6 best PayPal alternatives for Australian businesses (2026)

Key takeaways:

For Australian businesses selling across borders, PayPal’s transaction fees and exchange rate margins add to the cost of international sales. The right alternative can bring clearer pricing and more control, and this guide compares the best PayPal alternatives for Australian businesses in 2026.

Why Australian businesses look for PayPal alternatives.

The best PayPal alternatives for Australian businesses include OFX, Wise, Revolut, Stripe, Square and WorldFirst. The right choice depends on whether you mainly accept customer payments or send money overseas.

PayPal is a widely used online payment platform that lets businesses accept payments and send money in many countries. It’s familiar and fast to set up, which is why so many Australian businesses start there.

The costs add up, though. PayPal charges a domestic commercial rate of 2.90% + AU$0.30¹ per transaction, plus a 3%² currency conversion fee on foreign payments. International sales cost the domestic rate plus an extra percentage-based fee¹.

Cost is only part of the story. PayPal is built around online checkout and card acceptance rather than cross-border operations, so it doesn’t provide a true multi-currency account with local bank details for receiving and holding foreign currencies. That gap pushes owners, controllers and CFOs towards alternatives to PayPal for international payments that offer clearer pricing and more control. Cross-border payments are a large and growing market, with small and mid-sized businesses alone sending an estimated US$13.8 trillion (approximately A$21 trillion) across borders in 2024.⁵

Timing matters too. From 1 October 2026⁴, new rules ban most card surcharges on EFTPOS, Mastercard and Visa payments in Australia. Today, about 16% of merchants add a surcharge⁶, so the reform is worth factoring into your platform choice.

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The 6 best PayPal alternatives for Australian businesses.

Here are 6 apps like PayPal worth comparing, each with the job it suits best. These are among the online payment platforms and PayPal alternatives Australia businesses use most. OFX leads for cross-border payments, while others are stronger for accepting cards online or in person.

It’s also worth a look at Payoneer, Afterpay for buy now, pay later, and digital wallets such as Google Pay and Apple Pay, depending on your needs. To find the best PayPal alternative on cost, weigh the transaction fee and the FX margin together, not just the headline rate.

OFX, Wise and WorldFirst each offer a plan with no monthly fee, which suits businesses that want to avoid a subscription.

Provider	Best for	Monthly fee	Transaction and FX costs	Multi-currency accounts	Standout feature
OFX	International payments, business FX, multi-currency accounts	Standard AU$0; Full Suite AU$75/month (inc. GST) for 5 users7	FX cost is built into the rate you see, with no separate transfer fee	30+ currencies; local accounts in AUD, USD, GBP, EUR, CAD3	Forward Contracts*, Limit Orders^ and 24/7 service from real people
Wise	Simple, transparent transfers	No monthly fee; AU$65 one-off setup8	FX from 0.19%8 up to around 2%9 by route (ceiling is an independent estimate)	Multiple currencies supported	Mid-market exchange rate + FX transaction fee
Revolut	All-in-one account with card and FX allowance	AU$15 / AU$30 / AU$150 / AU$1,25010	0% FX within monthly allowance (AU$2,000 on Basic, rising with higher tiers), then 0.6%11; international send AU$1011	Multiple currencies supported	Account, card and FX in one app
Stripe	Online and developer card acceptance	Pay per transaction (no monthly plan)	Cards 1.7% + AU$0.3012 domestic / 3.5% + AU$0.3012 international; +2%12 conversion	Limited	Developer tools and APIs
Square	In-person and EFTPOS retail	Pricing varies; check squareup website	Pricing varies; check squareup website	Limited	POS hardware and EFTPOS
WorldFirst	Marketplace sellers and importers	AU$0 monthly and AU$0 setup13	FX 0.6% or below for major currencies; 0.67% and above for minor ones.)13	20+ currencies13	Marketplace payouts

The 6 alternatives compared: fees, features and trade-offs.

OFX

OFX is a global money transfer and currency service built for cross-border business. Through the Global Business Account, you can hold and pay in 30+ currencies across 180+ countries.³ Local accounts in AUD, USD, GBP, EUR and CAD let you get paid like a local, and OFX uses local payment rails for faster, lower-cost settlement.

Pricing is simple. The Standard plan is AU$0/month, and Full Suite is AU$75/month (inc. GST) for 5 users, plus AU$10/month for each additional user.⁷ There’s no minimum balance,³ and a 30-day free trial gives you full access.⁷ FX cost is built into the rate you see, with no separate transfer fee.

Pros: strong FX and multi-currency support, Forward Contracts and Limit Orders for FX risk, AP and Bill Automation, batch and payroll payments, and 24/7 service from real people. Trade-off: OFX doesn’t handle in-person card acceptance or online checkout, so pair it with an acceptance tool if you need that.

Wise

Wise is known for transparent transfers at the mid-market rate. There’s no monthly fee⁸, though account details cost a one-off AU$65⁸. Conversion starts from 0.19%⁸ and can reach around 2%⁹ on some routes, based on an independent estimate rather than Wise’s own site.

You can hold a wide range of currencies, and card ATM withdrawals are free up to AU$400/month, then 2.69%¹⁴. Pros: clear pricing and easy setup. Trade-off: lighter on FX risk tools and dedicated human support for complex needs.

Revolut

Revolut bundles an account, card and FX allowance in one app. Business plans are AU$15 (Basic), AU$30 (Grow), AU$150 (Scale) and AU$1,250 (Enterprise)¹⁰. FX is 0% within your monthly allowance (AU$2,000 on Basic, rising on higher tiers), then 0.6%¹¹, with a 1%¹¹ weekend surcharge.

International sends are AU$10¹¹, and SWIFT (OUR) is AU$35¹¹. Card acquiring is 1.4% + AU$0.05 in person / 1.6% + AU$0.20 online¹⁵. Pros: one app for many jobs. Trade-off: allowances and out-of-hours fees can complicate the true cost.

Stripe

Stripe is a developer-friendly way to accept online card payments. It charges 1.7% + AU$0.30¹² for domestic cards and 3.5% + AU$0.30¹² for international cards, plus 2%¹² for currency conversion. Bank debits via PayTo and BECS are 1% + AU$0.30 (capped at AU$3.50)¹², and disputes cost AU$25¹².

Pros: excellent APIs and online checkout. Trade-off: it’s built for acceptance, not for holding currencies or managing FX risk, so it sits outside OFX’s cross-border lane.

Square

Square suits in-person and EFTPOS retail, with easy POS hardware and contactless payments. Square’s Australian pricing varies by plan and payment type, so check squareup.com/au for current rates before you commit.

Pros: quick setup for shopfront and mobile sales. Trade-off: limited multi-currency and cross-border features, so it’s not a fit for international payments.

WorldFirst

WorldFirst focuses on marketplace sellers and importers. It has AU$0 monthly and AU$0 setup¹³ fees, FX conversion of 0.6% or below for major currencies and 0.67% and above for minor ones¹³, and support for 20+ currencies¹³.

Pros: strong for collecting marketplace payouts. Trade-off: narrower feature set than a full financial platform.

How to choose the right PayPal alternative.

The cheaper alternatives to PayPal aren’t simply the ones with the lowest headline rate. Globally, sending money still costs an average of 6.36% of the amount transferred in Q3 2025,¹⁶ so fees and FX margins add up quickly. Use these criteria to find the right fit for your business.

It also helps to know the benchmark. Small-business card acceptance costs run 0.85% to 2% on debit and EFTPOS, and 1% to 2% on credit.¹⁷ Comparing figures like these shows why so many businesses weigh up PayPal competitors and other alternatives to PayPal.

Why OFX is a strong PayPal alternative for global business.

If your main job is moving money across borders, OFX is built for it. Australian businesses exported AU$665.2 billion in goods and services in 2025,¹⁸ and much of that money has to move across borders quickly and affordably. OFX suits importers and exporters, businesses paying overseas suppliers and contractors, teams receiving global revenue, and multi-entity operations managing FX risk. That focus makes it a capable PayPal alternative for business teams that need PayPal alternatives for international payments.

The OFX Global Business Account brings multi-currency accounts, corporate Visa debit cards, AP and Bill Automation, batch and payroll payments, and FX Solutions into one platform. Forward Contracts and Limit Orders help you plan around currency swings, and 24/7 service from real people connects you with real OFX Specialists rather than chatbots.

OFX also offers Pay by Card, so you can settle expenses like rent, tax bills or supplier invoices with eligible rewards credit cards. AU businesses can use AMEX, Visa or Mastercard, even when the supplier doesn’t usually accept cards. OFX does not guarantee points accrual; this depends on the card issuer’s rewards program terms.

Registration takes under 10 minutes. See our business pricing for more details.

Frequently asked questions about Paypal alternatives:

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References

*If you book a Forward Contract, it may mean losing out if the market rate improves because you’re contracted to settle at the agreed rate. Read more.
Forward Contracts are not available for clients in Singapore.
NZForex issues derivatives to wholesale clients only. Retail clients are not permitted or eligible to enter into any Forward Contract.

^If you book a Limit Order, it may mean losing out if the Market Rate continues to move above your Target Rate. There is no guarantee that your desired rate will be reached. Once the order is triggered, the transfer is binding and cannot be voided.

In Australia, OFX is registered as a financial service provider and regulated by ASIC (AFS Licence number 226 484) and is a member of the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA).¹⁹ OFX is not a bank, and so you are not protected by the Financial Claims Scheme when you send money with OFX.

That status is balanced by strong safeguards: advanced transaction monitoring, ISO 27001:2022 certification, regulation by over 50 regulators globally,¹⁹ a risk-averse payout model where funds are received before they are paid out, and support from experienced OFX Specialists.
Learn more about how OFX keeps your money and information secure.

IMPORTANT: The contents of this blog do not constitute financial advice and are provided for general information purposes only without taking into account the investment objectives, financial situation and particular needs of any particular person. OzForex Limited (trading as “OFX”) and its affiliates make no recommendation as to the merits of any financial strategy or product referred to in the blog. OFX makes no warranty, express or implied, concerning the suitability, completeness, quality or exactness of the information and models provided in this blog.