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Fixer vs Currencylayer (2026)

Fixer vs Currencylayer compares two APILayer products with near-identical paid plan ladders. The differences include their Free update schedules, currency coverage and stated time-series access. exchangerate.dev appears as an option and is not one of the two compared services. Narwhal API is also listed for applications needing FX alongside commodities, economics and calendars.

20 Oct 2026 · 6 min read

Compare the options

The table compares pricing, free access, update frequency, history, coverage, conversion and MCP. Matching prices and request allowances do not establish identical features, and an unstated time-frame plan does not establish that the feature is unavailable.

Plans, frequency, historical depth, and currency coverage

ProviderPrice fromFree tierUpdate frequencyHistoryCoverage
exchangerate.dev$19/month Basic; 100,000 requests5,000 requests/month; commercial use with a visible credit linkAbout 60 seconds for all 144 currencies on trading days, 15 minutes late on Free; ECB daily fallbackFree 30 days; Basic 1 year; Plus/Pro to 1999 where available144 currencies
Narwhal API$59/month Basic; 100,000 requests5,000 requests/month; previous day closeFree: end of day (00:00 UTC); paid: live; interval not publishedStored observations by date range; start date not published144 currencies
Fixer$14.99/month Basic; 10,000 requests100 requests/month; non-commercial; fixed base currencyHourly on Free and Basic; 10 minutes Professional; 60 seconds Professional PlusBack to January 1999170 currencies
Currencylayer$14.99/month Basic; 10,000 requests100 requests/month; non-commercialDaily on the Free plan card; hourly Basic; 10 minutes Enterprise; 60 seconds Enterprise+Historical rates on Free; time-frame plan not stated168 currencies and precious metals

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.

Fixer

  • Best fit: Hourly free rates and explicitly tiered time series
  • Price from: $14.99/month Basic; 10,000 requests
  • Free tier: 100 requests/month; non-commercial; fixed base currency
  • Update frequency: Hourly on Free and Basic; 10 minutes Professional; 60 seconds Professional Plus
  • History: Back to January 1999
  • Coverage: 170 currencies
  • Conversion: Basic and up
  • MCP: No official MCP server found

Fixer suits applications needing hourly free rates or an explicitly stated time-series tier. Basic costs $14.99 per month for 10,000 requests, all bases and conversion. Professional costs $59.99 for 100,000 requests, 10-minute updates and time series. Professional Plus costs $99.99 for 500,000 requests and 60-second updates. Coverage includes 170 currencies, with history back to January 1999. The trade-off is that Free permits only 100 non-commercial requests, fixes the base and excludes conversion and time series.

Sources: Pricing and plan features. Full comparison: Fixer vs exchangerate.dev →

Currencylayer

  • Best fit: Currency and precious metal coverage with paid conversion
  • Price from: $14.99/month Basic; 10,000 requests
  • Free tier: 100 requests/month; non-commercial
  • Update frequency: Daily on the Free plan card; hourly Basic; 10 minutes Enterprise; 60 seconds Enterprise+
  • History: Historical rates on Free; time-frame plan not stated
  • Coverage: 168 currencies and precious metals
  • Conversion: Basic and up
  • MCP: No official MCP server found

Currencylayer suits applications needing its coverage of 168 currencies and precious metals. Basic costs $14.99 per month for 10,000 requests, hourly updates, source-currency switching and conversion. Enterprise costs $59.99 for 100,000 requests and 10-minute updates; Enterprise+ costs $99.99 for 500,000 and 60-second updates. Historical rates are available on Free. The trade-off is that Free allows only 100 non-commercial monthly requests and lists daily updates; the time-frame plan is not stated, and no official MCP was found.

Sources: Pricing and plan features. Full comparison: Currencylayer vs exchangerate.dev →

Choose by the differences between matching tiers

Start with the features that differ rather than the matching prices. Check Free timing, coverage, conversion access and the plan requirements for historical queries.

If you needStart with
Free timingFixer Free updates hourly, while Currencylayer's Free plan card lists daily updates. Both allow 100 monthly requests for non-commercial use, so choose with that timing difference in mind.
Coverage needsCompare the coverage you need: Fixer lists 170 currencies, while Currencylayer lists 168 currencies and precious metals. The currency totals alone do not describe the same coverage.
Paid conversionBoth Basic plans cost $14.99 per month for 10,000 requests and hourly updates. Fixer includes all bases and conversion; Currencylayer includes source-currency switching and conversion.
Historical accessFixer states history back to January 1999 and time series on Professional. Currencylayer includes historical rates on Free, but its time-frame plan is not stated; preserve that uncertainty.

How we chose

We compared documented plan ladders, quotas, updates, coverage, 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. Matching plan figures are not treated as proof of matching features. Unstated plan requirements remain explicitly unstated. exchangerate.dev and Narwhal API are owned and operated by Nusantara Ventures, LLC.

Sources checked October 18, 2026. Prices and entitlements can change.

Frequently asked questions

Are Fixer and Currencylayer separate products?

Fixer and Currencylayer are both APILayer products. Their paid price and request ladders closely match, but the listed Free update schedules, coverage and time-series details differ. Matching prices do not establish identical product features.

Do their paid plans cost the same?

Both start at $14.99 monthly for 10,000 requests. Their next listed tiers cost $59.99 for 100,000 requests, followed by $99.99 for 500,000. The corresponding update intervals are hourly, 10 minutes and 60 seconds.

What differs on their free plans?

Both Free plans allow 100 monthly requests for non-commercial use. Fixer updates hourly, fixes the base and excludes conversion and time series. Currencylayer's Free plan card lists daily updates and includes historical rates.

Which service states its time-series plan?

Fixer lists time series on Professional at $59.99 per month. Currencylayer's time-frame plan is not stated. That difference describes the available plan information; it does not establish that Currencylayer lacks time-frame queries.

Which listed options have documented MCP access?

exchangerate.dev includes nine MCP tools on every plan, including Free. Narwhal API offers hosted MCP using the same key and quota. No official MCP server was found for Fixer or Currencylayer in the checked material.

Keep reading

Start with a free API key

exchangerate.dev offers keyless evaluation; a free key includes 5,000 calls a month across 144 currencies with no card. All 144 currencies update roughly every 60 seconds on trading days, every response carries source and market_session, and MCP ships on every plan.

Get a free key