Best cURL Alternatives

cURL is described as 'computer software project providing a library and command-line tool for transferring data using various protocols with URL syntax: supporting FTP, FTPS, SCP, SFTP, HTTP, HTTPS, TFTP, TELNET, DICT, LDAP, LDAPS and FILE' and is a very popular HTTP Client in the development category. There are more than 25 alternatives to cURL for a variety of platforms, including Mac, Windows, Linux, BSD and Xfce. The best alternative is Wget, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like cURL are aria2, HTTPie for Terminal, Transmit and xh.

cURL alternatives are mainly HTTP Clients but may also be API Clients or Download Managers. Filter by these if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of cURL.

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cURL

160

Free • Open Source
HTTP Client

Mac
Windows
Linux
BSD
Cygwin
Haiku

cURL is a computer software project providing a library and command-line tool for transferring data using various protocols...

Learn more about cURL

Wget
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Free • Open Source
Download Manager
Website Downloader
Mac
Windows
Linux
BSD
53 alternatives to Wget
GNU Wget is a free software package for retrieving files using HTTP(S) and FTP, the most widely-used Internet protocols. It is a non-interactive command line tool, so it may easily be called from scripts, cron jobs, terminals without X-Windows support, etc.
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Wget Features
1. Command line interfaceWget either have CLI support or is a CLI-only app.
2. PortableWget can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
Batch processing
Resume interrupted downloads
Wget vs cURL opinions
Most users think Wget is a great alternative to cURL.
ab1
Wget has better defaults for troubleshooting
Positive comment•
0
aria2
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No
Free • Open Source
Torrent Client
Download Manager
Mac
Windows
Linux
Android
Xfce
100 alternatives to aria2
aria2 is a multi-protocol & multi-source, cross platform download utility.

aria2 can download a file from multiple sources/protocols and tries to utilize your maximum download bandwidth. It supports downloading a file from HTTP(S)/FTP and BitTorrent at the same time, while.
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aria2 Features
1. Command line interfacearia2 either have CLI support or is a CLI-only app.
2. Lightweightaria2 consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
3. Ad-freearia2 doesn't contain any form of external advertising.
Support for Multiple protocols
Support for Remote Control
Resume interrupted downloads
HTTPie for Terminal
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No
Free • Open Source
HTTP Client
API Client
Mac
Windows
Linux
Python
FreeBSD
24 alternatives to HTTPie for Terminal
HTTPie (pronounced aitch-tee-tee-pie) is a command line HTTP client. Its goal is to make CLI interaction with web services as human-friendly as possible. It provides a simple http command that allows for sending arbitrary HTTP requests using a simple and natural syntax, and...
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HTTPie for Terminal Features
1. Command line interfaceHTTPie for Terminal either have CLI support or is a CLI-only app.
REST API
API Management
Web Testing
HTTPie for Terminal vs cURL opinions
Almost everyone thinks HTTPie for Terminal is a great alternative to cURL.
Guest
Like cURL, HTTPie also has JSON support, but HTTPie reduces syntax by leaving out the header syntax. This makes a test call to an API easier to remember. Avoiding time spent reviewing a doc. For example: $ http POST https://api.ctl.io/v2/authentication/login 'username=YOUR.USERNAME' 'password=YOUR.PASSWORD' A similar call using cURL requires header syntax.
Positive comment•
0
Transmit
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No
Paid • Proprietary
FTP Client
File Sync Tool
Mac
46 alternatives to Transmit
The gold standard of macOS file transfer apps just drove into the future. Transmit 5 is here. Upload, download, and manage files on tons of servers with an easy, familiar, and powerful UI. It’s quite good.
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Transmit Features
Support for FTP
Miller columns
Support for SFTP
SSL
Mount FTP drives
xh
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No
Free • Open Source
HTTP Client
API Client
Download Manager
Mac
Windows
Linux
BSD
18 alternatives to xh
xh is a friendly and fast tool for sending HTTP requests. It reimplements as much as possible of HTTPie's excellent design, with a focus on improved performance.
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xh Features
1. Command line interfacexh either have CLI support or is a CLI-only app.
2. Lightweightxh consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
REST Client
Web Testing
REST API
Support for Unicode
Data transfer
restclient.el
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No
Free • Open Source
HTTP Client
API Client
Mac
Windows
Linux
GNU Emacs
39 alternatives to restclient.el
This is a tool to manually explore and test HTTP REST webservices. Runs queries from a plain-text query sheet, displays results as a pretty-printed XML, JSON and even images.
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restclient.el Features
REST API
REST Client
Variables
Web Testing
API Testing
kurly
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No
Free • Open Source
Download Manager
HTTP Client
Mac
Windows
Linux
16 alternatives to kurly
kurly is a tool to transfer data from a HTTP(S) server, similar to curl.
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kurly Features
1. Command line interfacekurly either have CLI support or is a CLI-only app.
2. Ad-freekurly doesn't contain any form of external advertising.
Add a screenshot
Kreya
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No
Freemium • Proprietary
API Client
Mac
Windows
Linux
40 alternatives to Kreya
Kreya is a GUI client for gRPC and REST APIs with innovative features for environments, authorizations and more.
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Kreya Features
REST Client
Cross-Platform
lftp
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No
Free • Open Source
FTP Client
Mac
Linux
Xfce
11 alternatives to lftp
lftp is a command-line file transfer program which besides FTP, also supports FTPS, HTTP, HTTPS, HFTP, FISH, and SFTP. A BitTorrent client is also built-in as torrent command.
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lftp Features
1. Command line interfacelftp either have CLI support or is a CLI-only app.
Support for SFTP
Add a screenshot
Curlie
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
HTTP Client
API Client
Download Manager
Mac
Windows
Linux
BSD
20 alternatives to Curlie
If you like the interface of HTTPie but miss the features of curl, curlie is what you are searching for. Curlie is a frontend to curl that adds the ease of use of httpie, without compromising on features and performance.
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Curlie Features
1. Command line interfaceCurlie either have CLI support or is a CLI-only app.
REST API
REST Client
Web Testing
Data transfer