At a glance
| Wise | Revolut (Standard plan) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Money transfer and multi-currency account provider. Not a bank. In the EU it operates through Wise Europe SA. | Financial app. For EEA customers, accounts are held with Revolut Bank UAB, a bank licensed in Lithuania. |
| How currency exchange is priced | The live mid-market rate plus an upfront fee that varies by route and by how you pay. | The market rate up to a monthly allowance (EUR 1,000 for EEA customers at the time of writing). Above it, a fair-usage fee applies. Paid plans raise the allowance. |
| Weekend exchanges | The quote shows the rate and fee before you confirm. | Exchanges between 5pm Friday and 6pm Sunday (New York time) carry a 1% fee on the Standard plan. |
| How your money is protected | Customer funds are safeguarded separately from the company's own money. Wise states these payment services are not covered by a deposit guarantee scheme. | Deposits with Revolut Bank UAB are insured up to EUR 100,000 per depositor by the Lithuanian deposit insurance scheme. |
| Where it tends to fit best | Regular or larger transfers, where the rate and the fee matter most. | Everyday spending abroad and one bank-like app, within the monthly allowance. |
The last row is our reading of how the products are set up, not a rule. Both companies change their fees and plans from time to time, so treat the table as a starting point and check the current terms.
Comparing the cost of a transfer
The visible fee is only half the price. The other half is how far the exchange rate you get sits from the mid-market rate (see how international transfers work). Wise builds its pricing around using the mid-market rate and charging a separate fee, so its quote is easy to read. Revolut's Standard plan works differently: within the monthly allowance the exchange itself carries no markup, and the cost appears when you go over the allowance or exchange at the weekend.
How you pay matters as much as which provider you pick. Wise's own page for sending euros to Poland shows the fee for a EUR 1,000 transfer at very different levels depending on the payment method:
| Paying for EUR 1,000 to Poland with Wise | Fee shown by Wise |
|---|---|
| From your Wise balance | EUR 5.78 |
| Bank transfer | EUR 8.04 |
| Debit card | EUR 9.75 |
| Credit card | EUR 40.29 |
These are the fees Wise showed on 20 September 2026 and they change. The lesson holds regardless of the exact numbers: paying by credit card can cost several times more than paying from a balance or by bank transfer.
For Revolut on the Standard plan, the same EUR 1,000 exchanged at the weekend would carry a 1% fee, which is EUR 10. Above the monthly allowance a fair-usage fee applies instead, and its percentage depends on your country, so check your country's fee page. Before you confirm any Revolut transfer, also check whether sending the money onward to a bank account carries its own fee on your plan.
Want to see what a lower margin does over a year? Try the transfer savings calculator.
Spending abroad with a card
Both companies offer cards, and the currency conversion rules that apply to card payments in the EU are the same for everyone. When a terminal or an ATM offers to charge you in your home currency instead of the local one (dynamic currency conversion), the conversion charge must be shown as a percentage mark-up over the European Central Bank's euro reference rate under Regulation (EU) 2019/518. That makes the offer easy to compare. In practice, choose the local currency and let your card provider do the conversion. More on costs abroad in our multi-currency banking guide.
How safe is your money?
Both are regulated, but the protection works in different ways, and neither is "safer" in every situation.
- Revolut (EEA): money held in accounts with Revolut Bank UAB is covered by the Lithuanian deposit insurance scheme up to EUR 100,000 per depositor. Revolut states that compensation is paid within 7 working days.
- Wise (EU): customer funds are safeguarded, meaning they are kept separate from Wise's own money, and Wise states that its payment services are not covered by a deposit guarantee scheme.
A deposit guarantee gives a fast, fixed payout up to a limit. Safeguarding aims to return your money in full but works through an insolvency process. If you plan to keep a large balance in either, read the provider's own protection page first. If you only use the account to send money, the balance you hold at any moment is small anyway.
Which one should you use?
- Sending a regular amount to another currency: get a quote from both and compare the amount that arrives, not the fee.
- Exchanging small amounts each month: Revolut's monthly allowance may make exchanges free of markup. Avoid weekends on the Standard plan.
- Holding a larger balance: compare how each provider protects deposits, see above.
- Paying with a card abroad: choose the local currency at the terminal and check your card's foreign-exchange terms.
- Not sure: keep both. They are not exclusive.
Try Wise
Wise
Mid-market exchange rate with a transparent, published fee, shown in the quote before you confirm.
Visit Wise →FairAscent may earn a commission if you sign up through this link, at no extra cost to you. See How we make money.
Frequently asked questions
Is Revolut a bank?
For customers in the European Economic Area, accounts are held with Revolut Bank UAB, a bank licensed in Lithuania. Revolut states that deposits with Revolut Bank UAB are insured by the Lithuanian deposit insurance scheme up to EUR 100,000 per depositor.
Is Wise a bank?
No. Wise describes itself as not being a bank. In the EU it operates through Wise Europe SA, which safeguards customer funds separately from its own money. Wise states that these payment services are not covered by a deposit guarantee scheme.
Which is cheaper for sending euros to Polish zloty?
It depends on the amount, the day and how you pay. The reliable way to find out is to get a quote from both and compare the amount that would actually arrive in the recipient's account.
Does it matter when I exchange currency?
It can. On Revolut's Standard plan, exchanges made outside foreign-exchange market hours (from 5pm New York time on Friday to 6pm on Sunday) carry a 1% fee, and exchanges above the monthly allowance carry a fair-usage fee. Wise shows the rate and fee in the quote before you confirm.
Can I use both Wise and Revolut?
Yes. Many people use one for transfers and the other for everyday spending. The two are not exclusive, so you can compare a quote from each whenever you need to convert currency.
Sources
Figures and statements on this page were checked against the following sources on 20 September 2026. Fees, rates and rules change, so always confirm on the provider's own page before you act.