Is Remitly or Western Union cheaper?

Cost varies by corridor and amount. Compare both on the corridor page above for live rates, fees, and recipient amounts.

What's the main difference between Remitly and Western Union?

Remitly (Tiered fee + rate markup): Cash pickup, mobile wallet, and bank deposit options with a price guarantee. Western Union (Flat fee + rate markup): The largest cash pickup network in the world — 500,000+ agent locations.

Which is faster, Remitly or Western Union?

Both providers offer same-day or faster options for popular corridors. Cash-pickup networks (MoneyGram, Western Union, Xoom) usually clear in minutes; bank transfers can take 1–3 business days.

Which is safer, Remitly or Western Union?

Both are licensed money services businesses. Remitly is regulated in USA, UK, EU. Western Union is regulated in USA, UK, EU. As long as you transfer through their official site or app, both are safe to use.

Does Remitly or Western Union offer better exchange rates?

Rate competitiveness varies. Remitly markets tiered fee + rate markup, while Western Union uses flat fee + rate markup. The recipient amount is the only fair comparison — see the corridor page for live numbers.

Remitly vs Western Union

Live fee, exchange rate and recipient amount comparison for USD → INR. Pros, cons and licensing in one view.

Rates verified 16:28 UTC · refreshed every 5 min

Live data temporarily unavailable for this comparison. See the corridor page for full live numbers.

Tiered fee + rate markup

Cash pickup, mobile wallet, and bank deposit options with a price guarantee.

Fee: Free
Rate: 93.9620
Speed: Minutes
Recipient gets: INR 93,962

Founded 2011

Seattle, WA, USA

Pros

Cash pickup at thousands of locations across India, the Philippines and LatAm
Price-lock guarantee — quoted rate honoured even if it moves
Strong mobile app, easy first-time setup

Cons

Exchange rate includes a markup
Express tier costs significantly more than Economy
Customer support response times can vary

Try Remitly

Flat fee + rate markup

The largest cash pickup network in the world — 500,000+ agent locations.

Live data unavailable.

Founded 1851

Denver, CO, USA

Pros

Unmatched cash pickup network — 200+ countries
Send from a physical agent if you don't have a bank account
Strong brand recognition and consumer trust

Cons

Among the wider exchange rate margins
In-person cash transfers carry higher fees
Online experience less polished than digital-first competitors

Try Western Union

Side-by-side comparison

Spec	Remitly	Western Union
Fee model	Tiered fee + rate markup	Flat fee + rate markup
Headquarters	Seattle, WA, USA	Denver, CO, USA
Founded	2011	1851
Status	Public (NASDAQ: RELY)	Public (NYSE: WU)
Live USD→INR fee	Free	—
Live USD→INR rate	93.9620	—
Recipient gets (USD 1,000)	INR 93,962	—
Typical speed	Minutes	—
Top corridors	USD→INR, USD→PHP, USD→MXN	USD→MXN, USD→PHP, USD→IND

User reviews

Remitly

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Western Union

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Frequently asked questions

Other comparisons

Wise vs Remitly →Wise vs Xoom →Wise vs MoneyGram →Wise vs Western Union →Remitly vs Xoom →Western Union vs MoneyGram →

Live quotes from Wise's public comparison API, updated every 5 minutes. Provider profiles are based on public information; for pricing, KYC requirements and current promotions always check the provider's official site. Methodology.