exchangerate.dev vs forex-python
exchangerate.dev brings intraday FX, daily history, and MCP together in one API.
Verdict
Choose exchangerate.dev when intraday freshness, per-value provenance, MCP-native access, and free-tier headroom matter. Keep forex-python if you want its Python interface and daily rates meet your needs.
Get API keyAt a glance
| Feature | exchangerate.dev | forex-python |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | 5,000 requests/month | Free library; backend quota not published |
| Cheapest paid plan | Basic · $19/month | Not published |
| Update speed | 144 currencies ~60s on trading days; Free 15m late | Daily, around 3 pm CET |
| History | Free 30 days; Basic 1 year; Plus/Pro to 1999 | From 1999 |
| Coverage | 144 currencies; any supported base | Currency count not published |
| Interfaces | REST; MCP; WebSocket on Plus and Pro | Python library |
| SDKs | Not published | Python; MIT licence |
| Commercial use on free tier | ✓ With a linked credit | Data licence not published |
Price at your usage
The lowest published plans for each monthly request volume, with traffic spread across the month.
| Requests a month | exchangerate.dev | forex-python |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | Free · $0/month | Not published |
| 10,000 | Basic · $19/month | Not published |
| 100,000 | Basic · $19/month | Not published |
The Python package is free; its upstream service publishes no request allowance for these monthly volumes.
Switch in a few minutes
Replace CurrencyRates with a plain HTTP request for EUR per USD on your server.
forex-python
# Python library: select the Python tab.// Python library: select the Python tab.from forex_python.converter import CurrencyRates
# Change: library to HTTP
rate = CurrencyRates().get_rate(
"USD",
"EUR",
)
print(rate)exchangerate.dev
# Change: URL and auth
curl -G \
"https://api.exchangerate.dev/v1/latest/USD" \
--data-urlencode "symbols=EUR" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"// Change: URL and auth
const url = new URL(
"https://api.exchangerate.dev/v1/latest/USD"
);
url.search = new URLSearchParams({
"symbols": "EUR",
}).toString();
const response = await fetch(url, {
method: "GET",
headers: {
"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY",
},
});
if (!response.ok) {
throw new Error(String(response.status));
}
console.log(await response.json());import requests
# Change: URL and auth
response = requests.get(
"https://api.exchangerate.dev/v1/latest/USD",
params={
"symbols": "EUR",
},
headers={
"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY",
},
timeout=10,
)
response.raise_for_status()
print(response.json())Why teams switch
Room to test a real workload
5,000 free monthly calls give you room to build around your own traffic pattern, from a small currency converter to a recurring rate lookup. No card is required, and any supported currency can be the base. The usage table maps three monthly volumes to the lowest qualifying plan, making the next step clear as requests grow. Free permits commercial display with linked credit; paid plans need no credit.
Rates with a time and a source
All 144 currencies update about every 60 seconds on trading days, 15 minutes late on Free. Responses include source and market-session fields alongside observation timestamps, so your application can show where a value came from and when it was observed. Daily references remain identifiable as daily data. That context belongs beside the number in a customer interface, an internal report, or an agent answer that explains the rate it used.
One account for apps and agents
Every plan includes REST and MCP. Plus and Pro daily history reaches 1999 for majors; pair starts vary, combining current and dated records. A developer can start with the HTTP examples above, then use MCP for agent queries without adding another subscription. The same base and target currencies carry through the workflow, from fetching a current rate to looking up a historical observation.
When they are the better pick
forex-python is a better fit when you want a Python library and daily rates are enough. It is MIT-licensed and its repository is not archived. Its CurrencyRates interface handles current and historical lookups directly in Python.
Questions
Is there a free forex-python alternative?
When is forex-python a better fit?
Why does forex-python raise RatesNotAvailableError?
Can I use exchangerate.dev Free commercially?
Sources and review date
Reviewed