Free.
- Does curl or Presto run on more platforms?
- curl runs on Linux, MacOS, Windows, Unix, Mobile. Presto runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes.
- Can I use curl for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- 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 Presto is typically brought in for.
- What can curl do that Presto cannot?
- curl covers HTTP/HTTPS, FTP, Multiple protocols, Universal compatibility. Presto covers Federated querying, In-memory execution, Open table format support, Presto C++ workers.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
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.
SourcePresto: Is this Presto or Trino?
This is PrestoDB, the branch that stayed at Facebook and moved to the Linux Foundation. Trino is the 2020 fork by the original creators.
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.
SourcePresto: Which should I choose for a new project?
Trino, in most cases. It has the larger community, more connectors and more commercial options.
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.
SourcePresto: Who maintains Presto now?
Principally Meta, Uber and IBM, which acquired the Presto vendor Ahana in 2023.
Presto: Is it still actively released?
Yes, releases continue on a regular cadence under the Presto Foundation.
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