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OANDA API alternatives

Compare OANDA Exchange Rates API alternatives when your application needs a different access model, billing period, or conversion workflow. OANDA documents bid, ask, and mid data, period averages, and intraday fixings, so a latest-rate endpoint alone may not replace it. Its free access is a seven-day trial. OANDA Exchange Rates API is the reference service and is not ranked here; the list compares alternatives for the features your application actually uses.

18 Oct 2026 · 8 min read

Compare the options

Prices show monthly USD paid entry plans, except XE, billed yearly, and Frankfurter, which is free. Columns compare free allowances, update frequency, history, and coverage. A latest indicative rate does not establish support for OANDA’s bid, ask, or period-average workflows.

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
XE Currency Data API$799/year Lite; 10,000 requests/monthFree trial onlyDaily Lite; hourly Intermediate; 15 minutes Prime; minutely add-onBack to 1998Count stated two ways on its page
Open Exchange Rates$12/month Developer; 10,000 requestsUp to 1,000 requests/month; USD base onlyHourly on Free and Developer; 30 minutes Enterprise; 5 minutes UnlimitedEnd-of-day rates back to 1 January 1999Over 200 currencies
currencyapi$9.99/month Small; 15,000 requests300 requests/month; personal use onlyDaily on Free; hourly Small; 60 seconds Medium and upDaily history back to 1999171 fiat currencies, 16 crypto, 4 precious metals
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
FrankfurterFree; no paid plans; self-hosting with DockerNo key and no quota; abuse rate limits onlyDailySome series from 1948223 currencies, including legacy codes

The shortlist

exchangerate.dev

  • Best fit: Indicative app rates with a free starting plan
  • 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 an application needing currency rates, amount conversion, and MCP on a free starting plan. Free includes 5,000 monthly requests across 144 currencies, with commercial display allowed through visible linked credit. Basic provides live rates for $19 per month and 100,000 requests. The trade-off is Free freshness: rates are fifteen minutes late, with 30 days of daily history. Plus extends daily history from 1999-01-04 where available, with later starts for some currencies. Rates remain indicative rather than executable or settlement prices.

Sources: Plans and limits, API reference, Historical data, MCP server.

Narwhal API

  • Best fit: FX alongside commodities and economic context
  • 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 application combining FX with commodities, economics, and release calendars. Its broader data API provides decimal-safe conversion and stored historical observations through REST, alongside hosted MCP under the same key and quota. Free includes 5,000 successful requests per UTC month. The trade-off is that Free FX uses the previous day’s close; live FX requires Basic at $59 per month. The FX page publishes neither an update interval nor a universal archive start date. Check the required observations before migrating a historical workflow.

Sources: FX API documentation, Pricing.

XE Currency Data API

  • Best fit: Annual plans with history and period queries
  • Price from: $799/year Lite; 10,000 requests/month
  • Free tier: Free trial only
  • Update frequency: Daily Lite; hourly Intermediate; 15 minutes Prime; minutely add-on
  • History: Back to 1998
  • Coverage: Count stated two ways on its page
  • Conversion: Not mentioned on its page
  • MCP: Not found

XE Currency Data API suits an application considering annual data plans with historical rates, monthly averages, and time-frame queries. Lite costs $799 per year for 10,000 monthly requests and daily rates, with history back to 1998. Higher packages add hourly or fifteen-minute updates, and minutely add-ons are available. The trade-off is the annual commitment and trial-only free access. A conversion endpoint is not mentioned on the page, so confirm the amount workflow separately rather than assuming it replaces a direct conversion call.

Sources: Plans and features. Full comparison: XE Currency Data API vs exchangerate.dev →

Open Exchange Rates

  • Best fit: Hourly rate tables with selectable paid bases
  • 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 application that can retrieve a rate table and calculate amounts locally. Free provides up to 1,000 monthly requests with hourly updates and a USD-only base. Developer adds other bases for $12 per month, and daily history extends to January 1999. The trade-off is direct conversion access: its plan page lists conversion requests on Unlimited at $97 per month. Time-series requests also require higher plans. Check the endpoint and historical query pattern separately from the hourly rate-retrieval workflow.

Sources: Plans, API documentation. Full comparison: Open Exchange Rates vs exchangerate.dev →

currencyapi

  • Best fit: Commercial conversion and multi-asset MCP tools
  • 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 currency conversion alongside crypto or precious metals. Small permits commercial use at $9.99 per month with hourly updates and 15,000 requests. Its official MCP server documents 16 tools that count against the plan quota. The trade-off is Free access: it is private use only, with 300 monthly requests and daily updates, and MCP eligibility is not stated. Sixty-second updates start at Medium for $39.99 per month. Compare the plan that meets the application’s freshness and usage requirements.

Sources: Pricing, Homepage, MCP documentation. Full comparison: currencyapi vs exchangerate.dev →

Fixer

  • Best fit: Paid base selection and daily historical lookups
  • 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 an application prepared to pay for selectable bases and amount conversion. Basic includes both at $14.99 per month with hourly updates and 10,000 requests. Its catalogue covers 170 currencies, with history back to January 1999. The trade-off is that Free is non-commercial, fixes the base, and excludes conversion, so it does not reproduce the paid workflow. Time series require Professional at $59.99 per month, while sixty-second updates start at Professional Plus for $99.99. Check historical and conversion entitlements as separate requirements.

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

Frankfurter

  • Best fit: Keyless daily rates with self-hosting available
  • 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 an application that can use daily rates and calculate converted amounts itself. It blends central-bank and official sources, requires no key, and applies abuse rate limits rather than a monthly quota. MCP and Docker self-hosting are documented. The trade-off is that it has neither an intraday feed nor an amount conversion endpoint. Its 223-currency catalogue includes legacy codes, with some series from 1948, but coverage varies by pair. Test the required currencies and historical dates before treating that archive start as complete coverage.

Sources: Documentation, Source code. Full comparison: Frankfurter vs exchangerate.dev →

Check the observations you need

Write down the rate type, averaging period, and historical depth the application uses. Compare a replacement against those requirements before focusing on its entry price.

If you needStart with
Rate typeConfirm whether the application uses bid, ask, or mid observations. A provider’s conversion endpoint does not establish support for all three.
Period averagesCheck daily, weekly, or custom averages independently of latest rates. Preserve the existing averaging definition when evaluating a replacement workflow.
Historical depthRequest the oldest required currency and interval. A headline archive length does not establish that those observations exist on the selected plan.
Access and billingDistinguish a trial from a permanent free tier. Compare annual subscriptions and monthly plans over the same period and required usage.

How we chose

We compared alternatives for application rate retrieval, amount conversion, historical lookups, observation types, billing periods, and MCP access. Sources were checked on 18 Oct 2026. This is a documented-feature comparison, not a benchmark of accuracy, speed, or availability. OANDA Exchange Rates API is the reference service and is not ranked. exchangerate.dev publishes this comparison and appears under the same criteria. Unstated historical depth and unsupported observation types are not assumed. 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

What are the alternatives to OANDA Exchange Rates API?

This list compares exchangerate.dev, Narwhal API, XE Currency Data API, Open Exchange Rates, currencyapi, Fixer, and Frankfurter. Match the required observation type and averaging period first; the alternatives do not establish identical bid, ask, or historical workflows.

Does OANDA offer a permanent free API tier?

The checked page offers a seven-day free trial with unlimited quotes. That is temporary access rather than a permanent free allowance. Daily averages appear on every paid plan, while period averages and open and close start on Premium.

Which OANDA alternatives have a free starting plan?

exchangerate.dev includes 5,000 monthly requests with fifteen-minute-delayed indicative rates and linked credit for commercial display. Frankfurter offers keyless daily rates without a monthly quota. Neither description establishes a replacement for OANDA’s bid or ask observations.

Does OANDA publish one historical start year?

The checked pages advertise over 32 years of data but do not state a start year or depth per plan. Confirm the required currency, observation type, and date range rather than deriving a universal archive date.

Which alternatives document MCP support?

exchangerate.dev, Narwhal API, currencyapi, and Frankfurter document MCP support. Their data scope, authentication, and plan eligibility differ. exchangerate.dev includes MCP on every plan; currencyapi does not state Free MCP eligibility in the checked documentation.

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.

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