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Wise
Mid-market FX, transparent fees. UK, US, EU, AU, CA.
Visit WiseLive-tested July 2026
Remitly fees: Express $2.99-9.99 vs Economy zero-fee
Remitly's two-tier fee model is unusual in the Kenya remittance space. Economy is often zero-fee with a 1.5-2.5% FX margin baked in; Express costs $2.99-9.99 for minutes-delivery. The first-transfer promotional FX makes the initial send often cheaper than any competitor.
Two tiers, two fee structures
Economy tier
Zero flat + 1.5-2.5% FX margin
Delivery in 1-3 business days. All-in cost about 1.5-2.5% on repeat sends, lower on first-transfer promo. Best value for non-urgent recurring remittance.
Express tier
$2.99-9.99 flat + wider FX
Delivery in minutes. Fee scales by amount tier. All-in cost about 4-6% typically, higher on smaller amounts. Use only when speed matters.
Worked examples (July 2026)
| Amount | Tier | Fee | KES delivered | All-in % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $100 | Economy (repeat) | $0 | KES 12,717 | 1.80% |
| $100 | Economy (promo) | $0 | KES ~12,850 | ~0.9% |
| $100 | Express | $2.99 | KES 12,325 | 4.5% |
| $500 | Economy (repeat) | $0 | KES 63,585 | 1.4% |
| $500 | Express | $4.99 | KES 61,900 | 3.6% |
Compare live
The calculator ranks Remitly Economy alongside Wise, Sendwave, and NALA at today's live rates.
Live comparison
Wise is fetched live; other providers update from our quarterly verification cycle. Rankings refresh as you change the amount.
Currency: US Dollar
Cheapest right now
NALA delivers KES 12,769
Total cost: 1.40% of the send
| Provider | Net to M-PESA | vs cheapest | Total cost | Verified | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 NALA minutes | KES 12,769 | - | 1.40% | 4mo ago | |
2 Sendwave minutes | KES 12,756 | -KES 13 | 1.50% | 4mo ago | |
3 LemFi minutes | KES 12,756 | -KES 13 | 1.50% | 4mo ago | |
4 Remitly same day | KES 12,717 | -KES 52 | 1.80% | 4mo ago | |
5 TapTap Send minutes | KES 12,717 | -KES 52 | 1.80% | 4mo ago | |
6 Wise minutes | KES 12,713 | -KES 55 | 1.83% | 3mo ago | |
7 WorldRemit minutes | KES 12,312 | -KES 457 | 4.93% | 4mo ago | |
8 Western Union minutes | KES 11,996 | -KES 772 | 7.37% | 4mo ago | |
9 PayPal (Xoom) minutes | KES 11,731 | -KES 1,038 | 9.41% | 4mo ago |
NALA: East Africa specialist. Often cheapest on Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya corridors.
Sendwave: Zero flat fee, ~1.5% FX margin. Wins on small sends under $200.
LemFi: Strong UK and Canada corridor pricing. Often beats Wise on UK to KES small sends.
Remitly: Express (faster, more expensive) vs Economy (1-2 days, cheaper). We model Economy.
TapTap Send: Zero flat fee, FX margin around 1.8%. Wide EU coverage.
Wise: Mid-market FX + small fixed fee + 0.43% variable. Tightest FX margin in the market. (Live API unreachable, fallback model.)
WorldRemit: Fixed transfer fee + ~2% FX margin. Broadest country coverage.
Western Union: Online (web/app) flat fee + ~2.5% margin. Agent cash costs more.
PayPal (Xoom): PayPal commercial fee + ~3.5% FX + 1.5% on-arrival cut. Structurally expensive.
Comparison engine ranks providers by net KES delivered (descending). Wise is fetched live from the public quote API; other providers reflect our quarterly verification. For a binding quote, open the provider directly. Affiliate links may earn paybillke a commission at no cost to you.
Compare remittance
Grab the Remitly first-transfer promo
Sign up and the first send is often cheaper than mid-market.
SW
Sendwave
Diaspora-Africa specialist. Often cheapest under $200.
Visit SendwaveLF
Lemfi
Strong UK-Kenya corridor, mobile-first app.
Visit LemfiWR
WorldRemit
Wider receive options including bank deposit and cash pickup.
Visit WorldRemitRE
Remitly
US-focused remittance with promotional FX for first transfers.
Visit RemitlyWU
Western Union
Legacy provider with the widest cash-pickup network for non-M-PESA family.
Visit Western UnionTT
TapTap Send
Africa-focused mobile app with fee-free transfers on many corridors.
Visit TapTap SendNL
NALA
East-Africa-focused app with strong UK and US corridor coverage.
Visit NALAMG
MoneyGram
Global legacy provider with deep cash-pickup network across Kenya.
Visit MoneyGramRM
Ria Money Transfer
Cash + digital, Walmart and many US retailers as sending points.
Visit Ria Money TransferCC
Chipper Cash
Pan-African app, originally peer-to-peer across Africa, now with diaspora sends.
Visit Chipper CashSK
Skrill
E-wallet first, used for international transfers and online betting payouts.
Visit SkrillSV
Sendvalu
Germany-based, EU-to-Africa corridors with cash-pickup partner network.
Visit SendvaluFAQ
How much does Remitly cost to send to Kenya?
Economy tier: often zero fee plus 1.5-2.5% FX margin (about $1.50-2.50 all-in on $100). Express tier: $2.99-9.99 fee plus a wider FX margin. First-transfer promo often flips Economy to zero or near-zero all-in cost.
Does the first-transfer promo really beat mid-market?
Yes, sometimes. Remitly runs promotional FX for new customers that occasionally undercuts even mid-market on the first send. The offer varies but is often 3-5 percent better than the standard rate. Applies to first send only.
What is the true cost after the promo expires?
On US-Kenya Economy repeat sends: about 1.5-2% all-in. Comparable to Sendwave on small sends, more expensive than Wise on medium-large sends. Remitly is rarely the outright cheapest for repeat volume, but the first-send promo captures value for new users.
Are Express fees fixed or per-amount?
Fixed. $2.99 for smaller amounts scaling up to $9.99 for larger. On top of the fixed fee, Express uses a slightly wider FX margin than Economy. Reserve Express for genuinely urgent sends.
Do credit-card fees apply?
On Remitly Economy, credit-card funding is free (no surcharge). This is unusual, most providers charge 1.5-3% for credit. On Express, credit adds a small surcharge but is still cheaper than PayPal Xoom.
Is Remitly cheaper than Wise?
Only on the first transfer. After the promo, Wise typically wins on sends above $100. Below $100, Sendwave usually beats both. Run the calculator for your amount.
Remitly
US-focused remittance with promotional FX for first transfers.