PayPal vs Venmo fee calculator

Guide

About the PayPal vs Venmo Fee calculator

PayPal and Venmo are the two biggest names in US peer-to-peer and small-business payments — and, despite both being owned by PayPal, they charge very different fees to receive money. This PayPal vs Venmo fee calculator settles which keeps you more: enter an amount, and it computes both fees side by side, shows your net on each, and names the cheaper option and the exact difference.

Which rates we compare, and why

A fair comparison has to line up the equivalent products. For receiving commercial payments, the standard rates are PayPal Goods & Services at 2.99% plus a $0.49 fixed fee, and a Venmo business profile at 1.9% plus a $0.10 fixed fee. Those are the two this tool compares by default, because they're how a business or seller actually gets paid on each platform. PayPal also has a Checkout rate (3.49% + $0.49) and a micropayments plan, and Venmo charges 2.99% on a personal-account Goods & Services payment — but the headline comparison most people want is commercial-rate versus commercial-rate, which is what you see here.

Why Venmo usually wins on fees

Venmo's business-profile rate is both a lower percentage (1.9% vs 2.99%) and a far smaller fixed fee ($0.10 vs $0.49), so on almost any normal payment Venmo keeps you more. On a $100 payment, PayPal Goods & Services takes $3.48 (leaving $96.52) while a Venmo business profile takes $2.00 (leaving $98.00) — a $1.48 difference. The gap is widest on small payments, where PayPal's $0.49 fixed fee dominates: on a $10 sale that fixed fee alone is nearly 5% before the percentage applies. The calculator shows each platform's effective rate so you can see exactly how the difference scales with the amount.

When PayPal still makes sense

Cheaper isn't the whole story. PayPal offers broader buyer and seller protections, works internationally, integrates with virtually every e-commerce platform, and is trusted by customers worldwide — Venmo is US-only and built around a social, mobile-first experience. If you sell across borders, need a full online checkout, or want the dispute infrastructure PayPal provides, the extra fee may be worth it. For domestic, person-to-business payments where both parties already use the app, Venmo's lower fee is hard to beat. This tool answers the cost question; weigh the features against your own needs.

Reverse mode for invoicing

If you quote a fixed take-home figure, switch to reverse mode. Each platform grosses the payment up independently using charge = (target + fixed) ÷ (1 − rate), and the calculator shows which one needs the smaller payment to land your net. That's the number to put on an invoice or request, and it tells you instantly whether asking to be paid by PayPal or Venmo costs less.

Accuracy and scope

Both services are US-only for commercial use and their fees can change, so we store every rate in a dated source file and stamp the page with a "fees last verified" date. These are standard published rates; account eligibility, promotions, and edge cases can vary, and costs such as refunds (where the fixed fee may not be returned) or instant-transfer cash-outs apply on top. Using a personal account for ongoing business breaks both platforms' terms — a business profile (Venmo) or business account (PayPal) is the compliant route. Confirm the final figure in your account before relying on it, but for a fast, honest read on which is cheaper, this side-by-side gives you the answer in seconds.