currency_exchange Finance Tool
Currency Converter
Convert between 160+ currencies using live exchange rates. Your amounts are calculated locally in the browser — only a rate lookup is made to a public API. Rates are cached for 1 hour.
How Currency Conversion Works
This tool fetches live exchange rates from open.er-api.com — a free, public API requiring no authentication. All conversions are calculated in your browser: the API only provides the rate data. Rates are cached for 1 hour to minimize requests. Your amounts are never transmitted to any server.
Understanding Exchange Rates
- Mid-market rate — The midpoint between the buy and sell prices on global currency markets. This is the rate banks use between themselves — not what they offer retail customers.
- Retail spread — Banks and exchange services charge a spread (typically 1–5%) above the mid-market rate. This tool shows mid-market rates; actual exchange costs will be slightly different.
- Volatility — Exchange rates fluctuate continuously with market activity. Major pairs (EUR/USD, GBP/USD) change thousands of times per day.
- Rates are cached — Rates are refreshed at most once per hour. For financial transactions, always confirm the current rate with your bank or broker.
Frequently Asked Questions
How accurate are the rates?
Rates are sourced from open.er-api.com and are updated hourly from financial data providers. They reflect mid-market rates, which are the benchmark rates seen on Google Finance or XE.com. They are accurate for reference but may differ from rates offered by banks or money transfer services by 1–5%.
Are my amounts sent to a server?
No. Only a request for the exchange rate data is made to the API. The amount you enter is multiplied by the rate locally in your browser. Your financial figures never leave your device.
Can I use this tool offline?
Not fully — the tool needs an internet connection to fetch current exchange rates. However, rates are cached for 1 hour, so if you've used the tool recently, cached rates will be available offline until they expire.