Person‑to‑person payment apps make it easy to move money with a phone. In the U.S., four names lead the pack:
Together these services have more than 250 million U.S. accounts and handle over $1 trillion each year.
| Good for… | App | Main reason |
|---|---|---|
| Splitting dinner or rent with friends | Venmo | Built‑in split tool, fun social feed |
| Fast, no‑fee bank‑to‑bank transfers | Zelle® | Money lands in checking in minutes |
| Online buying and sending money overseas | PayPal | Buyer protection plus global reach |
| Teens learning money skills & side‑gig pay | Cash App | Teen accounts with parent view, Cash Card |
Born in 2009 and acquired by PayPal in 2013, Venmo popularized the idea that payments could be fun—complete with emoji‑laden public timelines. Core personal transfers are free when funded via debit, ACH or existing Venmo balance, while credit‑card funding costs 3 %. Instant transfer to a bank‑linked debit card costs 1.75 % (min $0.25, max $25).
Key 2024–25 milestones:
Zelle® is a bank‑owned network (Early Warning Services, LLC), embedded into 2,100 + financial‑institution apps. It moves money via RTP‑style instant ACH memo posting, so funds land in the recipient’s checking account within minutes—no wallet, no stored balance.
Zelle®’s strongest value prop is cost and speed; weakest is lack of tooling (no split button, no teen accounts, limited dispute resolution).
PayPal governs the broadest product surface:
Standard U.S. online checkout pricing: 3.49 % + $0.49 per domestic transaction. Instant withdrawals mirror Venmo at 1.75 % (max $25).
PayPal owns Venmo, which strategically positions the group to cover both social P2P and traditional e‑commerce.
Cash App is super easy to use:
Just open the app, type in how much money you want to send, and press Pay.
What makes it special:
Deposits:
| Feature/Fee Type | Venmo | Zelle® | PayPal | Cash App |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Send Money (Bank/Debit/Balance) | Free | Free (via participating banks) | Free (Bank/Balance) | Free |
| Send Money (Credit Card) | 3% | Not Supported | 2.9% + Fixed Fee* | 3% |
| Receive Money (Personal) | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| Instant Transfer Fee (Cash Out) | 1.75% (Min $0.25, Max $25) | N/A (Direct to bank) | 1.75% (Min $0.25, Max $25) | 0.5% - 1.75% (Min $0.25) |
| Standard Transfer Fee (Cash Out) | Free (1-3 biz days) | N/A (Direct to bank) | Free (1-3+ biz days) | Free (1-3 biz days) |
| Business Payment Received Fee | 1.9% + $0.10* | Varies by Bank Offering | Varies (e.g., ~2.99% + Fixed Fee)* | 2.75%* |
| International Transfer Fee | N/A (US Only) | N/A (US Only) | Yes, Varies by country/currency | N/A (Primarily US/UK) |
| Currency Conversion Fee | N/A (USD Only) | N/A (USD Only) | Yes, Varies | Likely applies for US-UK |
People use these money apps for everyday things like splitting bills with friends, paying back family, or making small purchases. When choosing an app, people care about low fees, how easy it is to use, and if it's safe to send money to people they know.
Venmo is very popular, especially with younger adults. It has a social feed where you can see your friends' payments (but not the amounts). This makes payments feel more fun and social.
You can connect Venmo to your bank account, debit card, credit card, or use money already in your Venmo account. It's free to send money using your bank account, debit card, or Venmo balance. Using a credit card costs 3% extra. There's no fee to receive money.
When moving money from Venmo to your bank, you have two choices:
Payments between Venmo users happen instantly within the app.
When you first sign up, you can only send about $300 until you verify your identity. After that, you can send up to about $60,000 per week, which is enough for most personal needs.
Venmo's design is modern and easy to use. It has a built-in way to split bills with groups of friends. After paying for something, you can hit "Split" to divide the cost among friends. You can also use emojis in your payment notes to make them more personal.
For safety, Venmo uses encryption and offers PIN codes and two-step verification. But it's important to know that personal payments have limited protection. If you send money to the wrong person or get scammed, Venmo usually won't give your money back. It's meant for sending money to people you trust, not strangers.
Besides just sending money to friends, you can also use Venmo at some online stores. There's a free Venmo Debit Card that lets you spend your Venmo balance at any place that takes Mastercard.
Zelle® works differently. It's a bank-to-bank transfer service built into many U.S. banking apps. It lets you send money directly from one bank account to another almost instantly.
The biggest advantages of Zelle® are speed and cost: transfers happen almost right away and are completely free. There are no fees to send or receive money. However, it only works with bank accounts – you can't use credit cards or debit cards directly.
When both people use Zelle® through their banks, money moves directly between bank accounts and is available immediately or within minutes. This makes Zelle® great for urgent payments without waiting like you would for normal bank transfers.
How much you can send with Zelle® depends on your bank. Usually, you might be limited to about $500-$3,500 per day and $15,000-$20,000 per month. Some banks start with lower limits for new accounts and increase them over time.
Using Zelle® depends on how comfortable you are with your bank's app – you typically use it inside your banking app. There's no separate social feed like Venmo; it works more like a regular bank transfer. For many people (especially those who prefer traditional banking), this simplicity is appealing.
Zelle® uses bank-level security. However, fraud protection can be a problem – banks consider Zelle® payments like cash, so if you send money to a scammer, banks often won't help you get it back since you approved the payment. Zelle® is meant for sending money to people you know and trust.
Zelle® doesn't connect to online stores or other services. It focuses only on person-to-person transfers through banks.
PayPal is one of the oldest digital payment platforms, widely known for online shopping. For sending money to friends and family, PayPal offers a "Friends and Family" option similar to other money-sending apps.
You can connect PayPal to bank accounts, debit cards, or credit cards. Sending personal payments from a bank account or PayPal balance is free. Using a credit or debit card costs 2.9% + 30¢. Receiving personal transfers is free. PayPal also offers instant transfers to a bank or debit card for a 1.75% fee (minimum 25¢, maximum $25), while standard bank transfers (1-3 days) are free.
PayPal-to-PayPal payments happen instantly within their network. The person receiving the money can then use those funds via PayPal or transfer them to their bank. For splitting expenses or paying friends, PayPal works well but requires the extra step of cashing out compared to direct bank transfers like Zelle®.
PayPal's transfer limits for personal use are high. A verified account can send up to $60,000 in a single transaction (though limits may apply in some cases), which is more than enough for typical personal needs.
PayPal has a more traditional interface compared to Venmo or Cash App, showing its business-focused origins. The app offers many features including banking tools and cryptocurrency trading, which some users find complicated. PayPal has improved by adding features like bill-splitting, though this isn't as easy to find as in Venmo.
PayPal is well-established with strong security features, encryption, and fraud monitoring. Users can enable two-factor authentication for added protection. A key advantage for individuals is PayPal's buyer protection for "Goods & Services" transactions (though personal "Friends & Family" payments have no protection, similar to other money-sending apps).
PayPal works with millions of online stores. Users can shop online, donate to causes, or pay bills with their PayPal balance or connected accounts. PayPal also offers a Cashback Mastercard debit card for spending from the PayPal balance.
Cash App has become popular for its simplicity and straightforward design – typically just a number pad to enter an amount and send/request money.
Cash App lets you keep a balance or connect bank accounts and cards. Sending money from a bank account or debit card is free, while using a credit card costs a 3% fee. Receiving money is also free. Transferring your balance to a bank gives you two options: Standard (free, 1-3 days) or Instant (0.5% to 1.75% fee, minimum 25¢).
Cash App to Cash App payments happen right away. The Cash Card (Visa debit card) lets you spend your balance immediately without waiting for bank transfers, and it works at stores, online, and ATMs (with a $2.50 fee for ATMs outside their network).
By default, Cash App caps unverified accounts at $1,000 total in any 30‑day period (about $250 a week). After you complete ID‑verification, most users can send up to about $10,000 in a rolling 7‑day window (and $20,000 over 30 days), while receiving limits are effectively removed—still lower than Venmo’s or PayPal’s top ceilings but plenty for day‑to‑day use.
Cash App's design is simple and straightforward – even people who aren't tech-savvy find it easy to use. It doesn't have Venmo's social feed, which some people prefer for privacy reasons. Each user has a unique "$Cashtag" username, making it simple to request or send money.
A special feature of Cash App is that it offers Bitcoin and stock investing within the app. Users can buy Bitcoin or trade stocks with small amounts of money, adding value beyond just transfers. This combination of financial services makes it appealing to users looking for an all-in-one financial app.
Cash App uses encryption, PIN/fingerprint locks, and two-factor authentication. Like other money-sending apps, if you send money to the wrong person, you have limited options – payments are instant and typically can't be canceled once sent. Cash App does not offer protection on personal transfers.
We evaluated each platform on out‑of‑pocket cost, UX friction, privacy controls, transfer speed and recourse if something goes wrong.
| Action | Venmo | Zelle® | PayPal | Cash App |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Send $200 from checking | $0 fee; recipient balance instant; bank cash‑out 1 day (free) or 1 min (1.75%) | $0 fee; hits recipient's checking in minutes | $0 fee (Friends & Family); recipient PayPal balance instant; bank cash‑out 1‑3 d (free) | $0 fee; recipient balance instant; bank cash‑out 1‑3 d (free) |
| Send $200 via credit card | $6 fee (3%) | N/A (cards unsupported) | $6.10 (2.9% + $0.30) | $6 (3%) |
| Instantly withdraw $2,000 | $35 (capped at $25) | $0 (already in bank) | $35 (capped at $25) | $20–$35 (0.5–1.75%) |
| Feature | Venmo | Zelle® | PayPal | Cash App |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max Personal Send Limit | Verified: $6,999.99/week (P2P); $60k/week overall | Varies by Bank (e.g., $500-$2500+/day) | Verified: Up to $60,000/transaction | Verified: $7,500/week |
| P2P Transfer Speed (User-to-User) | Instant (to Venmo Balance) | Minutes (Direct to Bank) | Instant (to PayPal Balance) | Instant (to Cash App Balance) |
| Standard Cash-Out Speed (to Bank) | 1-3 Business Days | N/A | 1-3+ Business Days | 1-3 Business Days |
| Standard Cash-Out Fee | Free | N/A | Free | Free |
| Instant Cash-Out Speed | Minutes | N/A | Minutes | Minutes |
| Instant Cash-Out Fee | 1.75% (Min $0.25, Max $25) | N/A | 1.75% (Min $0.25, Max $25) | 0.5% - 1.75% (Min $0.25) |
| Feature | Venmo | Zelle® | PayPal | Cash App |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public / friends timeline | Yes (default public; can set to private) | No | No | No |
| Split button | Yes – auto compute shares | No | Moderate – "Split a bill" flow | Manual (request multiple) |
| Contact discovery | Phone, email, QR | Phone, email (via bank) | Phone, email | $Cashtag, phone, QR |
| Dark‑mode & accessibility | Full | Bank app‑dependent | Full | Full |
Privacy‑sensitive users often prefer Cash App or PayPal because no transaction feed is exposed by default; Venmo users can mitigate by toggling “Private” globally.
| Problem | Venmo | Zelle® | PayPal | Cash App |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Send to wrong person | Ask them to send back; Venmo can try to help | Money is gone unless they refund | Same as Venmo | Same as Venmo |
| Pay a scam seller | Little help unless you used a business profile | Little help | Buyer Protection if you marked it "Goods & Services" | Little help |
| Account hacked | Covered; app has PIN & 2-step sign-in | Covered by bank rules | Covered | Covered |