Open Exchange Rates Alternative — Live Rates + Geo Data Bundled

Open Exchange Rates is the most widely known exchange rate API — but its free tier limitations and lack of geographic data send many developers searching for alternatives. Here's the breakdown.

What Is Open Exchange Rates?

Open Exchange Rates provides exchange rate data for 170+ currencies. Their free plan offers 1,000 requests/month with monthly updates and the base currency locked to USD. Paid plans start at $12/month and unlock more base currencies and hourly updates.

Open Exchange Rates Limitations

• Free tier base currency locked to USD: You can't get EUR-to-ARS directly on the free plan — you must calculate via USD as an intermediate.
• Monthly updates on free tier: Rates change daily; monthly updates are too stale for most financial applications.
• No geographic data: It's rates only — you need separate APIs for countries, cities, IP geolocation.
• $12/month minimum for useful features: Hourly updates and custom base currencies are locked behind paid plans.

ApogeoAPI vs Open Exchange Rates

Feature	Open Exchange Rates	ApogeoAPI
Exchange rates	✅ 170+ currencies	✅ 161 currencies
Update frequency	Monthly (free), hourly (paid)	Every 4 hours
Any base currency	USD only (free)	All via USD cross-rate
Countries data	❌	✅
Cities (150K+)	❌	✅
IP Geolocation	❌	✅
Pricing	From $12/mo (useful tier)	From $0 — $19/mo Basic

Code Comparison

// Open Exchange Rates (free tier — USD base only)
const res = await fetch(
  'https://openexchangerates.org/api/latest.json?app_id=YOUR_KEY'
);
const data = await res.json();
const eurRate = data.rates.EUR; // EUR per 1 USD

// ApogeoAPI — same data, updated every 4h, includes geo context
const res = await fetch('https://api.apogeoapi.com/v1/exchange-rates/EUR', {
  headers: { 'X-API-Key': 'YOUR_KEY' }
});
const { usdRate } = await res.json();
// usdRate = USD per 1 EUR (inverse of OER's format)

The Bundle Advantage

If your app needs exchange rates AND geographic data (countries, cities, IP geolocation), ApogeoAPI gives you all of it in one subscription at $19/month — instead of paying $12/month for OER plus additional APIs for geographic data.

When OER Is Still the Right Choice

Open Exchange Rates is the better choice if you need 170+ currencies (ApogeoAPI covers 161), need hourly updates (available on OER's paid plans), or if you only need exchange rates and have no need for geographic data.