exchangerate.devCompare the options
The table compares pricing, free use, updates, history, coverage, conversion and MCP. It does not establish that linked products share identical features or that currencyapi's official MCP server is available to Free users.
Plans, frequency, historical depth, and currency coverage
| Provider | Price from | Free tier | Update frequency | History | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| exchangerate.dev | $19/month Basic; 100,000 requests | 5,000 requests/month; commercial use with a visible credit link | About 60 seconds for all 144 currencies on trading days, 15 minutes late on Free; ECB daily fallback | Free 30 days; Basic 1 year; Plus/Pro to 1999 where available | 144 currencies |
| Narwhal API | $59/month Basic; 100,000 requests | 5,000 requests/month; previous day close | Free: end of day (00:00 UTC); paid: live; interval not published | Stored observations by date range; start date not published | 144 currencies |
| currencyapi | $9.99/month Small; 15,000 requests | 300 requests/month; personal use only | Daily on Free; hourly Small; 60 seconds Medium and up | Daily history back to 1999 | 171 fiat currencies, 16 crypto, 4 precious metals |
| freecurrencyapi | No own paid plan; paid use through currencyapi from $9.99/month | 1,000 requests/month; personal use only | Once a day, end of day | Daily from 1 January 1999 | 33 currencies |
The shortlist
exchangerate.dev
- Best fit: Commercial rate displays needing conversion and included MCP
- 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: Yes, nine tools, every plan including Free
exchangerate.dev suits commercial rate displays needing conversion and MCP. Basic costs $19 per month for 100,000 requests. Free provides 5,000 requests with a visible linked credit for commercial display. Free requires no card. Paid rates update about every 60 seconds across 144 currencies on trading days. Single and batch conversion and nine MCP tools are included. The trade-off is that rates are indicative, not executable or settlement prices; Free and keyless calls are 15 minutes late.
Sources: Plans and limits, API reference, Historical data, MCP server.
Narwhal API
- Best fit: Applications combining FX with commodities and economic data
- 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 applications needing FX alongside commodities, economics and calendars. Basic costs $59 per month for 100,000 requests and live FX across 144 currencies. Free includes 5,000 monthly requests using the previous day's close at 00:00 UTC. It offers decimal-safe conversion and stored observations by date range. Hosted MCP uses the same key and quota. The trade-off is that its live update interval and historical start date are not published.
Sources: FX API documentation, Pricing.
currencyapi
- Best fit: Paid commercial access covering fiat crypto and metals
- 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: Yes, official, 16 tools; calls count against the plan quota
currencyapi suits commercial applications needing fiat, crypto and precious metal coverage. Small costs $9.99 per month for 15,000 requests and hourly updates; Medium costs $39.99 for 600,000 requests and 60-second updates. Coverage includes 171 fiat currencies, 16 crypto and four precious metals, with daily history back to 1999 and a convert endpoint. The trade-off is that Free allows only 300 daily-updated requests for private use; its official 16-tool MCP counts against quota, and Free eligibility is not stated.
Sources: Pricing, Homepage, MCP documentation. Full comparison: currencyapi vs exchangerate.dev →
freecurrencyapi
- Best fit: Personal daily rates across a smaller currency set
- 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
freecurrencyapi suits personal applications needing daily rates across 33 currencies. Free includes 1,000 requests per month, with rates updated once a day at end of day. Daily history starts on 1 January 1999, and MCP provides four tools. It is linked to currencyapi, and its page directs commercial use to a paid currencyapi plan. The trade-off is personal-only use, no conversion endpoint and no paid plan of its own; broader coverage and commercial use require considering currencyapi.
Sources: Homepage, MCP documentation. Full comparison: freecurrencyapi vs exchangerate.dev →
Choose by permitted use and coverage
Decide whether the application is personal or commercial, then compare currency coverage and update timing. Treat conversion access and MCP eligibility as separate checks.
| If you need | Start with |
|---|---|
| Permitted use | Both free offers restrict use: currencyapi says private use, while freecurrencyapi is for personal use. freecurrencyapi directs commercial use to a paid currencyapi plan, starting with Small. |
| Currency coverage | Choose freecurrencyapi for its listed 33 currencies when those meet your needs. currencyapi lists 171 fiat currencies, 16 crypto and four precious metals for applications needing that coverage. |
| Update timing | Both free offers update daily; freecurrencyapi specifies end of day. currencyapi Small updates hourly for $9.99 per month, while Medium provides 60-second updates for $39.99. |
| MCP access | freecurrencyapi offers four MCP tools. currencyapi has an official server with 16 tools and quota-counted calls, but Free eligibility is not stated; do not assume access from tool availability. |
How we chose
We compared documented quotas, permitted use, coverage, updates, history, conversion and MCP. Sources were checked on 18 Oct 2026. This is a documented-feature comparison, not a benchmark. exchangerate.dev publishes this comparison and appears under the same criteria. The products are described as linked. Unstated eligibility remains unstated, and shared features are not inferred from that link. 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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