European Alternatives to Venmo
Looking for a European alternative to Venmo? The Venmo user agreement is a contract between the user and PayPal, Inc., so the account sits with a US company. Standard transfers from a Venmo balance to a linked bank account or eligible debit card are described as free, while Instant Transfer is subject to fees listed on Venmo's Fees page.
The European tools below move money between friends through bank accounts, phone numbers or app wallets, each run by a company in the EU, the EEA or Switzerland.
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11 European Alternatives to Venmo
Wero
Bank-to-bank transfers in seconds, by phone number
Bizum
Spanish bank-backed instant payments from a mobile phone
Vipps MobilePay
Nordic app to send, request and split money
Satispay
Free payments between friends, in stores and online
Monzo
UK bank app with free bill splitting between friends
Bluecode
Pay from your account without a card, free for users
BLIK
Single-use six-digit payment code from your bank app
bunq
Dutch bank app to split, request and send money
MB WAY
Portuguese phone payments by QR, NFC or phone number
Wise
UK money transfers, free between Wise contacts in one currency
Tikkie
Dutch payment requests and group expense sharing
Key takeaways
- The Venmo user agreement is a contract between the user and PayPal, Inc., a US company.
- Wero, from EPI Company SE in Brussels, moves money between bank accounts in under 10 seconds according to its vendor page.
- Satispay states that it is free for individuals, with no commission on transfers between friends.
- Tikkie, Vipps MobilePay, bunq and Monzo each include a way to split group costs in the app.
- Bluecode covers paying in shops without a card, but the pages we read do not describe sending money to friends.
Why people leave Venmo
Venmo is a mobile payment app in the United States that people use to pay friends, ask them for money and share the cost of dinners, rent and trips. The Venmo user agreement is a contract between the user and PayPal, Inc., so the account, the payment history and the list of people you pay all sit with a US company.
Europeans who look for a Venmo alternative rarely start from the legal text. They have usually moved to a country where Venmo is not the habit, or they want a way to settle small debts with friends that their own bank supports. What they find is that Europe has no single app for this job. It has a set of national and bank-based schemes, each strong at home.
That changes the question. Against Venmo, the useful comparison is not which app has the nicest feed, but which one your bank, your friends and your country already use. A payment app only works when the other person is on it too, and for most people in Europe that means the local scheme first and a cross-border option second.
- The contract is with PayPal, Inc. The Venmo user agreement names PayPal, Inc. as the party you contract with. For a European resident that means a US company holds your account and your payment history, and disputes follow that contract. Every European app on this page is run by a company registered in the EU, the EEA, Switzerland or the United Kingdom, which puts the contract inside a legal system you can name.
- Money sits in a balance, not in your bank account Venmo describes standard transfers from a Venmo balance to a linked bank account or eligible debit card as free, and charges for Instant Transfer under a separate fee schedule we could not read. The concept is a stored balance that you move out. Wero, Bizum and BLIK work the other way round: the payment goes between bank accounts, so there is no balance to forget about or cash out.
- Your friends in Europe will not be on it A person-to-person app is worth what its network is worth. In Spain people use Bizum, in Poland BLIK, in Portugal MB WAY, in the Netherlands Tikkie, in the Nordics Vipps MobilePay. Asking a friend in one of those countries to install Venmo is asking them to open a second wallet. Using the local scheme asks nothing of them.
- Group costs have European specialists Venmo is often used to split costs. In Europe the same habit is covered by Tikkie's Groepie, Vipps MobilePay's group expense splitting, bunq's split-a-payment feature and Monzo Split. Each is built into an app people already carry, which removes one step: nobody has to create an account just to repay a share of the bill.
What you have to replace, not just match
Replacing Venmo means replacing three habits, not one app. The first is sending money to a person, the second is asking a person for money, and the third is splitting a cost among several people. Most European tools do the first well and the other two only in part, so decide which of the three you actually use before you pick.
There is also the stored balance. If you keep money in a Venmo balance, move it to your bank account first and wait for the transfer to land. Standard transfers to a linked bank are described as free, but Instant Transfer carries fees, so a slower free transfer is the cheaper route when you are not in a hurry. Do this before you close anything, and keep the account open until the money has arrived.
Last come the people. Your contacts, your recurring splits and any group that settles through Venmo do not move on their own. Tell the group which app replaces it, and pick one that the other members can use with the bank they already have. A bank-based scheme such as Wero or Bizum usually wins on that point, because nobody needs a new account.
The alternatives compared
| Position | Tool | Headquarters | Pricing | Jurisdiction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Wero | Brussels, Belgium | No consumer fee information appears on the vendor page | EU (Belgium) |
| #2 | Bizum | Madrid, Spain | The vendor pages checked give no user fee information | EU (Spain) |
| #3 | Vipps MobilePay | City not stated on the pages we read, Norway | No person-to-person fee is given on the vendor page; its only fee statement is that buying a used car with Vipps carries no fees | EEA, not EU (Norway) |
| #4 | Satispay | Luxembourg, Luxembourg | Per the vendor page, individuals pay nothing to sign up, activate or hold the app, nothing monthly, and no commission on transfers between friends | EU (Luxembourg) |
| #5 | Monzo | London, United Kingdom | Free current account; paid plans from £3, £9 and £19 a month (checked 28 October 2026) | United Kingdom (adequacy decision, outside the EEA) |
| #6 | Bluecode | Lachen, Switzerland | The vendor page says users pay nothing to pay with the Bluecode app | Switzerland (adequacy decision, outside the EEA) |
| #7 | BLIK | City not stated on the pages we read, Poland | The vendor page gives no fee information | EU (Poland) |
| #8 | bunq | Amsterdam, Netherlands | Free plan plus paid personal tiers, up to €18.99 a month (checked 28 October 2026) | EU (Netherlands) |
| #9 | MB WAY | City not stated on the pages we read, Portugal | The vendor page gives no fee information | EU (Portugal) |
| #10 | Wise | London, United Kingdom | Pay per use, no subscription; sending from 0.24% fee depending on currency (checked 28 October 2026) | United Kingdom (adequacy decision, outside the EEA) |
| #11 | Tikkie | City not stated on the pages we read, Netherlands | The vendor page gives no fee information | EU (Netherlands) |
How each alternative compares to Venmo
Best for: People in Belgium, France or Germany who want to pay friends straight from a bank account
Wero is run by EPI Company SE in Brussels, which the National Bank of Belgium has authorised as a payment institution since 20 February 2024. It sends money between bank accounts, using a phone number in place of an IBAN. Against Venmo, no balance builds up in the app: the payment leaves one account and arrives in another.
The vendor says transfers take under 10 seconds and run around the clock, including nights and weekends. That is a vendor claim we did not test. Wero works only with banks that have joined, so the first thing to check is whether your own bank is a participant. In-store payments and subscriptions are described as coming later.
What Wero does better than Venmo
- Money moves between bank accounts, so there is no stored balance to cash out
- A phone number replaces the IBAN, which is the part of Venmo people like
- Contract with a Belgian payment institution under National Bank of Belgium supervision
- Transfers run 24/7, according to the vendor
Where Wero is a step down from Venmo
- Works only if your bank has joined Wero
- Covers a few countries, where Venmo users expect a single app
- In-store payments and subscriptions are still to come
Standout against Venmo. It is the one scheme here built to carry the Venmo habit across several EU countries.
Best for: People with an account at a participating Spanish bank who pay friends from a phone
Bizum is operated by Bizum, S.L., registered in the Registro Mercantil de Madrid, and the vendor says the main Spanish banks stand behind it. Money is sent with a mobile phone, and the homepage says this works regardless of the user's bank. Compared with Venmo, the contract is with a Spanish company instead of PayPal, Inc.
The homepage claims a transfer takes under 10 seconds, which we did not test. The pages we read do not state fees, hosting or whether accounts outside Spain are supported, and they are written in Spanish. Check with your bank before you rely on it.
What Bizum does better than Venmo
- Run by a registered Spanish company rather than PayPal, Inc.
- Needs only a mobile phone to send money
- Backed by the main Spanish banks, which is where your friends already bank
- Transfers in under 10 seconds, according to the vendor
Where Bizum is a step down from Venmo
- Fees are not stated on the pages we read
- Support for accounts outside Spain is not stated
- Vendor pages are in Spanish only
Standout against Venmo. It answers the Venmo question in Spain by using the banks that your friends already have.
Best for: Nordic users who want one app to send, request and split money
Vipps MobilePay AS lists the whole set of Venmo-style uses on its page: sending, receiving and requesting money between people, collecting money from others and splitting group expenses. It also pays businesses, shops and bills. The footer shows organisation number 918 713 867 VAT, and we infer Norway from the AS company form.
That breadth is its strength against Venmo. The weak spot is what the page leaves out. It gives no general fee policy, only that buying a used car with Vipps is free of fees, and it lists no operating countries or limits.
What Vipps MobilePay does better than Venmo
- Covers send, request, collect and split in one app
- Also pays shops and bills, not just friends
- Company form and organisation number are published on the site
- No contract with PayPal, Inc.
Where Vipps MobilePay is a step down from Venmo
- No general fee policy on the page we read
- Operating countries are not listed
- Registered seat is not shown, so the location is inferred
Standout against Venmo. It is the one tool here whose own page lists every Venmo-style use, splitting included.
Best for: Individuals who want to pay friends and partner shops without any fee
Satispay Europe S.A. is registered in Luxembourg, at 53 Boulevard Royal, with an entry in the CSSF register of electronic money institutions. The vendor states that Satispay is free for individuals, with no sign-up, management, activation or monthly fees, and no commission on transfers between friends. Against Venmo, that is a clear statement about cost in plain words.
The app also pays in physical stores and online, and adds investing in stocks, ETFs and funds plus a savings piggy bank. Payments are limited to partner merchants, and availability depends on the local network in your country. The legal notice names three entities without saying which runs the consumer app.
What Satispay does better than Venmo
- States no commission on transfers between friends
- Free for individuals, with no activation or monthly fee
- Pays in stores and online as well as between people
- Luxembourg entity listed in the CSSF register
Where Satispay is a step down from Venmo
- Payments work only at partner merchants and participating services
- Availability depends on the local network in your country
- The legal notice does not say which entity runs the consumer app
Standout against Venmo. It is the only app here that says in so many words that transfers between friends carry no commission.
Best for: UK residents who want a bank account with built-in splitting and reminders
Monzo Bank Limited is a UK bank, authorised by the PRA and regulated by the FCA, with a free current account. Monzo Split shares a bill between friends, sends payment reminders and lets guests join by a shared link. Against Venmo, the splitting sits inside a regulated current account, with FSCS protection up to £120,000 per person according to its site.
It is built for UK residents, so it does not help if your friends and your bank are elsewhere in Europe. Our Monzo page does not say whether people without a Monzo account can settle a split, so check that before you use it for a mixed group.
What Monzo does better than Venmo
- Splitting and reminders live inside a regulated bank account
- Free current account, with paid plans from £3 a month
- Guests join a split by a shared link
- FSCS cover up to £120,000 per person, per its site
Where Monzo is a step down from Venmo
- Built for UK residents, not for the EU
- It is a full bank, a heavier step than installing a payment app
- Whether non-Monzo users can settle a split is not stated
Standout against Venmo. It treats the Venmo job as a bank feature, which suits UK groups that already bank with it.
Best for: Paying at acceptance partners without a card, not for repaying friends
Blue Code International AG in Lachen, Switzerland, runs Bluecode, an app for paying directly from an account without a card. It also offers a balance that is topped up in the app, plus fuel, vouchers and insurance. The vendor says paying with the app is free for users.
Bluecode is a partial alternative to Venmo. The pages we read do not describe sending money to friends, so it covers the payment side only. Acceptance is limited to partners of Bluecode, Diners Club or Discover Network, and Alipay+. For friend transfers, pair it with a tool such as Wero.
What Bluecode does better than Venmo
- Free for users when paying with the app, per the vendor
- Swiss company with a commercial register number in the imprint
- Pays without a card in shops and online
Where Bluecode is a step down from Venmo
- The pages we read do not describe transfers between friends
- Acceptance is limited to specific partner networks
- No requesting or splitting of money is described
Standout against Venmo. It replaces the shop-payment side of Venmo only, and says so plainly on the page we read.
Best for: Polish bank customers who pay with a six-digit code generated in the bank app
BLIK, carried under the name Polski Standard Płatności, generates a single-use six-digit code inside the app of a participating bank. The code is valid for 2 minutes, after which a new one must be generated. Compared with Venmo, there is no separate app to join: the bank app is the app.
BLIK needs a phone running the bank app and an internet connection. The page does not describe friend requests, does not state fees, and gives two different bank counts, 19 and 21. The legal form and seat of the operator are not stated, so we treat its entity as partly verified.
What BLIK does better than Venmo
- Runs inside your existing bank app, with no separate account
- Single-use code that expires after 2 minutes
- Payments complete in a few moments, per the vendor page
Where BLIK is a step down from Venmo
- The page does not describe friend requests or splitting
- Fees and the operator's legal details are not stated
- The page gives two different bank counts, 19 and 21
Standout against Venmo. It swaps the Venmo balance for a two-minute code issued by your own bank.
Best for: People in the EU who want splitting and money requests inside a bank account
bunq B.V. in Amsterdam is a bank supervised by De Nederlandsche Bank. Its features page lets users split a payment with friends, with a tip added if needed, and request money by link, QR code or contact request through bunq.me. With bunq.to you send money by phone number or email instead of an IBAN.
Plans on the homepage run from a Free plan at €0.00 to Core at €3.99, Pro at €9.99 and Elite at €18.99 per month. The features page states no fee for splitting or requesting. AutoAccept approves requests from trusted contacts up to a limit you set, though no figure is given.
What bunq does better than Venmo
- Splitting, requests and sending by phone number or email in one app
- bunq.me links work for requests, with QR code and contact options
- Free plan at €0.00, and no stated fee for splitting
- Dutch bank under De Nederlandsche Bank supervision
Where bunq is a step down from Venmo
- A full bank account is a bigger step than a payment app
- Fee and limit figures for splitting are not given
- Hosting and data location are not stated
Standout against Venmo. The widest set of Venmo-style tools inside a single EU bank account.
Best for: People in Portugal who send money to friends and pay in shops with a phone
MB WAY lists sending money to friends next to payments in stores by QR code or NFC and online with a phone number. The footer reads SIBS 2025, but the page states no legal entity, seat or register details, so we infer Portugal from the Portuguese-language site.
Authorised Payments let you set a card and a monthly limit for recurring charges, which helps manage subscriptions. A verified feature is meant to make sending money safer, with no further detail on the page. Fees are not stated, and the page is in Portuguese.
What MB WAY does better than Venmo
- Sends money to friends and pays in stores and online from one app
- Authorised Payments cap recurring charges with a monthly limit
- No contract with PayPal, Inc.
Where MB WAY is a step down from Venmo
- Legal entity and register details are not stated on the page
- User fees are not stated
- Portuguese-only page
Standout against Venmo. It combines friend transfers, shop payments and capped subscriptions in a single Portuguese phone service.
Best for: People who send or receive money across currencies and borders
Wise Payments Limited is authorised by the FCA as an e-money issuer, and the app sends money to contacts. Transfers between Wise contacts in one currency are free. Sending to other recipients starts from a fee of 0.24%, which varies by currency. Against Venmo, this is built for the case where your friend lives in another country.
Wise is an e-money institution and not a bank, and its fees and limits differ by country. It is a poor fit for the casual split of a restaurant bill, since the person you pay needs to be a Wise contact to get the free transfer.
What Wise does better than Venmo
- Free between Wise contacts in one currency
- Built for sending across currencies and borders
- Pay-per-use pricing with no subscription
Where Wise is a step down from Venmo
- Not a bank, so no credit or overdraft
- No bill-splitting feature on our Wise page
- Fees and limits differ by country
Standout against Venmo. The one tool here designed for friends who live in different currencies.
Best for: People in the Netherlands who ask friends and colleagues to pay their part
Tikkie sends a payment request as a link, including at a checkout or on an invoice, which fits the Venmo habit of asking for a share. Groepie handles group expense sharing. The footer reads Tikkie - ABN AMRO, but the legal entity, seat and register data were not on the pages we read, so the Netherlands is inferred.
Tikkie is built around requests rather than a stored balance. It also offers cashback offers and deposit refund (statiegeld) claims, which are tied to Dutch life. The homepage cites 10 million users and 40,000 entrepreneurs, a vendor claim we did not verify, and no consumer fees are stated.
What Tikkie does better than Venmo
- A request link is all the other person needs, with no new account
- Groepie shares group costs
- No stored balance to cash out
Where Tikkie is a step down from Venmo
- Dutch-language features tied to Dutch use cases
- No consumer fee information on the page
- ABN AMRO entity details were not on the pages we read
Standout against Venmo. It does the asking-for-money half of Venmo with nothing but a link.
What actually breaks when you switch
The first thing that breaks is the balance. Money in a Venmo balance has to be moved out before you stop using the app, and the standard transfer to a linked bank or eligible debit card is the one Venmo describes as free. Do it early, so that a slow transfer does not leave you short on the day a rent split falls due.
The second is the group. A housemate who pays you through Venmo and a friend abroad who uses another local scheme will not agree on an app overnight. Expect a period when you accept payments in two places, and say in the group chat which one is the new default. Recurring splits and open requests do not migrate, so list them and recreate each one in the new app.
How do I stop using Venmo without losing money?
Start with the balance. Transfer whatever sits in your Venmo balance to your linked bank account or an eligible debit card, using the standard transfer that Venmo describes as free. Instant Transfer is subject to fees on a page we could not read, so do not assume it is cheap.
Then deal with the people. Tell the friends and housemates who pay you through Venmo which app replaces it, and leave the account open until the last payment has settled. Check for any request still unpaid before you close it, because a pending payment is easy to forget once the app is off your phone.
Is there one European app that works like Venmo everywhere?
No. European peer-to-peer apps are mostly national or tied to banks, and each depends on which banks have joined. Wero lists Belgium, France and Germany, Bizum serves Spain, BLIK serves Poland, MB WAY serves Portugal and Tikkie serves the Netherlands. Your own bank decides most of the answer.
If you move between countries, two tools help. Wise is free between Wise contacts in one currency, and Satispay offers free transfers between friends in the countries where it operates. Neither has the reach of a national scheme at home, so many people keep one local app and one cross-border one.
Which one to pick
Pick by country first. In Belgium, France and Germany choose Wero, in Spain Bizum, in Portugal MB WAY, in the Nordics Vipps MobilePay, and in the Netherlands Tikkie for requests or bunq for a bank with splitting built in. In the UK, Monzo covers splitting inside a bank account. BLIK suits Polish bank customers who pay with a code.
For cost, Satispay is the one that states free transfers between friends. For friends in different currencies, use Wise. Bluecode is only a partial alternative, useful in shops but not for repaying a friend. If your main use is still the US, Venmo remains the app your contacts there will have, and no European tool replaces that network.
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on your country. Wero, from Belgium, is the closest match to Venmo for bank-to-bank transfers by phone number in Belgium, France and Germany. Bizum covers Spain, Vipps MobilePay the Nordics and Tikkie the Netherlands. For splitting costs, Vipps MobilePay, Tikkie, bunq and Monzo all have a feature built in.
Satispay states on its own page that it is free for individuals, with no commission on transfers between friends. Wise states free transfers between Wise contacts in one currency. Bluecode states that paying with its app is free for users. For Wero, Bizum, BLIK, MB WAY and Tikkie the vendor pages we read do not state consumer fees.
Tikkie sends a payment request as a link and offers group costs through Groepie. Vipps MobilePay lists splitting group expenses and collecting money from others. bunq splits a payment inside the app, and Monzo Split lets guests join by a shared link. Pick the one your friends already have a bank account for.
The Venmo user agreement is a contract with PayPal, Inc., a US company. In Europe it matters for who holds your payment history and which legal system applies to a dispute. We did not read PayPal's corporate details, so we state only what the user agreement says about the contracting party.
Only in part. Bluecode lets you pay directly from an account without a card and is free for users, but the pages we read do not describe sending money to friends. Use it for the shop and online payment side. For transfers between people, look at Wero, Bizum or Vipps MobilePay instead.
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