exchangerate.dev
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Wise API alternatives (2026)

Wise API alternatives depend on whether you need exchange rate data or money transfers. This page covers rate data only. Wise documents a rates endpoint under its Affiliates guide, with access through affiliate or partner onboarding. Wise is the reference service and is not ranked. The options below compare exchangerate.dev, Narwhal API, XE, Open Exchange Rates and Fixer.

20 Oct 2026 · 7 min read

Compare the options

The table compares pricing, free access, update frequency, history, coverage, conversion and MCP. These documented features do not establish measured performance, equivalent rate types or whether an API replaces Wise's payments and transfers service.

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
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

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.

XE Currency Data API

  • Best fit: Annual packages with historical rates and monthly averages
  • 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 annual subscriptions needing historical rates, monthly averages and time-frame queries in every package. Lite costs $799 per year for 10,000 monthly requests and daily rates. Intermediate provides hourly rates, while Prime provides 15-minute rates; minutely updates are an add-on. History goes back to 1998. The trade-off is annual-only billing with a free trial rather than a free tier; its page states currency coverage two ways, and conversion and MCP were not found on its page.

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

Open Exchange Rates

  • Best fit: Hourly USD rates with broad currency coverage
  • 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 applications needing over 200 currencies and end-of-day history from 1 January 1999. Free offers up to 1,000 monthly requests, hourly updates and a USD base. Developer costs $12 per month for 10,000 requests, hourly updates and any base. The trade-off is that time series require Enterprise or Unlimited and allow at most one month per query; the convert endpoint is documented, but the plan page lists conversion on Unlimited.

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

Fixer

  • Best fit: Paid conversion with hourly updates and historical rates
  • 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 paid conversion, selectable base currencies and history back to January 1999. Basic costs $14.99 per month for 10,000 requests with hourly updates. Professional costs $59.99 for 100,000 requests, 10-minute updates and time series. Coverage includes 170 currencies. The trade-off is that Free permits only 100 monthly requests for non-commercial use, fixes the base currency and excludes conversion and time series; no official MCP server was found.

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

Choose by access and rate requirements

Start with whether you need rate data or transfers. Then compare access, update timing, historical depth and conversion against the plan you would actually use.

If you needStart with
Access routeWise's documented rates endpoint uses affiliate or partner onboarding. For rate data, compare that access route with the listed free tiers and XE's trial before choosing.
Update timingMatch your required timing to the plan. exchangerate.dev Free is delayed, Narwhal Free uses the previous close, and the entry paid plans at Fixer and Open Exchange Rates update hourly.
Historical depthCheck the dates and query shape you need. XE includes time-frame queries; Open Exchange Rates restricts time series by plan and limits each query to one month.
Conversion accessCompare conversion access separately from rate access. Fixer includes conversion from Basic; Open Exchange Rates documents an endpoint but lists conversion on Unlimited on its plan page.

How we chose

We compared documented pricing, quotas, updates, history, coverage, 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. Unpublished details remain identified as unpublished. A feature not found on a checked page is described that way, without assuming it is unavailable. 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

Does this page compare alternatives to Wise money transfers?

No. This page covers exchange rate data only. Most searches for a Wise API concern payments and transfers, but the documented rates endpoint discussed here appears under Wise's Affiliates guide.

Can I get a self-serve Wise rates API key?

Wise documents GET /v1/rates under its Affiliates guide. Access is through affiliate or partner onboarding. No self-serve public key was found in the source check, so this comparison does not describe one as available.

Does Wise's converter include transfer fees in the displayed rate?

Wise's converter shows the mid-market rate and displays fees separately. That is the converter behavior covered by the supplied facts; this page compares exchange rate data rather than payment or transfer services.

Can I display exchangerate.dev rates commercially for free?

Yes. Free includes 5,000 monthly requests with no card and allows commercial display with a visible linked credit. Rates are 15 minutes late, and Free history covers 30 days of daily rates.

Which listed options include MCP?

exchangerate.dev includes nine MCP tools on every plan, including Free. Narwhal API provides hosted MCP using the same key and quota. No official MCP server was found for Fixer or Open Exchange Rates.

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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