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Frankfurter vs Helium

Same instrument, two spec sheets — measured, not claimed.

APIFrankfurterHEALTHY—HeliumNEW—
Uptime · 30d
Uptime · 90d—%—%
Uptime · 30d—%—%
P50 · ms——
P95 · ms——
Authnonenone
CORSyesno
HTTPSyesyes
Card requirednono
Commercial useyesunclear
Data licensePublic data (ECB reference rates)Unverified
Free tierUnlimited — abuse-rate-limited onlyFirst 50 queries per IP free, no key (paid API key beyond, ~$0.02/query)
Rate limitUnpublished, generous50 free queries per IP subnet
In directory since2026-05-022026-07-05
operationalpartialdownno data

Frankfurter vs Helium: common questions

Which is more reliable, Frankfurter or Helium?

On our scheduled checks, Helium leads on measured uptime — Frankfurter at —% versus Helium at —% over 90 days. These are our own probe results, not provider claims; the uptime bars above show the day-by-day record for both.

Do Frankfurter and Helium need an API key?

Neither needs a paid key — Frankfurter is callable with no signup, and Helium is callable with no signup. Both are quick to prototype with; rate limits still apply.

Can I call Frankfurter and Helium from the browser?

Only Frankfurter is browser-friendly — it returns CORS headers over HTTPS. Helium needs a server-side call or proxy, so factor that into which one fits a front-end project.

Are Frankfurter and Helium free for commercial use?

Frankfurter allows commercial use on its free tier, and Helium has unclear commercial terms. We track service terms and the data license as separate fields — see the Commercial use and Data license rows above, and confirm both before shipping either in a paid product.