Best Payment Apps

PayPal is the granddaddy of payment companies, with a history going back to 1998. It made its name as the preferred digital wallet and payment provider for eBay transactions but has since grown to be one of the most dominant names in online payments.

PayPal offers the ability to transfer money to and from any U.S.-based bank account. There is no fee to transfer funds to family or friends from a PayPal balance or bank account balance, but PayPal does charge fees to send from a credit card or convert currencies.

Cash App is the answer of mobile credit card processor Square’s parent company, Block Inc., to the growing popularity of peer-to-peer payments. Cash App does pretty much the same thing as Venmo, but without the social features. You can send money to friends or request from them, and funds are drawn from a linked bank account or debit card at no cost.

In 2018, Cash App added the ability to buy and sell Bitcoin as well, which gives it a unique feature compared to other popular payment apps.

Venmo is actually owned by PayPal, however, Venmo is a very different app than PayPal. Venmo is an app designed primarily to send money to friends, with an embedded social aspect. And, while you can sign in and access your account on traditional computers, you can only send money from the app or mobile browsers.

Venmo has 60 million users. That's a lot of restaurant checks split. Venmo can also be used to pay for transactions at many businesses as well. It is free to send money using your linked debit card or bank account.

Zelle offers a unique way to pay friends or family right from your bank. If you have an account at a participating bank, you can send cash via same-day transfers. The growing list of participating banks includes titans such as Chase, Bank of America, Citi, Wells Fargo, and online banking leaders, Ally and Capital One.

If your bank doesn't partner with Zelle, you can still use it by downloading their app and linking your debit card. If your bank does participate, you have the option of using Zelle's service through your bank's website or mobile app in addition to the Zelle app.

It is free to send and receive. You can only connect one bank account to your Zelle profile at this time, so if you sign up, make sure it is with your primary account.

Google offers a tool to do almost everything one can do online, and sending money is no exception. Google Pay is unique in its integrations with other Google products, including Gmail. Using Google Pay, you can send and receive money to friends and family by using their name, email, phone or QR code. If you have a Google account, you are essentially already signed up for Google Pay.

Like most Google products, it is well designed and easy to use. It works with the dedicated Google Pay app or through other integrated Google services. There are currently no fees to use Google Pay except when transferring money out to a debit card.

Meta already knows everything about you, so why not hand over your debit card and integrate sending money with your chat experience? Because almost everyone is already on Facebook, Instagram or Messenger, you can send them money without waiting for them to sign up for an account elsewhere. They just need to add a payment method.

Payment information is private. When you send money, the transactions are not shared on your feed. Once a payment is accepted, it shows up in the bank within five business days. It’s as simple as that.