Which currency converter should you actually install?
We make one of these, so read accordingly. We have still tried to write the comparison we would want to read — including the cases where the answer is "install nothing".
Start here, because it saves most people the rest of the page: if you convert currency occasionally, your iPhone already does it for free, offline, and you do not need an app at all. That has been true since iOS 18 and a surprising number of people do not know.
vs the iPhone Calculator
Free, built in, offline since iOS 18. What it does, how to switch it on, and the honest case for and against needing anything more.
vs XE Currency
The long-time default. What it still does better, and the ad and offline complaints pushing people to look elsewhere.
vs Currency Converter Plus
A capable app with a recurring fee. The five-year arithmetic, and when the subscription is worth it anyway.
vs the Google search box
Unbeatable at a desk. Three specific places it stops helping the moment you are actually travelling.
The short version
| If you… | Use |
|---|---|
| Convert a few times a year | The iPhone Calculator. Free, offline, already there. |
| Want charts, history or crypto | XE or Currency Converter Plus |
| Need to move money abroad | Wise, Revolut or XE — not a converter |
| Use Android | Not RoamRate. It is iPhone-only. |
| Convert constantly, one-handed, offline, and object to subscriptions | That is who we built RoamRate for |
See also our roundup of offline currency converters, which names competitors we think are good.