ExchangeRate-API Alternative: AllRatesToday
Comparing ExchangeRate-API with AllRatesToday — real-time vs. daily updates, EUR vs. USD pricing, SDK coverage, and historical data on every paid plan.
ExchangeRate-API is a popular pick for developers who want a simple, no-frills currency endpoint. Its free tier is generous on volume but updates only daily. If you need fresher data or smaller paid plans in EUR, AllRatesToday is a strong alternative.
At a glance
| AllRatesToday | ExchangeRate-API | |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier requests | Free tier | ~1,500/mo |
| Free tier updates | Real-time | Once per 24 hours |
| Entry paid plan | €4.99/mo (5,000 req) | $10/mo (Pro) |
| Currencies | 160+ | 160+ |
| Historical data | All paid plans | Higher tiers only |
| SDKs | JS, Python, PHP, React | Community-maintained |
| Self-serve cancel | Yes | Yes |
| Official central bank rates | 102 central banks + HMRC & US Treasury, same key | Not offered |
Based on each provider's public pricing pages at time of writing.
Why pick AllRatesToday
1. Real-time updates, not daily
ExchangeRate-API's open tier refreshes once every 24 hours. That's fine for static dashboards but not acceptable for ecommerce checkouts or anything user-facing. AllRatesToday quotes per request.
2. Smaller paid steps
Our €4.99 entry plan covers 5,000 requests/month and includes historical data. If you outgrow that, the €9.99 medium plan offers no rate-limit and 10,000 requests.
3. First-party SDKs
AllRatesToday ships and maintains official SDKs for JavaScript, Python, PHP, and React. You don't have to depend on community packages with uncertain maintenance.
Official central bank rates — the part no market feed offers
Beyond live market rates, AllRatesToday serves the official published rates of 102 central banks and two tax authorities (HMRC, US Treasury) under the same API key — the ECB reference rate for EU accounting, the Banxico FIX that legally settles USD obligations in Mexico, HMRC's monthly customs rates, and more, each under the bank's own publication date. If your workload ever touches invoicing, accounting, customs, or audit, this is the difference that matters: a market feed answers "what does the pair trade at?", while compliance asks "which rate were you required to use?" (Our central bank API comparison covers the landscape.)
Drop-in code example
// AllRatesToday — fetch rate and multiply for conversion
fetch('https://allratestoday.com/api/rate?source=USD&target=GBP')
.then(r => r.json())
.then(({ rate }) => console.log(250 * rate));Honest pros and cons
Where AllRatesToday wins
- Per-request real-time rates
- Historical data included on cheapest paid plan
- First-party SDKs for popular languages
- Status page + 99.99% target uptime
Where ExchangeRate-API may still suit you
- You only need a daily snapshot and a higher free quota
- You want a USD-billed vendor for procurement reasons
FAQ
Can I migrate without rewriting my code?
Mostly. Both APIs return JSON with a rates object. You'll swap the URL and auth parameter, and your existing parsing code keeps working.
Do you support GET-only requests for browser use?
Yes, all endpoints work over GET with HTTPS, including from browsers and serverless functions.