OANDA API Pricing, Limits & Best Currency Conversion API Alternatives in 2026

No, the OANDA Exchange Rates API is not free. You get a 7-day free trial, then paid plans that start at $4,850 a year (or $450 a month) for 100,000 quotes a month. CurrencyFreaks is the alternative with a permanent free plan of 1,000 API calls a month, 1,000+ currencies including crypto and precious metals, and paid plans from $9.99 a month.

The free OANDA API you may have read about is a different product. OANDA's v20 REST API comes free with an fxTrade trading account, and it exists to place orders and stream prices for instruments you trade. Exchange rates for invoices, price lists and dashboards come from the Exchange Rates API, which OANDA sells separately.

OANDA figures were checked on 15 October 2026 against its Exchange Rates API page, plans page and API FAQ. OANDA's own pages name the entry tier differently (Standard in the FAQ, Lite on the plans page) and disagree on the trial quote cap (unlimited on one page, 1,000 quotes on another). CurrencyFreaks figures come from our pricing page and documentation.

OANDA Vs. CurrencyFreaks Currency Conversion API

Feature	OANDA Exchange Rates API	CurrencyFreaks
Starting Price	$4,850/year or $450/month (100,000 quotes/month)	$9.99/month (15,000 calls/month)
Free Tier	7-day trial only	Permanent free plan: 1,000 calls/month, no credit card
Currencies Covered	Thousands of currency pairs	1,000+ currencies: fiat, crypto and precious metals
Update Frequency	Spot rates every 5 seconds	Every 60 seconds on the Professional plan; every 24 hours on the free plan
Output Formats	JSON, CSV, XML	JSON, XML
Support	Enterprise support and quarterly briefing calls for institutional clients.	Email support
Designed For	Treasury, brokers & trading systems	SaaS, apps, e-commerce

For many developers researching OANDA API pricing, the key question is whether a trading-grade rate feed is necessary for simple currency conversion.

If your project only needs exchange rate data, for example:

• e-commerce price localization

• SaaS dashboards

• financial reporting

• currency converter widgets

Then, a lightweight currency conversion API is usually easier and far cheaper to integrate.

Oanda API Pricing, Free Tier & Limits in 2026

OANDA does not offer a permanent free plan for its Exchange Rates API. After the trial, every plan is paid and billed by OANDA directly.

Does Oanda Offer a Free Plan?

Only a 7-day trial. OANDA's pages disagree on how many quotes the trial key allows: one says unlimited, another says 1,000. The free v20 API that comes with an fxTrade demo or live account is a trading API, not a rate-data subscription for your app.

How Much Does Oanda API Cost?

OANDA lists its entry plan at $4,850 a year or $450 a month, with 100,000 quotes a month, daily average rates and ECB rates. Higher tiers add more quotes, forward rates and streaming. For custom plans or enterprise needs, businesses must contact OANDA directly.

What Does Oanda Exchange Rates API Include?

• Spot bid, ask and midpoint rates, updated every 5 seconds
• Daily average rates
• Historical rates
• JSON, CSV and XML output

Order, trade and account management belong to the separate v20 trading API. If you need a clean currency conversion API JSON response for SaaS or e-commerce use cases, OANDA may be more than you need.

Key Limitation for Developers

Access to the OANDA Exchange Rates API requires:

Account registration
API key generation
Acceptance of licensing terms

The bigger limit is the floor price. A side project or a small store that needs 2,000 conversions a month still pays at least $450 a month after the trial. That is the case where switching makes sense.

Try CurrencyFreaks Free → Get 1,000 free monthly API calls and integrate a real-time currency conversion API in minutes.

Switch From OANDA in 5 Minutes

An OANDA integration usually needs four edits: the URL, where the key goes, how you read a rate, and the currency list. OANDA returns a quotes array with one object per currency pair and separate bid, ask and midpoint values. CurrencyFreaks returns one rates object keyed by currency code, with one rate per currency, sent as a string.

Latest rates with curl

# OANDA Exchange Rates API (v2 spot endpoint)
curl -H 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_OANDA_KEY' \
  'https://exchange-rates-api.oanda.com/v2/rates/spot.json?base=USD&quote=EUR&quote=GBP'

# CurrencyFreaks
curl 'https://api.currencyfreaks.com/v2.0/rates/latest?apikey=YOUR_APIKEY&symbols=EUR,GBP'

OANDA answers with a quotes array (trimmed to the fields you map, values illustrative):

{
  "quotes": [
    {
      "base_currency": "USD",
      "quote_currency": "EUR",
      "bid": "0.92780",
      "ask": "0.92792",
      "midpoint": "0.92786"
    },
    {
      "base_currency": "USD",
      "quote_currency": "GBP",
      "bid": "0.81721",
      "ask": "0.81734",
      "midpoint": "0.81727"
    }
  ]
}

CurrencyFreaks returns this shape (example from our documentation, trimmed to two rates):

{
  "date": "2026-08-25 13:26:00+00",
  "base": "USD",
  "rates": {
    "EUR": "0.9278605451274349",
    "GBP": "0.8172754173817152"
  }
}

Response mapping

OANDA	CurrencyFreaks
`https://exchange-rates-api.oanda.com/v2/rates/spot.json`	`https://api.currencyfreaks.com/v2.0/rates/latest`
`Authorization: Bearer YOUR_OANDA_KEY` header	`apikey=YOUR_APIKEY` query parameter
`quote=EUR&quote=GBP`	`symbols=EUR,GBP`
`base=USD`	`base=USD` (other base currencies need the Starter plan or higher)
`midpoint` of the `quotes` item where `quote_currency` is `EUR`	`rates.EUR`
`bid` / `ask`	No equivalent: one rate per currency, no spread

The same change in Python

 import requests

-resp = requests.get(
-    "https://exchange-rates-api.oanda.com/v2/rates/spot.json",
-    params={"base": "USD", "quote": ["EUR", "GBP"]},
-    headers={"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_OANDA_KEY"},
-)
-resp.raise_for_status()
-rates = {q["quote_currency"]: float(q["midpoint"]) for q in resp.json()["quotes"]}
-eur = rates["EUR"]
+resp = requests.get(
+    "https://api.currencyfreaks.com/v2.0/rates/latest",
+    params={"apikey": "YOUR_APIKEY", "symbols": "EUR,GBP"},
+)
+resp.raise_for_status()
+eur = float(resp.json()["rates"]["EUR"])

Run one request with your current OANDA key and compare it with the mapping above before you delete the old code. If your app prices trades off the bid or ask, keep OANDA for that path: CurrencyFreaks does not publish a spread.

Start free - get your API key in 30 seconds.

CurrencyFreaks

CurrencyFreaks is built specifically as an exchange rates API for developers. It covers 1,000+ currencies: fiat, crypto and precious metals, with rates every 60 seconds on the Professional plan. Historical rates go back to 28 November 1984 for major fiat currencies on the Starter plan and above: add a date to the request URL.

Time-series data can return daily rates across a chosen date range for trend analysis, on the Professional plan.

Its JSON and XML responses and developer-focused documentation make it suitable for SaaS platforms, e-commerce applications, and financial dashboards. You fetch data with a simple GET request, either with cURL or with the HTTP library built into your development stack. The documentation has code examples for each endpoint, including changing the base currency and converting one currency into another.

To start, sign up and copy your API key. Every request runs over HTTPS.

OANDA

OANDA sells currency exchange rate data through its Exchange Rates API, built for treasury teams, financial institutions and trading systems. Its v20 REST API is a separate product for trading.

Founded in 1996 by Dr. Richard Olsen and Dr. Michael Stumm, OANDA offers exchange rates for thousands of currency pairs. Spot rates update every 5 seconds, and enterprise clients get dedicated support.

OANDA API Dashboard

Conclusion

OANDA is the right call if you need bid and ask spreads refreshed every 5 seconds and the budget for $4,850 a year. For anything else, it is an expensive way to get a rate.

If you're simply building a currency converter, SaaS dashboard, or e-commerce platform, a dedicated currency conversion API like CurrencyFreaks is simpler and costs a fraction of the price.

Before choosing, compare your actual needs: data frequency, number of currencies, API limits and integration effort. Start with the free currency converter API - no credit card required.

FAQs

Is the OANDA exchange rates API free?

No. OANDA's Exchange Rates API has a 7-day free trial and no permanent free plan. Paid plans start at $4,850 a year or $450 a month for 100,000 quotes. CurrencyFreaks has a permanent free plan with 1,000 API calls a month and no credit card required.

How much does the OANDA exchange rates API cost?

OANDA lists its entry plan at $4,850 a year or $450 a month, with 100,000 quotes a month. Higher tiers and custom plans are quoted by OANDA. CurrencyFreaks paid plans cost $9.99 a month for 15,000 calls, $49.99 for 150,000 and $99.99 for 550,000.

Is OANDA's free trading API a free exchange rates API?

No. OANDA's v20 API is free with an fxTrade account, but it is a trading API for orders and tradable prices. Exchange rate data for apps comes from the Exchange Rates API, which OANDA sells separately. CurrencyFreaks is a rate-data API with a free plan of 1,000 calls a month and no trading account.

What is the best OANDA alternative for currency conversion apps?

CurrencyFreaks, if you need exchange rates rather than trading data. It has a free plan with 1,000 calls a month, covers 1,000+ currencies including crypto and precious metals, and paid plans start at $9.99 a month. OANDA remains the better choice if you need bid and ask spreads updated every 5 seconds.

How do I switch from OANDA to CurrencyFreaks?

Change the endpoint from exchange-rates-api.oanda.com/v2/rates/spot.json to api.currencyfreaks.com/v2.0/rates/latest, move the key from the Authorization header to the apikey query parameter, replace repeated quote parameters with a comma-separated symbols list, and read rates.EUR instead of the midpoint in the quotes array. On CurrencyFreaks, base currencies other than USD need the Starter plan or higher.

Get a free CurrencyFreaks API key and replace your OANDA calls today.