The best replacement for file_get_contents is curl.

The best alternatives to file_get_contents are rated as following:
★★★★★  curl
★★★  include
★★★  fread
★★★  fopen
★★  stream_get_contents
★  readfile
★  file_get_html
  fgets
  wget
  fread php
  file php

Your alternative for file_get_contents is not listed? Suggest!
Speaking about file_get_contents, one probably shouldn't forget about user agent.

Other search terms related to file_get_contents and their ratings are:
★★★★★ user agent
You have in mind a companion for file_get_contents and it is not yet here? Propose!



Google Trends

Scale is based on the average worldwide traffic of file_get_contents in all years. Click on graph for more.
file_get_contents
curl
include