PayPal

Online payment account and app for paying shops, sending money and buying now, paying later.

Free plan + paidDigital wallet apps

Updated Nov 2, 2026 · AppBreakup editorial · Web, iOS, Android

Visit PayPal See 11 alternatives

Is PayPal free?

Free plan, plus paid plans

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All 11

Verified facts: 8 of 8
Alternatives ranked: 11
Approved reviews: 0
Visits sent from here: 0

About PayPal

PayPal is a digital wallet that links your cards and bank accounts to one account, so you can check out on websites and in apps without typing card details. The app also handles sending and requesting money between people, splitting costs, paying in instalments with Pay in 4 or Pay Monthly in eligible regions, a PayPal debit card, savings and buying cryptocurrency in some countries. Eligible purchases are covered by Purchase Protection, and logins can use biometrics and passkeys. It works on iPhone, Android and the web and is accepted by a huge number of online stores. Opening an account and using the app are free for buyers; fees apply to some transfers, currency conversion and receiving payments for sales. Unlike Apple, Google or Samsung Wallet, it isn't mainly a tap-to-pay phone wallet, and feature availability varies a lot by country.

Best for: People who pay online often or send money to friends across iPhone and Android.

PayPal pricing (checked Nov 8, 2026)

Each line is quoted from PayPal's own site, with the page it came from.

Plan or term	What it says	Checked	Source
Account cost	Free to open	Nov 8, 2026	paypal.com
Fixed fee	$0.49 per US dollar transaction	Nov 8, 2026	paypal.com

What works

Accepted at a very large number of online stores
Works on any phone and in the browser
Purchase Protection on eligible purchases

Why people leave

Fees on some transfers, currency conversion and receiving payments
Not a full tap-to-pay phone wallet in most countries
Features like Pay Later and crypto vary by country

PayPal vs Apple Wallet, Google Wallet and Venmo

From each app's listing and the prices verified on its own site. A dash means we haven't verified it yet.

Attribute	PayPal	Apple Wallet	Google Wallet	Venmo
Pricing	Free plan + paid	Free	Free	Free
Verified price	—	—	—	—
Free plan	Yes	Free app	Free app	Free app
Open source	No	No	No	No
Self-hostable	No	No	No	No
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android	iOS, macOS	Android, Web	iOS, Android, Web

Full PayPal vs Google Wallet comparison Full PayPal vs Venmo comparison

Top PayPal alternatives

See all 11

1
Apple Wallet
Apple Pay in stores, apps and Safari with no Apple fees, if you're on iPhone.
68.8
2
Google Wallet
Tap-to-pay in stores plus checkout online, built into Android.
64.8
3
Venmo
PayPal's own social payments app, quicker for splitting bills and paying friends in the US.
61.8
4
Samsung Wallet
In-store tap-to-pay plus passes and keys on Galaxy phones.
61.8
5
Cash App
Free instant transfers between US users, plus a debit card, direct deposit and stock and bitcoin buying in one app.
59.4

Why people left PayPal

In reviewers' own words, from reviews of the apps they moved to. These are their opinions, not ours.

No switching stories yet. If you moved away from PayPal, review the app you switched to and tell us why.

Reviews

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PayPal: common questions

What is PayPal?

PayPal: Online payment account and app for paying shops, sending money and buying now, paying later. Best for people who pay online often or send money to friends across iPhone and Android. Available for Web, iOS and Android.

Is PayPal free?

PayPal has a free plan and paid plans.

How much does PayPal cost?

PayPal is free with paid plans. Account cost: Free to open; Fixed fee: $0.49 per US dollar transaction. Checked on PayPal's own site, November 2026.

Is PayPal open source?

No, PayPal is not open source.

What platforms does PayPal run on?

PayPal is available for Web, iOS and Android.

What are the best alternatives to PayPal?

The highest-ranked PayPal alternatives right now are Apple Wallet, Google Wallet and Venmo. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

PayPal vs Apple Wallet: what's the difference?

PayPal is free with paid plans; Apple Wallet is free to use. Only PayPal runs on Web and Android. Only Apple Wallet runs on macOS.

See all 11 PayPal alternatives

PayPal facts

8 of 8 verified

Account cost: Free to open; Checked Nov 8, 2026paypal.com(opens source in a new tab); “It’s free to open an account with PayPal or download the PayPal app.”
Platforms: iOS, Android; Checked Nov 8, 2026paypal.com(opens source in a new tab); “You can download the PayPal app from the iOS App Store or Android Play Store.”
Buy now, pay later: Pay in 4, Pay Monthly (US); Checked Nov 8, 2026paypal.com(opens source in a new tab); “Explore Offers Pay when and where you want Pay now, Pay in 4 6 , or Pay Monthly”
Buyer protection: Purchase Protection; Checked Nov 8, 2026paypal.com(opens source in a new tab); “And Purchase Protection covers your eligible purchases.”
PayPal Checkout fee: 3.49% + fixed fee (US); Checked Nov 8, 2026paypal.com(opens source in a new tab); “PayPal Checkout 3.49% + fixed fee”
Card payments fee: 2.99% + fixed fee (US); Checked Nov 8, 2026paypal.com(opens source in a new tab); “Standard Credit and Debit Card Payments 2.99% + fixed fee PayPal Pay Later options 4.99% + fixed fee All Other Commercial Transactions 3.”
Fixed fee: $0.49 per US dollar transaction; Checked Nov 8, 2026paypal.com(opens source in a new tab); “US dollar 0.49 USD”
International fee: Extra 1.50% on international commercial payments; Checked Nov 8, 2026paypal.com(opens source in a new tab); “international commercial transactions Payment Type Rate All Commercial Transactions 1.50%”