Wise vs Revolut for business: accounts, FX, APIs (2026)

Wise Business and Revolut Business both give companies multi-currency accounts, cards and APIs, but they charge in different ways: Wise is pay-as-you-go, with a one-off £50 setup fee in the UK and conversion fees from 0.24% on the mid-market rate, while Revolut sells monthly plans that include FX at the interbank rate up to an allowance. Revolut also offers card acceptance through its Merchant API, whereas Wise concentrates on cross-border transfers and offers its network to banks through Wise Platform.

Side-by-side

Sources: Wise and Revolut UK pricing pages, fee schedules, results releases and developer documentation listed below, opened on 3 November 2026. Business customer figures use each company's own definition and are not directly comparable.

Accounts and FX technology

Wise

Wise's model rests on its own payment network. Customers convert at the mid-market rate and pay a separate, visible fee that varies by currency. Wise's FY2026 results (published 25 June 2026) describe how it builds direct links into domestic payment systems, adding Brazil and Japan in the year, so money can be paid out locally rather than passed along correspondent banks. In the final quarter of FY2026, 75% of Wise payments arrived in under 20 seconds, according to the company. Our real-time payments guide explains the instant rails these connections plug into.

The business account gives local account details in 22 currencies. Receiving domestic (non-SWIFT) payments is free in AUD, CAD, EUR, GBP, HUF, NZD, PHP, SGD and USD, and incoming SWIFT payments carry a fixed fee (for example 2.16 GBP or 6.11 USD per payment, UK page). Customers spending more than £20,000 or equivalent get a volume discount on fees.

Revolut

Revolut prices FX against the interbank rate. Each plan includes a monthly amount of currency exchange at that rate; beyond it, a 0.6% fee applies on all plans, and exchanges outside market hours carry 1%. The account offers details in more than 25 currencies, and the card can be used in more than 150 currencies. Transfers between Revolut accounts are free on all plans.

Cards

APIs and integrations

Wise Business API. Wise says the API can automate supplier invoices, recurring transfers and payroll, send exchange-rate and payment notifications into tools such as Slack, and add Wise as a payout option on a website. Live keys come from a Wise Business account, and a sandbox account takes a few minutes to set up.

Wise Platform. A separate offer for banks, financial institutions and enterprises that want to use Wise's network inside their own products, covering sending, receiving, card issuing and multi-currency accounts. Wise's FY2026 release named UniCredit, Raiffeisen Bank, MBSB Bank and Capitec among partners announced in the year.

Revolut Business API. Available on paid plans. Revolut's documentation lists account and transaction data for reconciliation, counterparty management with UK name checks, instant, scheduled and draft payments with approval rules, payouts to bank accounts, Revolut accounts or cards, FX exchange, expense sync, role-based permissions and webhooks for transaction alerts. Access to user data uses OAuth.

Revolut Merchant API. For card and wallet acceptance. A merchant creates an order for each purchase, then accepts payment through the Revolut Checkout Widget, Revolut Pay, card payments, Apple Pay and Google Pay, Pay by Bank or a hosted checkout page. Pre-authorisation supports incremental charges, such as a hotel deposit followed by later charges. Calls use bearer tokens, and versions are chosen with a date-based request header.

Pricing model

Wise and Revolut take opposite approaches. Wise charges once to open full features (£50 in the UK, including account details), then per use. Revolut charges a subscription and bundles allowances.

Figures from Wise's UK business pricing page and Revolut's business fees schedule, as displayed on 3 November 2026. Revolut's plans page shows lower "from" prices for Grow and Scale (£30 and £90 a month), which reflect annual billing. Enterprise plans on Revolut are custom.

For a business that converts small amounts occasionally, a no-subscription model may cost less; for one converting steady monthly amounts within a plan allowance, a subscription may. The only reliable way to tell is to run last year's transactions through both fee tables.

Scale and coverage

Regulation in brief

Wise's regulation page states that Wise Payments Limited is an FCA-authorised e-money institution in the UK, that Wise Europe SA is a payment institution authorised by the National Bank of Belgium and passported across the EEA, and lists separate licences in the US, Australia, Singapore, Japan and other markets. Revolut's 2025 results release states that it operates as a licensed bank in more than 30 of its 40 markets, including the UK, where it exited mobilisation in March 2026. Our licence-checking guide shows how to confirm any entity on its regulator's register.

Which is the better fit for what

• Company paying overseas suppliers or contractors in many currencies: Wise's per-transfer model and local payout connections are built around this.
• Business wanting one account for spending, expenses and card acceptance: Revolut Business combines accounts, cards and the Merchant API.
• Steady monthly FX volume within a known range: a Revolut plan allowance may suit; compare against Wise's per-conversion fees.
• Bank or fintech embedding cross-border transfers: Wise Platform targets this use case.
• Developer team automating payouts: both have APIs; Revolut requires a paid plan for Business API access, and Wise offers a sandbox.

Other providers to compare include Airwallex and Payoneer. See Wise alternatives, the full Wise and Revolut profiles, and our EMI and neobank hub.

Information only, not financial or investment advice. Fees change; check each provider's current pricing for your country before opening an account.