Wise vs Revolut (2026): Fees, Exchange Rates, Business Accounts and Who Fits Best

Wise and Revolut both say they will move your money across borders for less than your bank charges, and both want to be the app you open every day. For a store owner paying overseas suppliers, contractors or ad platforms in other currencies, the real decision comes down to three numbers: what you pay to send, what you lose in the exchange rate, and what you get when you need a business account.

I run Ecommerce Paradise, and I have spent 15+ years around ecommerce, where payments in more than one currency show up the moment a store grows. In high-ticket dropshipping a single supplier invoice can run to thousands of dollars, so a 1% difference in fees is not a rounding error. This comparison uses US figures unless I say otherwise, because fees, plans and regulation change by country.

Everything below comes from the fee, plan and help pages of both companies as I read them on October 7, 2026, plus the CFPB, IRS and NerdWallet. I have not opened accounts to test either one, so confirm every number in the app before you send money. This is general information, not personalized financial or legal advice, and I am not a licensed financial advisor.

Disclosure: I may earn a commission if you sign up through my Wise link, at no extra cost to you. That is a conflict of interest, so I have tried to be specific about where Revolut comes out ahead.

The Short Answer: Which One Fits Which Store Owner

If most of your pain is sending money to suppliers or contractors and getting paid by customers in other countries, I would start with Wise. It states that it uses the mid-market rate with a separate upfront fee, which makes quotes easy to compare, and it has no plan tiers to decode.

If you want a single app that also handles everyday spending, savings and investing, and your transfers are small or fall inside a plan allowance, Revolut deserves a real look. On paper its fees can be lower for small weekday exchanges, as the arithmetic below shows. The catch is that you have to understand its allowances, weekend markup and plan tiers before the headline numbers mean anything.

Some people end up with both: Revolut for daily spending, Wise for the transfers that matter. That costs little beyond some admin, and it gives you a backup if one account is ever restricted during a review.

What Each One Is, and What It Is Not

Neither company is a bank in the United States. Wise says on its own pages that it is not an FDIC-insured bank and operates as a money services business registered with FinCEN. Revolut’s US business page says it is “not yet a bank in the US” and that it works with partner banks.

That matters for how your money is protected. Wise says it safeguards customer funds, holding them in banks and assets separate from its own working capital, and says its card program is issued by sponsor banks that are FDIC members. Revolut’s US fee page says funds in its prepaid card account are held or transferred to Lead Bank, an FDIC-insured institution, and that they are insured up to applicable limits while there, though it adds that FDIC insurance does not protect your funds if Revolut itself fails.

FDIC insurance covers the failure of an insured bank, not every problem you can have with an app, so read each company’s own disclosure for the exact terms. FinCEN says that money services businesses must register with the Treasury, which is a compliance requirement and not the same thing as FDIC insurance. Outside the US the legal structure is different, and I cover the UK and EU limits further down.

International Transfer Costs Side by Side

How Wise charges

Wise’s US pricing page lists sending money at “from 0.23%,” with the fee varying by currency, and a volume discount once you send more than 25,000 USD (or equivalent) in a month. Registering is free, and holding money in the account is free. Sending the same currency to another Wise user is free, per the page. A different Wise page says fees can be “as low as 0.1%” and get cheaper the more you send, so the 0.23% starting point on the pricing page is the figure I used.

The page does not publish a currency-by-currency fee table in the text I could read, so I used Wise’s public price comparison data to see what a real transfer looks like. On October 7, 2026 it showed a fee of $7.56 to send $200 to euros, $9.87 on $1,000, and $35.90 on $10,000. The feed does not say which payment method it assumes, and a card payment may cost more, so treat these as indicative and check the calculator for your own transfer.

How Revolut charges

Revolut’s US fee page for the Standard plan lists international transfers in two rows: “0.15% (minimum fee $0.75) per transfer” for local currency and “up to $6.00” for foreign currency. The page defines a local currency transfer as one made in the currency of the recipient country (sending euros to France, for example) and a foreign currency transfer as one that is not (sending dollars to France). It also says the foreign currency fee does not cover intermediary or recipient bank fees, and it lists a “Pay All” option at a flat $30 per transfer that is meant to cover both Revolut’s fee and intermediary bank fees. Check the fee shown in the app before you confirm.

Revolut-to-Revolut transfers carry no transfer fee. A US domestic wire costs $10 on the fee page. The US plans page also advertises a discount on international transfer fees that rises with the plan tier, with a footnote saying it applies to SWIFT OUR transactions. I could not pin down the exact percentage for each plan from the page text, so check it in the app before you upgrade for this reason.

My own arithmetic on three transfers

These are illustrations using the published numbers above, USD to EUR on a weekday to a euro bank account. For Revolut I show the range from the two fee rows (0.15% with a $0.75 minimum if you send euros, up to $6.00 if you send dollars) and assume its market rate has no spread, which is the best case. I could not verify how Revolut’s rate compares with the mid-market rate, and the foreign currency row excludes intermediary bank fees, so the real cost can be higher.

On small weekday transfers inside the allowance, Revolut’s listed fees can undercut Wise. On $10,000, Revolut Standard works out to more than Wise unless you pay for Premium that month. The table cannot show the rate spread, so run the same quote in both apps and compare what the recipient actually gets.

The US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau explains that remittance transfer providers must disclose the fees, exchange rate and expected amount delivered before you pay. Use that: screenshot both quotes side by side before you commit.

Exchange Rates, Allowances and the Weekend Markup

Wise’s pitch is simple: it says it uses the live mid-market rate, the one you can check on Google, and charges a visible fee on top. There is no weekend surcharge listed on the Wise pricing pages I read.

Revolut works differently. Its fee page says exchanges use “an exchange rate based on our market rate,” with no fee during foreign exchange market hours, which it defines as everything except Friday 5pm to Sunday 6pm Eastern. Outside those hours a 1.0% fee applies to all currencies on the Standard plan, and weekend fees are waived on Premium and Metal per the plans page.

Standard also has a fair usage limit: $1,000 of exchanges a month at the base rate, then 0.5% on additional amounts. Premium raises the monthly exchange limit to $10,000 and Metal lists it as unlimited. That is a real advantage for a store that exchanges a lot, but it also means your costs depend on the plan you pay for and the day you click send.

If you use Revolut, schedule larger exchanges on weekdays during market hours. A $1,000 exchange on a Saturday on Standard would add up to about $10 for the weekend markup before any transfer fee.

Holding Money and Getting Paid in Other Currencies

Wise’s personal account page says you can hold 40 currencies, and the pricing page says you can get account details to receive money in 22 currencies, while another Wise page says 20, so the number depends on which page you read. Receiving domestic-style payments in currencies like USD, EUR, GBP and AUD is free. Receiving a USD wire or Swift payment carries a fixed $6.11 fee, a GBP Swift payment 2.16 GBP and a EUR Swift payment 2.39 EUR.

Wise’s send-money page describes reaching “80 countries and 50+ currencies.” For a store paid in several currencies, local account details save the most, because the payer sees a normal domestic transfer.

Revolut’s US transfer page says it supports 25+ currencies and 140+ countries and territories, and the business page lists transfers to 150+ destinations. I could not confirm how many foreign-currency account details Revolut gives US customers, so if you need to receive euros or pounds like a local, ask before you rely on it. Revolut’s own wording is that bank transfers “generally arrive in 3 to 5 business days,” while Revolut-to-Revolut transfers usually arrive in about 20 seconds.

Wise advertises that 74% of transfers arrive in under 20 seconds and 95% in less than a day, and adds that this is an average based on past transfers. Treat that as marketing, and expect minutes to a day on popular routes. For more providers, my guide to the cheapest way to transfer money internationally goes through more providers.

Cards and ATM Withdrawals

Wise lists the Multi-Currency Card at a one-time $9 with no subscription fee. Spending in a currency you hold is free. ATM withdrawals are free up to a total of 250 USD per calendar month, then 1.95 USD plus 1.95% on each withdrawal, and the ATM operator may add its own fee.

Revolut’s fee page lists the first card at up to $4.99, replacement cards at $4.99 and delivery from $0 to $5 for standard, with expedited delivery at $16.99. In-network ATMs have no Revolut fee on any plan. Out-of-network withdrawals cost up to 2% on Standard, and Premium and Metal give a free allowance of $800 and $1,200 a month before that 2% applies.

Adding money to Revolut by bank transfer has no load fee. Adding by domestic debit card can cost up to 1% and by domestic credit card up to 3%, so fund it by bank transfer. I did not verify card exchange fees abroad on every plan.

Business Accounts for Your Store

If you run a real company, you will want a business account, not a personal one. Both need a registered business, which is one reason I tell new owners to sort out the legal side first with my business formation guide before opening any account that touches your supplier payments.

Wise Business in the US advertises “all in for 31 USD”: one set-up fee that covers every business feature, with no monthly plan. It includes account details, a multi-currency card, batch payments (Wise says you can pay up to 1,000 contractors at once), team cards with spending permissions, and accounting sync. The Wise Business pricing page lists the same sending fees, 0.23% and up, and the same $6.11 USD wire receiving fee. If you want to see how I read it in more depth, my Wise review covers the account in detail.

Revolut Business in the US lists four tiers: Basic from $10 a month, Grow from $40, Scale from $140, and Enterprise at custom pricing. All include transfers to 150+ destinations, multi-currency accounts in 25+ currencies, physical and virtual cards, expense management, and accounting integrations with Xero, QuickBooks, NetSuite and others. The business page says Revolut is “not yet a bank in the US” and that cards come from Lead Bank. I could not retrieve the exact allowances by plan, so ask before you assume a number of free transfers.

My read for a small store: Wise Business is the cheaper starting point if your main job is paying and getting paid across borders. Revolut Business makes sense if you also want expense controls, a team spending layer and a bundle of tools in one place, and you are happy to pay a monthly plan. My Revolut Business review covers that side in more depth.

Speed, Limits and Customer Support

Wise’s comparison feed estimated about 12 hours for the sample USD to EUR transfer I queried. Revolut says bank transfers generally take 3 to 5 business days and that it does not set transfer limits for most currencies and destination countries, though partner banks may impose their own, shown before you confirm.

On support, NerdWallet’s Revolut review (updated January 2026) lists the lack of live telephone customer support as a drawback, along with fees for cash deposits, no mobile check deposit and no physical branches. It rates Revolut 3.9 out of 5 and calls it best for people who want currency exchange and are comfortable doing their banking on their own through the app, while keeping traditional bank accounts elsewhere. You can read the NerdWallet review of Revolut for the full breakdown.

I did not find an independent review of Wise support that I could verify, so I will not grade it. With either company, test support before you need it and keep your verification documents handy.

Extras: Savings, Stocks and What Wise Does Not Do

Revolut is a broader app. Its US home page advertises high-yield savings at up to 4% APY (variable), with the savings service provided by Cross River Bank (Member FDIC), plus access to 4,000+ stocks and ETFs. I did not verify the trading fees. NerdWallet’s review cautions that you may earn a better yield in a traditional high-rate savings account instead. Rates change often, so treat any APY as a snapshot.

Wise also advertises an opt-in interest feature for USD balances, listing 3.4% APY (its interest page says rates were last updated September 18, 2026) with pass-through FDIC insurance up to $250,000 through its program bank. The two programs are set up differently, so I would check the terms of each, including how the money is held, before parking money anywhere. I am not telling you to buy or hold any security or to use any rate; this is simply what each company lists.

Safety, Regulation and the Tax Angle

Where you live changes the answer. In the UK, Wise’s own footer states that Wise Payments Limited is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority under the Electronic Money Regulations 2011 for issuing electronic money. NerdWallet notes Revolut has a European banking license but operates as a nonbank in the US. I did not verify UK or EU deposit protection for either company here, so check each company’s regulatory page for your country before relying on any guarantee.

Revolut’s UK plans also differ from the US ones. The UK page lists Standard (free), Plus at 3.99 GBP, Premium at 7.99 GBP, Metal at 14.99 GBP and Ultra at 55 GBP a month, while the US page lists three. I did not verify EU pricing.

The tax side catches expats and nomads out. The IRS says a US person must file an FBAR if they have a financial interest in or signature authority over foreign financial accounts whose aggregate value exceeded $10,000 at any time in the year. Whether a given Wise or Revolut account counts as a foreign account depends on which entity holds it and where, so my guide to FBAR filing for expats is worth reading. The IRS page on the FBAR has the official rules. A tax professional can tell you what applies to you.

Both companies run identity and compliance checks, and any fintech account can be restricted or put under review. I have not measured how often that happens at either one, and I will not guess. The sensible protection is the same for both: do not keep all your working capital in a single app, and keep a traditional bank account for your core business.

Which Should You Use? Matching the Account to the Job

If you pay overseas manufacturers or agents in large chunks, Wise looks like the safer default, because its fee falls as a percentage on bigger transfers and it states the mid-market rate. If you are still finding suppliers, my supplier guide shows how I source them, and if your suppliers are US-based and paid in dollars, cross-border fees matter less than they do for overseas sourcing.

If you travel a lot and want one card and app for spending, plus small FX conversions that stay inside a plan allowance, Revolut is the better everyday companion. Pay attention to the weekend markup and the $1,000 Standard limit, because those are the details that turn a cheap-looking plan into a pricey one.

If you get paid in several currencies, Wise’s local account details are the stronger feature on the pages I read. If you want a team spending layer and a tool bundle, Revolut Business has more of that. If you are still choosing a niche and a store model, my high-ticket niches list helps you see how much of your cost base is likely to be international.

My Verdict: Wise or Revolut?

For store owners who move money across borders, my pick is Wise, with Revolut as the optional second account. The reasons are the simple fee structure, the stated mid-market rate, no plan tiers and the account details for receiving payments. The downside is that Wise can cost more on small transfers than Revolut’s best case, and the $9 card fee and ATM charges after $250 a month add up for heavy cash users.

Revolut wins on breadth, on small weekday exchanges inside your allowance, and on an app that does more than transfers. It loses on predictability: plan tiers, allowances, a weekend markup and a market rate whose spread I could not verify. Pick it if you will use the whole app, not just the exchange feature.

Whichever you choose, send a small test transfer first and screenshot the quote. When you are ready to try the one I lean toward, you can compare a live Wise quote against your bank or Revolut in a couple of minutes before you commit anything. If you want hands-on help building the store these payments will support, take a look at my coaching.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Wise cheaper than Revolut?
It depends on the transfer. Wise lists sending fees from 0.23% with a stated mid-market rate, while Revolut Standard can be cheaper on small weekday exchanges inside its $1,000 monthly allowance and costlier on larger ones. Get a quote from each, and you can start with Wise’s calculator.

Is Revolut a bank in the US?
Not according to its own business page, which says it is not yet a bank in the US and works with partner banks. Its fee page says funds in the prepaid card account are held or transferred to Lead Bank, an FDIC-insured institution, and that FDIC insurance does not cover Revolut’s own failure. Read the disclosures for the exact protection that applies.

Are Wise and Revolut safe?
Both are regulated in their own ways, but neither is an FDIC-insured bank in the US. Wise says it safeguards customer money in banks separate from its own funds. Whichever you use, keep a second account and do not park all your working capital in one app.

Which one is better for paying suppliers abroad?
For large cross-border payments I lean toward Wise because the fee and rate are shown up front. Revolut can work if you stay within its allowances and send on weekdays. Always compare the amount your supplier receives, not just the headline fee.

Can I use both Wise and Revolut?
Yes, and many people do. Use Revolut for daily spending and small exchanges within its allowance, and use Wise for larger transfers and for receiving payments. Just check any account rules or tax reporting that apply where you live.

Related Articles

If you found this useful, these guides go deeper on related topics:

• Airwallex vs Revolut in 2026: Which Global Business Account Wins for Cross-Border Ecommerce?
• Best Multi-Currency Accounts for Digital Nomads in 2026
• How to Set Up Revolut Business for Your Ecommerce Store
• Best International Money Transfer App in 2026: Top Picks for Speed, Low Fees, and Global Coverage
• High-Ticket Dropshipping: What It Is and How to Start (2026 Guide)

Trevor Fenner

Trevor Fenner is an ecommerce entrepreneur and the founder of Ecommerce Paradise, a platform focused on helping entrepreneurs build and scale profitable high-ticket ecommerce and dropshipping businesses. With over a decade of hands-on experience, Trevor specializes in high-ticket dropshipping strategy, niche and product selection, supplier recruiting and onboarding, Google & Bing Shopping ads, ecommerce SEO, and systems-driven automation and scaling. Through Ecommerce Paradise, he provides free education via in-depth guides like How to Start High-Ticket Dropshipping, advanced training through the High-Ticket Dropshipping Masterclass, and fully done-for-you turnkey ecommerce services for entrepreneurs who want a faster, more hands-off path to growth. Trevor is known for emphasizing sustainable, real-world ecommerce models over hype-driven tactics, helping store owners build scalable, sellable, and location-independent brands.

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