The 6 Best International Money Transfer Apps in the UK

If you're residing in the United Kingdom and planning to transfer money internationally, the traditional options like banks and bureaux de change may prove to be expensive and slow. Fortunately, with the advent of online money transfer apps, you can send cheap and quick remittances from your computer or mobile device.

This guide highlights the top international money transfer apps to send money to or from the UK. These apps, including Remitly, Atlantic Money, Wise, and more, are based on real-time data from Monito's comparison engine. They offer competitive exchange rates, low fees, and fast transfer times, providing a convenient and reliable way to transfer money internationally.

1 — Remitly

Remitly is known for providing some of the lowest exchange rates for international money transfers globally, making it a top player in the industry. Its high Monito score is a testament to its reliability and trustworthiness, offering customers a secure, fast, and satisfactory money transfer experience.

According to Monito's data in the last 12 months, Remitly was the best app overall for sending money from the United Kingdom to abroad. It was the cheapest option for 26.2% of all searches for transfers from the UK conducted with our comparison engine. It was cheapest for 7.6% of transfers sent to the UK.

More info: read our in-depth Remitly review.

Remitly is a good choice for these international money transfers:

• to Pakistan;
• to Poland;
• to Turkey;
• to the Philippines;
• from Germany;
• from the UAE;
• from Spain.

2 — Atlantic Money

Atlantic Money is one of the best international money transfer services for country corridors across Europe. If you want to send money abroad (especially to the EU), then Atlantic Money is a great choice — as it was the cheapest option for 16.8% of searches made for transfers from the UK. It is also a solid option to receive money, as it earned the top spot 8% of the time on searches for transfer made to the UK.

More info: read our in-depth Atlantic Money review.

Atlantic Money is a good choice for these international money transfers:

• to Poland;
• to the USA;
• to Canada;
• from Germany;
• from France;
• from Spain.

3 — Wise

Wise is a reliable option for transferring money abroad, particularly for small to medium-sized amounts. The platform was previously a cost-effective choice for sending money to the UK, though it has recently increased its rates.

According to Monito's data collected over the past year, Wise was ranked as the best app overall for international money transfers to the UK, offering the lowest rates for 26.4% of searches made through our comparison engine. It is an excellent choice if you want to send money from India or Nigeria to the UK.

More info: read our in-depth Wise review.

Wise is a good choice for these international money transfers:

• to the UAE;
• to Turkey;
• from India;
• from Nigeria.

4 — Western Union

Western Union is not often the cheapest option on Monito's comparison engine, but it can be quite competitive if you want to send money overseas from the UK. It is also a reliable and trustworthy service, with many decades of experience and cash payout networks worldwide.

Based on Monito's data from the past 12 months, Western Union was ranked as the third-best overall app for sending money from the UK, providing the best transfers in 13.5% of searches conducted using our comparison engine.

More info: read our in-depth Western Union review.

Western Union is a good choice for these international money transfers:

• to India;
• to Pakistan;
• to Turkey.

5 — WorldRemit

WorldRemit is one of the cheapest international money transfer services for those who want to send cash pick-ups to their recipients abroad. It also offers integration with popular mobile apps abroad, like M-Pesa in Kenya and GCash in the Philippines, to send your money instantly home.

Based on Monito's data collected in the last 12 months, WorldRemit was the 4th-best performing app for sending money abroad from the United Kingdom, being the most cost-effective option for 13.5% of all searches made on Monito's comparison engine.

More info: read our in-depth WorldRemit review.

WorldRemit is a good choice for these international money transfers:

• to Pakistan;
• to Nigeria;
• to India;
• to South Africa;
• from the USA;
• from South Africa.

6 — Currencyfair

Currencyfair often provides the cheapest international money transfers from Poland and to South Africa, two popular countries that send money to the UK. Currencyfair is worth considering if you regularly send money to a loved one in the UK from either of these countries.

Based on Monito's data from the past 12 months, Currency was ranked as the second best app overall for sending money to the UK. It was the most cost-effective option for 17.7% of all searches performed on our comparison engine for transfers to the UK.

More info: read our in-depth Currencyfair review.

Currencyfair is a good choice for these international money transfers:

• to South Africa;
• from Poland;
• from the USA;
• from South Africa.

Honorable Mentions for Money Transfer Apps in the UK

While compiling our list of recommended money transfer apps in the UK, several popular services were considered but ultimately didn't make the cut. Here's why:

Revolut

Revolut is great for sending money instantly to other Revolut accounts in GBP or at competitive rates in other currencies. Additionally, it's acclaimed as one of the best prepaid travel cards available. However, it is generally not the cheapest as a broader money transfer solution for international remittances in the UK.

Panda Remit

Recently, Panda Remit has not been offering competitive transfers to and from the UK. However, it still continues to dominate in one key corridor: sending money from the UK to India. It was the number one provider for that corridor, offering the best prices 45% of the time according to our search engine.

Zelle

Zelle facilitates instant money transfers between American bank accounts, identifying recipients through email. Its simplicity and efficiency are commendable, but we can only recommend it if you have an American bank account, since Zelle is restricted to the US.

Cash App

Cash App allows for money transfers between the UK and US without a foreign exchange margin, offering a compelling option for sending money to friends and family across the pond. Despite this, its limited recognition and use within the UK market led to its exclusion.

MoneyGram

While MoneyGram boasts a global reach and the convenience of both desktop and app interfaces, its almost never a competitive option in the UK when compared to its competitors. MoneyGram can be competitive in some corridors across North America, but we don't recommend it as a money transfer app in the UK.

PayPal

Arguably the most well-known platform globally, PayPal excels in receiving payments due to its widespread adoption worldwide. However, it falls short as a method for sending international transfers due to complex hidden fees and extremely poor exchange rates. We highly urge you to send money abroad with a different provider. You can use Monito's comparison engine to search for real-time prices from competitors.

Our Top App Picks in the UK

Unlike conventional banks, the money transfer and banking applications covered in this guide charge nominal fixed fees and competitive exchange rate margins, ensuring that you receive more value for your money. Moreover, we have extensively evaluated these service providers based on their transparency, quality of service, fees, and customer satisfaction, empowering you to make an informed and confident decision.

Sending Money From the UK

Here is a list based on real-time data from Monito's comparison engine, of the top-rated money transfer apps that make sending money in the UK easy and cost-effective:

1. Remitly;
2. Atlantic Money;
3. Western Union;
4. WorldRemit;
5. TransferGo.

Sending Money to the UK

Discover the top-rated apps for sending money to the UK in 2024, as determined by Monito's real-time data from March 2023 to March 2024:

1. Wise;
2. Currencyfair;
3. Atlantic Money;
4. Instarem;
5. Remitly.

Read our guide about how to transfer money from abroad to the UK to learn more.

Best Apps By Destination Country

Here are the best apps to send money from the UK to the countries that receive the most remittances from the UK, based on Monito's data from March 2023 to March 2024:

• to Poland: Atlantic Money
• to India: Panda Remit
• to Pakistan: Remitly
• to the USA: Atlantic Money
• to Turkey: Remitly
• to Nigeria: WorldRemit
• to the Philippines: Remitly
• from India: Wise
• from Poland: Currencyfair
• from the USA: Instarem
• from Germany: Remitly
• from South Africa: Currencyfair
• from the UAE: Remitly