Narwhal API vs Twelve Data

Narwhal provides FX history across 144 currencies through REST and hosted MCP, with commercial apps allowed on Free. Twelve Data covers forex alongside stocks, crypto, ETFs, funds, bonds and commodities. Its company use requires a Business plan, including internal use.

Decision

Choose Narwhal for FX history alongside economics and calendars, using one key and quota for REST and MCP. Choose Twelve Data for multi-asset market coverage and its wider SDK selection, with Business pricing for company use.

At a glance

This comparison focuses on FX history. Personal Twelve Data plans are non-commercial; any company use requires a Business plan. Narwhal API is owned and operated by Nusantara Ventures, LLC.

Requirement	Narwhal API	Twelve Data
Free tier	✓ 5,000 requests/month	Basic: 8 credits/minute; 800/day
Cheapest paid plan	Basic: $59/month; $590/year available	Grow: from $29/month; personal use
Update speed	Dataset schedule; timestamps retained	WebSocket available
History	Free: 12 months; Basic: 5 years; available records only	Up to 5,000 points per time-series request
Coverage	Economics, FX, holidays and published commodities	Stocks, forex, crypto, ETFs, funds, bonds and commodities
Interfaces	REST and MCP; WebSocket not published	REST, WebSocket and official hosted MCP
SDKs	✓ Official Python and TypeScript SDKs	Python, Node, Go, Java, R and CLI
Commercial use on free tier	✓ Commercial apps; resale needs Enterprise	Internal non-display use only; company use requires a Business plan

Price at your usage

Pricing uses credits. Company Venture starts at $149 a month; personal Grow starts at $29.

Requests per month	Narwhal API	Twelve Data
1,000	Free: $0/month	Venture from $149/month; nearest commercial plan, with 610 credits/minute
10,000	Basic: $59/month	Venture from $149/month; nearest commercial plan, with 610 credits/minute
100,000	Basic: $59/month	Venture from $149/month; nearest commercial plan, with 610 credits/minute

Switch in a few minutes

Read September 2026 euro to dollar history

Twelve Data

# Change: URL and key
curl --get \
  "https://api.twelvedata.com/time_series" \
  --data-urlencode "symbol=EUR/USD" \
  --data-urlencode "interval=1day" \
  --data-urlencode "start_date=2026-09-01" \
  --data-urlencode "end_date=2026-09-30" \
  --data-urlencode "apikey=YOUR_API_KEY"

Narwhal API

# Change: URL and key
url="https://api.narwhalapi.com"
url="$url/v1/fx/rates/EUR/observations"
curl --get \
  "$url" \
  --data-urlencode "currencies=USD" \
  --data-urlencode "start_date=2026-09-01" \
  --data-urlencode "end_date=2026-09-30" \
  --data-urlencode "limit=100" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

Why teams switch

Start building for free

Narwhal Free includes 5,000 successful requests each month and permits commercial apps. Use that allowance for a dashboard, scheduled data fetches or an agent integration. Move to Basic for 100,000 monthly requests as usage grows, with the same account and authentication.

Connect your app and your agent

REST and hosted MCP reach the same data through one account. Your application can fetch JSON while an agent uses the hosted tools, with every successful call counted once against the shared allowance. One quota makes the combined workload straightforward to budget.

Connect country data

Narwhal's economics catalogue spans 36 countries, with a coverage table for each indicator. Country and indicator paths organize requests around the data your application uses. Combine observations with FX, public holidays and release dates to build country dashboards through the same account.

When they are the better pick

Twelve Data covers 1M+ instruments across 250+ exchanges, including stocks, forex, crypto, ETFs, funds, bonds and commodities. It offers WebSocket access and hosted MCP. Commodities begin on Grow; fixed income begins on Pro.

Questions

Is there a free Twelve Data alternative?

Yes. Narwhal Free includes 5,000 successful requests per month, commercial app use and both REST and hosted MCP access. FX values are the previous day's close. Free history covers the last 12 months; no overage charges apply.

Can a company use Twelve Data's free or personal plans?

Any company use, including internal use, requires a Business plan. Venture starts at $149 a month. Individual Grow, Pro and Ultra are personal plans. Narwhal Free permits commercial apps.

What changes in my application?

Replace the request URL and authentication, then map the JSON response into your application's fields. The examples use standard fetch in JavaScript and requests in Python, so integration fits an ordinary HTTP client. Keep your key on the server and carry the response's units, dates and missing values into your display or calculations.

What happens at Narwhal's monthly limit?

The shared cap applies to successful REST and MCP requests together. There are no automatic overage charges. Basic includes 100,000 monthly requests; quotas reset each month even when you pay yearly.

Test Narwhal with the same job

Check the published coverage, inspect the response contract, and make a first request before choosing a provider.

Explore Narwhal APIs Get a free API key

Sources and review date

The comparison uses Narwhal's current public contract and the following first-party competitor pages.

Reviewed: 2026-10-18