Cheapest qualifying plan by volume
Each vendor's cheapest plan whose request cap covers that month's volume, with its update frequency. Your entered volume is highlighted.
| Requests/mo | ExchangeRate-API | Open Exchange Rates | Fixer |
|---|
Three vendors, one metering shape: requests capped, speed priced
ExchangeRate-API is the most generous at the bottom: Gratis gives 1,500 requests/month with daily updates, no card required. Pro ($10/mo) raises the cap to 30,000 requests and the refresh to hourly. Negocio ($30/mo) goes to 125,000 requests with 5-minute updates — a Volumen plan exists above that (billed around $700/year, roughly $58/mo) but its exact request cap isn't published; contact sales to confirm before committing at that scale.
Open Exchange Rates starts tighter: Gratis gives 1,000 requests/month, hourly updates — but with one real catch (see FAQ): it only returns rates based on USD. Revelador ($12/mo) lifts that restriction and raises the cap to 10,000 requests, still hourly. Empresa ($47/mo) jumps to 100,000 requests with 30-minute updates and adds historical time-series access. Unlimited ($97/mo) removes the request cap entirely and updates every 5 minutes.
Fixer (run by apilayer) has the stingiest free tier of the three — just 100 requests/month, hourly. Básico ($14.99/mo) matches Open Exchange Rates' Developer cap at 10,000 requests, still hourly. Professional ($59.99/mo) reaches 100,000 requests with 10-minute updates. Professional Plus ($99.99/mo) covers 500,000 requests at 60-second updates — the fastest refresh of any plan compared here, at a price. Beyond that, Fixer's Enterprise tier is custom-quoted.
Lined up at matching request volumes, ExchangeRate-API wins on raw price at every tier — and its mid-tier Business plan ($30/mo, 5-min updates) actually refreshes faster than Open Exchange Rates' next tier up (Enterprise, $47/mo, 30-min) for less money. Open Exchange Rates and Fixer both justify their higher prices with features ExchangeRate-API's comparison table doesn't emphasize as heavily — Open Exchange Rates' historical time-series on Enterprise+, and Fixer's 60-second refresh ceiling on Professional Plus — so the right pick still depends on whether you need those specifics, not just the sticker price.