WI
Wise
Mid-market FX, transparent fees. UK, US, EU, AU, CA.
Visit WiseLive Wise quote, quarterly verified for the rest
Live remittance comparison
The cheapest way to send money to Kenya right now. Wise is fetched live from the public quote API; the other providers refresh from our quarterly verification cycle. Type your amount and currency to rank all major rails by net KES delivered.
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
Wise delivers KES 64,188
Total cost: 0.87% of the send
| Provider | Net to M-PESA | vs cheapest | Total cost | Verified | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 Wise minutes | KES 64,188 | - | 0.87% | 3mo ago | |
2 NALA minutes | KES 63,844 | -KES 344 | 1.40% | 3mo ago | |
3 Sendwave minutes | KES 63,779 | -KES 409 | 1.50% | 3mo ago | |
4 LemFi minutes | KES 63,779 | -KES 409 | 1.50% | 3mo ago | |
5 Remitly same day | KES 63,585 | -KES 603 | 1.80% | 3mo ago | |
6 TapTap Send minutes | KES 63,585 | -KES 603 | 1.80% | 3mo ago | |
7 WorldRemit minutes | KES 63,076 | -KES 1,112 | 2.59% | 3mo ago | |
8 Western Union minutes | KES 62,501 | -KES 1,686 | 3.47% | 3mo ago | |
9 PayPal (Xoom) minutes | KES 58,802 | -KES 5,386 | 9.19% | 3mo ago |
Wise: Mid-market FX + small fixed fee + 0.43% variable. Tightest FX margin in the market. (Live API unreachable, fallback model.)
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.
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.
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Live rankings above. Click through to lock in your transfer at the provider's live in-app quote, which is always authoritative.
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 SendvaluEmbed the live comparison on your site
Free to use on any blog, fintech site, or diaspora resource. The widget shows the same live Wise quote + quarterly-verified comparison readers see here. Auto-updates with our refresh cycle, no maintenance required.
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How the live comparison works
The comparison engine reads two inputs (source amount and source currency) and produces a ranked list of providers by net KES delivered to the recipient's M-PESA wallet.
The math, in one paragraph
For each provider, the engine applies its fee model: a flat fee in the source currency (typically USD 0 to USD 5), plus a percentage fee on the source amount (typically 0 to 4.4%), then converts the remaining source amount to KES at the provider's effective rate (mid-market FX minus the provider's margin, typically 0.2% to 3.5%). PayPal additionally subtracts a 1.5% on-arrival cut on the Equity-M-PESA payout. The result is net KES to the recipient.
Why net KES is the right metric
Headline fees mislead because they hide the FX margin. A provider advertising "no fees" with a 3% margin is more expensive than a provider with a USD 2 flat fee and a 0.2% margin on most amounts above USD 100. Ranking by net KES is the only honest comparison.
Wise live quote integration
On every amount or currency change, the tool fetches the Wise quote via our Edge function at /api/quotes/wise, which proxies Wise's public quote API and caches for 5 minutes. The other providers use baked-in rates from our quarterly verification cycle, with per-row freshness stamps so you see exactly how recent each price reference is.
What is not modelled
Promotional first-transfer FX bands (Wise, Remitly, and Western Union sometimes offer -0.5% to -1% off the standard margin on the first send), corridor-specific overrides outside the standard model, and any currency conversions that route through a third currency. For the binding quote, open the provider's app from the "Open" button on each row.
FAQ
Why is Wise the only provider with a live quote?
Wise is the only major Kenya remittance provider with a public quote API in 2026. The endpoint at api.wise.com/v3/quotes is unauthenticated, free, and rate-limited. PayPal Xoom, Sendwave, WorldRemit, Western Union, Remitly, TapTap Send, LemFi, and NALA all require partner agreements for live quote access. Our other-provider rates come from quarterly verification of each provider's public pricing page.
How fresh are the non-Wise rates?
Each non-Wise provider shows a "Verified" timestamp on its row. We refresh the reference fees + FX margins every quarter (or within 48 hours of any major pricing change we catch). The timestamp updates each time we re-verify against the provider's pricing page.
What does "net to M-PESA" mean?
The exact KES that lands in the recipient's M-PESA wallet after the provider's fee, FX margin, and any on-arrival cuts. For PayPal-Equity-M-PESA the math also subtracts the 1.5% on-arrival fee. This is the number you actually care about.
Should I always pick the cheapest provider?
Net KES is the right metric for most senders. The exceptions: (1) you need the speed of an Express tier, (2) you need a physical agent network (Western Union, MoneyGram), (3) the provider does not serve your sender country, (4) you have a first-transfer promotional FX bonus on a non-cheapest provider that flips the ranking. The table shows delivery speed alongside price so you can balance both.
How does this compare to the individual fee calculators?
This page ranks all providers side-by-side for a single amount. The individual calculators at /calculators/wise-kenya-fees-calculator, /calculators/paypal-kenya-fees-calculator, etc. show the full per-provider breakdown (fee, margin, on-arrival cut) for that one provider. Use this page to pick the cheapest, then open the individual calculator to understand why.
Will this work from any country?
The tool quotes for major sender currencies: USD, GBP, EUR, CAD, AUD, AED, SAR, QAR. Provider coverage varies per currency (see the per-row "Verified" stamps). For corridor-specific guides (US to Kenya, UK to Kenya, etc.), see /send-money-to-kenya and the from/[country] pages.
What if the Wise live quote fails to load?
The tool falls back to our baked-in Wise reference model (verified the same week as the other providers). The status badge at the top shows "Wise API unreachable, using reference rate" so you know the difference. Net KES is still accurate within a few percent.
Related on paybillke
- Send money to Kenya: pick your sending country
- Diaspora send calculator (the static version)
- Cheapest way to send money to Kenya (full guide)
- Diaspora hub (recipient-side, by country)
Last verified: June 2026. Wise fetched live; other providers refreshed quarterly and within 48 hours of any major pricing change. See how we verify.