XE API Alternative: Live Rates from €4.99/mo, Not $799/yr
XE Currency Data API starts at $799 a year for daily rates, with live rates as a paid add-on. AllRatesToday gives you minute-by-minute mid-market rates from €4.99/mo, monthly billing, and a free key.
XE is one of the best-known currency brands, and the XE Currency Data API is reliable and well documented. The catch is the price structure. Plans are billed yearly, the entry Lite plan ($799/yr) updates rates once a day, and minute-by-minute live rates are an extra add-on on every self-serve tier. If you want live rates in an app without a four-figure annual commitment, AllRatesToday is a developer-first alternative.
At a glance
| AllRatesToday | XE Currency Data API | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry plan | €4.99/mo, 5,000 requests | Lite: $799/yr, 10,000 requests/mo |
| Billing | Monthly or yearly | Yearly |
| Update cadence on entry plan | Every 60 seconds | Daily (live rates are a $400/yr add-on) |
| Free option | Free key: 300 requests, no card | Free trial |
| Rate type | Mid-market, no retail markup | Mid-market (XE's own blend) |
| Currencies | 160+ fiat | 170+ currencies and precious metals |
| Output formats | JSON, CSV, XML, XLSX | JSON |
| SDKs | JavaScript, Python, PHP, Go, Rust, React, MCP server | Java, Node.js, PHP, Python |
| Official central bank rates | 121 central banks + 3 tax authorities, same key | Not offered |
XE details from xe.com/xecurrencydata as of October 2026 (Lite $799, Intermediate $1,799, Prime $4,499 per year; Enterprise by quote). Check XE's site for current pricing.
Why teams choose AllRatesToday over XE
1. Live rates are not an add-on
XE's Lite plan is daily, Intermediate adds hourly, and Prime goes to 15 minutes. Minutely rates cost extra on all three. Every AllRatesToday plan, including the free key, refreshes rates every 60 seconds.
2. Pricing fits real call volumes
Most SaaS and ecommerce apps need a few thousand calls a month. Our €4.99 (5,000 requests), €9.99 (10,000) and €49.99 (100,000) monthly plans cover that, and you can change plan or cancel from the dashboard.
3. Formats for finance tools
Add format=csv, format=xml or format=xlsx to any rate
endpoint and you get a file Excel, an ERP importer or an auditor can open directly. See the
Excel guide and the
XML output reference.
Official central bank rates, which XE doesn't offer
Beyond live market rates, AllRatesToday serves the official published rates of 121 central banks and 3 tax authorities under the same API key: the ECB reference rate for EU accounting, HMRC's monthly customs rates, the RBI reference rate and more, each under the bank's own publication date. A market feed tells you what a pair trades at. A compliance rule usually tells you which publisher's rate you must use.
Code example
// AllRatesToday: latest rate and a converted amount
const r = await fetch(
'https://allratestoday.com/api/v1/rates?source=USD&target=EUR',
{ headers: { Authorization: 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY' } }
);
const [{ rate }] = await r.json(); // => 0.888455
const converted = 100 * rate; // => 88.85Honest pros and cons
Where AllRatesToday wins
- Minute-level updates on every plan, including free
- Monthly EUR pricing from €4.99, no annual lock-in
- CSV, XML and XLSX output alongside JSON
- Official central-bank and tax-authority rates included
Where XE may still suit you
- You need precious metals in the same feed
- You need XE-branded rates or XE's historical archive back to 1998
- Procurement requires a recognised enterprise vendor
FAQ
Is the data accurate enough for production?
Yes. AllRatesToday returns mid-market rates aggregated from institutional foreign exchange market data, the same class of rate XE serves.
Can I switch later if I outgrow you?
Yes. The response is plain JSON (or CSV/XML), so moving to any other provider is straightforward.
Do you offer enterprise plans?
If you need more than 100,000 requests a month or a custom SLA, contact us.