WI
Wise
Mid-market FX, transparent fees. UK, US, EU, AU, CA.
Visit WiseLive-tested July 2026
Wise fees: $1.20 flat + 0.43% variable, mid-market FX
Wise is the only major provider that uses actual mid-market FX (no FX margin) and shows its full fee breakdown before you confirm. That makes it structurally cheaper than every alternative above roughly $300 per send, and the only honest choice for anyone who cares about total delivered KES rather than the headline fee number.
The two-part fee structure
Part 1
Fixed fee: ~$1.20 (US)
Charged per send from the US, regardless of amount. Varies by corridor: about £0.80 from the UK, C$1.20 from Canada, €1.10 from the EU. Shown as a separate line on the confirmation screen.
Part 2
Variable fee: 0.43%
0.43% of the amount you send, applied to mid-market FX. On a $100 send that is $0.43; on $500 it is $2.15; on $1,000 it is $4.30. Volume discounts kick in above $10,000 on the Business tier, dropping this to about 0.35%.
Worked examples (July 2026)
Live-tested against the Wise app on 1 July 2026 for a US to Kenya M-PESA send. Mid-market FX 128.99 KES/USD from api.wise.com.
| Amount | Fixed | Variable | Total fee | KES delivered | All-in % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $50 | $1.20 | $0.22 | $1.42 | KES 6,262 | 2.84% |
| $100 | $1.20 | $0.43 | $1.63 | KES 12,713 | 1.63% |
| $500 | $1.20 | $2.15 | $3.35 | KES 64,067 | 0.67% |
| $1,000 | $1.20 | $4.30 | $5.50 | KES 128,281 | 0.55% |
| $5,000 | $1.20 | $21.50 | $22.70 | KES 642,033 | 0.45% |
Notice the all-in percentage falls sharply as the send grows. This is the inverse of Sendwave's curve (which stays roughly flat at 1.5% because the FX margin scales linearly). It is why Wise wins clearly above $300.
Compare live: your amount, today's rates
The live calculator shows Wise (fetched live from api.wise.com) alongside Sendwave, Remitly, and NALA at today's rates. See where the Wise crossover sits for your amount.
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% | 4mo ago | |
3 Sendwave minutes | KES 63,779 | -KES 409 | 1.50% | 4mo ago | |
4 LemFi minutes | KES 63,779 | -KES 409 | 1.50% | 4mo ago | |
5 Remitly same day | KES 63,585 | -KES 603 | 1.80% | 4mo ago | |
6 TapTap Send minutes | KES 63,585 | -KES 603 | 1.80% | 4mo ago | |
7 WorldRemit minutes | KES 63,076 | -KES 1,112 | 2.59% | 4mo ago | |
8 Western Union minutes | KES 62,501 | -KES 1,686 | 3.47% | 4mo ago | |
9 PayPal (Xoom) minutes | KES 58,802 | -KES 5,386 | 9.19% | 4mo 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.
Wise fees vs the alternatives
- vs Sendwave: Sendwave $0.49 flat + ~1% FX margin. Cheaper under $300; more expensive above.
- vs Remitly: Remitly Economy free fee + ~1.5-2.5% FX margin. Cheaper only on first-transfer promo; Wise wins on repeat sends above $100.
- vs WorldRemit: WorldRemit $1.99-4.99 fee + 1-2% FX margin. Wise wins across nearly every amount for M-PESA-only delivery.
- vs a US bank wire: Bank wires $25-45 flat + 2-3% FX margin. Wise is 14-30x cheaper on any personal remittance.
- vs PayPal Xoom: PayPal charges 3-4% FX margin plus fees. Wise is 3-5x cheaper.
Compare remittance
Try Wise alongside the alternatives
Sign up, run one quote, see the delivered KES.
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
Does Wise really use mid-market FX with no margin?
Yes, and this is Wise's single biggest structural advantage. The FX rate you see in the app matches the rate on Google or Reuters at the same second. Wise makes its money on the two-part fee (fixed plus variable), not on hidden FX spread. This is different from every other major remittance provider.
What is the total cost of a $100 Wise send to Kenya?
From the US in July 2026: about $1.63 all-in. That is $1.20 fixed fee plus $0.43 variable (0.43% of $100). Compared to mid-market you get 128.99 KES/USD, delivering KES 12,713 to the recipient. All-in cost is 1.63 percent.
How does the Wise fee scale?
The fixed portion stays flat at about $1.20; the variable portion is 0.43% of amount. So the total cost as a percentage falls as the send grows. On $100: 1.63%. On $500: 0.67%. On $1,000: 0.55%. On $5,000: 0.45%. This inverted curve is why Wise wins on larger sends.
Do fees differ by sending country?
Yes, the fixed portion varies. US: ~$1.20. UK: ~£0.80. Canada: ~C$1.20. EU: ~€1.10. Australia: ~A$1.50. The variable portion (0.43-0.50%) is roughly similar across corridors. Bank-funded is always cheapest; debit adds 0.5%; credit card adds 1.5-3%.
Is Wise cheaper for large business transfers?
For sends above $10,000, the Wise Business tier has volume discounts and the variable fee drops to about 0.35%. Below $10,000 the personal tier applies. For property purchases or business capital transfers to Kenya, Wise typically beats a SWIFT wire by 20-40x.
What is the cheapest way to fund a Wise transfer?
ACH bank pull (US), Faster Payments (UK), EFT (Canada). All three are free and take 1-2 business days for first-time verification. After that, near-instant. Avoid credit-card funding on any provider; it adds 1.5-3% surcharge.
When is Wise more expensive than Sendwave?
Under about $300 per send from the US. Sendwave charges $0.49 flat + ~1% FX margin, which undercuts Wise's $1.20 fixed on small amounts. On a $50 send: Sendwave costs about $0.99, Wise about $1.42. The crossover is at roughly $250-300.
Wise
Mid-market FX, transparent fees. UK, US, EU, AU, CA.