exchangerate.devCompare the options
Columns compare documented MCP support, free API allowances, paid entry prices, and coverage. Prices are monthly USD; Frankfurter is free. A free REST allowance does not establish MCP eligibility. Tool access, rate freshness, and commercial permissions still depend on the selected plan.
| Provider | MCP | Free tier | Price from | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| exchangerate.dev | Official; remote HTTP with 9 tools, stdio bridge with 7; every plan including Free | 5,000 requests/month; commercial use with a visible credit link | $19/month Basic; 100,000 requests | 144 currencies |
| Narwhal API | Yes, hosted, same key and quota as REST | 5,000 requests/month; previous day close | $59/month Basic; 100,000 requests | 144 currencies |
| currencyapi | Official; streamable HTTP, 16 tools; counts against plan quota; Free eligibility not stated | 300 requests/month; personal use only | $9.99/month Small; 15,000 requests | 171 fiat currencies, 16 crypto, 4 precious metals |
| CurrencyFreaks | Yes, open source, 7 tools; Free gets latest rates and the currency list | 1,000 requests/month; USD base only | $9.99/month Starter; 15,000 requests | 1000+ currencies advertised, including crypto |
| Frankfurter | Yes, listed on its site with llms.txt; no key | No key and no quota; abuse rate limits only | Free; no paid plans; self-hosting with Docker | 223 currencies, including legacy codes |
| freecurrencyapi | Yes, 4 tools; key required; Free eligibility not stated | 1,000 requests/month; personal use only | No own paid plan; paid use through currencyapi from $9.99/month | 33 currencies |
The shortlist
exchangerate.dev
- Best fit: Remote tools and a local stdio bridge
- Price from: $19/month Basic; 100,000 requests
- Free tier: 5,000 requests/month; commercial use with a visible credit link
- Update frequency: About 60 seconds for all 144 currencies on trading days, 15 minutes late on Free; ECB daily fallback
- History: Free 30 days; Basic 1 year; Plus/Pro to 1999 where available
- Coverage: 144 currencies
- Conversion: Single-amount and batch conversion endpoints
- MCP: Official; remote HTTP with 9 tools, stdio bridge with 7; every plan including Free
exchangerate.dev suits a client needing currency tools over remote HTTP or a local stdio bridge. The remote server has 9 tools and the bridge has 7, with MCP included on every plan, including Free. Free provides 5,000 monthly requests and allows commercial display with visible linked credit. The trade-off is that Free rates are fifteen minutes late and daily history covers 30 days. Basic costs $19 per month for 100,000 requests and live rates. Results remain indicative rather than executable prices.
Sources: Plans and limits, API reference, Historical data, MCP server.
Narwhal API
- Best fit: Hosted currency tools alongside broader datasets
- Price from: $59/month Basic; 100,000 requests
- Free tier: 5,000 requests/month; previous day close
- Update frequency: Free: end of day (00:00 UTC); paid: live; interval not published
- History: Stored observations by date range; start date not published
- Coverage: 144 currencies
- Conversion: Decimal-safe conversion endpoint
- MCP: Yes, hosted, same key and quota as REST
Narwhal API suits an assistant working with FX alongside commodities, economics, and release calendars. Hosted MCP and REST use the same key and quota, so both interfaces draw from one allowance. Free includes 5,000 successful requests per UTC month. Its FX conversion endpoint returns the rate, timestamp, and market session. The trade-off is freshness: Free FX uses the previous day’s close, while live FX requires Basic at $59 per month. The FX page does not publish an update interval; check observations against the task’s needs.
Sources: FX API documentation, Pricing.
currencyapi
- Best fit: Documented remote tools for multiple asset types
- Price from: $9.99/month Small; 15,000 requests
- Free tier: 300 requests/month; personal use only
- Update frequency: Daily on Free; hourly Small; 60 seconds Medium and up
- History: Daily history back to 1999
- Coverage: 171 fiat currencies, 16 crypto, 4 precious metals
- Conversion: Convert endpoint
- MCP: Official; streamable HTTP, 16 tools; counts against plan quota; Free eligibility not stated
currencyapi suits an MCP client needing fiat, crypto, or precious-metal data through an official remote server. Its streamable HTTP integration documents 16 tools and uses an apikey header. Calls count against the plan quota, so tool usage belongs in the same request budget as other API traffic. The trade-off is plan eligibility: the documentation does not state whether Free keys can use MCP. Free itself is private use only with daily updates. Small permits commercial use at $9.99 per month with hourly updates.
Sources: Pricing, Homepage, MCP documentation. Full comparison: currencyapi vs exchangerate.dev →
CurrencyFreaks
- Best fit: Explicit free and paid tool boundaries
- Price from: $9.99/month Starter; 15,000 requests
- Free tier: 1,000 requests/month; USD base only
- Update frequency: Every 24 hours on Free; hourly Starter; 10 minutes Growth; 60 seconds Professional
- History: Paid plans only
- Coverage: 1000+ currencies advertised, including crypto
- Conversion: Paid plans only
- MCP: Yes, open source, 7 tools; Free gets latest rates and the currency list
CurrencyFreaks suits a client that needs documented boundaries between free rate tools and paid conversion or history. Its official open-source server provides 7 tools and requires a key. Free can use latest USD-base rates and currency listing; conversion and historical tools need Starter or above. The trade-off is that the free tool set is narrow and updates daily. Starter costs $9.99 per month with hourly updates and all bases. Check the required fiat codes within its advertised catalogue, which also includes crypto.
Sources: Pricing, MCP server. Full comparison: CurrencyFreaks vs exchangerate.dev →
Frankfurter
- Best fit: Keyless tools for daily reference lookups
- Price from: Free; no paid plans; self-hosting with Docker
- Free tier: No key and no quota; abuse rate limits only
- Update frequency: Daily
- History: Some series from 1948
- Coverage: 223 currencies, including legacy codes
- Conversion: No conversion endpoint; multiply by the rate
- MCP: Yes, listed on its site with llms.txt; no key
Frankfurter suits an assistant looking up daily rates without managing an API key. Its site lists an MCP server and llms.txt alongside its rate documentation. The service blends central-bank and official sources, applies abuse rate limits rather than a monthly quota, and supports Docker self-hosting. The trade-off is daily frequency: it is not an intraday feed. It also has no amount conversion endpoint. Historical coverage varies by pair, so a broad catalogue and early archive start do not establish every lookup’s availability.
Sources: Documentation, Source code. Full comparison: Frankfurter vs exchangerate.dev →
freecurrencyapi
- Best fit: A compact documented set of rate tools
- Price from: No own paid plan; paid use through currencyapi from $9.99/month
- Free tier: 1,000 requests/month; personal use only
- Update frequency: Once a day, end of day
- History: Daily from 1 January 1999
- Coverage: 33 currencies
- Conversion: No conversion endpoint
- MCP: Yes, 4 tools; key required; Free eligibility not stated
freecurrencyapi suits a personal project needing a small, documented currency tool set. Its MCP server lists 4 tools for latest rates, historical rates, currencies, and status, with a key required. The underlying API covers 33 currencies and daily history from January 1999. The trade-off is that Free MCP eligibility is not stated, so do not assume a free API key grants access. The service is for hobby or personal use, and commercial users are directed to currencyapi. There is no conversion endpoint.
Sources: Homepage, MCP documentation. Full comparison: freecurrencyapi vs exchangerate.dev →
Check the tools your client needs
Confirm the connection your MCP client supports, then verify tool access, authentication, and plan terms for the operations it will call.
| If you need | Start with |
|---|---|
| Client connection | Check whether the client accepts remote HTTP or requires a local stdio bridge. Use the provider’s documented connection method and authentication. |
| Tool entitlement | List the exact operations the assistant needs. Confirm their availability on the intended plan rather than relying on a headline tool count. |
| Shared quota | Estimate tool requests alongside existing API traffic. Where quotas are shared, include both interfaces when sizing the monthly allowance and burst limits. |
| Rate and rights | Check observation age and commercial permissions before showing results. MCP access does not change whether the underlying rate is delayed or indicative. |
How we chose
We compared provider-published MCP documentation, connection methods, tool scope, authentication, quota rules, free-plan eligibility, and underlying rate terms. Sources were checked on 18 Oct 2026. This is a documented-feature comparison, not a benchmark of agent performance, accuracy, or response speed. exchangerate.dev publishes this comparison and appears under the same criteria. Tool counts describe the documented integrations, while unpublished eligibility is left qualified rather than inferred from REST access. exchangerate.dev and Narwhal API are owned and operated by Nusantara Ventures, LLC.
Sources checked October 18, 2026. Prices and entitlements can change.
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