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Venmo vs PayPal Fees

For a goods and services payment to a personal account, they cost the same: 2.99% on each, $2.99 on $100. For a business, Venmo costs less: a payment to a Venmo business profile pays 1.9% + $0.10 ($2.00 on $100), against $3.98 through PayPal Checkout.

Fees checked 7 October 2026 on Venmo’s and PayPal’s own pages. See the sources.

Venmo and PayPal fees on the same sale

Work out

The same payment through each service. Categories, plans and extras are on each platform’s own calculator.

Both leave you the same

$97.01 on each, after fees.

Venmo

You receive $97.01

Fees
$2.99
Profit
$97.01
Margin
97.0%
Seller transaction fee (2.99%)on the whole payment$2.99
Total fees$2.99

Nothing added to your buyer’s price.

PayPal

You receive $97.01

Fees
$2.99
Profit
$97.01
Margin
97.0%
Goods and services payment (2.99%)$2.99
Total fees$2.99

Nothing added to your buyer’s price.

Not in these totals
  • Venmo: The Instant Transfer fee, if you use it (the standard transfer is free)

Venmo and PayPal fees at common prices

United States: Goods and services, to a personal account
Item price You keep on Venmo You keep on PayPal Keeps more
$10.00 $9.70 fees $0.30 $9.70 fees $0.30 The same
$25.00 $24.25 fees $0.75 $24.25 fees $0.75 The same
$50.00 $48.50 fees $1.50 $48.50 fees $1.50 The same
$100.00 $97.01 fees $2.99 $97.01 fees $2.99 The same
$250.00 $242.52 fees $7.48 $242.52 fees $7.48 The same
$500.00 $485.05 fees $14.95 $485.05 fees $14.95 The same
$1,000.00 $970.10 fees $29.90 $970.10 fees $29.90 The same
United States: Business: Venmo business profile or PayPal Checkout
Item price You keep on Venmo You keep on PayPal Keeps more
$10.00 $9.71 fees $0.29 $9.16 fees $0.84 Venmo, +$0.55
$25.00 $24.42 fees $0.58 $23.64 fees $1.36 Venmo, +$0.78
$50.00 $48.95 fees $1.05 $47.76 fees $2.24 Venmo, +$1.19
$100.00 $98.00 fees $2.00 $96.02 fees $3.98 Venmo, +$1.98
$250.00 $245.15 fees $4.85 $240.78 fees $9.22 Venmo, +$4.37
$500.00 $490.40 fees $9.60 $482.06 fees $17.94 Venmo, +$8.34
$1,000.00 $980.90 fees $19.10 $964.61 fees $35.39 Venmo, +$16.29

The item price only: no postage, no sales tax, a private seller, worked out with the fees checked on 7 October 2026. Postage and tax change the fees on some platforms: put yours in the calculator above.

What differs between Venmo and PayPal

United States
Fee Venmo PayPal
Main fees 2.99% on a goods and services payment to a personal account; 1.9% + $0.10 to a business profile (2.29% + $0.09 with Tap to Pay); 3.49% + $0.49 at an online checkout PayPal Checkout 3.49% + $0.49; a goods and services payment 2.99%; cards 2.99% + $0.49; 1.5% more from a buyer abroad
Charged on The whole payment The whole payment
Payment processing This fee is the processing This fee is the processing
Listing an item Not a marketplace: nothing to list Not a marketplace: nothing to list
Added to the buyer’s price No Venmo fee added; a sender paying by credit card pays 3% on top No PayPal fee added to a sale
Getting paid Standard transfer to your bank free; Instant Transfer 1.75% ($0.25 to $25) No fee in our records
Sources Venmo: Our fees, checked 7 Oct 2026 ; PayPal US: Merchant fees, checked 7 Oct 2026 PayPal US: Merchant fees, checked 7 Oct 2026 ; PayPal US: Consumer fees (personal payments), checked 7 Oct 2026

Each platform’s full fee list, with every source, is on its own calculator page below. Every change we record is on the fee changes page.

Goods and services: one rate on both

When a buyer marks a payment as goods and services, the seller pays 2.99% on Venmo and 2.99% on PayPal, with no fixed fee on either. $100 costs $2.99 on each. On PayPal, only a goods and services payment carries buyer and seller protection; a personal payment carries none.

A Venmo business profile against PayPal Checkout

A payment to a Venmo business profile costs 1.9% + $0.10; through Tap to Pay, 2.29% + $0.09. PayPal Checkout, the button on your site or invoice, costs 3.49% + $0.49. On $20, Venmo $0.48 and PayPal $1.19. On $500, Venmo $9.60 and PayPal $17.94. The catch is reach: Venmo business payments come from people with Venmo, while PayPal Checkout also takes cards.

Venmo at your own checkout

If your shop offers a “Pay with Venmo” button, that payment is charged through PayPal at 3.49% + $0.49, the same as PayPal Checkout. $100 costs $3.98 either way, so there is no saving in steering checkout buyers from one button to the other.

Moving the money to your bank

Venmo’s standard transfer to your bank is free. Instant Transfer costs 1.75%, at least $0.25 and at most $25: after a $100 goods and services payment, moving it instantly costs $1.70 more. Our records hold no transfer fee for PayPal.

Venmo vs PayPal Fees: questions

Are Venmo fees lower than PayPal’s?

For goods and services, no: both charge 2.99%. For a business, yes: a Venmo business profile pays 1.9% + $0.10, against PayPal Checkout’s 3.49% + $0.49.

What do Venmo and PayPal take from a $50 goods and services payment?

$1.50 on each, leaving $48.50.

What does a $50 business payment cost on each?

$1.05 to a Venmo business profile, $2.24 through PayPal Checkout.

Can I avoid the fee with a personal payment?

Personal payments between friends and family carry no fee on either, but they are not meant for sales. On PayPal a personal payment carries no buyer or seller protection, so a sale paid that way is not covered if anything goes wrong.

Does Venmo charge to move money to my bank?

The standard transfer is free. Instant Transfer costs 1.75%, between $0.25 and $25.

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