FxLeakage
PayPal · global corridor

PayPal Fees 2026: the real cost of getting paid.

PayPal's headline "4.4% + fixed fee" is only half the story. The hidden ~2.5% FX markup means most freelancers actually lose closer to 6.5–7% on every cross-border dollar.

Calculate your loss ↓
Live calculator · any currency pair

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Showing latest calculation.
The leak story
vs Stripe International

Your bank just got $29.30 richer.

That's enough to pay for…
  • 2 months of Spotify
  • 6 cups of specialty coffee
  • 2 months of GitHub Copilot
Over a year at this pace

You'll leak $351.60 — that's most of a PlayStation 5 + 3 games.

Every. Single. Year.

Plug the leak — route via Wise Business.
Know a freelancer leaking the same? Send this their way.
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PayPal
4.4% + $0.30 · 2.5% FX markup
Leaky
Fee$44.30
FX leak$23.89
Skimmed$68.19
You keep
$931.81
Stripe International
4.3% + $0.30 · 2.0% FX markup
Fee$43.30
FX leak$19.13
Skimmed$62.43
You keep
$937.57
Payoneer
3% flat · 1.5% FX markup
Fee$30.00
FX leak$14.55
Skimmed$44.55
You keep
$955.45
Winner!
Wise Business
0.5% transparent · 0% FX markup
Fee$5.00
FX leak$0.00
Skimmed$5.00
You keep
Take-home
$995.00
Open free Wise Business account →
Airwallex
1% intl · 0.6% FX markup
Fee$10.00
FX leak$5.94
Skimmed$15.94
You keep
$984.06
Revolut Business
0.4% · interbank FX (0.4% beyond plan)
Fee$4.00
FX leak$3.98
Skimmed$7.98
You keep
$992.02
WorldFirst
0% fee · 0.5% FX markup
Fee$0.00
FX leak$5.00
Skimmed$5.00
You keep
$995.00
Mercury
Free wires · ~1% FX spread
Fee$0.00
FX leak$10.00
Skimmed$10.00
You keep
$990.00
Bank Wire (SWIFT)
$25 flat · 3% FX spread
Fee$25.00
FX leak$29.25
Skimmed$54.25
You keep
$945.75
Deel
3% withdraw · 1.5% FX markup
Fee$30.00
FX leak$14.55
Skimmed$44.55
You keep
$955.45
Smart Tip

Stop the leak! Based on your parameters, Wise Business saves you $351.60/year compared to Stripe International.

Switch the rail and reclaim that margin every cycle.

Per invoice
$29.30
Extrapolated yearly
$351.60
How we calculated it

Difference between Stripe International and Wise Business on the same invoice, split into the two leak sources:

  • Platform fee delta$29.30
  • FX markup leakage delta$0.00
  • Per-invoice savings$29.30
  • × 12 months$351.60

Winner breakdown

0.00% better than Airwallex
Calculation breakdown · Wise Business
Gross billed
$1,000
Platform fee %
0.00%
Total platform fee
$0.00
Conversion rate
1.0000
FX markup
0.00%
Effective rate
1.0000
Receiving amount
$1,000
Hidden FX loss
$0.00
Total loss
$0.00
Final payout$1,000

The full PayPal fee breakdown

  • Visible fee: 4.4% of the gross + a small fixed fee per transaction (varies by receiving currency).
  • Hidden FX markup: ~2.5% below the interbank mid-market rate on currency conversion.
  • Withdrawal fee: small flat fee on small payouts in many corridors; usually free above a threshold.

Real example: $1,000 invoice converted to your home currency

  • Gross: $1,000 at mid-market.
  • PayPal visible fee: ~$44.30.
  • FX leakage on the remainder at 2.5% markup: ~$24.
  • You receive: ~$932 — a loss of ~$68 (6.8%).

Where PayPal still makes sense

Client-side trust. Many SMB clients will only pay via PayPal. If you can't move them, at least use the Reverse Invoice Engine to bill the gross amount that nets your real target.

The cheaper rails

Country-specific guides

Receiving in India, the UK, Germany, the Philippines, Nigeria, Brazil or the UAE? See our country freelancer hubs for corridor-specific tax and routing tips.

FAQs

4.4% + a small fixed fee (~$0.30) per cross-border transaction, plus a hidden ~2.5% FX markup baked into the conversion. Effective cost is closer to 6.5–7% in most corridors.

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