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Alex Spinov
Alex Spinov

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ExchangeRate-API Has a Free API — Get Currency Conversion Rates Without an API Key

#webdev #api #javascript #python

If you're building anything with international payments, e-commerce, or travel — you need currency exchange rates. Most APIs charge for this data or require complicated OAuth flows.

ExchangeRate-API gives you free, up-to-date exchange rates with zero signup.

Try It Right Now 

curl https://open.er-api.com/v6/latest/USD
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Response (truncated):

{
  "result": "success",
  "base_code": "USD",
  "time_last_update_utc": "Wed, 26 Mar 2026 00:00:01 +0000",
  "rates": {
    "EUR": 0.9234,
    "GBP": 0.7891,
    "JPY": 149.85,
    "CAD": 1.3612,
    "AUD": 1.5423,
    "CHF": 0.8812,
    "CNY": 7.2456
  }
}
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160+ currencies. Updated daily. No key needed.

Python Example: Currency Converter 

import requests

def convert(amount, from_currency, to_currency):
    url = f"https://open.er-api.com/v6/latest/{from_currency}"
    data = requests.get(url).json()

    if data["result"] != "success":
        return None

    rate = data["rates"][to_currency]
    converted = round(amount * rate, 2)
    print(f"{amount} {from_currency} = {converted} {to_currency} (rate: {rate})")
    return converted

# Examples
convert(100, "USD", "EUR")   # 100 USD = 92.34 EUR
convert(1000, "GBP", "JPY")  # 1000 GBP = 189,888.50 JPY
convert(50, "EUR", "CAD")    # 50 EUR = 73.72 CAD
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JavaScript Example: Real-Time Price Display 

async function showPriceInLocalCurrency(priceUSD, targetCurrency) {
  const res = await fetch(`https://open.er-api.com/v6/latest/USD`);
  const data = await res.json();

  const rate = data.rates[targetCurrency];
  const localPrice = (priceUSD * rate).toFixed(2);

  console.log(`$${priceUSD} USD = ${localPrice} ${targetCurrency}`);
  return localPrice;
}

// Show product price in different currencies
showPriceInLocalCurrency(29.99, "EUR");  // €27.69
showPriceInLocalCurrency(29.99, "GBP");  // £23.67
showPriceInLocalCurrency(29.99, "JPY");  // ¥4,493
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Build a Multi-Currency Price Table 

import requests

def price_table(price_usd, currencies=["EUR", "GBP", "JPY", "CAD", "AUD", "CHF", "INR", "BRL"]):
    data = requests.get("https://open.er-api.com/v6/latest/USD").json()
    rates = data["rates"]

    print(f"Price: ${price_usd} USD")
    print("-" * 35)

    symbols = {"EUR": "€", "GBP": "£", "JPY": "¥", "CAD": "C$", "AUD": "A$", "CHF": "CHF", "INR": "₹", "BRL": "R$"}

    for curr in currencies:
        converted = round(price_usd * rates[curr], 2)
        symbol = symbols.get(curr, curr)
        print(f"  {symbol} {converted:>10} {curr}")

price_table(49.99)
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Pair With IP-API for Auto-Detection

Combine with IP-API to automatically show prices in the visitor's local currency:

import requests

# Map countries to currencies
COUNTRY_CURRENCY = {
    "US": "USD", "GB": "GBP", "DE": "EUR", "FR": "EUR",
    "JP": "JPY", "CA": "CAD", "AU": "AUD", "IN": "INR",
    "BR": "BRL", "CH": "CHF"
}

def auto_price(price_usd, visitor_ip):
    # Step 1: Get visitor country
    loc = requests.get(f"http://ip-api.com/json/{visitor_ip}").json()
    country = loc.get("countryCode", "US")
    currency = COUNTRY_CURRENCY.get(country, "USD")

    # Step 2: Convert price
    rates = requests.get("https://open.er-api.com/v6/latest/USD").json()["rates"]
    local_price = round(price_usd * rates.get(currency, 1), 2)

    return {"price": local_price, "currency": currency, "country": loc.get("country")}

result = auto_price(29.99, "8.8.8.8")
print(result)  # {'price': 29.99, 'currency': 'USD', 'country': 'United States'}
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Compared to Alternatives

Service Free Tier Key Required Currencies Update Frequency
ExchangeRate-API 1,500 req/mo No 160+ Daily
Fixer.io 100 req/mo Yes 170 Hourly (paid)
CurrencyLayer 100 req/mo Yes 168 Hourly (paid)
OpenExchangeRates 1,000 req/mo Yes 170 Hourly
Abstract API 1 req/sec Yes 150 Daily

ExchangeRate-API is the simplest: no signup, no key, generous free tier.

More Free APIs (No Key Required)

Combine all three: detect location → show local weather → display prices in local currency. Zero API keys needed.

Need to process currency data at scale? Check out my data extraction tools on Apify — built for production workloads.

Need a custom financial data pipeline? Email me at spinov001@gmail.com

What currency API do you use in your projects? Let me know in the comments!

Need data from the web without writing scrapers? Check my *Apify actors** — ready-made scrapers for HN, Reddit, LinkedIn, and 75+ more sites. Or email: spinov001@gmail.com*

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