specification: FinOps Framework
specificationVersion: '1.0'
schema: https://www.finops.org/framework/
provider: ExchangeRate-API
providerId: exchangerate-api
created: '2026-05-29'
modified: '2026-05-29'
reconciled: true
tags:
  - FinOps
  - FOCUS
  - Currency Exchange
  - Foreign Exchange
description: 'FOCUS-aligned FinOps for ExchangeRate-API: flat-rate tiered monthly subscription with
  monthly request quotas; no per-request usage charges. Costs are predictable monthly subscription
  line items rather than metered usage. Annual billing yields a roughly two-month discount.'
sources:
  - https://www.exchangerate-api.com/#pricing
  - https://www.exchangerate-api.com/docs/overview
alignedWith:
  framework: FinOps Foundation Framework
  frameworkUrl: https://www.finops.org/framework/
  dataSpec: FOCUS
  dataSpecVersion: '1.3'
  dataSpecUrl: https://focus.finops.org/focus-specification/v1-3/
publisherName: ExchangeRate-API Ltd
serviceCategory: Financial Data
billingModel:
  pricingCategory: Tiered Subscription
  billingFrequency: Monthly
  billingCurrency: USD
  chargeCategories:
    - Purchase
focusColumns:
  ServiceName: ExchangeRate-API
  ServiceCategory: Financial Data
  ProviderName: ExchangeRate-API
  PublisherName: ExchangeRate-API Ltd
  InvoiceIssuerName: ExchangeRate-API Ltd
  BillingCurrency: USD
  ChargeCategory: Purchase
meters:
  - name: subscription_fee
    description: Flat monthly subscription per plan tier (Free $0, Pro $10, Business $30, Volume custom / $700 annual).
    unit: month
    aggregation: max
    dimensions:
      - plan
  - name: monthly_requests_consumed
    description: Requests consumed against the plan's monthly quota; not separately billed.
    unit: request
    aggregation: sum
    dimensions:
      - endpoint
      - api_key
principles:
  - name: Visibility
    description: Use the GET /v6/{key}/quota endpoint to monitor remaining requests and refresh
      day in real time. The dashboard also surfaces usage and refresh date. Reconcile programmatic
      readings against the dashboard view monthly.
  - name: Allocation
    description: ExchangeRate-API tracks usage at the API key / account level. Use distinct keys
      per integration (web app, internal batch job, mobile client) to enable per-workflow chargeback
      and to isolate quota consumption.
  - name: Optimization
    description: Cache responses for the documented update cadence of your plan tier (24h Free,
      60min Pro, 5min Business / Volume). Use the Pair Conversion endpoint for single-pair
      lookups instead of fetching the full Latest Rates response. For static historical data,
      compute once and cache indefinitely. Annual billing yields a roughly two-month discount.
  - name: Accountability
    description: Monthly subscription cost is predictable; the optimization lever is rightsizing
      to plan tier. If quota consistently exceeds 80%, evaluate upgrading; if under 20%,
      consider downgrading. Failed requests still count toward quota except where retried after
      transient errors.
maintainers:
  - FN: Kin Lane
    email: kin@apievangelist.com