PayPal vs Wise — Which Costs Less for International Money?

Commercial transactions (goods & services) rate for a standard US PayPal Business/Checkout account: 3.49% + $0.49 domestic. Cross-border transactions add a separate cross-border fee (typically 0.5–1.5% depending on country) plus currency conversion if applicable — the toggle above models a mid-range estimate. Micropayments and nonprofit rates differ.

Estimated 0.43% conversion fee for a typical major-currency corridor (e.g. USD→EUR or USD→GBP) funded by bank transfer. Note that Wise does NOT mark up the exchange rate — it converts at the real mid-market rate and charges one transparent fee instead, which is the opposite of banks and PayPal (who bury a 2–5% margin in a worse rate). Wise's real fee is dynamic: it varies by currency pair, amount, and funding method (card payments cost more), and typically runs ~0.4% on the busiest major pairs up to ~2% on exotic routes. Wise also adds a small fixed fee (around $1.70 on USD routes) that this percentage-only model does not include, so expect to pay slightly more than shown on small transfers. Always confirm the exact quote at wise.com before sending.