Currencylayer
Currencylayer is a JSON REST API delivering real-time and historical (1999-present) exchange rates for 168 currencies and precious metals, serving developers, e-commerce platforms, fintechs, and enterprises via tiered self-serve subscriptions.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersVienna, Austria
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Currencylayer does
Currencylayer is a REST API product that delivers real-time and historical foreign-exchange rate data for 168 world currencies and precious metals (gold and silver), operated by Vienna-based apilayer Data Products GmbH, itself a subsidiary of the diversified software group Idera, Inc. The service distributes exchange-rate data in lightweight JSON, sourced from a mix of commercial providers and banks and validated by a priority-ranked fallback algorithm that targets six-decimal precision and approximately 99.94-99.96% endpoint availability with sub-500 ms latency. Historical coverage extends back to 1999, and the product exposes specialized endpoints for time-frame queries (up to 365 days), currency-change parameters, and source-currency switching.
Currencylayer firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Currencylayer
- Legal name
- Apilayer Data Products GmbH
- Website
- https://currencylayer.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Currencylayer is a JSON REST API delivering real-time and historical (1999-present) exchange rates for 168 currencies and precious metals, serving developers, e-commerce platforms, fintechs, and enterprises via tiered self-serve subscriptions.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Currencylayer industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Currency Exchange Rate API
- akta.pro primary industry
- FX Conversion, Pricing & Hedging Infrastructure (Treasury/Rate Engines) (FSAGAKAG)
Keywords
Where Currencylayer is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Vienna
- HQ country
- Austria
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Currencylayer business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- API Subscription Plans: Subscription-based revenue model with tiered pricing based on monthly API request volume. Plans range from free (100 requests/month) to custom enterprise unlimited. Higher tiers offer faster update frequencies (60-minute to 60-second refresh), additional features like Time-Frame Queries and Currency-Change Queries, and priority support.
- Usage-based Overage Charges: When customers exceed their monthly API request allowance, overage fees apply per API call. Basic plan: $0.005996 per additional request, Enterprise: $0.0023996, Enterprise+: $0.00079992.
- Platinum Support Add-on: Optional premium support tier providing dedicated account team, priority email support with unlimited communication, priority bug review and updates, quarterly briefing calls with Product Management, and feature requests as priority roadmap input.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free Plan - 100 API calls/month for testing and evaluation |
| Subscription | Monthly | Basic Plan - 10,000 requests with hourly updates |
| Subscription | Monthly | Enterprise Plan - 100,000 requests with 10-minute updates |
| Subscription | Monthly | Enterprise+ Plan - 500,000 requests with 60-second updates |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Custom Plan - Unlimited requests for high-volume needs |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels7 records
Currencylayer product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Currencylayer is a JSON-based REST API that delivers real-time and historical currency exchange rate data for 168 world currencies and precious metals (Gold and Silver), sourced from commercial providers and banks worldwide. The product is sold via tiered subscriptions ranging from a free 100-calls-per-month plan to custom enterprise volumes, with refresh frequencies from 60 minutes down to 60 seconds and advanced endpoints for time-frame and currency-change analysis.
Product overview
Currencylayer is a single core API product offering real-time and historical currency exchange rate data for 168 world currencies and precious metals. The product is delivered through multiple subscription tiers (Free, Basic, Enterprise, Enterprise+, and Custom) that differ in API request volume limits, update frequency (from daily to 60-second real-time), and feature access. All tiers provide access to the same underlying Currencylayer API, with higher tiers unlocking advanced query capabilities such as time-frame queries and currency-change queries. The company is operated by apilayer, a subsidiary of Idera, Inc.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Currencylayer API A REST API delivered in JSON format that provides real-time and historical exchange rate data for 168 world currencies and precious metals (Gold and Silver), with endpoints for live rates, historical rates back to 1999, single-amount currency conversion, time-frame queries, and currency-change queries. It is sold to developers, businesses, e-commerce platforms, fintech firms, and travel companies via tiered subscriptions.
Quantifiable outcome
- 99.9% average uptime rate
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Currencylayer
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Currencylayer technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature8 records
Currencylayer partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- APILayercoreCurrencylayer is operated by apilayer Data Products GmbH, an Austrian technology company. APILayer provides the infrastructure, platform, and ecosystem for multiple API products including ipstack, marketstack, weatherstack, and mailboxlayer. Currencylayer operates as a product under the APILayer brand.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Currencylayer competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Fixer.io: Operated by APILayer (the same parent as Currencylayer, both under Idera, Inc.), Fixer.io offers a near-identical forex rates API for 170+ currencies with comparable free/paid tiers and JSON delivery — making it Currencylayer's closest direct peer and the most explicit comparison on developer evaluation lists.
- Open Exchange Rates: Long-established independent forex rates API targeting developers and fintechs with similar JSON endpoints, freemium tiers, and historical data — directly comparable to Currencylayer on pricing, coverage, and developer experience.
- Exchangerate-API: Freemium JSON/SaaS forex rates API with comparable coverage (160+ currencies) and tiered pricing, serving the same SMB/developer segment that Currencylayer targets through its PLG funnel.
- ExchangeRate.host: Developer-focused rates API with a generous free tier and paid plans, competing head-to-head on ease of integration, currency coverage, and historical depth for the same self-serve audience.
Emerging players
- Frankfurter: Free, open-source FX rates API sourcing data from the European Central Bank — a lower-priced alternative that puts ceiling pressure on Currencylayer's free-tier conversion and competes on transparency and zero-cost for cost-sensitive developers.
- Currencylayer alternatives on RapidAPI: RapidAPI-listed forex data providers (e.g., TraderMade, CurrencyAPI) bundle similar JSON rate endpoints on the RapidAPI marketplace, lowering buyer switching costs and competing for the same self-serve API consumers.
Broad incumbents
- Xignite: Long-standing financial market data API provider covering FX, equities, and reference data for enterprise fintechs — overlaps with Currencylayer's enterprise tier on FX while competing across a broader financial data portfolio and at higher price points.
Others
- European Central Bank Reference Rates: Free, authoritative daily reference rates published by the ECB — the upstream public data source that multiple free-tier peers (e.g., Frankfurter) repackage, and an alternative Currencylayer customers could pursue for non-real-time use cases.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Currencylayer social profiles
Digital presenceCurrencylayer financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Currencylayer leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Currencylayer funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Currencylayer M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Currencylayer
What does Currencylayer do?
Currencylayer is a JSON-based REST API that delivers real-time and historical currency exchange rate data for 168 world currencies and precious metals (Gold and Silver), sourced from commercial providers and banks worldwide. The product is sold via tiered subscriptions ranging from a free 100-calls-per-month plan to custom enterprise volumes, with refresh frequencies from 60 minutes down to 60 seconds and advanced endpoints for time-frame and currency-change analysis.
Is Currencylayer a public or private company?
Currencylayer is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Currencylayer founded?
Currencylayer was founded in 2015.
Where is Currencylayer based?
Currencylayer is headquartered in Vienna, Austria, in the Europe region.
How does Currencylayer make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. API Subscription Plans are the primary driver. The others are usage-based Overage Charges and platinum Support Add-on.
Who are Currencylayer's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Fixer.io, Open Exchange Rates, Exchangerate-API and ExchangeRate.host. Emerging players are Frankfurter and Currencylayer alternatives on RapidAPI. Xignite is listed as a broad incumbent. European Central Bank Reference Rates is listed as an others.
Does Currencylayer have an API?
Yes. Currencylayer offers a REST API providing real-time and historical exchange rates for 168 world currencies. The API delivers data in JSON format and supports endpoints for live rates, historical rates, currency conversion, time-frame queries, and currency-change queries. Authentication is via access key. Response times average around 476-478ms with 99.94%+ availability. HTTPS encryption (256-bit) secures all API communications. Users can switch source currencies and access data going back to 1999. Developer documentation is at docs.apilayer.com/currencylayer/docs/api-documentation.
What industry is Currencylayer in?
Currencylayer's product category is Currency Exchange Rate API. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAGAKAG, FX Conversion, Pricing & Hedging Infrastructure (Treasury/Rate Engines).