A free money transfer comparison that ranks banks and transfer services by what actually arrives, with each one's fee and the markup hidden in its exchange rate.
5.0(1 rating)Compare what each bank and money transfer service delivers when you send money abroad, ranked by what arrives, against the mid-market amount.
Your transfer
The quotes come from Wise's public comparison data: real prices collected from each provider's own site about once an hour, for a bank transfer in and out, set against today's mid-market rate. Wise is one of the providers compared, and paying by card usually costs more. Some Send buttons are affiliate links: I may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you, and it never changes the order, which is what arrives.
This free money transfer comparison shows what each bank and money transfer service delivers when you send money abroad, ranked by what actually arrives.
Type what you send and pick 2 currencies. You get every provider for that route, the fee each one charges, the markup hidden in its exchange rate, and how close each gets to the mid-market amount.
Here's why the rate matters more than the fee, where the quotes come from, and what to check before you send.
What is a money transfer comparison?
A money transfer comparison puts the providers for one route side by side and ranks them by what the other side receives. That's the number that counts: a "no fee" transfer can still cost more than a paid one when its exchange rate is worse.
The fee you see and the fee you don't
A provider earns in 2 places: the fee it shows you, and the gap between its exchange rate and the mid-market rate, the midpoint banks trade at between themselves. The second one is easy to miss, because it's already inside the rate.
On September 27, 2026, sending $1,000 to euros came to €877.85 at the mid-market rate. The service that delivered the most sent €872.40 with no fee. A provider with a 2.5% markup and a $5 fee sent €851.22, over €20 less for the same transfer.
So compare what arrives, and check the markup on each row. The currency converter shows the mid-market rate itself, with up to 10 years of history.
Where the quotes come from
The quotes are Wise's public comparison data. Per Wise's own documentation, each is a real quote collected from the provider's own site about once an hour, with its markup set against the current mid-market rate. They cover a bank transfer in and out; paying by card usually costs more.
Wise is one of the providers in that data. The list is ranked by what arrives, so Wise sits wherever its price puts it, and on many routes another provider delivers more. Each row shows the day its quote was collected.
The top money transfer services
On September 27, 2026, I ran 12 common routes through the comparison, sending 1,000 in the sending currency each time: US dollars to euros, pounds, Canadian dollars, Indian rupees, Mexican pesos and Philippine pesos, pounds to euros and rupees, euros to dollars and pounds, and Australian and Canadian dollars to US dollars.
Wise- In the top five
- 12 of 12 routes
- Delivered the most
- 3 routes
Instarem- In the top five
- 11 of 11 routes
- Delivered the most
- 3 routes
Remitly- In the top five
- 8 of 8 routes
- Delivered the most
- 6 routes
Western Union- In the top five
- 10 of 12 routes
- Delivered the most
- None
OFX- In the top five
- 7 of 12 routes
- Delivered the most
- None
WorldRemit- In the top five
- 6 of 7 routes
- Delivered the most
- None
MoneyGram- In the top five
- 3 of 3 routes
- Delivered the most
- None
Remitly delivered the most on six of the eight routes it quotes, and Wise and Instarem on three each. Wise was in the top five on all 12, and it's the one I use myself.
Prices move every hour, so check your own route in the comparison above. Every money transfer service in it has a button to its own site.
How to use the money transfer comparison
The comparison starts on the currency of the country you're in, and your amount and currencies stay in this browser.
Before you send
- Compare what arrives, not the fee
- Check the provider's own price for your exact amount, since quotes move with the rate
- Pay by bank transfer, which is what these quotes assume
- For large amounts, ask about limits and the documents the provider needs first
Money across borders
I've lived in 19 countries, and my home base is Panama, where I'm a permanent resident. I wrote about what a global citizen is, and about money and the choices it buys under freedom.
Money isn't freedom.
But without financial freedom, real freedom is impossible.
Who is the money transfer comparison for?
It's for anyone who moves money between countries, and each of them has a next step:
- Currency converter – anyone checking the mid-market rate itself, with its history
- Digital nomad visa finder – remote workers paid in one currency and living in another
- Golden visa finder – investors moving a large sum for a residence
- Retirement visa finder – retirees sending a pension abroad each month
- 183-day rule calculator – anyone counting the days before a country taxes them
- Digital nomad bank account finder – anyone choosing the accounts to send from and receive into
- What is a global citizen? – anyone building a life across borders, in my own words
More money tools are on the free finance tools page. Or browse all my free tools.
Money Transfer Comparison FAQs
Questions about sending money abroad? Here's what to know.
A money transfer comparison ranks the banks and transfer services for one route by what the other side receives.
This one shows each provider's fee, the markup in its exchange rate, and how close it gets to the mid-market amount.
It depends on the route and the amount, so compare what arrives for yours.
In the quotes here, banks mostly add a bigger markup to the exchange rate than money transfer services do.
The mid-market rate is the midpoint between the buy and sell prices on the currency markets, the rate banks trade at between themselves.
The currency converter shows it for 158 currencies.
Because the provider can add a markup to the exchange rate instead.
That's why this comparison ranks by what arrives, and shows each row's markup next to its fee.
From Wise's public comparison data: real quotes collected from each provider's own site about once an hour, set against the current mid-market rate.
They cover a bank transfer in and out, and each row shows the day its quote was collected.
On 12 common routes on September 27, 2026, Wise, Instarem, Remitly and Western Union were in the top five most often, and Remitly delivered the most on six of them.
The best one changes with the route and the amount, so check yours in the comparison.
No. The list is ranked by what arrives, and on many routes another provider delivers more.
I use Wise myself. It's one of the providers in the data, and I earn a commission if you send with Wise through my link.
I did. I'm Navid Moazzez, and the money transfer comparison is one of my free tools on navid.me.
Read about me, or see my creator profile.
Navid Moazzez
AI business strategist & AI OS builder
Navid Moazzez helps creators and founders master AI and build their own AI Operating System (AI OS) to automate their business and life.
Navid.me is reader-supported. When you buy through links on this site, I may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more.
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