Wise vs. Revolut comparison 2025: Which is best for US businesses?

Key takeaways

• Wise offers a simple way for businesses to send and receive money across borders with transparent fees and multi-currency support.

• Revolut combines international accounts, transfers, and spend tools in one platform, with features that expand as your plan does.

• Airwallex gives businesses everything they need to manage global accounts, cards, transfers, and FX from one place.

Trying to decide between Wise and Revolut for your business account? Perhaps you require local bank details to receive payments in USD, GBP, or EUR. Or maybe you’re tired of high FX fees and want a faster, more affordable way to pay global suppliers.

Wise and Revolut are two of the most popular platforms for sending and receiving money across borders. Both offer multi-currency wallets, business accounts, and international transfers, but they take very different approaches.

This guide breaks it all down. You’ll learn how Wise and Revolut compare in terms of features, pricing, account access, and card availability. You’ll also see where each provider excels and where their limitations become clear.

And finally, we’ll introduce a third option. Airwallex is a modern financial platform designed to help businesses manage complexity across borders, offering global accounts, payments, foreign exchange, and spend management in one place.

What is Wise?

Wise, formerly TransferWise, launched in 2011 to help people and businesses move money across borders without the hidden fees and inflated exchange rates charged by traditional banks. It quickly gained traction, focusing on transparency, low-cost transfers, and ease of use.

Over time, Wise expanded its offering to include business accounts that support international payments, multi-currency balances, and local receiving details in major markets. It’s now a popular choice for small businesses, startups, and freelancers who need a simple way to manage cross-border payments and receive payments in various currencies.

What is Revolut?

Revolut is a UK-based fintech company that offers global accounts, international transfers, and card tools for both individuals and businesses. Its business product is designed to help small teams manage company spending and move money across borders, with features that scale up depending on the plan you choose.

For freelancers, sole traders, and early-stage businesses, Revolut makes it easy to issue virtual or physical cards through its paid business plans, starting at $10/month. It also offers a library of integrations and APIs for teams that want more control over their workflows. As your business grows, however, you may need to upgrade to a higher-tier plan or introduce additional tools to handle more complex workflows.

Wise vs. Revolut: a head-to-head comparison

Comparison table

Wise vs. Revolut: pricing and fees comparison

Wise fees explained

Wise charges a one-time $31 setup fee to access business features, including local account details in 23 currencies. There are no monthly fees, and you can send money for 0.57% per transfer, depending on the currency. You’ll pay $6.11 for incoming USD wires, as well as small fixed fees for inbound EUR and GBP payments via SWIFT; however, domestic incoming payments are free.

Revolut fees explained

Revolut offers tiered pricing: Basic starts at $10/month, Grow at $40/month, and Scale at $140/month. FX at interbank rates is capped monthly by plans ($20,000 on Grow, $80,000 on Scale), with a 0.6% fee applied once the cap is exceeded and a 1% fee outside market hours. Higher tiers also unlock more no-fee transfers and bulk tools for scaling teams.

Wise vs. Revolut: features and services comparisons

Both Wise and Revolut offer multi-currency accounts, but Wise provides complete local account details in 9 currencies, while Revolut offers local IBANs in select EU countries and pooled accounts elsewhere. Businesses using Wise tend to focus on operational simplicity, while Revolut is better suited for teams that need more built-in tools around cards and permissions.

In terms of currencies and payout reach, Wise supports over 40 currencies and sends payments to more than 160 countries. Revolut supports over 35 currencies, including global and local transfers, up to plan limits. Wise doesn’t currently issue corporate cards to US businesses, whereas Revolut includes both physical and virtual cards across all plans, with the ability to spend in over 150 currencies.

For accounting and automation, both offer basic integrations with platforms like Xero and QuickBooks. Revolut also supports bulk transfers and simple spend controls. Wise includes batch payments and direct debits, although more advanced functionality, such as approval workflows or real-time analytics, may require the use of third-party tools.

Wise vs. Revolut: ideal use cases

Who is Wise best for?

Wise is ideal for freelancers and microbusinesses that need a low-cost, straightforward way to send and receive money in multiple currencies. If you regularly pay international vendors or collect revenue in multiple currencies, Wise offers transparency and speed without a monthly fee.

Who is Revolut best for?

Revolut is better suited for early-stage startups that want basic cards, permissions, and spend controls – although some important capabilities are only available behind higher-tier plans. If your team manages recurring payments, distributed spend, or plans to scale across regions, Revolut’s tiered plans give you room to grow.

However, both platforms may fall short for businesses that operate across multiple markets, manage global teams, or require more robust infrastructure.

Beyond the basics: key differences between Wise and Revolut

Wise and Revolut both offer international accounts, but they come from very different starting points. Wise built its name on cost transparency and simplicity. Its main draw is still the ability to send and receive funds globally without inflated FX margins or monthly fees. Revolut, on the other hand, takes a broader approach. It bundles banking-style features with spend controls, team cards, and tiered pricing that scales up with your business.

That difference shows up in how each platform handles complexity. Wise is best when your business needs to move money quickly and predictably, without the need for numerous additional tools. If you work with international clients or pay global contractors, it gets the job done. But you won’t find built-in spend policies, in-app approvals, or live budgeting tools. Revolut fills that gap. It’s better suited to teams managing multiple users, subscriptions, and expenses across currencies. You get virtual and physical cards, analytics, and bulk transfers, although much of it's available only with higher-tier plans.

Customer reviews highlight different pain points. Wise is praised for fast transfers and low fees, but many business users report issues when something goes wrong. Account freezes can occur with little warning, and support is often slow to respond, especially in cases of urgent payment issues. Mid-sized companies also mention a lack of deeper functionality or hands-on service as they grow.⁴

Revolut, meanwhile, is appreciated for its rich feature set, but concerns about support often arise. Users report slow response times, unhelpful service, and account holds without clear communication.⁵ In some cases, businesses have faced blocked accounts or frozen funds that disrupted operations, with one reviewer stating it took days just to get basic updates from the team.⁶ While Revolut offers powerful tools, its track record on reliability and transparency makes some users hesitant to trust it with their funds.

Why Airwallex is a powerful alternative (and how we compare)

Wise keeps things simple. Revolut provides you with more tools as you scale, although many of its advanced capabilities, such as bulk payments, expense controls, and account permissions, are only available on higher-tier plans. If you’re running a global business and want full control over payments, accounts, and spending, all in one place, Airwallex provides the infrastructure to do so.

Airwallex is purpose-built for global businesses. With Airwallex, you can open local accounts to collect payments in over 60 countries and 23 currencies. You can hold, convert, and pay in over 60 currencies using interbank FX rates with low margins. You can also send money to more than 120 countries using local rails. Most transfers arrive on the same day. There are no fees for batch payments or domestic transfers.

You also get access to Corporate Cards in 40 markets. These come with spend controls, built-in expense approvals, and no foreign transaction fees. Everything connects to your Wallet, so you can reconcile payments in real time, manage multi-entity workflows, and track global spend by team or market. Accounting integrations with tools like Xero, NetSuite, and QuickBooks are included. For businesses with more complex needs, Airwallex offers dedicated onboarding and account support from the outset.

Consider Airwallex if:

• You need to collect and pay in multiple currencies without getting hit by high FX fees

• You operate in multiple regions and want local bank account details in 20+ currencies

• You want to issue multi-currency corporate cards instantly – with cashback and real-time controls

• You need global visibility across teams, markets, and entities

• You want to manage approvals, expenses, transfers, and reconciliation all in one place

Final verdict: choosing the right solution for your business

If you’re weighing Wise and Revolut, the right fit depends on your business model and how you currently manage global payments. Wise is best when you want simplicity. It’s a strong option for freelancers and small teams that need to send and receive money in multiple currencies without monthly fees. Revolut, on the other hand, suits startups and growing businesses that want cards, controls, and expense tools in one place. Its tiered plans give you room to scale, though key features often sit behind higher price points.

Begin by focusing on what matters most. Do you need fast transfers without all the bells and whistles? Wise might work. Are you managing team budgets and need tools for recurring spend or subscription control? Revolut could be a better match. However, if you’re building for growth across multiple markets or entities, you’ll likely outgrow both.

Airwallex brings global financial infrastructure into one connected platform. You get the accounts, cards, payments, and integrations you need to move fast and scale with confidence.

FAQs

What is the main difference between Wise and Revolut for business accounts?

Wise focuses on cost transparency and simplicity, with low transfer fees and no monthly charges. Revolut offers more built-in tools, including corporate cards and expense controls, but some features are only available with higher-tier plans.

Does Wise offer business debit cards in the US?

Not currently. Wise stopped issuing business cards to US users in 2023. Businesses can join a waitlist, but there’s no confirmed timeline for reintroduction.

Which platform offers better international coverage?

Both Wise and Revolut support global payments, but Wise has a slightly broader payout reach with transfers to 160+ countries. Revolut covers fewer currencies but offers more tools around team spending and approvals.

Why should I consider Airwallex instead of Wise or Revolut?

Airwallex offers a comprehensive global financial stack, encompassing not just transfers and cards. You can open local accounts in 70+ countries, issue multi-currency cards instantly, and manage payments, approvals, and reconciliation from one place.

Sources

1. https://wise.com/us/pricing/business 

2. https://www.revolut.com/en-US/business/business-account-plans/

3. https://help.revolut.com/en-US/business/help/receiving-payments/transfers-info/where-can-i-find-my-account-details/ 

4. https://www.g2.com/products/wise-business/reviews?utf8=%E2%9C%93&filters%5Bcountry%5D%5B%5D=United+States&order=g2_default

5. https://www.trustpilot.com/review/www.revolut.com 

6. https://www.capterra.com/p/246352/Revolut-for-Business/