Softwr

APIs · head to head

curl vs Salt Edge

curl logo

curl

APIs

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Salt Edge logo

Salt Edge

APIs

Independent open banking aggregator covering Europe by PSD2 API and other markets by direct connection

From
On request
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 open-source with no vendor pricing: curl is free and open-source under GPL 3.0; no subscription or licensing costs apply; Salt Edge coverage outside regulated open banking markets is not all direct bank API, and connections that are not regulated interfaces break when a bank changes its systems, so a headline country count overstates the reliability you will actually experience.
  • They diverge on capability: curl covers HTTP/HTTPS, Salt Edge covers Account information.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which curl and Salt Edge actually diverge.

Attributes where curl and Salt Edge differ
AttributecurlSalt Edge
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelopen-sourcequote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsLinux, MacOS, Windows, Unix, MobileWeb, API
Founded1997Unknown

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 curl

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

Only in Salt Edge

  • Account information
  • Payment initiation
  • Wide country coverage
  • Open Banking Gateway
  • Categorisation and enrichment
  • Consent management
  • Partner and white label
  • Sandbox

What people use each for

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

curl

  • API Developmentnot Salt Edge
  • API Gatewaynot Salt Edge
  • API Testingnot Salt Edge
  • API Documentationnot Salt Edge
  • Microservicesnot Salt Edge

Salt Edge

  • A lender operating across several European and non-EU markets that needs one aggregation contract rather than a different provider per countrynot curl
  • A fintech that wants an aggregator not owned by a card network because its use case competes with card productsnot curl
  • An accounting or treasury product that needs bank feeds in markets the large aggregators do not servenot curl
  • A bank that must publish PSD2-compliant APIs and would rather buy the compliance layer than build itnot 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

Salt Edge

  • Coverage outside regulated open banking markets is not all direct bank API, and connections that are not regulated interfaces break when a bank changes its systems, so a headline country count overstates the reliability you will actually experience.
  • Pricing is not published and is usage-based, so two providers cannot be compared without running both sales processes, and cost grows with the connected user base rather than with revenue.
  • Support and engineering are distributed across Eastern Europe and Canada, and buyers in other time zones report slower turnaround on connection-specific breakages than they get from a domestic provider.
  • PSD2 consent rules require customers to reauthenticate periodically, and Salt Edge cannot change that, so any product depending on continuous data must design for consent expiry and the drop-off it causes.
  • United States coverage is weaker than Plaid or Mastercard Open Banking, so a company with meaningful US volume ends up running two aggregators and normalising between them.

Pricing, plan by plan

curl

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Full curl functionality
    • Community support

Salt Edge

On request
  • Salt Edge Open Banking API$undefined/year
    • Account information and payment initiation
    • Coverage across 50 plus countries
    • Consent management and enrichment

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 Salt Edge if

  • You need account information.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want payment initiation.
Salt Edge review

Questions people ask

Is curl or Salt Edge better?
Neither clearly leads. curl starts at Free and Salt Edge at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, curl or Salt Edge?
curl has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for curl and On request for Salt Edge.
Does curl or Salt Edge run on more platforms?
curl runs on Linux, MacOS, Windows, Unix, Mobile. Salt Edge runs on Web, API.
Can I use curl for free?
Yes. curl has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Salt Edge starts at On request.
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 Salt Edge is typically brought in for.
What can curl do that Salt Edge cannot?
curl covers HTTP/HTTPS, FTP, Multiple protocols, Universal compatibility. Salt Edge covers Account information, Payment initiation, Wide country coverage, Open Banking Gateway.

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.

Source
Salt Edge: Who owns Salt Edge?

It is independently owned, unlike Tink (Visa), Finicity (Mastercard) or Yodlee (Envestnet), which matters if your use case competes with the owner.

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.

Source
Salt Edge: Is all coverage direct bank API?

No. Inside PSD2 markets connections use regulated APIs; elsewhere coverage relies on direct connections whose reliability depends on the bank not changing its systems. Ask for a per-institution answer.

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.

Source
Salt Edge: Does it do payments as well as data?

Yes, payment initiation is supported in European markets where PSD2 applies.

Salt Edge: What does it cost?

Not published. Pricing is usage-based and quoted, though the sandbox is free.

Share

Related pages

More on curl

More on Salt Edge

Keep looking

Other head to heads