Compare the options
Prices show monthly USD paid entry plans; Frankfurter is free. Columns compare free allowances, update frequency, history, and currency coverage. Base selection, conversion access, and faster updates can require a different plan. Historical start dates do not establish complete coverage for every currency.
| 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 |
| Open Exchange Rates | $12/month Developer; 10,000 requests | Up to 1,000 requests/month; USD base only | Hourly on Free and Developer; 30 minutes Enterprise; 5 minutes Unlimited | End-of-day rates back to 1 January 1999 | Over 200 currencies |
| ExchangeRate-API | $10/month Pro; 30,000 requests | 1,500 requests/month with a key; keyless open endpoint with attribution | Daily on Free; hourly Pro; 5 minutes Business | Paid plans only; over 30 years advertised on Pro | About 165 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 |
| CurrencyFreaks | $9.99/month Starter; 15,000 requests | 1,000 requests/month; USD base only | Every 24 hours on Free; hourly Starter; 10 minutes Growth; 60 seconds Professional | Paid plans only | 1000+ currencies advertised, including crypto |
| Frankfurter | Free; no paid plans; self-hosting with Docker | No key and no quota; abuse rate limits only | Daily | Some series from 1948 | 223 currencies, including legacy codes |
The shortlist
exchangerate.dev
| Best fit | Free base selection and indicative amount conversion |
|---|---|
| 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 a converter needing any supported base and direct conversion under Free rules. Free provides 5,000 monthly requests, MCP, and 30 days of daily history, with commercial display allowed through visible linked credit. Basic costs $19 per month for 100,000 requests and live rates. The trade-off is that Free rates are fifteen minutes late and coverage is 144 currencies. Check the required codes and dates before migrating. Converted amounts remain indicative, not executable or settlement prices.
Narwhal API
| Best fit | Currency conversion with broader data coverage |
|---|---|
| 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 app that needs FX alongside commodities, economics, and release calendars. Its broader data API combines decimal-safe conversion and stored historical observations with REST and hosted MCP under one key. Free includes 5,000 successful requests per UTC month shared across those interfaces. The trade-off is that Free FX is the previous day’s close, rather than intraday data. Basic provides live FX for $59 per month. A universal FX history start date and the live update interval are not published.
Open Exchange Rates
| Best fit | Hourly rate tables with paid base selection |
|---|---|
| Price from | $12/month Developer; 10,000 requests |
| Free tier | Up to 1,000 requests/month; USD base only |
| Update frequency | Hourly on Free and Developer; 30 minutes Enterprise; 5 minutes Unlimited |
| History | End-of-day rates back to 1 January 1999 |
| Coverage | Over 200 currencies |
| Conversion | Convert endpoint documented; plan page lists conversion on Unlimited |
| MCP | No official MCP server found |
Open Exchange Rates suits an app that can retrieve a rate table and calculate amounts itself. Developer offers any base and hourly updates for $12 per month, with a catalogue exceeding 200 currencies. End-of-day history extends to January 1999. The trade-off is that direct conversion requests are listed on Unlimited at $97 per month, rather than established for Developer. Free provides up to 1,000 monthly requests but fixes the base to USD. Compare base selection and conversion as separate requirements when replacing Fixer.
Full comparison: Open Exchange Rates vs exchangerate.dev →ExchangeRate-API
| Best fit | Free pair conversion for daily estimates |
|---|---|
| Price from | $10/month Pro; 30,000 requests |
| Free tier | 1,500 requests/month with a key; keyless open endpoint with attribution |
| Update frequency | Daily on Free; hourly Pro; 5 minutes Business |
| History | Paid plans only; over 30 years advertised on Pro |
| Coverage | About 165 currencies |
| Conversion | Pair conversion with an optional amount, on Free |
| MCP | No MCP server found on its site |
ExchangeRate-API suits a converter looking for direct pair conversion without a paid starting plan. Free includes the optional-amount Pair Conversion endpoint, 1,500 monthly requests, and daily updates. Pro costs $10 per month and refreshes hourly. The trade-off is historical access: that requires a paid plan even though current conversion is free. No MCP server was found on its site. Its separate keyless open endpoint allows personal or commercial use with attribution, but rate limits and a ban on redistribution still apply.
Full comparison: ExchangeRate-API vs exchangerate.dev →currencyapi
| Best fit | Paid commercial conversion and official MCP |
|---|---|
| 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 an application needing conversion, a broader asset mix, and an official MCP integration. Small permits commercial use with hourly updates for $9.99 per month. The catalogue includes 171 fiat currencies, 16 cryptocurrencies, and four precious metals. The trade-off is that Free is private use only, with 300 monthly requests and daily updates. Sixty-second updates require Medium at $39.99 per month. MCP calls count against the plan quota, and the documentation does not state whether Free keys can use its 16 tools.
Full comparison: currencyapi vs exchangerate.dev →CurrencyFreaks
| Best fit | Current and historical conversion on Starter |
|---|---|
| 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 an app replacing Fixer with paid current and historical amount conversion. Starter includes both workflows, all base currencies, and hourly updates for $9.99 per month. Its open-source MCP server provides conversion and historical tools on Starter and above. The trade-off is that Free is a daily USD-base rate service without history or conversion. The site advertises more than a thousand currencies including crypto; verify the required fiat codes directly. Sixty-second updates need Professional at $99.99 per month rather than Starter.
Full comparison: CurrencyFreaks vs exchangerate.dev →Frankfurter
| Best fit | Daily official-source rates with self-hosting |
|---|---|
| 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 |
Frankfurter suits a daily reference workflow that wants no API key or monthly quota. It blends central-bank and official sources, offers MCP, and supports self-hosting with Docker. Its catalogue includes legacy codes and some series beginning in 1948. The trade-off is that conversion must happen in your application: there is no amount conversion endpoint. Daily updates also mean it is not an intraday replacement for Fixer’s paid update tiers. Test the required currencies and dates, particularly when moving historical lookups rather than just latest rates.
Full comparison: Frankfurter vs exchangerate.dev →Check bases, conversion, and update plans
A Fixer migration should preserve the calls your application needs. Check each base, amount workflow, and historical date against the replacement plan before changing the integration.
| Base selection | Test the base currencies your app actually sends, including non-default bases. Confirm that switching is permitted on the selected plan. |
|---|---|
| Conversion access | Call the amount conversion endpoint on the intended plan. If you will calculate locally, verify rate direction and rounding using representative amounts. |
| Update budget | Compare plans at the update frequency the screen needs. An hourly entry plan and a minute-level plan are different purchasing choices. |
| History and rights | Request the oldest required pair and date. Check commercial display, attribution, and redistribution terms independently of whether a historical response succeeds. |
How we chose
We compared base selection, conversion endpoints, free-use terms, paid entry plans, update frequency, history, and MCP support. Sources were checked on 17 Oct 2026. This is a documented-feature comparison, not a benchmark of accuracy, latency, or availability. The order reflects fit for replacing application rate and conversion workflows. exchangerate.dev publishes this comparison and appears under the same criteria. Endpoint availability is tied to documented plans, and unpublished details are left qualified. exchangerate.dev and Narwhal API are owned and operated by Nusantara Ventures, LLC.
Sources checked . Prices and entitlements can change.
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- Free exchange rate API comparison: A closer look at free-plan limits and trade-offs
- Best free exchange rate APIs (2026): Free quotas, freshness, keyless access, and commercial terms
- Best currency converter APIs (2026): Amount conversion endpoints, plan access, and app integration
- ExchangeRate-API alternatives (2026): Alternatives for daily rates, conversion, history, and MCP
- currencyapi alternatives (2026): Commercial terms, free access, update plans, and conversion
- Open Exchange Rates alternatives (2026): Free bases, amount endpoints, MCP, and billing periods