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Remitly vs. PayPal

Compare a well-known payments giant to the newer Remitly and see which one can give you a better deal.

Isabel Sandercock-Brown

Updated Mar 6, 2019

Fact checked

PayPal is a renowned and well-known service used by millions to pay online. But that doesn’t mean it’s the best option.

The fees and rates used in this comparison are accurate as of August 6, 2019.

Quick verdict

Lower fees:
Tie

Exchange rates:
Remitly

Fast transfers:
Tie

I want to send

	Min. Transfer Amount	Transfer Speed	Online Transfer Fee	Rate	Amount Received	Description	CTA	Details
	$0	1 - 2 days	USD 1.99	0.839	EUR 8,391	Special offers like free transfers and better exchange rates available for new customers. Quick, affordable transfers around the world with both express and economy options.	Go to site	Compare	Show details	Details Minimum transfer amount 0.00 Transfer methods Online, Bank Account to Bank Account, Cash Transfer Transfer options N/A Customer service Phone, Chat, Email Available currencies ALL, AMD, ARS, AZN, BAM, BDT, BGN, BIF, BOB, BRL, BSD, CLP, CNY, COP, CRC, CZK, DOP, EGP, ETB, EUR, FJD, GEL, GHS, GMD, GNF, GTQ, GYD, HNL, HRK, HTG, HUF, IDR, ILS, INR, JMD, JOD, JPY, KES, KGS, KHR, KMF, KRW, KZT, LKR, LRD, MAD, MDL, MGA, MKD, MMK, MWK, MXN, MYR, NGN, NIO, NPR, PAB, PEN, PHP, PKR, PLN, PYG, RON, RSD, RUB, RWF, SLL, SRD, SVC, THB, TJS, TND, TRY, TZS, UAH, UGX, USD, UYU, UZS, VND, XAF, XOF, ZAR, ZMW, BYN Go to site Read the full review
	$1	3 - 5 days	USD 290.00	0.833	EUR 8,091			Compare	Show details	Details Minimum transfer amount 1.00 Transfer methods Online, Bank Account to Bank Account, Cash Transfer Transfer options One off payments Customer service Phone, Email Available currencies AUD, BRL, CAD, CHF, CZK, DKK, EUR, GBP, HKD, HUF, ILS, JPY, MXN, MYR, NOK, NZD, PHP, PLN, RUB, SEK, SGD, THB, TWD, USD Read the full review

Compare up to 4 providers

Disclaimer: Exchange rates change often. Confirm the total cost with the provider before transferring money.

Which has lower fees?

Remitly

The Remitly fee structure is varied. Fees change depending on whether you do an economy or express transfer, what currency you’re transferring and how much you’re transferring.

Express transfers have higher fees, which tend to get higher the more you send. Slower economy transfers often stay quite low, around $2 to $4 no matter how much you send.

PayPal

PayPal charges 5% of your send amount, with a minimum fee of $0.99 and a maximum fee of $4.99.

But if you pay with a credit card, debit card or PayPal credit, you’ll be charged an addition 2.9%, plus a small fee based on the destination currency.

Trophy icon
Winner: Tie

There isn’t a clear winner as it depends on where and how much you’re sending. While some transfers will be cheaper with PayPal, other will have lower fees with Remitly.

Let’s crunch the numbers: Sending $1,000 to the Philippines

Let’s compare a $1,000 transaction to see which provider wins out when fees and exchange rates are taken into consideration.

Sending $1,000 to the Philippines

	Remitly	PayPal
Transfer fee	$0	$4.99
Exchange rate	1 USD = 50.58 PHP	1 USD =49.7517 PHP
Transfer speed	Same day	Same day
Total Philippine Peso received	PHP₱50,580.00	PHP₱49,503.44
Receiver gets	PHP₱1,076.54 more	PHP₱1,076.54 less

Remitly saves you money in the end, as both the fee and exchange rate are better. Remitly charges a lower fee, and its Philippine peso exchange rate is better than PayPal’s.

Which offers better exchange rates?

Remitly

Remitly doesn’t have a standard rate rule, meaning the exchange rates they offer vary greatly and change daily. There’s a margin added to most exchange rates, but that margin varies from currency to currency.

For example, if you want to send money to Thailand:

Mid-market rate: 1 USD = 30.7275 THB
Remitly’s exchange rate: 1 USD= 29.89 THB

This is a margin of 2.7%.

PayPal

PayPal’s exchange rates also include a margin. While it can also vary based on the currency, on average PayPal has a higher markup.

For example, if you want to send money to Thailand with PayPal:

Mid-market rate: 1 USD = 30.7275 THB
PayPal’s exchange rate: 1 USD = 29.6451 THB

This is a margin of 3.5%

The mid-market rate is what your money’s actually worth on the global market when compared to another currency. It’s what banks and transfer services use when they trade among themselves, and it’s what you should use as a baseline to ensure you’re getting the best rate.
Compare the rate given to you by a transfer service to the mid-market rate and you’ll be able to see what the markup is and how much the provider is making off that transfer.

Trophy icon
Winner: Remitly

While Remitly’s exchange rates vary based on the currency, the margin is lower than PayPal’s overall. It’s always worthwhile comparing based on the currency you’re transferring, but it’s likely Remitly will net you a better rate.

Which is faster?

Remitly

Remitly offers an express option that will get your money to the destination within hours, if not minutes. However, it does mean you’ll pay higher fees. If you opt for the cheaper economy option, you’re looking at a transfer time of two to five business days.

PayPal

If you transfer from one PayPal account to another, the transaction is instant. For all other transactions, it generally takes one business day.

Trophy icon
Winner: Tie

Between the express option Remitly offers and PayPal’s quick turnaround, it’s hard to pick a winner. Both can get your money there fast – you’ll just have to be willing to pay a higher fee and/or exchange rate.

General features

	Payment methods	Receiving options	Maximum and minimum transfers	Transfer speeds	Currencies
Remitly	Bank transfer, debit card, credit card	Bank account, cash pickup	Minimum: $0 Maximum: $20,000	1 - 2 days	30+ currencies
PayPal	Bank transfer, debit card, credit card, PayPal Credit	PayPal transfer, bank transfer	Minimum: $1 Maximum: $10,000	3 - 5 days	20+ currencies

Remitly

To use Remitly, you sign up for a free account using your email on the website or app. Once you’ve signed up, just enter the amount of money you want to send, your recipient’s information and your payment information. Remitly will do the rest.

PayPal

To transfer money through PayPal, you’ll need to create a free PayPal account. You can then send a transfer to your recipient’s PayPal account, funding it with your PayPal balance, bank account, credit card, debit card or PayPal Credit. After your recipient receives the money, they can either keep the funds in their PayPal account or withdraw the money to their bank account.

Read review: Remitly
Read review: PayPal

Bottom line

Although it’s completely dependent on the transfer amount, Remitly is likely to beat PayPal on most transfers. But the two providers offer different currencies, and your currency may not be available on both. To get the best deal, compare other money transfer providers that send in your currency.

Looking for more options?

Find out more about the cost to use an alternative money transfer provider using our calculator below.

I want to send

Min. Transfer Amount	Transfer Speed	Online Transfer Fee	Rate	Amount Received	Description	CTA	Details
GBP 1,000	1 - 2 days	USD 0.00	0.853	EUR 8,529	Exclusive: Minimum transfer of $1,000 for Finder readers (normally $5,000). For larger transfers, get no transaction fees and no maximum send limits.	Go to site	Compare	Show details	Details Minimum transfer amount GBP 1,000.00 Transfer methods Online, Bank Account to Bank Account Transfer options Regular payments, One off payments, Market orders, Forward contracts Customer service Phone, Chat Available currencies AED, AUD, CAD, CHF, CZK, DKK, EUR, GBP, HKD, HUF, ILS, JPY, MXN, NOK, NZD, PLN, RON, SEK, SGD, THB, TRY, USD, ZAR Go to site Read the full review
$1	Same day	USD 0.00	0.853	EUR 8,528	XE offers fast transfers with no fees and a range of foreign currency tools.	Go to site	Compare	Show details	Details Minimum transfer amount 1.00 Transfer methods Online, Phone, Bank Account to Bank Account Transfer options One off payments, Market orders, Forward contracts Customer service Phone, Email Available currencies AED, AFN, ALL, AMD, ANG, AOA, ARS, AUD, AWG, AZN, BAM, BBD, BDT, BGN, BHD, BIF, BMD, BND, BOB, BRL, BSD, BTN, BWP, BZD, CAD, CDF, CHF, CLP, CNY, COP, CRC, CUC, CVE, CZK, DJF, DKK, DOP, DZD, EGP, ERN, ETB, EUR, FJD, FKP, GBP, GEL, GGP, GHS, GIP, GMD, GNF, GTQ, GYD, HKD, HNL, HRK, HTG, HUF, IDR, ILS, IMP, INR, IQD, IRR, ISK, JEP, JMD, JOD, JPY, KES, KGS, KHR, KMF, KPW, KRW, KWD, KYD, KZT, LAK, LBP, LKR, LRD, LSL, LYD, MAD, MDL, MGA, MKD, MMK, MNT, MOP, MUR, MVR, MWK, MXN, MYR, MZN, NAD, NGN, NIO, NOK, NPR, NZD, OMR, PAB, PGK, PHP, PKR, PLN, PYG, QAR, RON, RSD, RUB, RWF, SAR, SBD, SCR, SDG, SEK, SGD, SHP, SLL, SOS, SPL, SRD, SVC, SYP, SZL, THB, TJS, TMT, TND, TOP, TRY, TTD, TVD, TWD, TZS, UAH, UGX, USD, UYU, UZS, VEF, VND, VUV, WST, XAF, XCD, XDR, XOF, XPF, YER, ZAR, ZMW, ZWD, BYN Go to site Read the full review
$0	1 - 2 days	USD 1.99	0.839	EUR 8,391	Special offers like free transfers and better exchange rates available for new customers. Quick, affordable transfers around the world with both express and economy options.	Go to site	Compare	Show details	Details Minimum transfer amount 0.00 Transfer methods Online, Bank Account to Bank Account, Cash Transfer Transfer options N/A Customer service Phone, Chat, Email Available currencies ALL, AMD, ARS, AZN, BAM, BDT, BGN, BIF, BOB, BRL, BSD, CLP, CNY, COP, CRC, CZK, DOP, EGP, ETB, EUR, FJD, GEL, GHS, GMD, GNF, GTQ, GYD, HNL, HRK, HTG, HUF, IDR, ILS, INR, JMD, JOD, JPY, KES, KGS, KHR, KMF, KRW, KZT, LKR, LRD, MAD, MDL, MGA, MKD, MMK, MWK, MXN, MYR, NGN, NIO, NPR, PAB, PEN, PHP, PKR, PLN, PYG, RON, RSD, RUB, RWF, SLL, SRD, SVC, THB, TJS, TND, TRY, TZS, UAH, UGX, USD, UYU, UZS, VND, XAF, XOF, ZAR, ZMW, BYN Go to site Read the full review
$1	1 - 2 days	USD 80.00	0.856	EUR 8,495	Enjoy high maximum transfers into more than 20 currencies while saving up to 90% over local banks.	Go to site	Compare	Show details	Details Minimum transfer amount 1.00 Transfer methods Online Transfer options Regular payments, One off payments Customer service Phone, Chat, Email Available currencies AED, ARS, AUD, BDT, BGN, BRL, BWP, CAD, CHF, CLP, CNY, COP, CRC, CZK, DKK, EGP, EUR, GBP, GEL, GHS, HKD, HRK, HUF, IDR, ILS, INR, JPY, KES, KRW, LKR, MAD, MXN, MYR, NGN, NOK, NPR, NZD, PEN, PHP, PKR, PLN, RON, RUB, SEK, SGD, THB, TRY, TZS, UAH, UGX, USD, UYU, VND, XOF, ZAR, ZMW Go to site Read the full review
$1	Within an hour	N/A	N/A	N/A	Use promo code 3FREE to send your first 3 transfers with no fee. Send to 110+ countries for bank-to-bank deposit, cash pickup or mobile top-up.	Go to site	Compare	Show details	Details Minimum transfer amount 1.00 Transfer methods Online, Bank Account to Bank Account, Cash Transfer Transfer options One off payments Customer service Phone, Email Available currencies AED, ALL, AMD, AOA, ARS, AUD, BAM, BBD, BDT, BGN, BHD, BIF, BOB, BRL, BWP, CAD, CDF, CHF, CLP, CNY, COP, CRC, CVE, CZK, DKK, DOP, EGP, ETB, EUR, FJD, GBP, GEL, GHS, GMD, GNF, GTQ, HKD, HNL, HRK, HTG, HUF, IDR, ILS, INR, ISK, JMD, JOD, KES, KGS, KHR, KMF, KRW, KWD, KYD, KZT, LAK, LKR, LRD, LSL, MAD, MDL, MGA, MRO, MUR, MVR, MWK, MXN, MYR, MZN, NAD, NGN, NIO, NOK, NPR, NZD, OMR, PAB, PEN, PHP, PKR, PLN, PYG, RON, RUB, RWF, SCR, SEK, SGD, SLL, SOS, SRD, THB, TJS, TND, TOP, TRY, TZS, UGX, USD, UYU, VND, WST, XAF, XCD, XOF, ZAR, ZMW, BYN Go to site Read the full review

Compare up to 4 providers

Disclaimer: Exchange rates change often. Confirm the total cost with the provider before transferring money.

Image source: Supplied, photographer: Remitly, PayPal

Thank you for your feedback!

Isabel Sandercock-Brown

Isabel Sandercock-Brown is an international money transfers writer at Finder. She's written for a number of organisations, from the Salvos to Bumble. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Technology, Sydney.

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