Personal Finance Tips

7 Remitly alternatives for personal use: 2025 guide

Alexis Konovodoff

16.09.25 (last updated)

Read time 5 minutes

Remitly lets you transfer money internationally to countries like Mexico, the Philippines, India, Colombia, and more.¹

You can send transfers to bank accounts, mobile wallets, or cash pickup locations, depending on what your recipient needs. Remitly also promises that every money transfer gets delivered on time, or they'll refund your fees.¹

However, Remitly isn't your only choice for international money transfers. Several other services might offer better exchange rates, lower fees, or more features that might come in handy. Here are the best alternatives to Remitly to help you make an informed decision.

We'll also introduce the Wise account, which allows you to send, spend, and receive your money across the globe in over 40 currencies – all at the fair mid-market rate.

Learn more 🔎

1. Wise

One of the best Remitly alternatives, Wise is a full-featured international money platform.

In addition to money transfer services, you also get a multi-currency account that holds money in over 40 currencies. The service reaches 140+ countries for sending money and provides local account details in 8+ currencies for receiving payments.

You can also get a Wise multi-currency card that works almost everywhere in the world.

Wise uses the mid-market exchange rate with transparent fees starting from 0.41%.² This is very different from Remitly, which adds currency conversion markups on top of their transfer fees.

Wise also offers savings on large transfers. Remitly's limit is 100,000 USD when sending from the US. With Wise, you can send up to 1,000,000 USD per wire transfer — and we automatically apply a discount when you send over 25,000 USD (or equivalent)*.³

Overall, when it comes to Wise vs. Remitly, Wise is often cheaper and more convenient to send money online.

Pros	Cons
Mid-market exchange rates with no markup	Wise is an entirely virtual service — no in-person support or cash pickup options
Multi-currency account with connected card	Over 60% of transfers are instant, but some foreign currency transfers can take up to 2 days**
High transfer limits (1M USD for wire transfers) with discounts on eligible transfers³
Low, transparent fees

🚀 Get started with Wise

*For more information, please visit https://payout-surge.live/us/large-amounts/%3C/a%3E.%3C/small%3E%3C/p%3E

**Transaction speed claimed depends on funds availability, approval by Wise’s proprietary verification system and systems availability of our partners’ banking system, and may not be available for all transactions.

2. WorldRemit

WorldRemit allows you to send online money transfers to over 130 countries, reaching slightly fewer destinations than Remitly's 170 countries.¹⁴

Most transfers arrive within minutes, making it a fast option for urgent payments. You can choose from several delivery methods, including cash pickup, bank transfers, mobile money, and airtime top-ups for mobile phones.

New users often get promotional rates on their first transfer. However, like Remitly, WorldRemit doesn't provide explicit information about their fees and exchange rate markups. You'll need to enter your transfer details to see the costs to send money internationally.

Pros	Cons
Fast transfers	Fewer destination countries than Remitly (130 vs 170)¹⁴
Multiple delivery options, including airtime top-ups	Exchange rate markups
First-time user promotional rates	Unclear fee structure until you start a transfer

3. Western Union

Western Union is one of the oldest services for international transfers. It moves money from the US to over 200 countries and territories, which is more destinations than most Remitly competitors.⁵

You can send transfers online or visit one of Western Union's many physical locations worldwide to pay and send in person. When sending in person, watch out for scams.

Western Union charges both transfer fees and currency exchange rate markups, though exact amounts vary by destination and transfer method. Typically, it's not the cheapest way to send money overseas, especially if you're funding your transfer by card.

Pros	Cons
Extensive network with 200+ countries/territories⁵	Often higher fees than other transfer services
Physical locations for in-person service	Currency exchange rate markups
Long-established reputation and trust	Possible scam attempts

4. MoneyGram

With MoneyGram, you can send money from the US to over 200 countries and territories.⁶ It's easy to transfer money through the app, website, or by visiting their physical locations. There's also a bill payment service.

Like most other Remitly-similar apps, MoneyGram charges transfer fees plus currency exchange rate markups. In many ways, it's similar to Remitly, but one service may be cheaper than the other depending on the specifics of your transaction, such as how you want your recipient to receive money.

Pros	Cons
Reaches 200+ countries and territories⁶	Fees and exchange rate markups can be high
Multiple ways to send money, including in app, online, and in person	Low limits compared to other Remitly alternatives — 10,000 USD per 30 days for most countries⁷
Bill payment services

5. OFX

OFX specializes in currency exchange and international transfers for individuals, businesses, and e-commerce companies. You can send money to over 170 countries in 50+ currencies.⁸

This is comparable to Remitly's reach, but OFX stands out for handling large transfers. There are no maximum transfer limits, so you can send as much as you need as long as there are no restrictions from your or your recipient's bank.⁹

OFX makes money through currency exchange rates, though they warn that third-party banks might deduct fees before paying your recipient.¹⁰ This might make it less expensive than Remitly’s fees, but it ultimately depends on how competitive the exchange rates with OFX are, since they change all the time.

Pros	Cons
No maximum transfer limits⁹	150 USD minimum transfer requirement¹¹
Often no transfer fees¹⁰	Exchange rates may be less competitive
Reaches 170 countries in 50+ currencies⁸	Limited delivery options

Need to send a large amount? With Wise, you can send up to 1,000,000 USD per wire transfer to 140+ countries — and we automatically apply a discount when you send over 25,000 USD (or equivalent)*.

🚀Send high-amount transfers with Wise

*For more information, please visit https://payout-surge.live/us/large-amounts/%3C/a%3E.%3C/small%3E%3C/p%3E

6. Xoom

Xoom is PayPal's international money transfer service, and it gives you multiple ways to send money globally.

Depending on your recipient's country, you can transfer to bank accounts and debit cards, send to mobile wallets like UPI and PIX, arrange cash pickup and delivery, or reload mobile phones with airtime.¹²

Like most international money transfer services, Xoom charges fees plus currency exchange rate markups. The speed and safety are comparable to Remitly, so it's a good idea to plug in your specific transaction details to see which one is the right money transfer service for you.

Pros	Cons
Multiple delivery options, including mobile wallets	Fees and exchange rate markups can add up
PayPal integrations
Quick transfers to many destinations

7. Xe

Similar to OFX, Xe focuses on currency conversions and global money transfers. You can send money to over 190 countries worldwide with live exchange rates across 100+ currencies.¹³

There are both personal and business transfer services, and you can set rate alerts to take advantage of competitive exchange rates.

At the same time, exchange rates for some destination countries may be better with Remitly or another provider. For example, learn about the Remitly fees and transfer costs when sending money to India.

Pros	Cons
Reaches 190+ countries with live rates¹³	Often not the cheapest currency exchange rates
Currency tools and rate alerts	The interface can look complicated to some users
Established provider

As you can see after reading this guide, Remitly is far from the only online transfer service out there. There are many apps like Remitly, and it's important not to go with your first option without further research.

We’ve given you a handy list of Remitly competitors so you can shop around and find the best one for you. Just remember to compare exchange rates as well as fees. Look for providers such as Wise that stick to the mid-market exchange rate with no margin on top.

Make low-cost international transfers with Wise

A smart option if you’re sending money overseas: meet Wise.

Register a Wise account online or in the Wise app, and send money to 140+ countries, with the mid-market exchange rate and low, transparent fees.

Wise always shows you the amount you’re paying and how much your recipient will get — and you can even compare against other providers on the Wise app or desktop site.

If another service is cheaper for your particular payment, you’ll be shown — so you can’t lose.

Get started with Wise

See how Wise compares with international bank transfers in our full guide

Please see Terms of Use for your region or visit Wise Fees & Pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information

Sources

Remitly - Home page
Wise - Pricing
Wise - Full guide to (Transfer)Wise limits
WorldRemit - Home page
Western Union - Home page
MoneyGram - Home page
MoneyGram - Sending money
OFX - Home
OFX - What is the maximum amount of money you can transfer overseas?
OFX - Are there any transfer fees?
OFX - What is the minimum transfer amount?
Xoom - Money transfer
Xe - Home page

Sources checked 09/17/2025

*Please see terms of use and product availability for your region or visit Wise fees and pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.

This publication is provided for general information purposes and does not constitute legal, tax or other professional advice from Wise Payments Limited or its subsidiaries and its affiliates, and it is not intended as a substitute for obtaining advice from a financial advisor or any other professional.

We make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether expressed or implied, that the content in the publication is accurate, complete or up to date.