Venmo vs Green Dot
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
Green Dot
Manage your finances with a mobile banking app that offers early direct deposit, overdraft protection, and cash deposits. Enjoy features like 2% cash back on purchases and a high-yield savings account with no minimum balance requirement.
- Early direct deposit (up to 2 days early)
- Overdraft protection up to $200
- Deposit cash via app
- No minimum balance requirement
- 2% cash back on online/mobile purchases
- High-yield savings account (2.00% APY)
- Free ATM network access
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Green Dot is a financial technology and bank holding company committed to giving people and businesses the power to bank seamlessly, affordably, and with confidence. We have managed over 80 million accounts to date. Enjoy a range of features across our collection of Green Dot cards including: • Get your pay up to 2 days early and government benefits up to 4 days early with early direct deposit¹ • Overdraft protection up to $200 with eligible direct deposits and opt-in² • Deposit cash using the app³ • Enjoy no minimum balance requirement Additional features available across select Green Dot cards: • Earn 2% cash back on online and mobile purchases⁴ • Save up money in the Green Dot High-Yield Savings Account and earn 2.00% Annual Percentage Yield (APY) on money in savings up to a $10,000 balance!⁵ • Access a free ATM network. Limits apply.⁶ The Green Dot app is the most convenient way to manage your account. • Activate a new card • View balance and transaction history • Lock/Unlock your account • Deposit checks from your mobile phone⁷ • Works with mobile payment options including Apple Pay • Set up account alerts⁸ • Access chat customer support Visit GreenDot.com to learn more. Not a gift card. Must be 18 or older to purchase. Activation requires online access, mobile number and identity verification (including SSN) to open an account and access all features. Activated, personalized card required to access some features. The name and Social Security number on file with your employer or benefits provider must match your Green Dot account to prevent fraud restrictions on the account. ¹ Early direct deposit availability depends on payor type, timing, payment instructions, and bank fraud prevention measures. As such, early direct deposit availability may vary from pay period to pay period. ² Fees, terms, and conditions apply. Learn more at GreenDot.com/benefits/overdraft-protection ³ Retail service fee of $4.95 and limits may apply. Keep the receipt as proof of your transaction. ⁴ Available on our Green Dot Cash Back Visa® Debit Card. Terms and conditions apply. Claim the cash back every 12 months of use and your account being in good standing. ⁵ Available on our Green Dot Cash Back Visa® Debit Card: 2.00% Annual Percentage Yield (APY) is accurate as of 5/01/2025 and may change before or after you open an account. ⁶ See app for free ATM locations. 4 free withdrawals per calendar month, $3.00 per withdrawal thereafter. $3 for out-of-network withdrawals and $.50 for balance inquiries, plus whatever the ATM owner may charge. Limits apply. ⁷ Active personalized card, limits and other requirements apply. Additional customer verification may be required. Green Dot mobile check cashing: Ingo Money is a service provided the sponsor bank identified in the Terms and Conditions for the service and Ingo Money, Inc. Subject to Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. Limits apply. Ingo Money check cashing services is not available for use within the state of New York. ⁸ Message and data rates may apply Green Dot® cards are issued by Green Dot Bank, Member FDIC, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A., Inc. Visa is a registered trademark of Visa International Service Association. And by Mastercard International Inc. Mastercard and the circles design are registered trademarks of Mastercard International Incorporated. ©2025 Green Dot Corporation. All rights reserved. Green Dot Corporation NMLS #914924; Green Dot Bank NMLS #908739 Technology Privacy Statement: https://m2.greendot.com/app/help/legal/techprivacy Terms of Use: https://m2.greendot.com/legal/tos
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Venmo at 4.8 against Green Dot's 3.5. Venmo also leads on ratings volume (15M vs 12K) and update cadence (every 11 days vs every 4 weeks). Green Dot's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, review sentiment, 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.
Venmo holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Venmo has 15M ratings behind it against 12K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 15% of Venmo's written reviews are positive against 8% of Green Dot's.
Venmo ships an update every 11 days, Green Dot every 4 weeks. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Venmo | Green Dot |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (15M ratings) — better | 3.5 (12K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 14.6% of reviews — better | 7.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 15M — better | 12K |
| Update frequency | Every 11 days — better | Every 4 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #6 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 701 MB | 150 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Venmo | Green Dot Corporation |
Customer experience
Venmo
Green Dot
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
Green Dot
From 12K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 💳 Works fine for basic banking
- 🚀 Fast direct deposit
- 💰 Earns cash back on purchases
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent login issues and errors
- 🤖 Poor customer service
- 💸 High monthly fees
- 🔒 Difficulty accessing funds
- 📱 App frequently crashes or doesn't work
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
Green Dot
Reported bugs
3 issues- Login screen not working
- Unable to access account or transfer funds
- App crashes on launch
Requested features
3 requests- Improve app stability and reliability
- Provide better customer support
- Reduce monthly fees
In-app purchases
Venmo
No in-app purchases
Green Dot
No in-app purchases








