exchangerate.devOpen Exchange Rates vs XE
Compare Open Exchange Rates and XE for currency and forex data, free-tier limits, update frequency, and pricing.
Checked 24 July 2026
At a glance
| Feature | Open Exchange Rates | XE | exchangerate.dev |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Up to 1,000 requests/month, hourly updates, base currency restricted to USD. | No permanent free tier, a free trial only. | 5,000 calls/mo |
| Cheapest paid plan | Developer plan, $12/month, for 10,000 requests/month with hourly updates and all base currencies. | Lite plan, $799/year (annual billing only), for 10,000 requests/month with daily-only rates. | Basic, $19/month |
| Update frequency | Hourly on Free/Developer; every 30 minutes on Enterprise ($47/mo); every 5 minutes on Unlimited ($97/mo). | Daily on Lite; hourly on Intermediate; every 15 minutes on Prime. Live (minutely) rates are a $400–$1,500/year add-on, or bundled only on custom-priced Enterprise. | 144 currencies ~60s; Free 15m late |
| Data source | Aggregated published sources (banks, financial data providers, and others), per Open Exchange Rates' own documentation. | XE's own aggregated market data, per XE's published tier documentation. | |
| Per-value source + market_session | |||
| MCP server for AI agents |
Open Exchange Rates and XE facts are from their own product and pricing pages.
Frequently asked questions
Is Open Exchange Rates or XE free to start?
Open Exchange Rates: Up to 1,000 requests/month, hourly updates, base currency restricted to USD. XE: No permanent free tier, a free trial only.
Which updates more often, Open Exchange Rates or XE?
Open Exchange Rates updates hourly on Free/Developer; every 30 minutes on Enterprise ($47/mo); every 5 minutes on Unlimited ($97/mo). XE updates daily on Lite; hourly on Intermediate; every 15 minutes on Prime. Live (minutely) rates are a $400–$1,500/year add-on, or bundled only on custom-priced Enterprise. Compare the specific plan you'd actually pay for, not just the headline tier, both vendors gate faster updates behind higher plans.
Does Open Exchange Rates or XE support MCP for AI agents?
Neither currently does. No MCP integration is listed on Open Exchange Rates' pricing or signup pages. No MCP integration is listed on XE's Currency Data API documentation.
Which is cheaper once you outgrow the free tier?
Open Exchange Rates's cheapest paid plan is developer plan, $12/month, for 10,000 requests/month with hourly updates and all base currencies. XE's cheapest paid plan is lite plan, $799/year (annual billing only), for 10,000 requests/month with daily-only rates. Compare against your actual monthly call volume, not just the sticker price, overage and rate-limit behavior varies by plan.
Start with a free API key
5,000 requests a month on the free plan. No credit card.