Name: exchangerate.dev: FX rate API
Brand: exchangerate.dev

Currencylayer alternative: vs exchangerate.dev

Currencylayer's Free tier offers 100 non-commercial requests a month with daily updates; exchangerate.dev offers 5,000 free requests a month with rates 15 minutes late and commercial display allowed with a visible link credit. Keep Currencylayer if you are already in the APILayer ecosystem and daily data is enough.

Reviewed September 2026

Currency and forex API comparison

Feature	exchangerate.dev	Currencylayer
Free-tier limit	5,000 calls/mo	Limited · base-restricted
Intraday refresh (all 144 currencies)	144 currencies ~60s; Free 15m late	✗ daily (free)
Per-value source + market_session
MCP server (every plan, incl. free)
Historical daily series	Free 30 days; Plus/Pro to 1999	✓
No credit card to start
Endpoint adaptation

exchangerate.dev

All 144 currencies update about every 60 seconds on trading days, 15 minutes late on Free. Every response includes source and market_session fields. MCP is included on every plan.

From $0 · free tier, 5,000 calls/mo, no card

Currencylayer

REST FX API in the APILayer family. Free tier limits calls and restricts base currency.

Free → paid tiers

Where exchangerate.dev wins

exchangerate.dev includes 5,000 free calls per month, 30 days of daily history, and MCP on every plan. All 144 currencies update about every 60 seconds on trading days, 15 minutes late on Free. Every response includes source and market_session fields. No credit card is required.

Where Currencylayer leads

Currencylayer is a mature, simple REST API with established docs in the APILayer ecosystem. exchangerate.dev adds intraday freshness, per-value provenance, an open free tier with no base-currency restriction, and MCP on every plan.

Verdict

Choose exchangerate.dev when intraday freshness, per-value provenance, MCP-native access, and free-tier headroom matter. Keep Currencylayer if you are already in the APILayer ecosystem and daily data is enough.

Related comparisons

Questions

Does Currencylayer support MCP?

Currencylayer does not currently offer an MCP integration. exchangerate.dev ships an MCP stdio bridge on every plan, including the free tier, so AI agents can call FX endpoints without writing a custom integration.

What is the free tier on Currencylayer vs exchangerate.dev?

Currencylayer's free plan allows a limited number of monthly API calls with restricted base currency access. exchangerate.dev's free tier includes 5,000 calls per month, no base-currency restriction, and no credit card required.

How fresh are Currencylayer rates during the trading day?

Currencylayer's rates for reference-rate pairs reflect the most recently available published fix. For ECB-sourced pairs that is one update per business day, which means rates can be 16–24 hours old before the next fix arrives. All 144 currencies update about every 60 seconds on trading days, 15 minutes late on Free; ECB fixes remain daily fallback.