APIs · head to head
curl vs Tink
curl
APIs
Command-line tool for transferring data using URLs with wide protocol support
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Tink
APIs
European open banking platform for account data and payment initiation
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
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; Tink visa owns Tink, and pay-by-bank exists to move payments off card rails, so the roadmap and pricing of the product you are using to reduce interchange are set by the company that earns the interchange.
- They diverge on capability: curl covers HTTP/HTTPS, Tink covers Account data access.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which curl and Tink 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 curl
- HTTP/HTTPS
- FTP
- Multiple protocols
- Universal compatibility
- Scripting tools
- Linux support
- MacOS support
- Windows support
Only in Tink
- Account data access
- Payment initiation
- EEA passporting
- Categorisation
- Account verification
- Risk and affordability signals
- Variable recurring payments support
- Consent management
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
curl
- API Developmentnot Tink
- API Gatewaynot Tink
- API Testingnot Tink
- API Documentationnot Tink
- Microservicesnot Tink
Tink
- A European lender that needs verified income and expense data from a borrower bank account across several EEA markets under one licencenot curl
- A merchant offering pay-by-bank at checkout to avoid card acceptance costs on high value basketsnot curl
- A fintech that does not hold its own PSD2 licence and needs to operate under an authorised provider passported across the EEAnot curl
- A bank building an account aggregation view of a customer external accounts without negotiating with each institution individuallynot 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
Tink
- Visa owns Tink, and pay-by-bank exists to move payments off card rails, so the roadmap and pricing of the product you are using to reduce interchange are set by the company that earns the interchange.
- Coverage is Europe only, so a product serving both European and United States users runs a second aggregator with a different data model and a separate contract.
- PSD2 connection quality varies sharply by bank, and headline connection counts hide wide differences in success rate, consent lifetime and re-authentication frequency that determine what users actually experience.
- Consent under PSD2 expires and requires periodic re-authentication, so any product depending on continuous data access has a recurring user friction it cannot design away, and drop-off at re-consent is a real product problem.
- Pricing is quoted with data access and payment initiation priced separately, and there is no published rate card, so small merchants cannot compare pay-by-bank economics against card acceptance without a sales process.
Pricing, plan by plan
curl
Free- Open SourceFree
- Full curl functionality
- Community support
Tink
On request- Tink Platform$undefined/year
- Priced by product, market and volume
- Data access and payment initiation priced separately
- Annual commitments typical for enterprise agreements
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 Tink if
- You need account data access.
- You work on API, Web.
- You also want payment initiation.
Questions people ask
- Is curl or Tink better?
- Neither clearly leads. curl starts at Free and Tink at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, curl or Tink?
- curl has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for curl and On request for Tink.
- Does curl or Tink run on more platforms?
- curl runs on Linux, MacOS, Windows, Unix, Mobile. Tink runs on API, Web.
- Can I use curl for free?
- Yes. curl has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Tink 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 Tink is typically brought in for.
- What can curl do that Tink cannot?
- curl covers HTTP/HTTPS, FTP, Multiple protocols, Universal compatibility. Tink covers Account data access, Payment initiation, EEA passporting, Categorisation.
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.
SourceTink: Who owns Tink?
Visa, since 2022. That is directly relevant if you are adopting pay-by-bank specifically to reduce card costs.
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.
SourceTink: Do I need my own PSD2 licence?
No. Tink holds AIS and PIS licences from the Swedish FSA passported across the EEA, and customers can operate as its agent rather than obtaining their own authorisation.
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.
SourceTink: Does Tink cover the United States?
No. It is a European platform. US coverage requires a separate provider.
Tink: How reliable are the bank connections?
It varies by institution far more than the headline count of roughly 6,000 connections suggests. Ask for per market and per bank success rates and consent lifetimes for the banks your users actually hold accounts with.
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