Where does the mid-market rate come from?

The mid-market rate is fetched from Frankfurter (ECB reference rates), with a secondary open-data source filling in currencies the ECB does not publish, and cached for up to 6 hours. If both live sources are temporarily unavailable, a clearly-labelled stored snapshot is shown instead. The source name and fetch timestamp are always shown next to the rate.

Are all the FX margins shown exact?

No. Some providers (e.g. Wise, Revolut Business) publish their FX margin, and we show that exact percentage. Others (e.g. PayPal, traditional bank wires, Western Union) do not disclose their margin, so we show an independently-researched estimated band (e.g. "2–5%") rather than a fabricated precise number. Estimated rows are always labelled "estimated".

Does the ranking change based on affiliate commissions?

No. Rows are sorted strictly by netDelivered — the amount the recipient would actually get after all fees and FX margin. Affiliate links appear as a separate badge on a row and never move that row up or down the list.

Why do some providers not appear for my chosen direction?

A provider only appears when it supports the direction you selected (send or receive) for a given corridor. Providers with supportedDirections "both" always appear.

What is an FX margin?

An FX margin (also called a spread or markup) is the difference between the mid-market rate (the real, no-markup exchange rate) and the rate a provider actually gives you. It is a hidden cost separate from any advertised "fee" — a provider can advertise "no fees" while still marking up the exchange rate itself.

Why are some margins estimated instead of exact?

Not every provider publishes its FX margin. Where a provider discloses it (e.g. Wise, Revolut Business on some plans), we show the exact published percentage. Where it is not disclosed (e.g. PayPal, traditional bank wires, Western Union), we show an independently-researched band based on public reporting and our own comparisons against the mid-market rate — always labelled "estimated" and never presented as if it were exact.

Do you rank providers by how much commission they pay you?

No. Ranking is strictly by net amount delivered — the computed math. Affiliate relationships are shown as a separate badge next to a row and never change that row's position. See src/lib/fx-margin.ts rankProviders(), which takes no affiliate fields as input.

Where does the mid-market rate itself come from, exactly?

From Frankfurter (ECB reference rates), with a secondary open-data source filling in currencies the ECB does not publish, cached for up to 6 hours via Cloudflare KV. If both live sources are temporarily unavailable, a clearly-labelled stored snapshot is shown instead of a broken page — the source name and fetch timestamp are always displayed next to the rate.

Can I trust the fee and margin data shown here?

Every provider row shows a "last verified" date. Data starts as hand-curated "seed" data researched from each provider's own public pricing page, and is flagged with a visible "pending verification" notice until manually cross-checked against that live pricing page. See the methodology page for full sourcing details and the exact pricing page URL used for each provider.

FX Reality Check

Compare what you actually receive across FX providers after fees and hidden margins — ranked by the math, not by who pays us.

Informational only — not tax or legal advice

This tool counts days only — it does not determine tax residency. The 183-day rule has many exceptions. Confirm your status with a qualified tax professional in each country where you may have a filing obligation.

Data last verified 15 Jul 2026 — methodology

Your country (auto-detected)

Your inputs stay in your browser. Nothing is sent to our servers except the currency pair, to look up a public mid-market rate.

Amount

From currency

To currency

Direction

Sending 1000 USD — table shows what the recipient nets in EUR.

Mid-market rate: 0.8589 (USD → EUR)

Source: secondary · as of 29 Aug 2026, 04:11

Provider Advertised rate Mid-market Margin Fixed fee Total deducted Net delivered Verified

Airwallex

fintech

Advertised rate 0.8546

Mid-market 0.8589

Margin 0.50%

Fixed fee $0.00

Total deducted $5.00

Net delivered €854.59

Verified 2026-07-16

Revolut Business

fintech

Advertised rate 0.8537

Mid-market 0.8589

Margin 0.60%

Fixed fee $0.00

Total deducted $6.00

Net delivered €853.73

Verified 2026-07-16

Wise Business

fintech

Advertised rate 0.8546

Mid-market 0.8589

Margin 0.50%

Fixed fee $0.00

Total deducted $9.97

Net delivered €850.32

Verified 2026-07-16

Payoneer

fintech

Advertised rate 0.8546

Mid-market 0.8589

Margin 0.50%

Fixed fee $0.00

Total deducted $24.90

Net delivered €837.50

Verified 2026-07-16

Western Union

remittance

Advertised rate 0.8331

Mid-market 0.8589

Margin 2.0–4.0% estimated

Fixed fee $5.00

Total deducted $44.50

Net delivered €820.66

Verified 2026-07-16

PayPal

fintech

Advertised rate 0.8288

Mid-market 0.8589

Margin 3.0–4.0% estimated

Fixed fee $0.30

Total deducted $63.27

Net delivered €804.55

Verified 2026-07-16

Traditional bank wire (SWIFT, US/UK/EU average)

bank wire

Advertised rate 0.8288

Mid-market 0.8589

Margin 2.0–5.0% estimated

Fixed fee $35.00

Total deducted $68.77

Net delivered €799.82

Verified 2026-07-16

We compare published fee schedules and FX margins where the provider discloses them; bank wire, PayPal, and remittance margins are estimated bands based on independent research, last verified 2026-07-15. Mid-market rate sourced from secondary at the timestamp shown above. We may earn a commission if you open an account through some links — that does not affect ranking position; rows are ordered by computed net amount delivered only.

Open a multi-currency business account

Ranking above is by net amount delivered only — this suggestion does not affect that ranking.

Affiliate programs for multi-currency accounts are pending approval.

How we compare fees and margins · Compiled by the crossborderfreelance.com editorial team

Frequently asked questions

Does this tool tell me which provider to use?

No. It compares published fee schedules and FX margins across providers and ranks them by the net amount you would actually receive. It does not recommend a "best" provider — the ranking is purely a function of the computed math.

Can this tool show me the exact rate I will get?

No. FX rates are quoted at the moment of a transaction and can move. What we show is a snapshot: the current mid-market rate plus each provider's disclosed or estimated margin.

Do you rank providers by commission?

No. Ranking is strictly by net amount delivered. Affiliate relationships are shown as a separate badge and never change row position.