The 6 Best Alternatives to PayPal

Panna Kemenes

09.02.24 (last updated)

6 minute read

PayPal can be a great option if you want to send money to friends and family, or make online payments to businesses.

PayPal offers a range of payment solutions to allow small businesses to get paid online and in person from all around the world.

However, depending on the transactions you need to make, you might find that using one of PayPal’s competitors might work out cheaper.

That’s where this guide comes in. We’ll explore alternatives to PayPal, and who they might suit - including the Wise Business account for managing payments across currencies.

📝 Here's the list of the 6 best PayPal alternatives:
Wise Stripe Skrill Google Pay Venmo Payoneer

Wise Business

If you want to send and receive international payments, with cheaper fees and a faster delivery time compared to bank transfers, a Wise Business account might be the perfect alternative to PayPal for you.

Wise is not a bank, but a Money Services Business (MSB) provider and a smart alternative to banks. The Wise Business account is designed with international business in mind, and makes it easy to send, hold, and manage business funds in 40+ currencies. You can get major currency account details for a one-off fee to receive overseas payments like a local. You can also Send money to 160+ countries with funds being deposited into the recipient’s bank account for convenience.

Read the guide on how to open a Wise Business account

Open an account online or in the Wise app to hold and exchange 40+ currencies, switch between them using the real exchange rate with low transparent fees, and get paid like a local with local account details.

US business customers can open an account for free, and pay a one time fee to get ten local account details. Business accounts come with handy features like batch payment solutions, a powerful API and integration with cloud based accounting software such as QuickBooks and Xero.

See how much you can save with Wise:

The true cost of sending USD to GBP

Stripe

Stripe is a payment processing platform which offers software and APIs used by millions of companies to accept payments, send money and manage their businesses.⁸ Stripe can be used by new businesses as well as huge established companies, with a range of solutions.

As well as payments, Stripe offers financial service solutions and business operations products like tax accounting and risk management.

Stripe fees include 2.9% + 0.3 USD per successful card charge, +1.5% for international cards, +1% for currency conversion - or you can custom-make a package for your business which includes the services you require. There is also a charge of +0.5% for manually entered cards.⁹

Stripe might be a good PayPal alternative to look at if you’re interested in building a suite of business services and want to pick out the features that match your specific needs with a custom-built package. Get a full Stripe vs PayPal review here, or check out these other handy resources:

Pros	Cons
Established company Broad range of solutions for different client needs Buy an off the shelf package or design the Stripe solution that’s right for your business	Business services only - not for personal customers⁹

You can also connect Stripe to Wise to receive international payments with ease, and without hefty conversion fees!

Skrill

Skrill has been around since 2001, and is one of the most established PayPal competitors. You can open a Skrill account to make and receive digital payments and manage your money through the Skrill mobile app.¹

Skrill business customers can open a merchant account to accept payments online.² You’ll be able to integrate Skrill as a payment gateway, so customers can choose this option when they choose to check out their shopping cart. Business customers can hold and receive 40+ currencies in their accounts. However, there are fees for sending international transactions, as well as an exchange rate mark-up fee per transaction which can be up to 4.99% depending on the transaction type.³

Skrill might be the right alternative to PayPal for you, if you need to send and receive payments to other Skrill customers - these transactions are typically fast and free, so long as there’s no currency conversion required.

Pros	Cons
Established company with both personal and business accounts Send and receive international payments Skrill to Skrill transfers are free	International transfer exchange rate markup of up to 4.99% Inactivity fee of 5 EUR or currency equivalent per month³

💡New to Skrill? Get a full Skrill review here - or check out a more detailed Skrill vs PayPal analysis here.

Google Pay

Google Pay is the digital wallet and online payment platform brought to you by tech giant Google. Google Pay is available on all Android and Apple phones too.⁴ If you’ve got a Samsung phone, you’ll also have the choice of Samsung Pay as an alternative to Google Pay.

You can use Google Pay by adding a debit card or credit card to your account, to make online and mobile payments and send money to friends and family.

However, Google Pay isn’t as broad reaching as PayPal when it comes to international transfers - in fact it’s only able to support payments within the US, Singapore or India.

Pros	Cons
Make online and mobile payments easily Shop online with your linked cards Popular and easy to use mobile wallet service	Not all features are available in all regions Peer to peer payments only in the US, India and Singapore⁴

💡Google Pay might be a good PayPal alternative for you if you’re most interested in making easy, secure mobile payments from your Android phone. Get our Google Pay vs PayPal full guide here.

Venmo

Venmo has over 83 million customers already, who use the service to send money instantly to friends, family and businesses.⁵ Sending a Venmo payment is easy, and because you can include a note, emojis and more, there’s a social element to it which makes it great as a way to split bills and pay back friends. Businesses can also accept Venmo payments online, in app and in person.

If you’re considering getting Venmo, here are a few handy tools to learn how to use the service:

One of the main drawbacks is that you can’t use Venmo to make international transfers.

Pros	Cons
Easy, instant, social payments Huge user base within the US Business and personal account options	USD payments only - you can’t send money overseas You need to be a USD resident with a bank account and local phone to get an account⁵

💡If you’re looking for a service that allows you to send money to people based overseas easily, you might benefit from these Venmo alternatives for easy international payments.

Payoneer

Payoneer accounts are aimed at freelancers, service providers, ecommerce sellers, and people working in digital marketing. You’ll be able to open a Payoneer account to receive, hold, spend and exchange major global currencies, making it easy to get paid from international marketplace platforms, and to pay your own suppliers and contractors.⁶

Fees may apply when getting paid directly from customers, including a 1% ACH fee and a 3% credit card fee.⁷ However, if you use your local receiving account details to be paid by bank transfer, you may be able to avoid costs, depending on the payment value.

Pros	Cons⁷
Get bank receiving details to get paid by local transfers from overseas Get paid directly from marketplaces and ecommerce platforms Working capital solutions available	Businesses and entrepreneurs only - not for personal customers Only major global currencies offered Fees apply when receiving payments from customers and marketplaces

💡Take a look at alternatives to Payoneer, or check out this Wise vs Payoneer head-to-head review here.

Choose Wise Business to connect with more customers and save money

If you’re looking for a PayPal alternative to suit your business, you could cut costs and connect with more customers by choosing Wise Business. Open a Wise business account packed with business friendly features, and get local account details for a one-off fee. No monthly subscription fees, or minimum balance requirements.

Hold and handle 40+ currencies, exchange currencies at the mid-market exchange rate, and get your own local bank details for major currencies, to get paid fee free from customers all over the world, just like a local. See how far your business can go, with Wise.

Learn more about the
Wise Business account

Frequently asked questions

What is the best alternative to PayPal?

PayPal is an enormous company with a broad range of services and products for individuals and businesses. Many PayPal alternatives have a somewhat more narrow niche - which means that the best PayPal competitor for you will depend on exactly what you need to use the account for.

As an example, Venmo might suit you if you want to make free instant USD payments to friends, while the Wise Business account is a great choice for anyone transacting internationally.

Is Google Pay similar to PayPal?

Google Pay lets you make online and mobile payments, and send money to friends in the US, India and Singapore. PayPal offers similar services - but also has a broader range of functions including credit services and more.

All sources checked on 27 March 2023

*Please see terms of use and product availability for your region or visit Wise fees and pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.

This publication is provided for general information purposes and does not constitute legal, tax or other professional advice from Wise Payments Limited or its subsidiaries and its affiliates, and it is not intended as a substitute for obtaining advice from a financial advisor or any other professional.

We make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether expressed or implied, that the content in the publication is accurate, complete or up to date.