These are two of the biggest names in getting cash to family abroad, and they could not be more different. Western Union is the legacy giant with a shop counter on almost every corner; Remitly is the digital challenger built for sending from a phone. On a $1,000 dollar-to-euro transfer, Remitly's Economy option costs about $22.91, while Western Union costs about $39.83, most of it a markup of roughly 3.5% in the exchange rate.
On price, Remitly usually wins. Western Union's edge is reach: more locations, more countries, a brand your family already trusts. The figures below use the current mid-market reference; Wise may use an account-holder API estimate, while other providers use stored published fee and markup models rather than live quotes.
- On cost, Remitly usually wins. Its markup of about 1.9% is well below Western Union's roughly 3.5% on the same transfer.
- Western Union's low advertised fee is a decoy. The real cost sits in the exchange rate, not on the receipt.
- Western Union's strength is reach. More agent locations, more countries, and a name your family recognizes.
- Remitly's strength is speed and price. Express arrives in minutes, and the all-in cost is typically lower.
How Western Union charges
Western Union has been sending money for over a century, and its network is the point. You can send online and have your family collect cash at an agent location in a huge number of countries, often within minutes. For many recipients, it is the only name they know and trust.
The pricing leans on the exchange rate. The advertised fee is low, sometimes $5, occasionally $0 for an online bank-to-bank send. But Western Union adds a markup of about 3.5% to the rate on a route like this one, and that is where the real cost lives. The fee and the markup both move with the route, how you pay, and how the money arrives.
Here is the split on a $10,000 transfer: the fee you can see in gold, the cost hidden in the rate in red.
Western Union's bar is almost entirely red. The small fee is a sideshow next to the markup.
How Remitly charges
Remitly is a digital provider built around sending money to family, and it prices each route on its own. On top of a flat fee of about $3.99, it bakes a markup of roughly 1.9% into the exchange rate on a route like this one, lower than Western Union's. You also pick a speed: Express (card-funded, minutes) costs more; Economy (bank-funded, one to three days) costs less.
Remitly pays out in cash at local agents on many routes, as well as into bank accounts and mobile wallets. So it can match Western Union's cash pickup on the routes it covers, at a lower all-in cost.
Head to head, by amount
Remitly is cheaper at every size, because its markup is lower. Here is the same dollar-to-euro transfer at three sizes.
$1,000
Remitly's Economy option lands near 2.29% all-in. Western Union's 3.5% markup puts it well above, despite the friendly fee on the checkout screen.
$5,000
A percentage markup scales with the transfer. At $5,000, Western Union's 3.5% is worth well over a hundred dollars, and Remitly's lower markup keeps it ahead.
$10,000
On a large send the markup dominates everything. Western Union's 3.5% on $10,000 is a few hundred dollars of cost, and Remitly keeps most of that in the recipient's hands.
The pattern at a glance
The bars at $10,000 show the gap: Remitly lower, Western Union higher, and the distance between them is almost all the markup that Western Union hides in the rate.
The savings in context
Across the displayed estimates, choosing Interactive Brokers over MoneyGram leaves an extra €326.11 (3.93%) in the recipient's account.
Same 10,000 USD and the same market rate before fees. Provider availability, how you pay and the final price can change the result.
Who should pick what
Pick Remitly if you want the lower all-in cost and your recipient is on a route Remitly serves. Its markup is well below Western Union's, Express arrives in minutes, and it pays out in cash, to a bank account, or to a mobile wallet.
Pick Western Union if your recipient lives somewhere Remitly does not reach, wants to use a specific agent they already know, or simply trusts the brand. That reach and familiarity are real, and for an occasional send they can be worth the premium.
Pick a bank-deposit specialist if the money is going into an account, not collected as cash. A provider like Wise is usually cheaper than either for a plain deposit, because it charges a small visible fee at the mid-market rate. See Wise vs Western Union and Wise vs Remitly.
The bottom line
For sending cash to family, Remitly is usually the cheaper of the two, because its markup of about 1.9% sits well below Western Union's roughly 3.5%. Western Union's low advertised fee hides a cost that lives in the exchange rate, and it adds up fast on a larger send.
But cheap is not the only thing that matters. Western Union's agent network reaches more places, and for a recipient who values a familiar counter, that is worth something. Match the provider to where your family is and how they want to collect, then compare the all-in cost. Either one beats a bank, which would take 3% or more on the same transfer. Our guide to cutting FX fees shows how to read a quote so nothing is hidden from you.
Frequently asked questions
Is Remitly cheaper than Western Union?
Usually, yes. Remitly adds a markup of about 1.9% to the exchange rate, while Western Union's is roughly 3.5% on the same transfer. Western Union can look cheap on the fee line, but its all-in cost is higher once the markup is counted.
Does Western Union have more pickup locations?
Yes. Western Union has one of the largest agent networks in the world, in more countries than Remitly. That reach is its main advantage. On the routes Remitly does cover, though, Remitly is typically the cheaper way to send cash.
Can I send to a bank account with either?
Yes. Both Remitly and Western Union can pay into a bank account as well as offering cash pickup. For a plain bank deposit, a specialist like Wise is often cheaper than either, since it is built around deposits rather than cash.
Are these numbers exact?
The table uses the current mid-market reference and, where available, a Wise account-holder API estimate. Other providers use stored published fee and markup models, not live quotes, so the results are modelled estimates for typical routes. Both providers' fees and markups vary by route, payment method and delivery method, and Remitly's new-customer promos are not reflected. Always confirm the final figure on the provider's own site before you send.
Cost figures are worked out from each provider's published fee structure applied to the current mid-market reference rate, modelled estimates for typical major-currency routes. Remitly's and Western Union's pricing vary by route, payment method and delivery method; the figures shown are representative. Always confirm the final quote on the provider's own site before you transfer. We may earn a commission from affiliate links at no extra cost to you; this never affects rankings. Nothing here is financial advice.
Sources: Remitly pricing (opens in a new tab), Western Union pricing (opens in a new tab), Wise pricing (opens in a new tab). Accessed August 2026.