Short answer: yes. Several reputable providers offer free plans for currency conversion — but "free" comes in different flavors. Some cap you at 100 requests a month, some restrict the base currency, some only return daily snapshots, and some require a credit card to sign up.
This guide walks through the free currency conversion APIs that actually exist in 2026, what each one gives you for free, and how to pick the right one for your project.
For the full side-by-side breakdown, see our ranked guide to the best free currency APIs in 2026 — it compares call limits, refresh rates, data sources and SDK support across all ten providers.
TL;DR — The Best Free Currency Conversion APIs
| API | Free Tier | Base Currency | Update Frequency | Credit Card |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AllRatesToday | 300 requests (one-time) | Any | Real-time (60s) on every plan | No |
| Exchange Rate API | 300 requests (one-time) | Any | Real-time (60s) on every plan | No |
| ExchangeRate-API | 1,500 req/month | Any | Daily | Yes (for upgrades) |
| Open Exchange Rates | 1,000 req/month | USD only | Hourly | Yes |
| CurrencyLayer | 100 req/month | USD only | Daily | Yes |
| Fixer.io | 100 req/month | EUR only | Hourly | Yes |
| Frankfurter | Unlimited | Any | Daily (ECB) | No |
What "Free" Actually Means
Before picking a free API, understand the common trade-offs:
- Request cap — how many API calls per month.
- Update frequency — daily, hourly, or real-time (60s).
- Base currency lock — Fixer's free tier is EUR-only, CurrencyLayer's is USD-only. You can convert through the base, but you can't ask for "GBP to JPY" directly.
- Historical rates — most providers paywall past data, AllRatesToday included (history starts on its €4.99/mo Small plan).
- HTTPS — Fixer's free tier is HTTP-only. Browsers on HTTPS will throw mixed-content errors.
- CORS — without it, you must call the API from your backend, not the browser.
A "free" API that locks out HTTPS and caps you at 100 calls is functionally useless for a real product. Check the fine print before integrating.
AllRatesToday — Real-Time Rates on the Free Tier
AllRatesToday offers 300 free requests (one-time, they never reset) with real-time rates, any base currency, HTTPS, and no credit card required. Its keyless endpoints (official central-bank rates, symbols) work in the browser; the keyed API is called from your server so your key stays private. The free plan is for personal, non-commercial use and covers latest rates only; historical rates and commercial use start at €4.99/mo.
curl -X GET "https://allratestoday.com/api/v1/rates?source=USD&target=EUR" -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
Response:
[
{
"rate": 0.891743,
"source": "USD",
"target": "EUR",
"time": "2026-10-16T16:38:01+0000"
}
]
Rates are mid-market, aggregated from institutional foreign exchange market data, and update every 60 seconds on every plan, free included.
ExchangeRate-API — Highest Free Quota
ExchangeRate-API's free plan gives you 1,500 requests/month — the highest in this list — with 161 currencies and any base currency. The catch: updates are daily, not real-time, which makes it unsuitable for trading or anything with live pricing.
Good for: internal dashboards, casual currency converters, low-volume accounting scripts.
Open Exchange Rates — Hourly Updates on Free
OER's free tier gives you 1,000 requests/month at hourly update cadence — the fastest update on a free plan among the larger providers. Base is locked to USD; you do cross-rate math in code.
Good for: USD-centric products that need hourly freshness without paying.
Frankfurter — Truly Unlimited But Daily
Frankfurter is an open-source wrapper around the ECB daily reference feed. No API key, no rate limit, but rates update once a day around 16:00 CET and only ~30 currencies are covered.
Good for: accounting, tax reporting, any use case where "end-of-day ECB rate" is the right answer.
Fixer.io and CurrencyLayer — Tight Free Tiers
Both cap at 100 requests/month on free, both restrict the base currency (Fixer: EUR only; CurrencyLayer: USD only), and Fixer's free tier is HTTP-only. They're fine for testing, not for production.
How to Pick
- Need real-time updates for free: AllRatesToday is the only option above with 60s updates on the free tier, though its 300 free requests are one-time. Its paid plans start at €4.99/mo.
- Need high request volume: ExchangeRate-API (1,500/mo).
- Need historical rates for free: Frankfurter (ECB daily rates). AllRatesToday includes history from €4.99/mo.
- Need any-base currency: AllRatesToday, ExchangeRate-API, or Frankfurter.
- Need HTTPS: Everything except Fixer's free tier.
- Need no credit card: AllRatesToday or Frankfurter.
A Minimal Integration Example
Here's a complete server-side JavaScript example (Node 18+) using AllRatesToday's free tier:
const res = await fetch(
'https://allratestoday.com/api/v1/rates?source=USD&target=EUR',
{ headers: { Authorization: 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY' } }
);
const [{ rate }] = await res.json(); // one row per target
const usd = 100;
const eur = (usd * rate).toFixed(2);
console.log(`$${usd} = €${eur}`);
Cache the response for 1 hour on your server to stretch your quota. AllRatesToday's 300 free requests are one-time, so treat them as an evaluation budget and move to a paid plan for ongoing traffic.
FAQ
Is Google Currency Converter API free?
Google retired its public currency conversion API in 2013. Google Finance results on search pages are not officially accessible via an API. For developer use, pick one of the APIs above.
Is Fixer free?
Yes, with 100 requests/month, EUR-only base, HTTP-only, and hourly updates. Usable for prototypes.
Can I get real-time rates for free?
Yes, with limits. AllRatesToday's free tier updates every 60 seconds, but it is 300 one-time requests for personal, non-commercial use. Elsewhere, free plans across the industry update hourly or daily; the closest is Open Exchange Rates at hourly.
Do I need an API key?
Every provider above except Frankfurter requires a key. Keys are free to generate and take a minute; they're a rate-limiting mechanism, not a commercial barrier.
Which free API is best for e-commerce?
If rates will affect prices customers pay, use a provider with hourly or better updates and a plan that allows commercial use. AllRatesToday (60-second updates on every plan, commercial use from €4.99/mo) or Open Exchange Rates (hourly) are the usable options. Daily rates can drift 1–2% during volatile sessions, which comes out of your margin.
Ready to try it? Get your free AllRatesToday API key — 300 free requests, no credit card required.