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About Currencylayer
What Does Currencylayer Do?
Currencylayer provides a reliable, easy-to-integrate Forex and exchange rate API. It delivers real-time and historical exchange rates for 168 world currencies and precious metals in lightweight JSON format, making it ideal for developers and businesses building currency converters, mobile apps, or back-office financial systems.
Who Is It For?
Currencylayer is built for developers, SaaS companies, e-commerce platforms, and financial applications that need accurate, frequently updated exchange rates. It is NOT for casual users needing a simple currency converter widget — it's a developer-focused API requiring basic API integration skills.
Use Cases & Problems Solved
With updates ranging from every 60 minutes down to 60 seconds, Currencylayer solves the problem of stale or unreliable forex data. Use cases include: powering real-time currency conversion in an e-commerce store, building a multi-currency accounting tool, or adding historical rate analysis to a fintech app. Advanced features like source currency switching, time-frame queries, and currency-change parameters give developers flexible control.
Key Integrations & Compatibility
The API works with any programming language (Python, PHP, Ruby, Java, etc.) and can be integrated anywhere using simple HTTP requests. It supports 256-bit HTTPS encryption and includes interactive documentation for quick testing.
Key features
- 168 World Currencies — Access real-time and historical exchange rates for 168 fiat currencies and precious metals.
- Multiple Update Frequencies — Choose rates updated every 60 minutes, 10 minutes, or 60 seconds depending on your plan.
- JSON Format — Lightweight, portable JSON responses for easy integration with any application.
- Historical Data — Query exchange rates back to 1999 using the historical endpoint.
- Currency Conversion — Have the API convert single amounts automatically.
- Source Currency Switching — Change the base currency for your API requests.
- 256-bit HTTPS — Secure, encrypted data streams for all API calls.
SaaSpartout Score
7.4
/10
Editorial score from our review methodology — not user ratings.
Currencylayer Pricing
Currencylayer pricing: from $14.99/mo. Billing model: Subscription.
Free — $0.00/month
100 API calls/day, daily updates, historical rates, HTTPS encryption, no support.
Basic — $14.99/month (or $13.99/month billed yearly)
10,000 requests/month + $0.005996 per extra request, hourly updates, historical rates, standard support, HTTPS encryption, source currency switching, currency conversion.
Enterprise — $59.99/month (or $52.99/month billed yearly)
100,000 requests/month + $0.0023996 per extra request, 10-minute updates, historical rates, standard support, HTTPS encryption, source currency switching, currency conversion, time-frame queries.
Enterprise+ — $99.99/month (or $84.99/month billed yearly)
500,000 requests/month + $0.00079992 per extra request, 60-second updates, historical rates, standard support, HTTPS encryption, source currency switching, currency conversion, time-frame queries, currency-change queries.
Custom enterprise pricing available for unlimited requests. All paid plans include a free trial (no credit card required at signup).
Exclusive deal via SaaSpartout
Get the deal →Frequently asked questions
Is Currencylayer free?
Yes, Currencylayer offers a free plan with 100 API calls per day, daily updates, and HTTPS encryption.
How much does Currencylayer cost?
Pricing starts at $14.99 per month for the Basic plan (10,000 requests), with higher tiers at $59.99/mo and $99.99/mo. Annual billing saves 10-15%.
What is Currencylayer used for?
Currencylayer provides real-time and historical exchange rate data via API for developers and businesses building currency converters, financial apps, and multi-currency systems.
How often are exchange rates updated?
Update frequency depends on your plan: every 60 minutes on Free, hourly on Basic, every 10 minutes on Enterprise, and every 60 seconds on Enterprise+.
Does Currencylayer support historical exchange rates?
Yes, you can query historical exchange rates back to 1999 using the historical endpoint.
What are the top alternatives to Currencylayer?
Popular alternatives include Open Exchange Rates, ExchangeRate-API, and Fixer.io. Currencylayer is best known for its reliability, 168 currencies, and 250,000+ customers.
