Revolut vs Wise: Fees, Exchange Rates and International Payments

Revolut and Wise both help people and businesses move, hold and spend money in multiple countries, but they price and package those services differently. This guide compares the two on fees, exchange rates, transfer speed and business features using current public rate cards, then shows where a dedicated B2B payment platform fits for more complex workflows.

Key Takeaways

Wise and Revolut both support international money management, but they use different pricing and product models.
The most important comparison points are exchange rates, transfer fees, multi-currency balances, transfer speed and business features.
The actual cost of an international transfer depends on the amount, currency pair, destination, transfer method and account/plan.
For businesses, the comparison should go beyond FX and include receiving payments, supplier payments, business cards, expense management and payment automation.

Revolut vs Wise at a Glance

Feature	Wise	Revolut
International transfers	✓	✓
Exchange rates	Mid-market, no markup	Mid-market on weekdays within plan allowance; weekend markup 0.5–1%
Transfer fees	Low transparent fee (percentage-based)	Small transfer fee; 0% FX within weekday allowance
Multi-currency balances	✓ (50+ currencies)	✓ (38 currencies)
Supported currencies	40+ for send/receive	38
Receiving international payments	✓ (local account details)	✓ (local account details)
Transfer speed	74% in under 20 seconds; 95% under a day	Instant to Revolut; card minutes; bank 1–5 days
International card	✓ debit card	✓ debit card (+ crypto card in some markets)
Business account	✓ Wise Business	✓ Revolut Business
Business payments	✓	✓
Business cards	✓	✓
API / integrations	✓ (Wise Business API)	✓ (Revolut Business API)

No overall score is given. The two overlap heavily, but their fee structures and product breadth differ, which is what the rest of this guide breaks down.

Wise vs Revolut: What Are the Main Differences?

Wise

Wise is built around international money transfers and a multi-currency account. Its core strengths are:

International money transfers at the mid-market exchange rate with no hidden markup.
A multi-currency account (often called a "balance" account) to hold and convert funds.
Currency conversion at the real interbank rate with a low, transparent fee.
Receiving international payments through local account details in major currencies.
Business payments through Wise Business, including invoices, batch payments and APIs.

Revolut

Revolut is built as a broader multi-currency money-management app. Its core strengths are:

Multi-currency money management in a single app (38 currencies).
International transfers with in-app exchange and delivery tracking.
Currency conversion, including a weekend markup on some plans.
Cards for spending and withdrawals, plus a crypto feature in supported markets.
Subscription-based plans (Standard, Plus, Premium, Metal, Ultra) that change fees and allowances.
Broader financial features such as savings, trading and crypto in some regions.

Key point: the two platforms overlap significantly, but their pricing structures and product breadth are different. Wise leans into transparent transfer pricing; Revolut leans into an all-in-one app with plan-based allowances.

Wise vs Revolut Fees and Exchange Rates

This is the section where most users are actively comparing the two, so the figures below use publicly published rate cards captured on 2026-09-16. Market: United States. Corridor: USD→EUR. Always re-check live figures in-app before sending, because FX margins move daily.

Transfer Fees

Wise: a low, transparent percentage-based fee. On a USD 1,000 → EUR transfer paid by ACH, Wise charged USD 5.47 (mid-market rate, zero markup). Fee scales down as the amount grows — Wise applies a volume discount above USD 25,000.
Revolut: a small bank-transfer fee applies to international bank transfers, shown in-app. There is no separate "transfer fee" line on the exchange itself when you are within your plan's weekday fair-use allowance. Revolut-to-Revolut transfers are free.

Exchange Rates

Wise: uses the mid-market (interbank) rate with no markup. The rate you see is the rate applied; the only cost is the transparent transfer fee.
Revolut: uses a real-time mid-market rate on weekdays within your plan allowance, with no exchange fee. Outside that allowance, or on weekends (17:00 ET Friday to 18:00 ET Sunday), a markup applies — 1% on the Standard plan and 0.5% on the Plus plan. Premium, Metal and Ultra plans have no weekend fee.

Multi-Currency Conversion

Wise: hold and convert 50+ currencies; send to 40+ currencies; receive through local account details in a set of major currencies.
Revolut: hold and convert 38 currencies. Conversion is free within your fair-use allowance on weekdays; over the allowance, a 1% (Standard) or 0.5% (Plus) fee applies. Premium, Metal and Ultra have no fair-use fee.

How Much Does It Cost to Send Money with Wise vs Revolut?

Instead of repeating advertised percentages, the examples below use a representative USD→EUR corridor. Pricing date: 2026-09-16. Market: United States. Plan: standard personal, weekday transfer within allowance. Source: Wise US rate card and Revolut pricing pages.

Sending $100

At this size, fixed-style fees matter more than percentages. Wise charged about USD 0.93 to send USD 10 → EUR 8.45 on its US rate card, i.e. roughly 0.5–1% depending on funding method. Revolut, within a weekday allowance, applies 0% exchange fee plus a small bank-transfer fee shown in-app, so the recipient gets close to the mid-market EUR amount minus that small fee.

Sending $1,000

Scenario	Wise	Revolut
Amount sent	USD 1,000	USD 1,000
Transfer fee	USD 5.47 (ACH)	Small bank-transfer fee (shown in-app)
Exchange rate	0.8621 USD/EUR (mid-market, 0 markup)	~0.859 EUR/USD (mid-market, weekday within allowance)
Total fees	USD 5.47	Small transfer fee (+ 0% FX within allowance; +0.5–1% weekend/over-allowance)
Recipient receives	~857.43 EUR	~855–859 EUR (mid-market minus small transfer fee)
Effective cost	~0.55%	~0% FX + small fixed fee (weekday); up to 0.5–1% weekend

Sending $10,000

At higher amounts, Wise's percentage fee stays low and a volume discount kicks in above USD 25,000; on a USD 30,000 → EUR transfer Wise charged USD 88.83 (about 0.3%) with the discount applied. Revolut stays at 0% exchange fee within a weekday allowance, so a USD 10,000 transfer is mainly affected by the small bank-transfer fee — unless it is sent on a weekend or exceeds the monthly fair-use limit, in which case the 0.5–1% markup applies.

These figures are illustrative of the fee structure for one corridor (USD→EUR, US market, 2026-09-16). They do not apply to every country or currency pair; always confirm in-app for your route.

Wise vs Revolut for International Transfers

Factors that materially affect the transfer decision:

Supported countries: both reach a large number of destinations (Wise advertises 140+ countries; Revolut reaches most currencies with few hard limits).
Supported currencies: Wise sends/receives 40+; Revolut holds 38.
Transfer methods: bank transfer, card transfer, and (for Revolut) in-app balance transfer.
Transfer speed: varies by method and corridor.
Transfer limits: Revolut has few fixed limits but payment partners may cap some currencies; large transfers trigger extra checks for both.
Local vs international rails: both use local payout rails where available, which is faster and cheaper than SWIFT.
Recipient requirements: name, bank details and (for some corridors) SWIFT/BIC or IBAN.
Large-transfer handling: both may request extra verification and offer volume-based pricing.

Transfer Speed

Speed varies by currency pair, destination, payment method, banking network and compliance checks. Wise reports 74% of transfers arrive in under 20 seconds and 95% within a day. Revolut transfers are instant to other Revolut users, card transfers arrive in minutes, and bank transfers take 1–5 business days by destination. There is no single universal delivery time.

Large International Transfers

Transfer limits: both support large transfers, but verification steps increase with size.
Large-transfer verification: expect identity and source-of-funds checks above certain thresholds.
Volume discounts: Wise applies a fee discount above USD 25,000; Revolut's fair-use structure changes the effective cost only if you exceed monthly allowances.
Additional checks: compliance reviews can add time on any corridor.
Business suitability: both serve business transfers, but businesses with recurring high-volume payments should weigh automation and APIs (see below).

Wise vs Revolut for Receiving and Managing International Money

Receiving and holding are combined here because the workflow is the same for both: Receive → Hold → Convert → Send / Spend.

Need	Wise	Revolut
Receive international payments	✓ (local account details)	✓ (local account details)
Local account details	✓ in major currencies	✓ in major currencies
Hold multiple currencies	✓ (50+ balances)	✓ (38 balances)
Convert currencies	✓ at mid-market, low fee	✓ free within allowance; fee over allowance/weekend
Send funds internationally	✓	✓

Both let you receive like a local in major currencies, hold the balance, convert when needed, and send or spend onward — the practical multi-currency and receive-money workflow without splitting it into separate topics.

Wise vs Revolut for Business Payments

Business workflows go beyond a single transfer. Both offer business products (Wise Business, Revolut Business), but the feature sets differ in emphasis.

Receiving International Payments

Customer payments: both provide local account details so clients can pay like a local.
Marketplace payments: both support receiving from platforms in supported currencies.
Local account details: available in major currencies on both.
Supported currencies: Wise 40+ send/receive; Revolut 38 hold.

Paying Overseas Suppliers

Supplier payments: both send to supplier bank accounts internationally.
International transfers: both use local or SWIFT rails.
Currency conversion: Wise at mid-market; Revolut free within allowance.
Payment speed: both depend on corridor and method.

Managing Business Expenses

Business cards: both issue business cards for team spending.
Employee spending: both support multiple cards/users on business plans.
Spending controls: both offer limits and controls per card.
Expense tracking: both provide in-app transaction tracking; Revolut adds broader spend insights on higher plans.

Automating Business Payments

Bulk payments: Wise Business supports batch payments; Revolut Business supports bulk payouts on relevant plans.
Accounting integrations: both connect to accounting software.
API: both offer business APIs for programmatic payments.
Payment workflows: both support recurring and templated payments.

Business Need	Wise Business	Revolut Business
Receive international payments	✓	✓
Hold multiple currencies	✓	✓
Supplier payments	✓	✓
Currency conversion	✓ mid-market, low fee	✓ free within allowance
Business cards	✓	✓
Expense management	✓	✓
Bulk payments	✓	✓ (plan-dependent)
Accounting integrations	✓	✓
API / automation	✓	✓

What Should Businesses Look for Beyond Wise and Revolut?

Wise and Revolut are not the only category businesses can consider. Companies with more complex international payment requirements may need to evaluate:

Global receiving capabilities
Supplier payouts
Multi-asset balances
Stablecoin payment rails
Fiat-to-stablecoin conversion
Programmatic payouts
Payment APIs
Business payment infrastructure
Reconciliation and transaction management

The key distinction: a digital money-management platform and a dedicated B2B payment infrastructure platform can solve overlapping but different business needs. If your workflow is mostly transfers and card spending, a consumer/business app may be enough. If you need stablecoin settlement, programmatic payouts and reconciliation across many recipients, a B2B platform becomes relevant.

PhotonPay for Global B2B Payments

PhotonPay is a next-generation payment operating system built for businesses that manage international money movement across both fiat and stablecoin rails. The workflow mirrors the receive-hold-convert-pay pattern but adds reconciliation as a first-class step:

Receive → Hold → Convert → Pay → Reconcile

Relevant capabilities for global B2B payments:

Global business payments — send and receive across supported corridors and currencies.
Fiat and stablecoin balances — hold major currencies alongside USDC and USDT in one wallet.
Fiat ↔ stablecoin conversion — on-ramp fiat into USDC or USDT and off-ramp back, so suppliers or payout rails that prefer stablecoins can be paid without leaving the platform.
Global payouts — run supplier, contractor and employee payouts through available local rails.
Business cards — multi-asset business cards for team spending.
Payment APIs — programmatic payouts, batch processing and reconciliation.
Business payment infrastructure — built for recurring, high-volume B2B workflows rather than one-off transfers.

For Hong Kong businesses, PhotonPay supports HKD alongside other major currencies, letting a local company hold, convert and pay globally from one operating layer.

Wise vs Revolut vs B2B Payment Infrastructure

Requirement	Wise / Revolut	B2B Payment Infrastructure
International transfers	✓	✓
Multi-currency balances	✓	✓
Business receiving	✓	✓
Supplier payouts	✓	✓
Business cards	✓	Depending on provider
Stablecoin rails	Provider-dependent	Depending on provider
Fiat ↔ stablecoin conversion	Provider-dependent	Depending on provider
Programmatic payouts	Limited / plan-dependent	Core capability for relevant providers
Payment APIs	Available for relevant products	Core capability
Embedded payment infrastructure	Limited	Core capability

This is a category comparison, not a ranking. The purpose is to help a business identify which category matches its operating model — a money-management app for everyday transfers, or a B2B payment platform for automated, high-volume workflows.

Which Type of User Should Consider Wise or Revolut?

User Type	Main Requirement	What to Compare
Individual sending money abroad	International transfer	FX + fees + speed
Frequent traveler	International spending	Card + FX + ATM
Freelancer	Receiving international income	Account details + conversion
Small business	International payments	Receiving + payouts + FX
Global business	Payment infrastructure	Corridors + automation + APIs

No overall winner is declared. The product that fits depends on the user's primary requirement, not on a single feature score.

FAQ

Is Wise cheaper than Revolut?

It depends on the transaction type, currency, amount and plan rather than one being universally cheaper. On a USD 1,000 → EUR transfer (US market, 2026-09-16), Wise charged a transparent USD 5.47 fee at the mid-market rate, while Revolut applied 0% exchange fee within a weekday allowance plus a small bank-transfer fee. For weekend or over-allowance transfers, Revolut's 0.5–1% markup can make Wise comparatively cheaper. Compare the recipient amount, not the headline fee, for your specific route.

Is Revolut better than Wise for international transfers?

Neither is strictly better. Compare fees, FX, transfer speed and destination coverage. Wise uses the mid-market rate with no markup and transparent fees; Revolut is fee-light within weekday allowances but adds a weekend markup. Wise is often faster for bank transfers (95% under a day); Revolut is instant between Revolut users. The better fit depends on when and how you send.

What is the difference between Wise and Revolut?

Wise centers on international transfers and a multi-currency account with mid-market pricing. Revolut is a broader multi-currency app with subscription plans, cards, savings and crypto features in some markets. Both offer personal and business products, but Wise's model is transfer-led and transparent; Revolut's is app-led with plan-based allowances.

Can businesses use Wise or Revolut?

Yes. Wise Business and Revolut Business both support receiving international payments, holding multiple currencies, supplier payments, business cards, expense management, bulk payments, accounting integrations and APIs. Feature depth and plan limits differ, so compare the business table above against your monthly volume and automation needs.