# PayPal vs Venmo: fees, limits and how requests work

Canonical URL: https://www.evenoutapp.com/alternatives/paypal-vs-venmo
Updated: 2026-10-06

EvenOut moves no money, so it adds no fee or sending limit of its own. On PayPal and Venmo, sending from a balance or bank account is free. A card costs 2.90% plus $0.30 on PayPal, $0 on a Venmo debit card and 3.00% on a Venmo credit card. Unverified limits are $299.99 a week on Venmo and $4,000 for one payment on PayPal. US dollars, as of October 2026.

Key points:
- EvenOut moves no money, so it adds no fee or sending limit of its own. Its free plan has no daily expense limit and no ads, as of October 2026.
- EvenOut keeps one running balance per friend and per group across many bills, and a friend with no account can be added to a group as a guest. A PayPal or Venmo request is one charge for a set amount.
- Sending from a balance or bank account costs $0 on both. A card costs 2.90% plus $0.30 on PayPal, and on Venmo 3.00% from a credit card and $0 from a debit card.
- On a credit card, Venmo is cheaper below $300 and PayPal is cheaper above it. At $300 both charge $9.00.
- Venmo's unverified limit is $299.99 a week and PayPal's is a one-time payment of up to $4,000. Venmo works only for people in the US with a US bank account.

## How do PayPal and Venmo compare for paying friends?

A payment from a balance or a bank account costs the same on PayPal and Venmo, and they split apart on cards, limits and reach. EvenOut, in the first column, records a payment made elsewhere, so it adds no fee or limit of its own. All figures are US dollars as of October 2026.

| | EvenOut | PayPal | Venmo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who can use it | Google or email sign-in; a friend with no account joins a group as a guest | A PayPal account; personal sends abroad are listed | People in the US with a US bank account |
| Send from a balance or bank | No fee; it records a payment and moves no money | No fee | $0 |
| Send from a card | No fee | 2.90% + $0.30, one rate for debit and credit | $0 from a debit card; 3.00% from a credit card |
| Limit, unverified | No limit of its own | $4,000 for a one-time payment | $299.99 a week |
| Limit, verified | No limit of its own | Up to $60,000 in one transaction, which PayPal may limit to $10,000 | Up to $60,000 a week |
| Who you can ask for money | A friend or group member, by email or a shared message | Anyone with an email address | A name, username, phone number or email |

## Which costs less when you pay by card?

Venmo is cheaper on every card payment below $300 and on every debit card payment. PayPal charges one rate for money sent from a credit or debit card, 2.90% plus $0.30, so a debit card pays the same as a credit card there. Venmo charges nothing on a debit card and 3.00% on a credit card.

The two credit card fees meet at $300, because the 0.10% gap between 3.00% and 2.90% comes to $0.30 there.

| Payment | Venmo debit card | Venmo credit card | PayPal card |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50 | $0 | $1.50 | $1.75 |
| $300 | $0 | $9.00 | $9.00 |
| $500 | $0 | $15.00 | $14.80 |

Receiving a personal payment costs nothing on either. On PayPal that holds when no currency conversion is involved. On Venmo it holds for a personal payment, and a sender who marks the payment as goods and services makes the receiver pay 2.99%. A payment you record in EvenOut adds no fee on top of what the payment app charges.

## What are the sending limits?

Venmo's unverified limit is lower than PayPal's, and it is a weekly total. An unverified Venmo account can spend $299.99 a week across person-to-person and authorized-merchant payments. Say you owe a friend $350 for a flight. That is over Venmo's unverified limit and well under the $4,000 that an unverified PayPal account can send as a one-time payment.

Both companies set higher limits for verified accounts. Venmo says a verified account can send up to $60,000 a week, and verification happens in the Venmo app with an SSN or ITIN. Venmo may ask for it when you send $300 or more in a week. A verified PayPal account has no total sending limit, can send up to $60,000 in a single transaction and may be limited to $10,000, and the amounts can vary by currency. Limits can change, so check the current figure before a large payment.

## How do requests work on each?

PayPal and Venmo both let you ask a friend for money in a few taps. The steps differ as follows.

- **PayPal.** Open Send/Request, pick the person by name, email or mobile number, enter the amount and currency, and tap Request Now. PayPal says you can send a request to anyone with an email address, and you need a PayPal account with a confirmed email. PayPal emails the person the request and emails you when it is paid. To nudge them, open the request under Activity and tap Remind. To pull it back, open it under Activity and choose Cancel.
- **Venmo.** Open Pay/Request, search by name, Venmo username, phone number or email, enter an amount and a note, and tap Request. For several people, tap the plus icon and add them, then enter each amount. A charge request must be accepted before money is sent. Unpaid requests sit under Me, Transactions, Pending, where you can delete one or send a reminder.

If the phone number or email is not linked to a Venmo account, the person can claim the payment or fulfill the request by opening one. Money that stays unclaimed for 30 days is cancelled and returned, and PayPal cancels pending or unclaimed payments after 30 days too.

EvenOut asks differently. On a row that says a friend owes you, tap Remind, then choose Share a message (prefilled text with a settle-up link) or Email via EvenOut (an email with the amount and a settle-up link). EvenOut allows at most one reminder a day per person in each group or friendship, and the payment itself still goes through PayPal, Venmo or cash.

## Which one handles a group bill?

Venmo has a split tool and Groups, and PayPal has Split a bill and Pools. EvenOut keeps a running group balance and sends no money. Say four friends chip in on a $186 gift and you buy it.

- **On EvenOut,** you add the $186 once and choose how it splits, which is $46.50 each when split equally, or by exact amounts, percent, shares or by item. A group holds up to 200 people, the balance keeps running for the next gift, and Simplify debts, on by default, cuts the number of payments. Each person pays you through whichever app they use.
- **On Venmo,** you add three friends to one request and the $186 splits evenly between them and you, which is $46.50 each. You can edit any amount. Venmo Groups hold ongoing expenses for up to 30 people, split equally by default, and Venmo works out the settlement with the fewest payments. The details are in [how Venmo Groups work](https://www.evenoutapp.com/guides/venmo-groups).
- **On PayPal,** "Split a bill" on PayPal.com creates a money request for each person you pick. PayPal Pools collect money for a group purchase, capped at $20,000 per pool with 5 active pools per person. Creating one needs a PayPal Balance account and identity verification. Contributors need no PayPal account, and all the money in the pool belongs to the person who created it. [How PayPal Pools work](https://www.evenoutapp.com/guides/paypal-pools) covers the fees.

## Can you take a payment back?

PayPal says that once you send a payment, you won't be able to cancel or reverse it. A request is different, because you can cancel one you sent from Activity, and a recipient can decline a request. Venmo asks the other person to accept a charge request before any money moves, and you can delete a request you sent. For both, check the name, number or email before you pay.

## What if your friend is abroad?

Venmo requires you to be in the United States with a US bank account, so a friend abroad needs another route. PayPal lists international personal sends: the domestic fee plus 5.00%, with a $0.99 minimum and a $4.99 maximum. Sending $40 from your PayPal balance adds $2.00. Sending $200 would be $10.00 at 5.00%, so the $4.99 maximum applies. PayPal lists a currency conversion fee separately, at 4.00% or 3.00%. To keep track of what a friend abroad owes, log each expense in the currency you paid in EvenOut, which keeps a separate balance for each currency; the money itself still goes through a payment app.

## Which should you use?

For a bill that several people share and that keeps coming, record it in EvenOut and pay through whichever app suits the payment. EvenOut keeps one running balance per friend and per group, adds no fee or sending limit of its own because it moves no money, and its free plan has no daily expense limit and no ads. You choose the split for each expense (equally, exact amounts, percent, shares or by item), and a friend who is not on EvenOut can be added to a group as a guest.

Say you pay a $62 grocery run, a $48 dinner and a $190 concert ticket for you and one friend over a month. EvenOut shows one balance, $150 (half of each: $31, $24 and $95). Your friend sends $150 once through PayPal or Venmo, and you record it under "Settle up". A request on either payment app is a charge for a set amount.

For the payment itself, match the tool to the payment, not the brand:

- **A small payment from a debit card:** Venmo, which charges $0 where PayPal charges 2.90% plus $0.30.
- **A payment over $299.99 from a Venmo account that has not verified:** PayPal, up to $4,000 as a one-time payment, or verify Venmo first.
- **A friend outside the US:** PayPal, since Venmo is for people in the US with a US bank account.

For Cash App, Zelle and Apple Cash next to these two, see [all five payment apps compared](https://www.evenoutapp.com/alternatives/venmo-vs-cash-app-vs-zelle-vs-paypal-vs-apple-cash). The step-by-step for asking is in [how to request money on PayPal](https://www.evenoutapp.com/guides/how-to-request-money-on-paypal).

## Frequently asked questions

### What does an instant transfer cost on PayPal and on Venmo?

Both list 1.75% with a $0.25 minimum and a $25 maximum. That is $7.00 on a $400 transfer and the $25 cap on $2,000, since 1.75% of $2,000 would be $35. A standard transfer to a linked bank account is $0 on Venmo, and Venmo says it typically takes 1 to 3 business days.

### Does a PayPal request link expire?

Yes. PayPal says a request link expires after 10 days if it is not accepted. The payer has to log in to a PayPal account, and each link takes one payment, so a group needs one link per person who pays.

### How much does a small payment cost by debit card?

On PayPal, $20 from a debit card costs $0.88 (2.90% is $0.58, plus the $0.30 fixed fee), which is 4.4% of the payment. The same $20 from a debit card on Venmo costs $0.

### Does EvenOut send money through PayPal or Venmo?

No. EvenOut does not move money or link to either app, so it has no fees or sending limits of its own. You pay however you like, then record it under Settle up so the balance with that person updates.

## Sources

- PayPal: Fees
- PayPal: Send money to friends and family
- PayPal: Sending limits
- PayPal: How do I send a money request?
- PayPal: How do I send a reminder?
- PayPal: How do I cancel a money request?
- PayPal: Request links
- PayPal: How do I split a bill?
- PayPal: What are Pools?
- PayPal: Pool money
- PayPal: How do I send money?
- PayPal: Pending or unclaimed payments
- Venmo: Fees
- Venmo: Personal profile payment limits
- Venmo: Identity verification
- Venmo: Sending and requesting money
- Venmo: Splitting and sharing purchases
- Venmo: Setting up a group
- Venmo: Managing group expenses
- Venmo: User Agreement