Financial privacy & freedoms are under attack and now more than ever people are getting their bank and online payment processors closed for political reasons or just being affiliated with cryptocurrencies for example. It is no longer safe to have your money stored purely in a bank or one single payment processor and that is why we decided to collect a list of some great payment apps that are alternatives to PayPal (Given the fact that Paypal been quite hardcore about censorship and has multiple regional restrictions too).
These payment platforms aren’t in particular ranking order and we highly recommend researching further what is the best choice for you, since that varies a lot depending on where you live.
Skrill is a digital payment platform that allows users to send and receive money online. It is a global e-wallet service that facilitates online transactions in a secure and convenient manner. Skrill, formerly known as Moneybookers, was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is owned and operated by the Paysafe Group, a leading global payment solutions provider.
| POSITIVES (+) | NEGATIVES (-) |
| Multiple Deposit options such as Trustly, Debit Cards, Paysafe Card, Sofort, and traditional bank transfers | Starts to deduct your balances if you are inactive on your account, this is not exactly pro-financial freedom |
| Rather decent fee levels not too high | Supports cryptocurrencies, but these are not something you can withdraw from the platform to a crypto address, purely good from an investment point of a view only |
| Option to order a Skrill Debit Card that has some OK benefits for the user | There are fees when sending Skrill to Skrill accounts and you can lower this fee by verifying your account however |
- Countries available: Most of the world excluding these few countries and regions at the moment
- Currencies Supported: AUD, CAD, DKK, HKD, INR, JPY, MYR, NZD, OMR, GBP, RON, RSD, ZAR, SEK, THB, AED, BGN, CZK, EUR, HUF, ILS, JOD, MAD, NOK, PLN, QAR, SAR, SGD, KRW, CHF, TRY & USD
- KYC Requirement: Yes (ID Verification)
- Website: https://www.skrill.com
WebMoney operates as a digital wallet, where users can store funds in various currencies, including US dollars, euros, Russian rubles, and others. Users can transfer funds to other WebMoney users, pay for goods and services online, and withdraw funds to their bank accounts. It was founded already back in Russia in 1998 and is quite a popular payment method in CIS regions.
| POSITIVES (+) | NEGATIVES (-) |
| Multiple different deposit and withdrawal options, which vary based on the currency you are using on the platform | The Layout of their platform isn’t exactly up to date with modern standards, its slightly confusing looking |
| Support cryptocurrency withdrawals & deposits | |
| Offers a loaning service within their platform | |
- Countries available: Worldwide
- Currencies Supported: Crypto, USD, UZS, BYR, AUG, EUR & RUB
- KYC Requirement: Phone Number Verification & ID Verification in order to create traditional fiat currency wallets
- Website: https://www.wmtransfer.com
Payoneer is a global financial services company that provides online money transfer, digital payment solutions, and cross-border payment services to businesses and individuals around the world. It was founded in 2005 by Yuval Tal and is headquartered in New York City, USA. Payoneer is known for its reliable, secure, and convenient payment solutions, which cater to the needs of freelancers, online sellers, digital marketers, and businesses operating in the global marketplace.
| POSITIVES (+) | NEGATIVES (-) |
| Clean and easy layout accompanied by a mobile application | Low selection of currencies, however, it has all the big important ones available |
| Rather good infrastructure for bank transfers | Only bank withdrawals available as an option |
| Might make you go a couple of different loops to get verified on the platform | |
- Countries available: Over 200 countries
- Currencies Supported: Euro, US Dollar, Canadian Dollar, British Pound, Offshore RMB & Japanese Yen
- KYC Requirement: Yes
- Website: https://www.payoneer.com
Wise.com, formerly known as TransferWise, is a leading online money transfer service that provides fast, affordable, and transparent international transfers for individuals and businesses. Founded in 2011 by Taavet Hinrikus and Kristo Käärmann, Wise.com has quickly gained popularity due to its innovative approach to currency exchange and money transfers.
| POSITIVES (+) | NEGATIVES (-) |
| User-friendly platform with a modern User interface that is easy to use | Requires a deposit to get a bank account confirmed on the platform |
| Pretty great referral program for both invitee and new users being signed | Only the bank transfer withdrawal option is available |
| Rather vast selection of different currencies in their arsenal | |
- Countries available: Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Czechia, Denmark, Egypt, Europe, Georgia, Ghana, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Nepal, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, UAE, United Kingdom, The United States, Uruguay, Vietnam, and Zambia
- Currencies Supported: EUR, GBP, USD, NZD, AUD, CAD, SGD, IDR, DKK, CZK, CHF, MYR, JPY, NOK, RON, SEK & HUF (Other currencies supported via local transfer)
- KYC Requirement: Apparently only when you need to create a withdrawal via bank transfer
- Website: https://wise.prf.hn/l/xnPMbXj
Neteller is a popular online payment system that allows individuals and businesses to send and receive money securely over the Internet. It is a digital wallet that enables users to make online transactions, pay for goods and services, and transfer money to other Neteller users around the world. Neteller is operated by Paysafe Group, a leading global payments provider based in the United Kingdom.
| POSITIVES (+) | NEGATIVES (-) |
| Multiple Deposit options are available including Rapid, Paysafe card, trustly, sofort, euteller, and debit/credit cards among bank transfers | Average fees for deposits for all methods are 2.5% which is kinda high compared to some of the other alternatives out there |
| Cryptocurrency trading supports a selection of 40 different cryptos available on their site | Not a big fan of their platform layout looks kinda old |
| Some major countries are not supported including the United States | |
- Countries available: See the exclusion list here
- Currencies Supported: AED, AUD, BGN, BRL, CAD, CHF, CNY, COP, DKK, EUR, GBP, HUF, INR, JPY, MAD, MXN, MYR, NGN, NOK, PLN, RON, RUB, SEK, SGD, TND, TWD, USD & ZAR
- KYC Requirement: Phone Verification required (maybe others)
- Website: https://www.neteller.com/en
Advcash, also known as Advanced Cash, is a popular online payment system that allows users to send, receive, and manage funds in multiple currencies. It offers a range of services including e-wallets, virtual and physical debit cards, and cryptocurrency exchanges. Advcash is known for its ease of use, security features, and wide acceptance across various industries.
| POSITIVES (+) | NEGATIVES (-) |
| Very Great cryptocurrency partnerships with Binance, Huobi & OKX | Not available apparently in the United States which is a huge market to consider when doing payment platforms like these |
| Very lucrative Multi-level marketing Affiliate Program available | A couple of Fiat currencies missing, which could be available |
| They offer Euro/American Debit Cards, not a lot of internal benefits, but no fees at least | |
| You can earn interest on the cryptocurrencies on the platform which have bitgo insurance | |
- Countries available: Worldwide with few exceptions
- Currencies Supported: USD, EUR, GBP, RUB, BRL, TRY, UAH, KZT, VND
- KYC Requirement: Limited access without KYC
- Website: https://wallet.advcash.com
Revolut is a fintech company that offers a range of digital banking services designed to make managing money and spending internationally easier and more convenient. Launched in 2015, Revolut has gained significant popularity as a digital banking solution with its innovative features and user-friendly interface. Headquartered in the United Kingdom, Revolut has grown rapidly and now serves millions of customers worldwide.
| POSITIVES (+) | NEGATIVES (-) |
| Debit Cards are available with different tiers that offer perks and cashback when you use them | Quite a lot of verification procedures before you get to do things with the application |
| You can invest in Cryptocurrencies on the platform | They don’t have a Browser version for Revolut – only a mobile application, which can be quite annoying |
| A couple of different Deposit options | |
| You can get insurance with Revolut as well | |
- Countries available: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France (not Overseas), Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the US.
- Currencies Supported: ED, AUD, BGN, CAD, CHF, CZK, DKK, EUR, GBP, HKD, HUF, ILS, ISK, JPY, MAD, MXN, NOK, NZD, PLN, QAR, RON, RSD, SAR, SEK, SGD, THB, TRY, USD, ZAR
- KYC Requirement: Yes (Phone & ID verification)
- Website: https://revolut.com/
Alipay is a digital payment platform owned by Ant Group, a subsidiary of Alibaba Group, one of the largest e-commerce companies in the world. Alipay is widely used in China and has become a dominant player in the Chinese mobile payment market. Given the growing market dominance of China, I think it’s worth exploring their payment systems.
| POSITIVES (+) | NEGATIVES (-) |
| A Massive user base in Chinese Markets | Even though there is an international version it is not fully translated into English having some pages that are in Chinese |
| Lot of integrated services | No browser version of the application just mobile |
| Privacy concerns are an issue when we are talking about Chinese-made applications | |
- Countries available: Major Markets (see the list here)
- Currencies Supported: USD, EUR, JPY, GBP, CAD, AUD, SGD, CHF, SEK, DKK, NOK, NZD, THB, HKD
- KYC Requirement: Passport & Phone verification
- Website: https://global.alipay.com/platform/site/ihome
We decided not to include apps that only operate within 1-2 countries, but if they start supporting more we will include them later. If we are missing some key entities please let us know in the comments below! In the meanwhile check out some other great passive income articles on our website!