--- title: "Exchange Rate API Free for Commercial Use? What Free-Tier Terms Say" description: "Can a free exchange rate API go in a commercial app? What free-tier terms at Fixer, currencylayer, ExchangeRate-API and Frankfurter say, and how to check." canonical: https://allratestoday.com/blog/free-exchange-rate-api-commercial-use/ source: AllRatesToday (https://allratestoday.com/) — Markdown mirror of the page above; index of all pages at https://allratestoday.com/llms.txt generated: 2026-11-11T15:57:45.668Z --- Searching for "exchange rate api free" returns plenty of options. The harder question comes later: can you put that free API in a product that makes money? Many free tiers say no, some say yes, and a few say yes with conditions. This guide walks through what free-tier terms typically say, what "commercial" usually covers, and how to check a provider before you ship. **Not legal advice.** This is a summary of public terms at the time of writing. Terms change. Read the current version on each vendor's site before you rely on it. ## What free exchange rate API terms typically say Free tiers fall into four groups. The table shows where some popular providers sat at the time of writing. | Provider | Free tier | Commercial use on free tier | | --- | --- | --- | | Fixer | 100 requests/month, hourly | No, non-commercial only | | currencylayer | 100 requests/month, daily | No, non-commercial only | | ExchangeRate-API | 1,500 requests/month, daily | Allowed, but rates are "only suitable for informational or illustrative purposes" | | Frankfurter | Free, open source, no key, no quotas | Yes | | AllRatesToday | Free plan, personal use and testing | No. Commercial use from Small, 4.99 euros/month | ### 1. Non-commercial clauses: Fixer and currencylayer Fixer and currencylayer, both from APILayer, label their free plans as non-commercial. The free plan exists so you can build and evaluate. Once the app is used to run a business, the terms expect a paid plan. Paid plans start at 14.99 dollars a month for both at the time of writing. ### 2. Use allowed, fitness limited: ExchangeRate-API ExchangeRate-API's terms say its rates are "only suitable for informational or illustrative purposes". That is a different kind of limit. It does not ban a commercial site from showing a converted price. It does tell you the vendor does not stand behind the numbers for anything binding, such as invoices, payments or accounting. Its open access endpoint also asks for attribution, covered below. ### 3. Commercial use allowed: Frankfurter Frankfurter is free, open source and allows commercial use. It serves daily data from the ECB and many other central banks. The trade-off is daily data, no support contract and no service level. For many apps that is fine. For a checkout that needs a current rate, it usually is not. ### 4. Free for testing, paid for business: AllRatesToday Our Free plan is for personal use and testing. It includes the latest mid-market rates, refreshed every 60 seconds, and the latest official central bank rates, at 10 requests a minute. It has no historical data, and the free usage is a one-off allowance that does not reset. Commercial use starts on the Small plan at 4.99 euros a month, which also adds history. Full details are on the [pricing page](https://allratestoday.com/pricing/). ## Attribution requirements Attribution is a separate question from commercial use. A provider can allow commercial use and still require a credit link. ExchangeRate-API's open access endpoint says: "We require attribution on the pages you're using these rates with the link below", with the link text "Rates By Exchange Rate API". It notes the link can be styled to fit your page. Its keyed plans have their own terms. When you read terms, look for three things: - **Where** the credit must appear: every page that shows a rate, or one page such as an About or Credits page. - **What** it must say: exact link text, a logo, or just the provider name. - **When** it applies: often only on the free tier or only on public pages. If a free API requires attribution and your design cannot carry it, that alone is a reason to pay. ## What "commercial" usually covers Most developers think of commercial use as "I charge for it". Terms usually draw the line much earlier. These are the cases that typically count: - **SaaS products.** Any paid app, or a free tier of a paid app, that shows or uses rates. - **Ad-supported or affiliate sites.** A free converter page with ads is earning money from the rates. - **E-commerce.** Showing prices in a local currency to drive sales. See [exchange rates for e-commerce](https://allratestoday.com/blog/exchange-rates-api-ecommerce/). - **Internal business tools.** A finance dashboard, a pricing spreadsheet or an ERP sync used inside a company. Nobody outside sees it, but it runs the business. - **Client work.** An agency building a site for a paying client. What usually does not count: a personal budget app you use alone, a university assignment, or a prototype you are testing before launch. Even then, check the wording. Some terms define commercial use as any use "by or on behalf of a business". ## How to check exchange rate API terms in ten minutes 1. **Open the terms page, not the pricing page.** Pricing tables simplify. The terms are what apply. Search the page for "commercial", "personal", "attribution", "resale" and "redistribute". 2. **Check the plan matrix.** Some vendors mark the free plan as non-commercial only on the pricing page. Treat that as part of the terms. 3. **Look for a fitness clause.** Phrases like "informational purposes" or "no warranty of accuracy" tell you not to use the rates for invoices, tax or payments. 4. **Check redistribution rules.** If you expose rates through your own API or export them to customers, many terms treat that as resale. 5. **Check data licences separately.** An open source server can serve data under a different licence from its code. Read both. 6. **Save a copy.** Note the date you read the terms. If the vendor changes them, you know what applied when you built the feature. 7. **Ask if unsure.** A short email to the vendor's support gets a written answer you can keep. ## Testing on a free key, shipping on a paid one A common pattern is to build and test on a free key, then switch to a paid key before launch. With AllRatesToday the code does not change between plans. Only the key does: ``` const res = await fetch( "https://allratestoday.com/api/v1/rates?source=USD&target=EUR,GBP,JPY", { headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.ALLRATES_API_KEY}` } } ); if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`Rate request failed: ${res.status}`); const rates = await res.json(); // always an array for (const r of rates) { console.log(`${r.source}/${r.target} = ${r.rate} at ${r.time}`); } ``` The response is an array even for one pair, so read `rates[0].rate`, not `rates.rate`. Several targets in one call cost one request. Store the key in an environment variable and swap it at deploy time. ## When free is the right answer Free is right when the app is personal, when it is a prototype, or when a provider like Frankfurter allows commercial use and daily data is enough. Paid is right when the app earns money and the terms say so, when you need rates more current than once a day, or when you need someone to answer if the data is wrong. For a side-by-side view of limits and update frequency, see our [free currency API comparison](https://allratestoday.com/blog/best-free-currency-exchange-api-2026/), and for the cost trade-offs, [free vs paid exchange rate APIs](https://allratestoday.com/blog/free-vs-paid-exchange-rate-apis/). One more point. Commercial use and fitness for purpose are different questions. Even a paid mid-market feed is a market snapshot. If a tax rule or a contract names a rate, use the official table it names. The [central bank rates API](https://allratestoday.com/central-bank-rates-api/) serves [123 central banks and 6 tax authorities](https://allratestoday.com/central-bank-rates-api/institutions/), each with the institution's own rate date. ## FAQ ### Can I use a free exchange rate API in a commercial app? Sometimes. Fixer and currencylayer limit their free plans to non-commercial use. Frankfurter allows commercial use. ExchangeRate-API allows use but says its rates are only suitable for informational or illustrative purposes. The AllRatesToday Free plan is for personal use and testing; commercial use starts on the Small plan at 4.99 euros a month. ### Does an ad-supported website count as commercial use? Usually yes. Most terms treat any use that earns money, directly or indirectly, as commercial. A blog or tool page with ads or affiliate links generally falls on the commercial side. ### Is an internal business tool commercial use? In most terms, yes. A dashboard or spreadsheet used inside a company to run its business is commercial use even if nobody outside the company sees it. ### Do free exchange rate APIs require attribution? Some do. ExchangeRate-API's open access endpoint asks for a visible "Rates By Exchange Rate API" link on pages that use the rates. Check the terms of each provider, because attribution rules are usually tied to the plan. ### Is this legal advice? No. This article summarises public terms at the time of writing. Read the current terms yourself, and ask a lawyer if the answer matters to your business. ## Commercial use from 4.99 euros a month The Small plan covers commercial use, history and mid-market rates for 160+ currencies refreshed every 60 seconds. Start with a free API key to test. [See plans](https://allratestoday.com/pricing/) ## Related Articles - [Free vs paid exchange rate APIs](https://allratestoday.com/blog/free-vs-paid-exchange-rate-apis/) - [Why ExchangeRate-API is not a standard reference rate](https://allratestoday.com/blog/exchangerate-api-not-standard-reference-rate/) - [AllRatesToday vs Frankfurter](https://allratestoday.com/blog/allratestoday-vs-frankfurter-2026/) - [How to choose an exchange rate API](https://allratestoday.com/blog/how-to-choose-exchange-rate-api/) - [AllRatesToday plans and pricing](https://allratestoday.com/pricing/)