Venmo vs Western Union
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Venmo
A fast, safe, and social way to send and receive money with friends and family. Easily split bills, buy crypto, and manage your finances with integrated debit and credit cards.
- Send and receive money
- Split payments among friends
- Buy, hold, and sell cryptocurrency
- Venmo credit and debit cards
- Teen accounts
- Business profiles
- Instant transfers and direct deposit
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Venmo is the fast, safe, social way to pay and get paid. Join over 90+ million people who use the Venmo app today SEND AND RECEIVE MONEY Pay and get paid for anything from your share of rent to a gift. Add a note to each payment to share and connect with friends SPLIT A REQUEST AMONG MULTIPLE VENMO FRIENDS You can now send a payment request to multiple Venmo friends at once and customize the amount each person owes GET REWARDED WITH THE VENMO CREDIT CARD Earn up to 3% cash back on your eligible top spend category¹ —we’ll do the math. Split card purchases with Venmo friends, and shop everywhere Visa® credit cards are accepted—online, in-store, worldwide² BUY CRYPTO WITH AS LITTLE AS $1 Buy, hold, and sell cryptocurrency right on the Venmo app. New to crypto? Learn more with in-app resources. Crypto is volatile, so it can rise and fall in value quickly. Be sure to take it at a pace you're comfortable with³ SHOP WITH THE VENMO DEBIT CARD Spend your money in Venmo everywhere Mastercard® is accepted around the globe — and earn cashback from some of your favorite spots. Terms apply: venmo.me/rewards⁴ VENMO TEEN ACCOUNTS A debit card of their very own and a Venmo account to send money to trusted friends and family⁵. All with no minimum balance or monthly fee DO BUSINESS ON VENMO Create a business profile for your side gig, small business, or anything in between—all under your same Venmo account MANAGE YOUR MONEY Get your Venmo money in the bank within minutes using Instant Transfer⁶. Want your paycheck up to two days earlier* than your normal payday? Try Direct Deposit ¹Use of cash back is subject to the terms of the Venmo account. See Rewards Program Terms: https://www.synchronycredit.com/gecrbterms/html/RewardsTerms.htm ²Application subject to credit approval. You must be at least 18 years old and reside in the US or its territories to apply. You must have a Venmo account in good standing, that has been open for at least 30 days prior to application The Venmo Credit Card is issued by Synchrony Bank pursuant to a license from Visa USA Inc. VISA is a registered trademark of Visa International Service Association and used under license ³Terms apply. Only available in the US and limited in certain states. Buying and selling cryptocurrency is subject to a number of risk and may result in significant losses. Venmo does not make any recommendation regarding buying or selling cryptocurrency. Consider seeking advice from your financial or tax adviser ⁴The Venmo Mastercard® is issued by The Bancorp Bank, N.A., pursuant to license by Mastercard International Incorporated. Mastercard and the circles design are registered trademarks of Mastercard International Incorporated. The Bancorp Bank, N.A. is issuer of the Card only and not responsible for the associated accounts or other products, services, or offers from Venmo ⁵ The Venmo Teen Debit Card is available for eligible users 13-17 years old with parent or legal guardian sign up. Terms apply ⁶ Transfer speed depends on your bank and could take up to 30 minutes. Transfers are reviewed which may result in delays or funds being frozen or removed from your Venmo account. * The availability of Direct Deposit is subject to your employer sending paycheck information 1-2 days in advance of payday. Early access compared to standard banking practice of posting funds at settlement and subject to your employer providing pay information to the bank prior to payday. It may take up to two pay cycles for Direct Deposit to take effect. Transactions are reviewed, which may result in delays or funds being frozen or removed from your account. Emoji artwork is provided by emojitwo.github.io/, originally released as emojione.com/ by Ranks.com with contributions from the Emojitwo community and is licensed under creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode Venmo 2211 N. First St., San Jose, CA 95131
Western Union
Send money internationally with ease. Transfer cash to bank accounts, mobile wallets, or for cash pickup in over 200 countries. Pay bills, track transfers, and view exchange rates on the go.
- International money transfers
- Track money transfers
- Pay bills on the go
- View exchange rates
- Find agent locations
- Card scanning for payments
- Repeat transfers
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Enjoy a $0 transfer fee* on your first transfer with Western Union®. Send money fast to Mexico and globally from the US, available 24/7. Send money, track money transfers, pay bills, review exchange rates, and find agent locations- all on the go with the Western Union® money transfer app. ----- WE MOVE MONEY TO MORE THAN 200 COUNTRIES AND TERRITORIES ----- Your friends and loved ones can receive the funds directly to their bank account or mobile wallet** or pick up cash in their own currency at a convenient location near them. ----- SIMPLE CARD SCANNING ----- Quickly make a money transfer by setting up card payments on your mobile phone. Avoid mistakes by scanning your credit*** or debit card using the camera on your device. ----- EASILY VIEW EXCHANGE RATES ----- View the latest international exchange rates instantly using the widget on our mobile money transfer app. See how the US dollar compares to other currencies on the move. ----- QUICKLY REPEAT TRANSFERS ----- Save your receiver’s details to your resend list and make repeat international money transfers fast through the app. ----- PAY BILLS ON THE GO ----- From your car payment to a mortgage, pay bills anytime, anywhere, with our money transfer app. ----- START ON THE MONEY TRANSFER APP, PAY IN CASH ----- Save time at the counter by starting your money transfer on our app and paying in cash at a participating agent location. Visit one of more than 61,000**** across the US. ----- PAY THE WAY THAT WORKS FOR YOU ----- Pay directly from your bank account, via Apple Pay® in our app, cash at an agent location, or with a credit***/debit card. ----- EASY TO SEND, SIMPLE TO RECEIVE ----- Use the Western Union® app to send money and choose how your receiver will get the funds. Bank account • Send money from your bank to billions of accounts worldwide. Cash pickup • Transfer money with the app to thousands of cash pickup locations internationally. Mobile wallet • You can send money directly to your recipient’s mobile wallet** from one of our partners (in select countries). ++++++++++ FEES AND IMPORTANT DISCLOSURES Western Union makes money from currency exchange. Fees and rates subject to change without notice. Not valid on credit cards or transfers within the United States Services may be provided by Western Union Financial Services, Inc. NMLS# 906983 and/or Western Union International Services, LLC NMLS# 906985. See terms and conditions for details. Western Union has offices worldwide and is headquartered in Denver, 7001 E. Belleview, Denver, CO 80237. Do you have questions about our services? Contact one of our nearby Western Union agent locations. Use our agent location finder to find one nearby or call +1-720-332-1000. * Currency exchange commission applicable. Not available for credit cards and transfers to Cuba. ** Money transfer to digital wallets is available for some international locations. *** A card-issuer cash advance fee and associated interest charges may apply if you use a credit card. To avoid these fees or for reduced fees, use a debit card or check other payment methods. **** Network data as of September 30, 2021. Additional third-party charges may apply.
Screenshots
Verdict
Venmo and Western Union both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 71% of Western Union's written reviews are positive against 15% of Venmo's. Western Union also leads on iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). Venmo's advantage is ratings volume (15M vs 1.3M) and chart position (#6 vs #70). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Venmo against 4.8 for Western Union. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Venmo has 15M ratings behind it against 1.3M, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 15% of Venmo's written reviews are positive against 71% of Western Union's.
Venmo ships an update every 11 days, Western Union every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Venmo | Western Union |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (15M ratings) | 4.8 (1.3M ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 14.6% of reviews | 70.6% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 15M — better | 1.3M |
| Update frequency | Every 11 days — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #6 — better | #70 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 701 MB | 169 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Venmo | Western Union Holdings, Inc. |
Customer experience
Venmo
Western Union
User reviews
Venmo
From 15M App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Reliable, user-friendly, and convenient
- 🔒 Robust security features
- 👍 Untrustworthy vendor protection
- 💡 Investing feature built-in
Room to improve
- 🐛 Buggy and glitchy app
- 🔒 Weak account security
- 🔒 Unreliable customer support
- 💰 Holds funds without explanation
- 💰 Freezes accounts without notice
Western Union
From 1.3M App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fast and efficient money transfers
- 💡 Convenient app for sending money
- 👍 Reliable service for years
- 🚀 Quick money delivery in minutes
Room to improve
- 🐛 Buggy app with technical issues
- 👎 Poor customer service and support
- 💰 High fees and exchange rates
- 🤔 Inconsistent and unpredictable service
- 🔒 Security concerns and account lockouts
Bugs and requests
Venmo
Reported bugs
4 issues- Payments getting declined without reason
- Accounts being frozen or deleted unexpectedly
- Delays in fund transfers and withdrawals
- Inability to access own money in account
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to cancel transactions
- Faster money transfers
- Better account management tools
- Improved customer service
Western Union
Reported bugs
4 issues- Transactions getting cancelled without explanation
- App unable to complete transfers due to system issues
- Incorrect name formatting causing issues at pickup
- Inconsistent behavior across different locations
Requested features
4 requests- Allow editing of profile information
- Improve bank-to-bank transfer speed and visibility
- Provide more transparent fee structure
- Enhance app usability and intuitiveness
In-app purchases
Venmo
No in-app purchases
Western Union
No in-app purchases








