Everything converts through the dollar
Rather than keeping a table of every possible pair — which would be thousands of entries
and would drift out of sync — each currency stores one number: what a single unit is worth
in US dollars. Converting A to B is then amount × usdPer[A] ÷ usdPer[B].
Besides being far less data, this keeps precision consistent when the two sides are wildly different in scale, which is exactly the case when you convert Bitcoin to Japanese yen. A pair table would need a separate quoted rate for that combination; going through a common base does not.
Mid-market is not what you will get
Every rate shown here is the mid-market rate: the midpoint between the buying and selling price on the interbank market. It is the honest reference number, the one news outlets quote — and no individual ever transacts at it.
What you are actually offered is that rate minus a margin. The critical thing to understand is that this margin usually does not appear as a fee. A provider advertising "no commission" makes its money by quoting you 4.85 when the market is at 5.00. The transaction is genuinely commission-free and costs you 3%.
Using the advanced panel
The three inputs correspond to how currency exchange is actually priced in the wild:
- Spread — the margin baked into the rate. Typical ranges: 0.3–0.6% at a specialist transfer service, 2–4% at a retail bank, 4–7% at an airport bureau, 1–3% on a crypto exchange's instant-buy button.
- Percentage fee — a visible charge proportional to the amount, common on card transactions and crypto trading.
- Fixed fee — a flat charge, and the one that dominates on small amounts. A €5 fixed fee is 0.5% on €1,000 and 10% on €50.
The hidden cost line is the point of the whole panel: the difference between what the mid-market rate would have given you and what you actually receive, in money and as a percentage. Put a competitor's quoted final amount into the calculator and work backwards — it is the only reliable way to compare two providers whose pricing is structured differently.
How often the numbers change
ECB reference rates are published once per working day, around 16:00 Central European Time, and do not move between publications — including at weekends. Crypto prices move continuously, so a Bitcoin figure is a snapshot from the moment the page loaded, and it may already be stale by the time you read it.
The last successfully loaded set is kept in your browser, so the converter still works with no connection. When that happens you will see a notice saying the rates are the saved ones rather than live.
Privacy
Rate requests go from your browser directly to the ECB proxy and CoinGecko. They do not pass through our servers, which means we never see what you are converting or how much — and there is no account, no history and no limit.
Frequently asked questions
Where do the rates come from?
Fiat currencies use the European Central Bank's daily reference rates, published each working day around 16:00 CET. Crypto and stablecoins use CoinGecko's aggregated spot prices, which update continuously. Both are requested by your browser directly, so the rates you see are fetched fresh rather than cached on our side.
Why is the rate different from what my bank offers?
Because this is the mid-market rate — the midpoint between what buyers and sellers are quoting, with no margin. No consumer ever transacts at it. Your bank or exchange adds a spread, and that spread is usually the entire cost of the transfer even when it is advertised as fee-free. The advanced panel exists to make that difference visible.
What exactly is spread?
A margin applied to the rate itself rather than charged as a fee. If the mid-market rate is 5.00 and the provider gives you 4.85, that 3% is the spread — and it will not appear on your receipt as a charge. It is the most common way currency exchange is priced, and the reason 'zero commission' is a meaningful-sounding claim that costs you money.
Which currencies are covered?
About 30 fiat currencies — the ECB's reference list, which covers the major traded ones — plus twenty of the most liquid cryptocurrencies and stablecoins. Currencies outside the ECB list, including pegged and tightly controlled ones, are not available.
Can I use this for tax or accounting?
For an indicative figure, yes. For a filing, no. Tax authorities usually mandate a specific source and date — in Brazil, the Banco Central's PTAX; elsewhere, the central bank's published rate for the transaction date. Use the official source your jurisdiction requires.