Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

soapUI VS cURL

Compare soapUI VS cURL and see what are their differences

soapUI logo soapUI

SoapUI Pro is one of the most prominent API testing platforms around, allowing developers to quickly prototype the functions of their apps and get them to market with little hassle.

cURL logo cURL

cURL is a computer software project providing a library and command-line tool for transferring data...
  • soapUI Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-16
  • cURL Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-12-13

soapUI features and specs

  • Comprehensive Testing
    soapUI supports a wide range of testing types including functional, security, and load testing, providing a one-stop solution for API testing needs.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    The tool features an intuitive graphical user interface, making it accessible for users with varying levels of technical expertise.
  • Extensive Protocol Support
    soapUI supports multiple protocols like SOAP, REST, JMS, AMF, as well as a range of underlying technologies including HTTP, HTTPS, JMS, etc., offering flexibility in testing different kinds of APIs.
  • Scripting Capability
    With Groovy scripting support, users can create custom assertions, automation scripts, and add advanced logic to their tests.
  • Community and Documentation
    A large community of users and extensive documentation and tutorials are available, aiding in faster troubleshooting and learning.
  • Integrations
    soapUI integrates well with other tools such as Jenkins, Maven, and JIRA, streamlining the CI/CD pipeline.
  • Open Source Version
    The availability of an open-source version allows users to start testing without any initial cost.

Possible disadvantages of soapUI

  • Performance Issues
    soapUI can become slow, especially with large and complex projects, which can affect productivity.
  • High Memory Usage
    The application often consumes a significant amount of memory, leading to potential performance degradation on less powerful machines.
  • Steep Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    While the basic features are user-friendly, mastering advanced functionalities and scripting capabilities can be challenging for beginners.
  • Limited Advanced Reporting
    The reporting capabilities in the open-source version are quite basic compared to other commercial API testing tools.
  • Paid Licensing for Pro Features
    Many advanced features and more efficient workflows are locked behind the paid 'Pro' version, which might not be affordable for smaller teams or individual developers.
  • UI Glitches
    Users occasionally report glitches and bugs in the graphical user interface, which can be inconvenient and interrupt workflow.
  • Lack of Cloud Deployment
    As of now, soapUI does not offer a cloud-native or SaaS version, limiting flexibility for teams that prefer cloud-based tools.

cURL features and specs

  • Versatility
    cURL supports a wide range of protocols including HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, and many more, making it a highly versatile tool for developers.
  • Cross-Platform
    cURL can be used on various operating systems including Windows, macOS, and Linux, providing consistency across different environments.
  • Command-Line Usage
    It can be easily used from the command line, enabling quick and powerful interactions with web services without the need for a graphical interface.
  • Automation
    cURL can be incorporated into scripts for automation, making it essential for repetitive tasks such as automated testing or continuous integration.
  • Support for Multiple Data Formats
    It can work with multiple data formats such as JSON, XML, and form-urlencoded, making it flexible for interacting with various APIs.
  • Open Source
    Being an open-source tool, cURL is free to use and has a large community that contributes to its continuous improvement and support.

Possible disadvantages of cURL

  • Steep Learning Curve
    For beginners, the variety of options and parameters available can be overwhelming, requiring time and effort to become proficient.
  • Limited Error Messages
    cURL sometimes provides minimal error messages, which can make debugging issues more complicated, especially for new users.
  • Security Concerns
    Improper handling of SSL certificates or sensitive data could lead to security vulnerabilities, requiring users to be cautious and knowledgeable.
  • Not User-Friendly
    As a command-line tool, it lacks a graphical user interface, which can make it less accessible for users who are not comfortable with terminal commands.
  • Manual Configuration
    Requires manual configuration for advanced options, which can be time-consuming and cumbersome for complex tasks.

soapUI videos

REST API Automation - SoapUI OpenSource Review - Mac

More videos:

  • Review - Testing REST API with SoapUI OpenSource - Part 6 - Assertions - Mac
  • Review - SoapUI Certification : Basic details about certification

cURL videos

BOUNCE CURL REVIEW | Curl Review Series #2

More videos:

  • Review - CURLS BLUEBERRY BLISS REVIEW | Curl Review Series #1
  • Review - Curls Triple Threat Review // Frizz Free Curly Hair
  • Tutorial - How to use CURL

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to soapUI and cURL)
Website Testing
100 100%
0% 0
API Tools
42 42%
58% 58
Developer Tools
50 50%
50% 50
Software Testing
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

Share your experience with using soapUI and cURL. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare soapUI and cURL

soapUI Reviews

Top 20 Open Source & Cloud Free Postman Alternatives (2024 Updated)
Product Introduction: SoapUI is a robust tool for testing SOAP and REST APIs, known for its extensive testing capabilities, including functional, load, and security testing, which makes it the perfect postman alternative.
Source: medium.com
Best Postman Alternatives To Consider in 2025
This open-source tool caters specifically to SOAP and RESTful web services. SoapUI excels in security testing, with features like load testing and functional testing. While not as beginner friendly as Postman, SoapUI offers a comprehensive solution for more complex API testing needs.
Postman Alternatives for API Testing and Monitoring
SoapUI is a popular open-source and commercial API testing tool (the commercial is called ReadyAPI), due to its powerful capabilities, flexibility and user-friendly platform. It’s particularly effective for testing SOAP, REST and GraphQL APIs. SoapUI allows inputting the WSDL or endpoint URL, configuring the requests with headers, parameters, or body content and sending the...
15 Best Postman Alternatives for Automated API Testing [2022 Updated]
SoapUI provides security and load testing features, and its functional testing supports SOAP and REST API. Users can use SoapUI’s drag-and-drop or point-and-click for scripting features, creating and running automated regression, compliance, and load tests on Web API.
Source: testsigma.com
15 BEST SoapUI Alternatives (2022 Update)
SoapUI is a widely popular API testing tool. It allows you to test REST and SOAP protocols. It facilitates seamless integrations and reusability of scripts. However, load and workflow testing is difficult with SoapUI.
Source: www.guru99.com

cURL Reviews

Top 20 Open Source & Cloud Free Postman Alternatives (2024 Updated)
cURL is a widely used command-line tool for transferring data with URLs. It supports a multitude of protocols, making it a versatile choice for API testing.
Source: medium.com
Top 10 HTTP Client and Web Debugging Proxy Tools (2023)
The uniqueness of cURL above others is that it supports different types of protocols, like HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, SFTP, POP3 SCP, and more. As a developer, you have to understand how cURL works.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, cURL seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 121 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

soapUI mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of soapUI yet. Tracking of soapUI recommendations started around Mar 2021.

cURL mentions (121)

  • Most Effective Approaches for Debugging Applications
    Complex applications, with their interwoven layers of front-end, back-end, and database logic, often obscure bugs. Simplifying the problem by isolating components—such as a React component, a REST API endpoint, or a PostgreSQL query—helps developers focus on the failure point. Spencer Romenco, Chief Growth Strategist at Growth Spurt, shares a case study: “Simplifying and isolating the problem has always been the... - Source: dev.to / 10 days ago
  • The Inflation of "Security Researchers" and Its Consequences for Open Source
    A well-documented case that illustrates this problem is CVE-2020-19909, which was recently reassigned as a "critical" vulnerability in Curl — despite being a decades-old, non-exploitable bug. This case exposes the systemic flaws in how CVEs are assigned and scored [Daniel Stenberg’s blog][Hacker News discussion]. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • Python for Beginners: Chapter 2 – Building Your First REST API with Flask
    For POST, PUT, and DELETE, you'll need a tool like Postman or curl. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • How to Build a CRUD API with Laravel for Beginners
    To test the API, you can use a tool like Postman or cURL. Here are the routes you can test:. - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • Open Source Developer Patronage Programs: A Sustainable Future for FOSS
    Projects like curl and Homebrew have successfully leveraged patronage programs to achieve financial sustainability. These examples highlight the potential for other projects to follow suit and secure the funding necessary for continued innovation. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing soapUI and cURL, you can also consider the following products

Postman - The Collaboration Platform for API Development

Insomnia REST - Design, debug, test, and mock APIs locally, on Git, or cloud. Build better APIs collaboratively for the most popular protocols with a dev‑friendly UI, built-in automation, and an extensible plugin ecosystem.

Sauce Labs - Test mobile or web apps instantly across 700+ browser/OS/device platform combinations - without infrastructure setup.

TestComplete - TestComplete Desktop, Web, and Mobile helps you create repeatable and accurate automated tests across multiple devices, platforms, and environments easily and quickly.

HTTPie - CLI HTTP that will make you smile. JSON support, syntax highlighting, wget-like downloads, extensions, and more.

Ranorex Studio - Accelerate testing with Ranorex Studio, the all-in-one tool for test automation. For desktop, web, or mobile app testing, with easy codeless automation tools, a full IDE, robust object recognition, flexible reporting and built-in Selenium WebDriver.