Forex rate display software: 12 features to check before you buy

Forex rate display software turns a screen into a live board of your buy and sell rates. On a demo, most products look alike: a table of flags and figures. The differences show up after a month of real use, when rates move twice an hour, a new branch opens, and someone types 36.71 instead of 3.671.

Here are the twelve features we think matter most, grouped by the job they do. Use them as a checklist when you compare products, including ours.

Getting the rates right

1. Live updates pushed to the screen

When you save a rate, how long until the customer sees it? Some systems make each screen check for changes every few minutes, so the wall and the till disagree in between. Better systems keep a live connection open and push each change to the screen the moment it is saved. Ask for a demo where you change a rate and watch the TV.

2. Rate feeds, with a choice of sources

Typing every rate works for a small shop. Beyond that, you want the software to read base rates from a feed on a schedule you choose. Check which sources are supported, whether free reference sources are available, and whether you can bring your own paid provider. Rate Display supports free sources and paid providers such as Open Exchange Rates, Fixer and currencylayer, read every 1, 5, 15 or 30 minutes, hourly, every 6 hours or daily.

3. Margin rules by currency, side and branch

A feed gives you a mid-market or reference rate. Your board must show your price. Look for margins that can be set separately for each currency and each column, either as a percentage or as a formula, and that can differ between branches. A sensible order is: one margin for the whole network, overridden for a group of branches, overridden again for a single branch.

For example, the formula ({rate} * 1.01) + 0.02 adds 1% to the base rate and then a fixed 0.02.

4. Rounding and decimal control

The Kuwaiti dinar is quoted with three decimals, the Indian rupee often with five. The software should let you set decimals for each currency, or a fixed total of digits so every figure is the same width and the columns line up. It should also apply the margin first and round once, so the figure on the wall matches the till exactly.

5. A safety net for bad numbers

Typos and bad feed values happen. Good software catches them before they reach the wall: it asks for confirmation when a new rate is far from the last one, and holds suspicious feed values until a person accepts or dismisses them. In Rate Display you set how far is too far; the default is 20%.

Running a network of branches

6. Central control with branch-level differences

With several branches, you want to change a rate once and have every screen follow, while still letting the airport branch show a different currency list, theme or margin from the city branch. Check whether branches can be organised into groups, and whether settings flow down from network to group to branch.

7. Roles and a change history

Not everyone should be able to change a rate. Look for roles such as a super admin who controls rates and users, branch admins who manage their own branches, and viewers who can only read. A history of who changed what, and when, helps when a customer disputes a price.

What customers see

8. Bilingual boards that render correctly

If your customers read Arabic, the board must set it right to left, in a real Arabic typeface, without breaking the numbers. Check that currency names, column headings and the branch name can appear in both languages on the same board. Rate Display shows English and Arabic together, either stacked or side by side, and the admin itself is available in both languages.

9. Templates you can make your own

Ready-made templates get you started; you should then be able to change the layout, colours, background, fonts and logo to match your brand. Make sure portrait screens are supported if you have tall walls. See the templates gallery for table, cards and rows layouts.

10. Ads, news and widgets

The board is the most-watched screen in the branch. Use it. Look for image and video ads that play in their own area or full screen between pages of rates, a scrolling news line for messages, and a clock and weather for the branch's own city.

Screens and cost

11. Nothing to install on the TV

Some systems need a dedicated media player or an app on every screen, which adds cost and work when a device fails. Browser-based software runs on any TV, streaming stick or mini PC that can open a web page. With Rate Display, each branch has a short screen address you type once on the TV. If a device is lost, you issue a new address and the old one stops working at once.

12. Clear, per-branch pricing and a real trial

Prefer pricing you can calculate: a fixed price per branch, with feeds and features spelled out. And test before you commit, on your own TV, with your own currencies. Rate Display's 7-day trial needs no card. Professional is $19 per branch per month, billed annually; see pricing for what each plan includes.

The checklist at a glance

New to the topic? Start with What is an exchange rate display?. Ready to try one? Follow the setup tutorial.