Airwallex vs Wise Business (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Airwallex: it is second in our ranking of spend and bill pay tools, and it grades higher too, 3.2 against 2.2.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Airwallex grades higher on value for money, the free plan and ease of use. They get the same grade on features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Airwallex
Multi-currency business accounts, cards, bill pay and expenses
Free plan · from $12/mo
Wise Business
Multi-currency business account for international payments
From $31 one-time
Which one is for you
Pick Airwallex if
- Fits if you pay suppliers or staff in other countries
- Works for teams that spend abroad and want cards with no foreign transaction fees
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you're about to grow past 10 Spend users, as Grow's platform fee isn't published
- Pricey if you send lots of SWIFT transfers, at $15 to $25 each
- Watch out: conversion costs 0.5% over the interbank rate for major currencies and 1% for others
- Watch out: plan fees are charged per legal entity, and taking international cards costs 4.3% + $0.30
- Skip it if you want a desktop app, as only web, iPhone and Android are listed
Pick Wise Business if
- Fits if you pay suppliers or contractors abroad and want to see the fee before sending
- Works for businesses that get paid in several currencies and want local account details
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a monthly flat price, as fees depend on the currency and amount
- Tight if you receive USD wires or Swift payments: each costs a fixed $6.11
- Pricey if you use ATMs a lot: free up to $250 a month, then $1.95 plus 1.95% each
- Watch out: Wise says it isn't an FDIC-insured bank, and pass-through cover applies only to interest-earning funds
- Watch out: a volume discount only starts once conversions pass $25,000
How we grade them
| 3.2GPAAirwallexVery good | 2.2GPAWise BusinessFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree and substantial. A ten-person company pays $0 a month on Explore, which covers up to 10 Spend users, and the listing gives no fee for local bill payments. You pay on conversion, 0.5% to 1% over the interbank rate, and on SWIFT at $15 to $25. | BA $31 one-time set-up fee is under a year of the category's middle subscription, but the fees on every transfer and conversion are where the real cost sits. |
| Free plan and trial | BExplore is free with accounts in 20+ currencies, unlimited cards, expenses, bill pay, invoicing and Xero or QuickBooks sync. The cap is 10 Spend users: the eleventh takes you to Grow at $12 each plus a platform fee. | FNo free plan or trial. Opening the account is free, but account details in 22 currencies need the $31 fee. |
| Features | BThe whole job: multi-currency accounts, Visa cards with no foreign transaction fees, receipts matched by AI, reimbursements in 200+ countries, bill pay with AI data capture, invoicing, card acceptance and APIs. | BInternational transfers, account details in 22 currencies, team cards, accounting sync and interest on balances. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in the core work. |
| Ease of use | B4.81 from 584 App Store ratings, high but short of the 1,000 we want for the top band. There are accounts, cards and an accounting link to set up first. | CNo store rating on record. You open the account, verify the business and set up currencies. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Xero, QuickBooks, NetSuite, Business Central, BambooHR, Shopify, WooCommerce and Amazon, plus developer APIs. No desktop app is listed. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with QuickBooks, Xero and Sage. No desktop app. |
| Best for | multi-currency spending and paying abroad | paying and getting paid in other currencies |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Airwallex and Wise Business. How we grade
Where they differ
- Airwallex also covers invoicing, expense tracking and bill pay.
In commonWebiOSAndroidPublic APICompany cards
At a glance
| Airwallex | Wise Business | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Paid |
| Starts at | $12 per Spend user / month, plus a platform fee based on team size | $31 one-time set-up fee, then per-transaction fees |
| Free plan | Explore: multi-currency accounts, unlimited corporate cards, expenses, reimbursements, bill pay and invoicing for up to 10 Spend users, with no monthly fee. Transaction fees apply. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Airwallex | Wise Payments Limited |
| Price read from | airwallex.com | wise.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Airwallex
- Currency conversion costs 0.5% above the interbank rate for major currencies and 1% for others; SWIFT transfers cost $15 to $25 each.
- Grow adds a platform fee based on the number of Spend users that the pricing page does not state, and plan fees are charged per legal entity.
- Airwallex US, LLC is a licensed money transmitter that works with Evolve Bank & Trust for some US customers; the cards are issued by Community Federal Savings Bank.
- Taking card payments costs 2.8% + $0.30 for US cards and 4.3% + $0.30 for international ones.
Wise Business
- Wise says it is not an FDIC-insured bank; pass-through FDIC cover of up to $250K applies only to interest-earning funds held at program banks.
- Receiving a USD wire or Swift payment costs a fixed $6.11; domestic non-wire payments in nine currencies are free.
- ATM withdrawals are free up to $250 a month; after that each one costs $1.95 plus 1.95%.
- Sending and converting fees differ by currency, and a volume discount starts once conversions pass $25,000.
Key features
Airwallex
- Multi-currency accounts
- Collect and hold money in more than 20 currencies, send local transfers to over 120 countries and SWIFT transfers to more than 200.
- Corporate cards
- Virtual and physical Visa cards with per-card limits for use in 60+ markets, with no foreign transaction fees and up to 2% cashback on local USD spend.
- Expenses and reimbursements
- Receipts are matched by AI from email or bulk upload, staff submit and approve in the mobile app, and reimbursements go to employees in 200+ countries.
- Bill pay
- Upload, email or sync bills, have their details extracted automatically, and pay domestic or international suppliers in bulk after approval.
- Invoicing and payments
- Send invoices for free, take cards and 160+ local payment methods through checkout or payment links, and run subscription billing.
- Developer APIs
- APIs for accounts, payouts, card issuing and payments, for businesses that build these into their own products.
Wise Business
- International transfers
- Send money to other countries with fees that vary by currency and start from 0.23%. The site says BatchTransfer can pay up to 1,000 contractors at once.
- Account details in 22 currencies
- Receive payments from abroad in USD, EUR, GBP and other currencies. Receiving USD wire and Swift payments carries a fixed fee.
- Multi-Currency Cards for the team
- Physical and digital cards for staff, with custom spending permissions and team access settings.
- Accounting software sync
- Connects the account to accounting software, including QuickBooks, Xero and Sage Business Cloud Accounting, for reporting in each currency.
- Interest on balances
- An opt-in feature that pays a variable rate on USD, GBP and EUR balances. The page quotes 3.4% variable APY on USD.
Plans
Airwallex
Explore$0
Accounts in 20+ currencies, unlimited cards, expense management, bill pay with AI coding, invoicing and Xero or QuickBooks sync, for up to 10 Spend users.
Grow$12
per active Spend user / month, plus a platform fee by team size
Up to 250 Spend users. Adds multi-step approvals, an AI expense policy agent, bill rules, NetSuite and Business Central sync. The platform fee is not shown.
AccelerateCustom
Adds purchase orders and requests, AI 3-way matching, several legal entities, a direct ERP integration and an account manager.
Wise Business
Wise Business account$31
one-time set-up fee
Opening the account is free; the one-time fee unlocks account details in 22 currencies. Transfers and conversions are charged per use.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Airwallex or Wise Business?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Airwallex starts at $12 per Spend user / month, plus a platform fee based on team size, and Wise Business starts at $31 one-time set-up fee, then per-transaction fees.
Which has a free plan, Airwallex or Wise Business?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Airwallex has a free plan. Wise Business does not.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.