10 Best International Money Transfer Apps in the UK

With Wise, it’s plain simple, it literally takes 10 clicks from not having an account to transfer delivery confirmation screen.

While most other apps make you jump through multiple pages and verification steps.

I’ve been using Wise for many years now, and I always suggest giving it a try before other companies because of the simplicity.

It simply works, and does a lot of things really well.

It may not be the cheapest all the time, but it has all the main app features you need.

Always run a quick live search to get the best deal right now.

Speaking of fees, depending on the amount and corridor, you’ll pay around 0.33% in fees.

For example, sending £1,000 to Poland will get you 5,039.85 vs 5,056.47 with Western Union.

On the receiving end, most transfers settle instantly, or within 1-2 days.

We covered it in more detail in our fastest ways to send money guide.

Revolut is perfect for travelling, because of their multi-currency account, ATM limits, and converting under £1,000 per month.

You can hold and swap 30+ currencies, spend 150+ in local currencies abroad, and its card works in more countries than Wise's.

Transfers between Revolut users are free and instant.

Currency conversions and international transfers mostly arrive within a day, though larger amounts can trigger security or AML checks.

Revolut is usually the cheapest option for transfers under £1,000, anything above gets more expensive.

That’s because your first £1,000 of currency exchange each month is free on the standard plan, then it's 1% fee, plus there are additional weekend charges and fees for certain currencies.

We’ve covered it in more detail in our Wise vs Revolut comparison.

It’s handy to have both, if you’ve spent your limit, switch to Wise.

I've recently been trialing Monzo when abroad, and still, always come back to Revolut.

For example, Monzo and Wise cards didn’t work for me in South Korea, while Revolut did (same in Indonesia).

Also, Revolut became a licensed UK bank in March 2026, so eligible balances are FSCS-protected up to £120,000, the same cover as a high-street bank (but it’s a gradual rollout process).

Currencies Direct isn't an app in the usual sense.

It's a currency broker built for large transfers (things like overseas property, large purchases abroad, pensions, etc.) or any large one-off where the exchange rate matters more than the interface.

You can send up to £50,000 a day through the platform, and anything above that you arrange with your account manager, a real person you can call.

With Currencies Direct you get a named account manager, and there are no transfer fees, just a margin on the rate that gets sharper the more you send.

On £100,000 they easily beat Wise, but under ~£10,000 Wise is usually cheaper and faster.

Currencies Direct also comes with features built into the app for large transfers, including:

• Forward contracts (up to 12 months)

• Limit orders

Transfers usually take 1-2 days (longer to harder to reach areas), so it's not meant for anything urgent.

It's FCA-authorised and safeguarded rather than FSCS-protected, so as with any of these, move large sums through it rather than keeping money in the account.

If your recipient uses a mobile wallet like M-Pesa, MTN, bKash or GCash, or needs cash they can collect in person, TapTap Send is a great option.

With TapTap, you can deposit GBP however you like, and then choose one of their supported wallets (100+ options).

It's app-only and built around Africa and South Asia, covering 80 receiving countries.

On the big corridors it's one of the cheapest options, most destinations have no transfer fee and the markup is tiny, here are a few examples:

Transfers to those places usually arrive in minutes.

However, as with all companies, TapTap is not the cheapest for all destinations. For example, sending money to the EU, Gambia, or Rwanda, is much more expensive than other options.

You can fund your transfer by debit or credit card, Google Pay/Apple Pay, or via a bank transfer.

In the UK there’s also a TapTap Send wallet, a Visa card, and a virtual IBAN, though those are just nice extras.

MoneyGram is the most flexible option here for how you pay and how your recipient collects.

You can fund a transfer by bank transfer (instant over Faster Payments), debit or credit card, Apple Pay or Google Pay, or by walking into a store and paying with cash.

MoneyGram has hundreds of thousands of agent locations across 200+ countries, plus Post Office branches in the UK.

Your recipient can get the money as cash pickup, home delivery, into their mobile wallet (M-Pesa, GCash, WeChat), or straight into their bank.

Cash pickups are usually ready in minutes, bank deposits take a bit longer (1-3 days).

Their selection of deposit and withdrawal options is what makes it better than other services. Western Union for example, is more focused on banks, cards and cash, rather than mobile wallets and delivery.

In terms of fees, MoneyGram offers a better rate and no fees on your first transfer. Beyond that, it’s still competitive but not better than Wise or TapTap Send on most corridors (but always check!)

The MoneyGram app works on iOS and Android but is a bit clunky in places.

It is regulated by the FCA and HMRC as an authorised payment institution, with your funds safeguarded.

With WorldRemit you can make Airtime transfers.

Instead of sending cash, you send airtime or mobile data straight to a recipient's mobile number abroad, which lands almost instantly.

Beyond airtime, WorldRemit is great for transfers to Africa and Asia (just like TapTap Send).

You can send money to a bank account, a mobile wallet, or cash pickup across 130+ receiving countries, and transfers usually arrive fast, often within minutes.

I made a test transfer to Kenya via M-Pesa and it landed in about 11 minutes.

Fees are a flat charge per transfer (from around £0.99-£1.99 depending on the destination, payout method, and amount) plus a small rate markup.

You can fund money transfers by bank transfer, debit or credit card, or Google Pay/Apple Pay.

The app is clean and quick with handy features like per-payout-method rate alerts and one-tap repeat transfers.

In the UK it's FCA-authorised, with funds safeguarded.

Remitly is one of the better options for transfers to India.

The reason it's here rather than a cheaper all-rounder is the speed.

On most transfers you pick Express, which will complete in minutes (usually paid by debit or credit card), or Economy, which is cheaper but takes a few hours to a few days.

For transfers to India, it covers all the ways your family might want to receive the money:

• Straight to an Indian bank account (will need account number and IFSC code)

• UPI (will need UPI ID)

• Cash pickup (will need your ID card or passport)

If it’s your first transfer, you’ll get a promo rate, after which it's a normal rate markup plus a flat fee that varies by amount, speed, and payout method.

It's rarely the outright cheapest, Wise or Instarem are often cheaper, but barely anyone can match it for fast, reliable delivery with a cash-pickup option.

The app is very simple to use, simply pick the amount, choose Express or Economy, pick how they receive it, and pay. Once you have everything set up, repeat transfers take a few minutes.

Remitly is FCA-authorised, with funds safeguarded.

LemFi has no flat transfer fee on transfers to Nigeria, but they add a small markup on the exchange rate (meaning the cost is included in the exchange rate).

It's competitive on transfers to Nigeria but not always the cheapest.

This is usually affected by the amount, so it’s worth running a quick live search to find the best deal right now.

Transfers to a Nigerian bank account or mobile wallet usually arrive within minutes.

You can fund your transfer from a card or via bank, and it also gives you a multi-currency wallet (hold GBP, USD, NGN, and more), useful for regular transfers.

LemFi is FCA-authorised, with funds safeguarded, just like all other money transfer apps on this list.

It's app-only and built around African corridors, so coverage is smaller compared to Wise, and limits are moderate, fine for regular remittances, but not for large one-off transfers.

On a transfer in the £100-£500 range, Western Union is very cheap, especially on transfers to Europe.

The online fee is often tiny or waived and the exchange rate markup is small, which frequently makes it better value than many other money transfer apps.

Pair that with a first-transfer fee waiver and it becomes a very cheap option (in fact, in some cases I saw that you can get more money than you send).

Just like MoneyGram, their coverage and reach is huge compared to other companies.

With hundreds of thousands of agent locations across 200+ countries, plus payout to bank accounts and mobile wallets, you can send money to almost anywhere, with cash pickups usually ready in minutes.

But, there are a few limitations with Western Union.

First are the limits, on most transfers from the UK they are small, around £7,000 (which is fine for small transfers home).

The second issue is that the low fees and good exchange rates don’t work for all deposit and withdrawal combinations. For example, sending money to a debit card is more expensive than cash pickup.

To make the most out of WU transfers, send small amounts to a wallet or a bank account. For anything else, use Wise, TapTap Send, Revolut, or other apps.

Western Union is available on iOS and Android, and is FCA-authorised as a payment institution, with funds safeguarded.

Xe has the biggest coverage of all apps listed here.

Xe offers GBP transfers to 190+ countries in 100+ currencies, plus a cash pickup network of 500,000+ locations. This is great if you’re sending money to unusual places.

The only providers that can match them on coverage are currency brokers like RegencyFX, OFX, TorFX, and similar.

Beyond that, Xe is one of the fastest money transfer services (if you’re sending money to a bank or debit card).

Xe says over 90% arrive within 24 hours (card-funded transfers are quickest, bank transfers a bit slower).

I went over every corridor available on Xe and compared it to similar companies, on average, Xe had consistently faster delivery times.+

As for the cost, Xe charges a fee and a markup. In a lot of cases they are not the cheapest, but for many currencies there are no other apps available, only currency brokers.

Xe’s limits are high (up to £350,000 online) and it is FCA-authorised, with funds safeguarded.

The app is available on iOS and Android.

It is simple to use and doubles as a currency tool, you can check live rates, view historical charts, and set rate alerts without even opening an account, which is handy if you're waiting for a better rate before sending.