Xe vs Wise (TransferWise)
Which of these two money specialists offers cheaper, faster, more flexible transfers?
Key takeaways
- Wise often delivers slightly more money for transfers to India despite its tiered fee structure.
- Xe typically offers zero fees for transfers above $1,000, though its exchange rates may include a small margin.
- Transfer speeds for both providers are comparable, varying from seconds to a few days depending on payment method and destination.
Which has lower fees?
Xe
With Xe, the fee you'll pay on money transfers below $1,000 will vary depending on how you chose to pay, the currency you're sending and the country you're sending money to. The fee is scrapped for transfers above that amount.
Wise
Fees vary depending on where your recipient lives and how much you're sending. Wise charges a fixed fee plus a percentage of each transfer. These fees vary depending on the currency and country you're sending to.
Winner: Xe
Although Wise typically charges lower fees than banks and other money transfer specialists, it can't trump Xe's low-fee service.
Crunching the numbers: Sending $500 and $10,000 to India
To give you an idea of how they directly compare, we checked fees and exchange rates for two different transfer amounts on 21 September 2026. Exchange rates move constantly, so treat these figures as an illustration of how the two providers price a transfer rather than as a current quote.
| Xe $500 | Wise $500 | Xe $10,000 | Wise $10,000 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fee | $4 | $3.12 | $0 | $44.74 |
| Exchange rate | 1 AUD = 67.64 INR | 1 AUD = 68.31 INR | 1 AUD = 67.65 INR | 1 AUD = 68.31 INR |
| Transfer speed | Typically hours | Within seconds | Typically hours | 3 days |
| Amount received | INR 33,550 | INR 33,944 | INR 676,475 | INR 680,086 |
As you can see, Wise comes out ahead in both scenarios once its lower exchange-rate margin is factored in — it delivers more rupees than Xe on both the $500 and $10,000 transfer, though Xe's zero fee on larger transfers keeps it competitive.
A note on Xe's transfer speed: its own calculator doesn't return a delivery estimate for this corridor by payment method, so I've used the general bank-transfer timeframe from Xe's help centre rather than guessing a number — worth confirming with Xe directly if you want a tighter estimate for India specifically.
Which offers better exchange rates?
Xe
Xe adds a small margin onto exchange rates to make a profit. On other hand, Wise relies on fees to money, not exchange rate markups. Despite this, XE is still cheaper than banks and is one of the few providers that can compete with Wise.
Wise
Wise quotes the mid-market rate for money transfers. Banks and foreign exchange specialists use the mid-market rate when trading with one another, and it's usually better than the retail rate a bank would quote you.
Winner: Wise
Wise always gives you the mid-market rate. However, Wise's fees may end up costing you more, even though Xe is offering a weaker rate. Use the table above to compare a transfer with your specific sending destination and preferred amount.
Compare Xe and Wise's exchange rates and fees
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How we picked theseFinder Score for money transfer
We review money transfer providers for different features to assign them a score out of 10. The higher the score, the more competitive the product.
Which is faster?
Xe
Xe estimates from seconds to up to three days for the money to reach your recipient. Delivery time typically depends on your recipient's country.
Wise
Wise provides a calculator that can help you estimate how long it will take for your money to get to your recipient. Timing depends on where you live, your recipient's country and how you pay for the transfer. Credit card payments tend to move faster than bank transfers, for instance.
Wise gets a lot of reviews for the accuracy of its delivery estimates.
Winner: Tie
With so many variables that can affect how long your friends or loved ones might have to wait, we simply can't determine which of these two money transfer specialists are better when it comes to speed.
General features
Xe
Xe Money Transfers specialises in international transfers of any size, as orders placed over the phone have no maximum limit. Xe charges $0 for amounts above $1,000 and allows you to send to more than 200 countries around the world. It also offers an app that provides continuously updated exchange rates on hundreds of currency pairs. Overall, Xe's low fees makes it worth checking before you send your next transfer, particularly if you're sending a large amount of money.
Wise
Wise always gives you the mid-market rate, something few companies do in the money transfer market. On top of this, Wise is transparent about its fees, so you'll know exactly what you're being charged and how to adjust your transfer accordingly to possibly save money. With Wise's straightforward website, you can sign up and have your first transfer sent within a few minutes, or call the company and send a transfer by phone.
Bottom line
Xe Money Transfer provides low-fee money transfers at rates that beat the banks, similar to other online money transfer specialists. You can send as much as $500,000 online and more by calling a rep. Wise, however, can get you more money for your dollar with a stronger mid-market rate, especially on high-dollar transactions.
Still not convinced that Xe or Wise is for you? Compare your options to send funds overseas.
Looking for more options?
Our table below lets you compare services you can use to send money abroad. Compare fees, exchange rates and discounts from different money transfer services, and when you have made your choice, click Go to site.
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Compare other products
We currently don't have that product, but here are others to consider:
How we picked theseFinder Score for money transfer
We review money transfer providers for different features to assign them a score out of 10. The higher the score, the more competitive the product.
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