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INR 96,089.10
FX rate
INR 96.0891
FX rate comparison
INR 91,926.70
FX rate
INR 91.9267
INR 96,051.65
FX rate
INR 96.0517
Banks
INR 92,140.10
FX rate
INR 92.1401
Which is better, PayPal or Revolut?
For an Indian business receiving international payments, PayPal is the only one of the two you can realistically use, and it is expensive. Its up-to-4.4% fee and 3 to 4% FX markup cost Indian users 7 to 8% per invoice, and seller reserves can freeze funds without warning. Revolut is a strong consumer product for the UK and EU, but it doesn't support B2B receiving for Indian accounts on any tier, its free plan caps monthly conversion, and weekend FX markups apply. Xflow is built for this job, with a flat 0.6% fee, 0% FX markup, no invoice cap and a free eFIRA on every payment.
| Question | Quick answer |
|---|---|
| Which is better for freelancers? | PayPal, if a client insists on paying through it, since Revolut doesn't support B2B receiving for Indian accounts. For regular invoicing, PayPal's 7 to 8% all-in cost adds up fast, and Xflow's flat 0.6% fee and free eFIRA keep more of every payment. |
| Is Revolut cheaper than PayPal? | For personal transfers within its free tier, yes, since Revolut charges 0% FX up to a monthly limit. For Indian businesses receiving client payments, it isn't an option, because B2B receiving isn't supported on any Revolut plan in India. |
| Cheaper for receiving USD into an Indian bank? | On a $5,000 invoice, PayPal takes roughly $220 in fees plus its 3 to 4% FX markup, and Revolut can't receive it for an Indian business. Xflow costs $30 at the mid-market rate, with a free eFIRA. |
| Which is better in India? | Xflow. PayPal issues a weekly consolidated FIRA rather than one per invoice, and Revolut doesn't support FIRA for Indian B2B accounts at all. Xflow supports every Indian entity type, with no invoice cap and 1-day INR settlement. |
PayPal vs Revolut vs Xflow: Complete breakdown
Globally recognised, costly on FX
Recognised globally and trusted by hundreds of millions of payers. Works for small or one-off invoices where the client already has a PayPal account. FX markup and transaction fees together can cost Indian users 7 to 8% per invoice, and account holds can disrupt cash flow without warning.
7-8% all-in cost
Good for personal multi-currency use
An excellent consumer product for the UK and EU. Weekend FX markups cut the rate advantage outside trading hours, the free tier caps monthly conversion, and India B2B receiving isn't supported on any tier.
No India B2B support
Best for Indian exporters
Built specifically for Indian businesses receiving international payments. Lowest effective cost on invoices above $1,000, with zero FX markup, per-transaction eFIRA within 24 hours, no invoice cap, and full India-native compliance from day one.
Recommended for IT exporters
Feature | PayPal | Revolut | Xflow |
|---|---|---|---|
FX Markup | 3 to 4% above mid-market | ~ 0% within free tier; ~1% after limit; weekend markup applies | 0%, mid-market rate guaranteed |
FIRA / eFIRC | Weekly consolidated, free from Feb 2026 | ~ Not supported for India B2B | Auto-issued within 24 hrs, always free |
Per-Invoice Limit | High, seller reserves possible | ~ Tier-dependent | No limit, enterprise-ready |
Settlement Speed | 2 to 5 business days | Same day to 2 business days | 1 business day, often same day |
Guaranteed FX Rate | Not available | Not available | Rate locked for 3-hour window |
Currencies Supported | 25+ Currencies | 30+ currencies | 25+ incl. AED, SGD, HKD, CHF |
Local payment rails | Cards and PayPal wallet only | ~ Limited, UK/EU focused | ACH (US), SEPA (EU), CHAPS/BACS (UK) |
Zoho Books Integration | Third-party only | Third-party only | Native integration (launched 2025) |
FX AI Analyst | Not available | Not available | Yes, rate-lock up to 45 days |
RBI / FEMA Compliance | RBI-regulated, PA-CB-E approval May 2025 | ~ Through banking partner | RBI-authorised bank partner, eFIRA auto |
API / White-Label | Available | Revolut Business API; limited India B2B | Full API, webhooks, platform embedding |
India-Based Support | Global, not India-specific | ~ Limited India presence | Dedicated India onboarding team |
PayPal vs Revolut fees: Which is cheaper?
PayPal charges a percentage fee plus an FX markup, while Revolut runs on a free tier plus subscriptions. See how both compare with Xflow's flat pricing across invoice sizes.
Consumer payments
Best for
Small / one-off invoices
Expensive on FX. Account holds and reserves can hit without notice.
| Charge type | Fees |
|---|---|
| Transaction | Up to 4.4% + fixed fee |
| FX markup | 3 to 4% on INR conversion |
| FIRA | Weekly consolidated (not per txn) |
Free tier + subscription
Ideal for
Personal / small transfers
India business operations are restricted. Not designed for Indian companies receiving cross-border B2B payments.
| Plan | Fees |
|---|---|
| Within free-tier limit | 0% FX |
| After limit | ~1% + weekend markup |
| Paid plan | from GBP 6.99/mo |
Flat-tier + percentage model
Ideal for invoices from
$500 – $500,000+
Any invoice size, any Indian entity type: no caps, no restrictions
| Invoice value | Fees |
|---|---|
| Upto $2000 | $12 flat + Free eFIRA |
| Above $2,000 | 0.6% + Free eFIRA |
| Above $100,000 | Custom rate + Free eFIRA |
Who is Xflow built for?
Feature | Other platforms | Xflow |
|---|---|---|
IT / IT service exporters | ||
PayPal's percentage fee becomes a significant cost at $10,000 to $50,000 monthly volumes. | 0.6% flat fee on every invoice, regardless of size. | |
Revolut doesn't support B2B invoice receiving for Indian accounts on any plan tier. | Built for Indian B2B receiving, with no invoice limits and 1-day INR settlement. | |
Neither platform supports EEFC accounts, forcing immediate INR conversion on every receipt. | EEFC account support - hold USD or GBP and convert on your terms. | |
Transfer pricing compliance for global HQ to India subsidiary flows is absent on both platforms. | Transfer pricing compliance built in; ISO 27001 + SOC 2 + JP Morgan backing; free eFIRA within 24h. | |
SaaS & startups | ||
PayPal's per-transaction fee compounds significantly across monthly recurring billing at scale. | 0.6% flat fee that scales predictably with ARR growth. | |
Revolut's India B2B restrictions mean registered SaaS companies can't use it to collect from overseas clients. | Supports all entity types including Pvt Ltd, LLP, OPC, and startups. | |
Neither handles transfer pricing between a funded startup's global HQ and its Indian subsidiary. | Transfer pricing compliance built in for funded Indian subsidiaries; EEFC to hold multi-currency receivables. | |
FIRA across multiple billing cycles creates a documentation backlog difficult to resolve at year-end. | Free per-transaction eFIRA within 24 hours + native Zoho Books, keeping every cycle audit-ready. | |
Freelancers & agencies | ||
PayPal's 4.4% fee plus FX markup makes invoices below $1,000 barely worth processing after deductions. | 0.6% flat fee with 0% FX markup. | |
Revolut's free-tier conversion limits and weekend FX markup make it unpredictable, and India B2B receiving isn't supported. | No invoice limits regardless of project size; supports freelancers, sole prop, Pvt Ltd, and LLP. | |
FIRA from PayPal is weekly and consolidated; Revolut doesn't support FIRA for Indian B2B accounts at all. | Free per-transaction eFIRA within 24 hours, every payment. | |
Neither lets you hold foreign currency - conversion always happens on their schedule, not yours. | EEFC account support to hold forex and convert at the right moment; 1-day INR settlement. | |
Platforms & marketplaces | ||
PayPal has no white-label option for embedding payments directly inside a product. | Full white-label API with webhooks and programmatic vendor onboarding at scale. | |
Revolut Business has an API, but India B2B receiving limits mean vendors can't reliably collect through it. | No invoice or transaction size limits for any vendor; supports all entity types. | |
What's quietly costing you money
PayPal's 3 to 4% FX markup and fees, and Revolut's lack of India B2B support, quietly drain every invoice. On a $5,000 payment, PayPal's markup alone is $150 to $200 gone before transaction fees even apply.
Cost stack on PayPal
PayPal applies 3 to 4% above the mid-market rate on every currency conversion, on top of a 4.4% transaction fee. By the time your invoice settles in INR, the gap between what you billed and what you received is hard to ignore.
Cost stack on Revolut
Revolut's free tier caps monthly currency conversion, and a weekend FX markup kicks in outside trading hours. For Indian businesses, B2B receiving is restricted on both personal and business plans, making it unsuitable for cross-border invoice settlement.
Slow settlement to Indian banks
PayPal takes 2 to 5 business days to credit funds to an Indian account, and Revolut takes same day to 2 business days where it's supported. Working capital locked in transit creates real strain for businesses managing monthly expenses.
FIRA and compliance friction
PayPal issues a weekly consolidated FIRA rather than one per invoice. Revolut doesn't support FIRA for Indian B2B accounts at all. Neither gives Indian exporters the per-transaction, same-day documentation needed for clean GST refund claims and EDPMS filing.
Account holds and B2B restrictions
PayPal's seller reserves can freeze funds without warning on growing accounts. Revolut's limits are tier-dependent, and its India B2B presence is too limited for businesses that need a reliable, scalable receiving solution.
Built for India. Engineered for growth.
Features other platforms don't offer - Xflow is built for Indian businesses from day one.
Guaranteed live FX rate
Unique to Xflow. Your rate is locked for 3 hours after your client pays. You know the exact INR before you convert.
FX AI Analyst
Unique to Xflow. An AI-powered assistant that helps you decide when to convert based on market conditions.
EEFC account support
Keep your foreign currency earnings in an EEFC account and convert when the rate works in your favour. PayPal and Revolut both convert to INR automatically, giving you no control over timing.
Local payment rails
Your overseas clients pay like a local bank transfer, ACH in the US, SEPA in Europe, CHAPS/BACS in the UK. Faster, cheaper, without the SWIFT friction.
Fully compliant infrastructure
ISO 27001 + SOC 2 certified. Zero upper limit on transfer size. Enterprise-grade security without enterprise complexity.
Free FIRA
Auto-generated within 24 hours for every transaction. No follow-up calls, no extra charges, no delays before your audit.
- 01Exchange rate markups The mid-market rate is the benchmark. PayPal adds 3 to 4% above it on every conversion to INR. Revolut offers 0% within its free-tier limit, then about 1% plus a weekend markup. Compare the rate you actually get, not just the advertised fee.
- 02Transaction fees PayPal charges up to 4.4% plus a fixed fee per transaction. Revolut's free tier has monthly limits, and paid plans start from £6.99 a month. Add the fee and the FX spread together to see what each invoice really costs.
- 03Settlement time PayPal takes 2 to 5 business days to credit an Indian bank account, and Revolut same day to 2 business days where it's supported. If you run payroll or vendor payments on a fixed schedule, those delays repeat every month.
- 04FIRA and export compliance Indian exporters need a FIRA for every inward remittance to support GST export filings. PayPal issues a weekly consolidated FIRA rather than one per transaction, and Revolut doesn't support FIRA for Indian B2B accounts.
- 05B2B support and account holds Revolut doesn't support B2B receiving for Indian accounts on any tier. PayPal has no hard cap, but seller reserves and account holds can freeze funds on growing accounts. Check that a platform supports your business before your first client pays.
- 06Consumer vs business platforms PayPal and Revolut are built mainly for consumer payments. Indian businesses collecting B2B invoices need a platform built for exporters, with per-transaction FIRA and fast INR settlement.
What our users say
Xflow’s product has added tremendous value to our customers by simplifying cross border payments and helping save costs. The integ
Tej Mulgaonkar
Director
Xflow helps me collect payments from customers across multiple countries. With Xflow, global payments are simplified and reconcile
Varun
Co-founder
Xflow has helped us improve collections by making it easy for my customers to pay using their local payment methods
Hemant Kumar
WeWork India
I manage my forex operations and hence it was important for me to find a payments partner who could settle into my EEFC account. X
Dhruv
Founder
Xflow has made it super simple for us to go live with Inkle’s specific cross-border payment use case (intercompany transfer pricin
Anand Krishna
CEO & Founder
Xflowpay has built very powerful, robust, and flexible APIs that any organisation can easily consume to launch cross border paymen
Pranav
Head of Forex
I am able to collect payments for invoices to overseas customers seamlessly using Xflow. My customers in US are also able to pay m
Binu
Founder
Xflow's cross-border payment solution complements our core neobank offering. We love the white-labelled nature of the product. We
Saurabh
Founder
Getting started on Xflow was easy - KYC was simple and I could start transacting in less than 24 hours. Now that we have used Xflo
Sandeep
Founder
We leverage Xflow to help our customers collect >$10,000 invoices. We draw a lot of comfort from the fact that Xflow has partnered
Saurabh
Founder
With Xflow, we found a convenient, compliant, cost-effective payment provider to bring funds into India under transfer pricing. Th
Sunil
Founder
Frequently asked questions
We're making the headlines
"Xflow, an Indian fintech startup, has secured backing from both Stripe and PayPal Ventures in a $16.6 million funding round. The investment comes as the company works to carve out a position in cross-border B2B payments, a market still dominated by banks and manual processes.
"Xflow, a leading cross-border payments fintech, today announced the launch of its new flexible, flat-fee pricing plans designed specifically for India's small and mid-sized exporters. "
"Indian exporters can now focus on growth while Xflow handles complex payment documentation Bengaluru, Karnataka, India (NewsVoir) Xflow today announced the launch of Compliance Desk, a managed service that allows Indian exporters to outsource the complex compliance requirements tied to cross-border payments.
“Xflow, a Bangalore-based fintech specialising in cross-border payments, has received in-principle approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to operate as an online Payment Aggregator for Cross-Border transactions. ”
"Xflow, a financial services and infrastructure company, simplifies the cross-border payments experience for businesses.
"Xflow has made it super simple for us, it handled our needs, volumes and edge cases quickly, seamlessly and compliantly," said Anand Krishna, CEO and Founder of Inkle
"Xflow is designed to help businesses send and receive cross-border payments in a compliant and regulatory manner - from freelancers to small and medium enterprises all the way