What is the best free exchange rate API in 2026?

Depends what you're optimizing for. Frankfurter wins on free-tier size at zero config: no monthly quota, open source, no key, though rate-limited. For intraday freshness, source/market_session labeling, and MCP, our free tier covers 10,000 calls a month across 31 currencies. For coverage, XE (220+), Frankfurter (201), and Open Exchange Rates (200+) all beat our 31; for history, Frankfurter (1948), CurrencyFreaks (1984), and XE (1998) go deeper. Full ranking above; verified July 25, 2026.

Does any free exchange rate API update in real time?

No API here is real-time or executable — all are indicative reference data. Three update roughly every 60 seconds on the trading week's free tier: exchangerate.dev, CurrencyFreaks, AllRatesToday. The rest update hourly at best, or once per business day from an ECB reference fix.

Which exchange rate APIs support MCP for AI agents?

Three of eleven providers ship an official MCP server as of July 2026: exchangerate.dev (api.exchangerate.dev/v1/mcp, five tools, remote HTTP and stdio, every plan incl. free), Frankfurter (mcp.frankfurter.dev, three tools, remote HTTP, no key), and AllRatesToday (@allratestoday/mcp-server, four tools, stdio). The other eight — Open Exchange Rates, Fixer, Currencylayer, ExchangeRatesAPI, ExchangeRate-API, ExchangeRate.host, CurrencyFreaks, XE — don't.

How was this ranking put together, and how often is it updated?

Every fact here comes from each provider's pricing and documentation pages, checked directly on July 24-25, 2026. We update on a material change — new free-tier limit, MCP server, or pricing — the same standard as the /vs pages.

Home/Best free exchange rate APIs

Best Free Exchange Rate APIs (2026)

Ten free and freemium exchange rate APIs ranked against exchangerate.dev on free-tier size, update frequency, source labeling, MCP support, pricing, history, and coverage. Last verified July 25, 2026.

How we evaluated

Seven criteria for shipping code against a live rate, not glancing at one.

Free-tier size: the published monthly call quota before you pay anything
Update frequency: how often the provider says rates change, once-daily to intraday, at each tier
Per-value source labeling: whether each rate says where it came from and how fresh it is
MCP support: whether an AI agent can query it through an official MCP server
Pricing to scale: what the first paid tier costs and how much quota or freshness it buys
Historical depth: how far back daily historical rates go
Currency coverage: how many currencies or codes the API actually prices

Numbers come from each provider's pricing and documentation pages, checked directly on July 24-25, 2026 — not an independent, timed measurement of freshness. That needs a benchmark: exchangerate.dev publishes a protocol for one but hasn't published a result for any provider yet, including itself — that bar hasn't been met. See the FX data methodology and the reproducible freshness benchmark protocol.

exchangerate.dev operates this page and appears in the ranking. Facts are sourced the same way for every entry, including ours, and where a competitor is ahead on a given criterion, the entry below says so.

The ranking

exchangerate.devThis API

Free tier: 10,000 calls/mo, 31 currenciesUpdates: majors ~60s on trading days, most other pairs tooSource labeling: source + market_session on every valueMCP: remote HTTP + stdio, every plan incl. freePaid from: $10/mo for 100,000 callsHistory: to 1999Coverage: 31 currencies

Major pairs refresh roughly every 60 seconds on trading days, most others too, and every response carries source and market_session, so calling code knows a value's freshness and origin. MCP ships on every plan including free — remote HTTP plus a keyed stdio bridge — one of three providers here with an official MCP server. The free tier is 10,000 calls/mo across 31 currencies, no card; the first paid tier is $10/mo for 100,000 calls on the same data, not a separate feature tier.

Frankfurter

Free tier: no monthly quota, open source, no key (rate-limited)Updates: ECB reference fix, once per business daySource labeling: single reference class, nothing per-value to labelMCP: yes, official (mcp.frankfurter.dev, remote HTTP, no key)Paid from: no paid tier, free and open source onlyHistory: to 1948Coverage: 201 currencies

Frankfurter has no monthly quota, no API key, and 201 currencies, more than exchangerate.dev's 31. It's rate-limited to prevent abuse rather than capped daily or monthly, and self-hostable for zero external dependency. The data is the ECB reference fix, published once per business day — a value doesn't move until the next publication however you access it. It now ships an official MCP server too (mcp.frankfurter.dev, remote HTTP, no key) over that same once-daily data.

Full comparison: exchangerate.dev vs Frankfurter →

AllRatesToday

Free tier: free, no card required, quota not publishedUpdates: ~60 seconds (Reuters/Refinitiv, interbank feeds)Source labeling: no per-value source or market_session fieldMCP: yes, official (@allratestoday/mcp-server, stdio, 4 tools)Paid from: €4.99/mo for 5,000 callsHistory: not advertisedCoverage: 160+ currencies

AllRatesToday matches exchangerate.dev on freshness: both update roughly every 60 seconds free, from Reuters/Refinitiv and interbank feeds. It ships an official MCP server (@allratestoday/mcp-server on npm, four tools, two keyless), plus SDKs in JavaScript, Python, PHP, and a React component — the most language coverage here. It doesn't publish a per-value source or market_session field. Its cheapest paid plan is €4.99/mo for 5,000 calls: cheaper than our Basic tier's sticker price, but a twentieth of the volume.

Full comparison: exchangerate.dev vs AllRatesToday →

CurrencyFreaks

Free tier: 1,000 calls/mo, USD base onlyUpdates: ~1 minute on the free planSource labeling: no per-value source fieldMCP: noPaid from: $9.99/mo required for a non-USD baseHistory: to 1984Coverage: 1,026 codes (856 crypto, ~170 traditional)

CurrencyFreaks surprises on freshness: its free tier updates roughly once a minute, close to our cadence — most budget APIs don't attempt that. The free plan locks to a USD base; non-USD needs the $9.99/mo plan. It lists 1,026 currency codes total, 856 of them crypto, leaving roughly 170 traditional, without a per-value source field or MCP. Worth a look if speed matters more than provenance or agent support.

Full comparison: exchangerate.dev vs CurrencyFreaks →

Open Exchange Rates

Free tier: 1,000 requests/mo, USD base onlyUpdates: hourly (free) to 5-minute ($97/mo)Source labeling: no per-value source fieldMCP: noPaid from: $12/mo for 10,000 requests, hourlyHistory: to Jan 1999Coverage: 200+ currencies

Open Exchange Rates covers 200+ currencies, well past our 31, and its history dates to January 1999 — the same start we use. The free plan caps at 1,000 requests a month, USD base only, hourly. Paying more buys volume and speed: $12/mo for 10,000 hourly requests, up to $97/mo for 5-minute updates — still short of continuous intraday — with no per-value source field or MCP endpoint.

Full comparison: exchangerate.dev vs Open Exchange Rates →

ExchangeRate-API

Free tier: 1,500 calls/mo, daily updatesUpdates: daily (free) to 5-minute ($30/mo)Source labeling: no per-value source fieldMCP: noPaid from: $10/mo for 30,000 calls, hourlyHistory: not advertisedCoverage: 160+ currencies

ExchangeRate-API's free plan allows 1,500 calls a month, daily updates only. Its $10-a-month Pro plan (our Basic tier's entry price) buys 30,000 calls, hourly; $30 buys 125,000 calls, 5-minute. Even the top tier misses continuous intraday freshness and a per-value source field or MCP. It covers 160+ currencies against our 31.

Full comparison: exchangerate.dev vs ExchangeRate-API →

XE

Free tier: none, free trial onlyUpdates: daily at entry price; real-time is a paid add-onSource labeling: no per-value source fieldMCP: noPaid from: $799/yr (Lite: 10,000 req/mo, daily only)History: to 1998Coverage: 220+ currencies

XE is the currency-conversion brand most people know, useful for an enterprise wanting an annual contract instead of self-serve. Its Currency Data API has no permanent free tier, only a trial; paid access starts at $799 a year for the Lite plan — 10,000 requests a month, daily only. Real-time, minutely rates cost extra: a separate $400 to $1,500 a year add-on, or bundled only on custom-priced Enterprise. XE is built for a procurement conversation, not same-day self-serve signup — also why there's no per-value source field or MCP server here.

Full comparison: exchangerate.dev vs XE →

Fixer

Free tier: 100 calls/mo, base currency restrictedUpdates: hourly (free) to 60s ($99.99/mo)Source labeling: no per-value source fieldMCP: noPaid from: $14.99/mo for 10,000 callsHistory: not advertisedCoverage: 170 currencies

Fixer's free plan allows 100 calls a month, hourly updates, with base-currency restrictions. Paying more buys speed too: $59.99/mo updates every 10 minutes, and $99.99/mo (Professional Plus) matches our roughly 60-second cadence — still no per-value source field or MCP at any tier, and about 10 times our Basic plan's cost for that rate. Part of the APILayer family with Currencylayer and ExchangeRatesAPI below, sharing the same $0/$14.99/$59.99/$99.99 ladder.

Full comparison: exchangerate.dev vs Fixer →

Currencylayer

Free tier: 100 calls/mo, base currency restrictedUpdates: daily (free) to 60s ($99.99/mo)Source labeling: no per-value source fieldMCP: noPaid from: $14.99/mo for 10,000 callsHistory: to 1999Coverage: 168 currencies

Currencylayer doesn't publish a per-value source field or offer MCP at any tier. Like Fixer, it runs on APILayer with the same ladder: daily free, hourly at $14.99, 10-minute at $59.99, 60-second (matching our cadence) at $99.99. Familiar if you're already on APILayer, though matching our freshness costs nearly 10 times our Basic plan.

Full comparison: exchangerate.dev vs Currencylayer →

ExchangeRatesAPI

Free tier: 100 requests/mo, base currency restrictedUpdates: daily (free) to 60s ($99.99/mo)Source labeling: no per-value source fieldMCP: noPaid from: $14.99/mo for 10,000 requestsHistory: not advertisedCoverage: not separately advertised (APILayer platform)

ExchangeRatesAPI.io is the third APILayer product here, with the same ladder as Fixer and Currencylayer: 100 free calls a month daily, then hourly, 10-minute, and 60-second (matching our cadence) at $99.99. Common in tutorials, useful if you're already following one. Even at that top tier there's no per-value source field or MCP, and matching our cadence costs nearly 10 times our Basic plan.

Full comparison: exchangerate.dev vs ExchangeRatesAPI →

ExchangeRate.host

Free tier: 100 requests/mo, signup + key requiredUpdates: end-of-day orientedSource labeling: no per-value source fieldMCP: noPaid from: $14.99/mo for 10,000 requestsHistory: not advertisedCoverage: ~168 currencies

ExchangeRate.host (APILayer) is the only provider here requiring signup and a key even for free, capped at 100 requests a month. It's positioned around end-of-day historical lookups more than a live feed, with paid plans starting at the same $14.99/mo, 10,000-call tier as its siblings. Fine for occasional historical spot-checks; not built for intraday freshness, provenance, or MCP.

Full comparison: exchangerate.dev vs ExchangeRate.host →

No API wins every category. Frankfurter has no monthly quota, 201 currencies, and history to 1948 — well past our 1999 start — if daily rates suffice. Open Exchange Rates, ExchangeRate-API, and XE all cover more currency codes than our 31, and CurrencyFreaks (1984) and XE (1998) go deeper on history too. XE suits an enterprise wanting an annual contract, not a self-serve API. Pick by your project's needs, not this list's order.

This is a developer-API ranking. For a broader view that also covers consumer sites like XE and Wise, plus what developers say about these APIs on Reddit, see best sites and APIs to get live exchange rates. For a dimension-by-dimension breakdown instead of a ranked list, see the free exchange rate API comparison.

FAQ

What is the best free exchange rate API in 2026?: Depends what you're optimizing for. Frankfurter wins on free-tier size at zero config: no monthly quota, open source, no key, though rate-limited. For intraday freshness, source/market_session labeling, and MCP, our free tier covers 10,000 calls a month across 31 currencies. For coverage, XE (220+), Frankfurter (201), and Open Exchange Rates (200+) all beat our 31; for history, Frankfurter (1948), CurrencyFreaks (1984), and XE (1998) go deeper. Full ranking above; verified July 25, 2026.
Does any free exchange rate API update in real time?: No API here is real-time or executable — all are indicative reference data. Three update roughly every 60 seconds on the trading week's free tier: exchangerate.dev, CurrencyFreaks, AllRatesToday. The rest update hourly at best, or once per business day from an ECB reference fix.
Which exchange rate APIs support MCP for AI agents?: Three of eleven providers ship an official MCP server as of July 2026: exchangerate.dev (api.exchangerate.dev/v1/mcp, five tools, remote HTTP and stdio, every plan incl. free), Frankfurter (mcp.frankfurter.dev, three tools, remote HTTP, no key), and AllRatesToday (@allratestoday/mcp-server, four tools, stdio). The other eight — Open Exchange Rates, Fixer, Currencylayer, ExchangeRatesAPI, ExchangeRate-API, ExchangeRate.host, CurrencyFreaks, XE — don't.
How was this ranking put together, and how often is it updated?: Every fact here comes from each provider's pricing and documentation pages, checked directly on July 24-25, 2026. We update on a material change — new free-tier limit, MCP server, or pricing — the same standard as the /vs pages.

Building against a live rate?

exchangerate.dev's free tier: 10,000 calls a month, 31 currencies — no card, no key. Major pairs update roughly every 60 seconds on trading days, every response carries source and market_session, and MCP ships on every plan.

Start on the free tier →

Last verified July 25, 2026.