Xe vs Wise: Who’s better for money transfers?
Who offers cheaper, faster and more flexible international money transfers?
Xe and Wise are two popular international money transfer services that allow you to send funds to dozens of countries around the world. To decide which service offers the best value for your money, we’ve compared Xe vs Wise side by side on cost, speed, reliability and more.
Xe vs Wise
| Xe
| Wise
| |
|---|---|---|
| Exchange rates | Markup of approximately 0.5% – 1.5% | Mid-market exchange rate |
| Fees | Vary depending on currency, destination country and payment method | Vary depending on currency, destination country and payment method |
| Speed | 1 – 4 business days (Within minutes for cash pickup transfers) | 1 – 4 business days |
| Reliability |
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|
| Security |
|
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| Trust |
|
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| Reviews | 4.3/5 stars based on 68,634 Trustpilot reviews | 4.3/5 stars based on 216,415 reviews |
| Customer service |
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| Number of countries | 200 | 76 |
| Number of currencies | 100 | 52 |
| Payment methods |
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|
| Delivery methods |
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| Minimum transfer amount | N/A | N/A |
| Maximum transfer amount | $560,000 | $1.5 million |
| Business services |
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| Multi-currency account | No | Yes |
Xe vs Wise: Which is cheaper?
Xe
Xe marks up the mid-market exchange rate by approximately 0.5% to 1.5% but is still among the most competitive online transfer providers. The markup varies depending on the currency you send. Fees also vary depending on where you’re sending money, in what currency and how you’ll pay for the transfer.
Wise
Wise offers the mid-market exchange rate on international money transfers, which is higher than the rate you’ll get from most transfer providers. Fees vary depending on where your recipient lives and how much you’re sending. Wise charges a fixed fee plus a percentage of each transfer.
Winner: Wise
Wise has better exchange rates, but Xe generally has lower fees. We found that Wise generally offered slightly better value in our comparisons, but it may depend on where you’re transferring money and the amount you send.
Xe vs Wise: Which is more transparent with pricing?
Xe
Enter your sending and receiving currencies into Xe’s transfer calculator, and you’ll be shown the current exchange rate and your transfer fee. Xe also specifies that the rate you’re quoted is not the mid-market rate and breaks down any fees for sending the transfer in your chosen payment method.
Wise
Wise shows you the exchange rate you get for your transfer, guaranteeing this rate for 48 hours. It also clearly breaks down the fees that apply, including the payment method fee and Wise’s transfer fee.
Winner: Tie
Xe and Wise are both very transparent about the cost of sending a transfer.
Xe
Wise
Xe vs Wise: Which is faster?
Xe
Xe estimates that it will take 1 – 4 business days for the money to reach your recipient. Delivery time typically depends on your recipient’s country and the currency you send. However, Xe also offers cash pickup transfers to some destinations, which allows you to get money to your recipient within minutes.
Wise
Wise says that transfer processing times vary depending on where you’re sending money from and to. It can take up to 2 business days for Wise to receive and convert your money and 0 – 2 business days for it to arrive in your recipient’s bank account.
Winner: Xe
Processing times are similar if you’re sending money to a bank account, but Xe offers cash pickup transfers when you need to send money in a hurry.
Xe vs Wise: Which is more reliable?
Xe
Xe was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Newmarket, Ontario. It is owned by Euronet Worldwide and processed over $115 billion worth of transfers in 2023. Xe is regulated by central banks and financial regulatory agencies in multiple countries, including the Financial Transactions and Reporting Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) and l’Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) in Quebec. It also has an average rating of 4.3/5 stars based on over 68,000 Trustpilot reviews.
Wise
Wise was founded in 2011 and is headquartered in London in the UK. It processes £9 billion (approx. CAD $15.37 billion) in cross-border transactions every month. It’s also regulated by central banks and financial regulatory bodies around the world, including the Financial Transactions and Reporting Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) and l’Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) in Quebec. Wise has an average rating of 4.3/5 stars based on over 216,000 Trustpilot reviews.
Winner: Tie
Xe and Wise are both major players in the money transfer market. Both are properly licensed and regulated, and both boast plenty of positive customer reviews.
Xe
Wise
Xe vs Wise: Which is easier to use?
Xe
Xe offers a streamlined online platform where you can log in, enter your transfer details and review transaction costs with just a few clicks. It also has a highly-rated mobile app you can use to send transfers, track transfers and check the latest exchange rates.
Wise
Wise’s online platform is easy on the eye and easy to use. You can quickly enter your transfer details and get a clear view of how much it will cost, while its clean mobile app interface is designed with user-friendliness in mind.
Winner: Wise
Both providers make it simple to send money overseas, but we found Wise’s online and mobile interfaces to be slightly more intuitive and easy to use.
Xe vs Wise: Who has better customer service?
Xe
The easiest way to access the Xe customer service team is via live chat, which offers support in over 100 languages. Phone support is available in English, or you can send an email request and get a response within 24 – 48 hours.
Wise
You can access Wise customer support via phone and email. Accessing personalized support is also a simple matter of logging in to your account, selecting the transaction you have an issue with and providing details of the problem.
Winner: Xe
Xe allows you to access customer support in more than 100 languages, so it takes the win here.
Xe vs Wise: Who has a better app?
Xe
The Xe app is available on Android and iOS devices. It has a user-friendly interface and lets you check live exchange rates, transfer money and set exchange rate alerts. As of April 2024, the Xe app is rated an average of 4.8/5 from over 210,000 Google Play reviews and 4.8/5 from over 27,000 Apple App Store Canada reviews.
Wise
Available for Android and iOS, the Wise app offers a clean user interface. You can use it to quickly and easily send transfers, manage your Wise account and convert currencies. As of April 2024, the Wise app is rated an average of 4.7/5 from over 863,000 Google Play reviews and 4.7/5 from over 15,000 Apple App Store Canada reviews.
Winner: Xe
It’s hard to pick a winner between these two user-friendly apps, but Xe gets the nod thanks to its slightly higher average app store rating.
Related: Explore the best money transfer apps
Xe vs Wise: Which is better for business transfers?
Xe
Xe offers international business payments in 130 currencies to over 190 countries, and its services are used by over 15,000 businesses a year. Features include account integrations for Dynamics 365 and Sage Intacct, forex risk management tools (like forward contracts and market orders) and a currency data API to access real-time exchange rate information.
Wise
Wise makes it easy to send business payments to over 70 countries around the world. You can also get local bank account details in up to nine different currencies, allowing you to send and receive payments in the local currency where you do business. Other features include the ability to make batch payments, integration with accounting services like QuickBooks and Xero and the ability to access your money with a Wise Business debit card.
Winner: Wise
With global payments, a multi-currency business account and linked debit cards, Wise offers a wide range of handy business solutions.
Bottom line
Xe and Wise are both worth checking out if you need to send a money transfer from Canada. If you’re looking for the best value or you need to send international business payments, Wise may be the better choice. But if you’re looking for the higher-rated mobile app or you want to send a fast cash pickup transfer, Xe may be your top option.
Ultimately, compare Xe vs Wise as well as a range of other money transfer providers before deciding on the best money transfer service.
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