Rates and data
What is the mid-market exchange rate?
It is the midpoint between the buy and sell prices for a currency pair on the global market — the rate institutions trade at, and the number you see quoted on Google or Reuters. It is the rate we display. No consumer is offered it directly; banks and transfer services add a margin on top, typically between a fraction of a percent and five percent depending on the provider. Our full explainer covers how to use it as a benchmark.
How often are your rates updated?
Fiat exchange rates come from open.er-api.com and update daily. Cryptocurrency prices come from CoinGecko and are live. We state this plainly because it defines what the site is useful for: comparing providers, budgeting and understanding costs. It is not tick-level data, and you should confirm the live rate with your provider before any large or time-sensitive transaction.
Are your rates the ones I will actually get?
No, and no site can honestly promise that. What we show is the market reference rate. Your bank, card issuer or transfer service will quote you something different, and the difference is the point — measuring it is how you find out what you are being charged.
Which currencies do you support?
More than 160, covering all major pairs, emerging market and regional currencies including the West African CFA franc (XOF), and precious metals such as gold (XAU) and silver (XAG).
Why does a rate for an unusual pair look off?
Pairs with little direct trading are calculated through the US dollar as an intermediate step. Each leg carries its own small variance, so exotic cross rates can differ slightly between sources.
Using the tools
How do I convert a currency?
Enter an amount, choose the source and target currencies, and the result appears immediately. Use the refresh control to pull the latest published rate.
How do price alerts work?
Choose a pair, set whether you want to be notified when the rate goes above or below a level, and add the alert. The page checks against the target periodically while it is open and notifies you when the condition is met. Alerts persist between visits because they are saved in your browser.
Where is my conversion history stored?
Entirely in your browser's local storage. It never reaches our servers, we cannot see it, and you can clear it at any time from the history tab. The same applies to your saved alerts and favourite currencies.
Can I convert cryptocurrency to regular money?
Yes. The crypto tab converts between eight major cryptocurrencies and any of the supported fiat currencies, in both directions, and supports crypto-to-crypto conversions. Prices come from CoinGecko.
Do I need an account?
No. Every core feature works without signing up, and we do not offer accounts for the free tools.
Money and independence
Is CurrencyLook free?
The converter, charts, comparison table, alerts, history, crypto tools and all guides are free. There is an optional paid tier for an ad-free experience.
How do you make money?
Advertising, affiliate commissions from some financial services we link to, and the optional paid tier. The affiliate disclosure sets out the arrangement in full, and the about page explains how we try to keep it from distorting the guides.
Do your partners influence the rates you show?
No. Rates are fetched directly from independent data sources and no commercial relationship can alter them.
Safety and privacy
Is CurrencyLook safe to use?
We do not process transfers, hold funds, or ask for personal, banking or identity information. We will never contact you asking for a password, card number or bank detail. The site is served over HTTPS and your saved data stays on your own device. See our privacy policy for the detail.
Do you sell my data?
No. We do not sell personal information. If you subscribe to our email updates, we use your address only to send those updates and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Can I use your data on my own site?
Please get in touch rather than scraping — we are generally happy to help, and the underlying rate sources have their own terms that apply to you as well as to us.
Still stuck?
If something here is unclear, wrong, or missing, we would rather hear about it than not. Send us a message and a person will read it.