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Helium vs Frankfurter

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

APIHeliumNEW—FrankfurterHEALTHY—
Uptime · 30d
Uptime · 90d—%—%
Uptime · 30d—%—%
P50 · ms——
P95 · ms——
Authnonenone
CORSnoyes
HTTPSyesyes
Card requirednono
Commercial useunclearyes
Data licenseUnverifiedPublic data (ECB reference rates)
Free tierFirst 50 queries per IP free, no key (paid API key beyond, ~$0.02/query)Unlimited — abuse-rate-limited only
Rate limit50 free queries per IP subnetUnpublished, generous
In directory since2026-07-052026-05-02
operationalpartialdownno data

Helium vs Frankfurter: common questions

Which is more reliable, Helium or Frankfurter?

On our scheduled checks, Frankfurter leads on measured uptime — Helium at —% versus Frankfurter 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 Helium and Frankfurter need an API key?

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

Can I call Helium and Frankfurter 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 Helium and Frankfurter free for commercial use?

Helium has unclear commercial terms, and Frankfurter allows commercial use on its free tier. 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.