8 Venmo alternatives

Whether you need to shop for food, schedule a teeth cleaning, practice yoga, or learn a new language, there’s an app to make it easier, more convenient, and a lot more enjoyable. You can even easily split tabs with friends and family — like when you’re out at a restaurant or at home paying the utility bills — thanks to mobile payment apps like Venmo.

By helping people send and receive money digitally, Venmo has revolutionized how we spend money socially — making the awkward “I forgot my wallet at home” excuse a thing of the past. It’s easy to set up, free to use, and allows users to register for both personal and business accounts without any complicated setup or monthly fees.

Venmo is one of the most well-known digital wallet apps, but there are other mobile payment platforms to consider. Comparable in price, ease of use, security, and overall functionality, here are eight Venmo alternatives worth looking into.

1. Zelle

When it comes to sending and receiving money quickly and safely, few mobile payment services are as convenient as Zelle. It’s free to use, included in more than 1,000 banking apps (like Chase Bank, Bank of America, and Citi), and enables same-day transfers. What’s more, it works between U.S.-based banks, which means you can still use Zelle with friends and family who use a different bank than you (as long as both sender and recipient have Zelle).

2. PayPal

Digital wallet service PayPal — which actually owns Venmo — is also free to use. It’s accessible in 200 countries, includes a high transfer limit, and is available on iOS, Android, and the web. Transferring money from a PayPal account to your debit card or bank account of choice without an additional fee usually takes one to three business days, which is comparable to Venmo.

3. Meta Pay with Messenger

Next on this list of Venmo alternatives is Meta Pay with Messenger from Meta, which allows Facebook users to send money to each other. Transfers with Messenger are private, easy to use, and, like Venmo, socially engaging, since they live on the most widely used social media platform.

To use Meta Pay with Messenger, all you need to do is link your debit card or PayPal account to your Facebook account and create a PIN. Once you’ve connected an account, payments received will be automatically accepted and will show up in your account within three business days.

4. Payoneer

Though Venmo does offer business profiles that enable users to accept payments from customers, it’s pretty limiting — especially since Venmo is only available in the United States. But with payment platform Payoneer, you can receive payments from clients all over the world (since the platform is accessible in more than 200 countries) to grow your business quickly and securely. It’s powerful, scalable, and affordable — whether you’re a freelancer, digital marketer, or e-commerce seller.

5. Braintree Payments

Another popular Venmo alternative owned by PayPal, Braintree Payments is a powerful web-based payment system that primarily benefits business users — especially in terms of security and reporting capabilities. With the optimized payment experience from Braintree Payments, users can increase sales, expand into new markets, and streamline everyday operations. Plus, the platform integrates with Venmo, PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay for even more customer convenience.

6. Stripe

Built solely for business transactions, mobile payment app Stripe is intuitive, easy to use, and affordable — there are no monthly fees or fees for card storage, validation, or refunds. With Stripe, users can accept payments, send invoices, manage business expenses, and combat fraud from one powerful, fully integrated suite. The platform does not, however, offer any person-to-person transaction capabilities.

7. XE Money Transfer

Best for users who often travel internationally for business or pleasure, online money transfer company XE Money Transfer lets users send money to more than 130 countries — including France, New Zealand, and Japan — at lower rates than banks offer. And thanks to its Mass Payments feature, your business can cut manual processes, use fewer resources, and consolidate multiple currencies in a single file — all from one trusted, highly secure platform.

8. Cash App

Last on the list of Venmo alternatives is mobile payment solution Cash App, which lets users send and receive money more privately with a unique screen name, or “$cashtag,” instead of with bank account numbers, phone numbers, or email addresses. For extra security, Cash App also requires a one-time login code only accessible by the account holder.

Cash App has a slightly lower spending limit of $250 per week before extra identity verification is required, while you can send $299 a week with unverified personal accounts with Venmo. Verified Venmo accounts have a higher spending limit of $60,000 a month — vs $17,500 a month with verified Cash App accounts.

Clearly, there’s no shortage of mobile payment apps for personal and business use. They’re affordable, accessible, and user-friendly tools — making sending and receiving payments easy and convenient on any device.

So, whether you choose Venmo — or any platform from this list of Venmo alternatives — you’ll be sure to have an online payment solution that can meet your needs.