COMPARE
Same job, different rails.
Whether you are an individual sending money home, a business billing overseas clients, or an AI agent paying for tools and services, the fee stack and product fit change fast. Bruce charges 0% platform fees forever on send, receive, invoices, checkout, escrow, batch payouts, and developer tools — 0% fees forever, founder onboarding, priority features. Full schedule on Pricing.
Individuals & families
You care about what it costs to move money, how long it takes, and whether you can ask for payment without a merchant account. Remittance apps optimize one-way sends; P2P apps optimize domestic friends; Bruce optimizes global send and receive, payment requests, and a public pay page in one self-custodial wallet — with no platform cut on those products.
| Provider | Typical fees | Settlement | Invoices & checkout | Escrow | API & agents | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bruce | 0% on send, receive, requests, QR | Money on Base — seconds | Pay page, links, requests | Built-in; $0 to create and release | Same wallet; optional automation | Self-custodial app; no gas for normal Bruce products |
| Wise | ~0.4–2% + FX spread | Hours to 2 business days | Request money; not full merchant stack | No native escrow | Business API; not agent-native | Strong multi-currency accounts; card and bank rails |
| PayPal / Venmo | ~2.9% + FX on many cross-border flows | Instant in app; bank withdraw extra | PayPal invoices; buyer protection fees | Disputes via buyer protection, not deal escrow | REST API; human account centric | Chargebacks and holds common on goods/services |
| Cash App | Free P2P in US; fees on instant cash-out / BTC | Instant in app | Limited; not global invoicing | No | No public agent model | US-centric; not built for global contractor pay |
| Zelle | Usually $0 between enrolled banks | Minutes (US banks) | No | No | No | US only; no recourse if you send to wrong person |
| Remitly / WorldRemit | ~0.5–3%+ FX; promos vary | Minutes to days by corridor | Remittance only | No | Partner APIs; not for apps | Best for one-way family remittance, not getting paid for work |
| Western Union / MoneyGram | Often 1–5%+ FX and send fee | Minutes to days | No | No | No | Cash pickup corridors; high cost vs digital wallets |
| Revolut | Plan limits; FX markup on weekends / caps | Instant in app; bank varies | Payment links (region/plan dependent) | No | Business API in some regions | Neobank UX; availability and limits vary by country |
| Bank wire (SWIFT) | $15–50+ sender/receiver + FX | 1–5 business days | Your bank’s tools only | No | Treasury APIs; heavy compliance | Reliable for large B2B; poor for everyday global P2P |
Typical fees are indicative public ranges — check each provider before you switch. Bank and card on-ramps may still carry partner FX; see Add money and Withdraw.
Businesses & teams
Getting paid across borders usually means stacked costs: payment processing, FX, withdrawals, chargebacks, and accounting add-ons. Card processors excel at card checkout; payroll platforms excel at compliance. Bruce focuses on invoices, checkout, and escrow settled in Money, plus teams, approvals, and statements at 0% platform fee.
| Provider | Typical fees | Settlement | Invoices & checkout | Escrow | API & agents | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bruce | 0% on invoices, checkout, batch payouts | Money — seconds | Full invoices + branded pay pages | Native; milestones and disputes policy | API, webhooks, store plugins, MCP | Teams, approvals, statements — same 0% platform fee |
| Stripe | ~2.9% + 30¢ cards (Oct 2026 US); stablecoin via Stripe/crypto products — check your Stripe pricing | Bank payouts 2–7 days; on-chain settlement when using crypto rails | Invoicing + Checkout | Connect holds; programmable escrow is custom | Excellent card/commerce API; not Bruce-style agent-signed USDC accounts | Compare like-for-like: card acquiring vs Bruce Money (USDC). Stripe also offers stablecoin acceptance — fees differ by product and country. |
| PayPal Business | ~2.9% + fixed + cross-border | Instant balance; withdraw fees | Invoices and payment links | Seller protection; dispute-led | REST / NVP; OAuth merchant | Buyers expect PayPal; holds and FX friction abroad |
| Payoneer | ~0–3% + FX; receiving account fees | 1–3 days to local bank | Request payment; marketplace oriented | No | Limited vs Stripe | Popular for marketplaces and mass payout receivers |
| Square | ~2.6–3.5% + fixed (region) | Next-day or instant (fee) | Invoices and online checkout | No native deal escrow | API for commerce | Strong in-person + US SMB; less global-first |
| FreshBooks / Wave + payments | Accounting sub + ~2.9%+ on cards | Card processor timelines | Accounting-first invoices | No | Accounting integrations | You pay twice: software + payment markup |
| QuickBooks Payments | ~2.9% + fixed (via Intuit) | 1–3 days | Tied to QuickBooks books | No | Partner ecosystem | Best if books already live in QuickBooks |
| Deel / Remote (payroll) | Per-seat / per-contract + FX | Payroll cycles | Contractor compliance layer | Compliance holding; not product escrow | HRIS integrations | Great for employed-like contractors; overhead vs direct pay |
| Coinbase Commerce | Often ~1% (plan dependent) | On-chain confirmation time | Checkout links | No native milestone escrow | Commerce API | Crypto checkout; buyer wallet friction |
| BitPay | ~1% + network fees passed through | After chain confirmations | Invoices in crypto | No | API for merchants | Merchant converts to fiat; crypto volatility handling |
Chargeback protection and card acceptance differ by provider. Bruce is not a card acquirer; buyers pay from Bruce balance or supported rails on the pay page.
Developers & AI agents
Software needs idempotent APIs, webhooks, and clear escrow semantics — agents also need keys, spend limits, and protocols their tools already speak. Bruce exposes the same money rails through a Public API, webhooks, store plugins, and MCP, plus agent-native accounts that sign payments without sharing a human password.
| Provider | Typical fees | Settlement | Invoices & checkout | Escrow | API & agents | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bruce | 0% on API, webhooks, MCP, agent accounts | Money — seconds | Checkout sessions, Buy with Bruce | Default for Public API checkout | MCP, agent-native accounts, delegated keys | x402 / AP2 / A2A patterns documented for agents |
| Stripe API | Per successful charge + Connect (Oct 2026 — see Stripe dashboard for crypto/stablecoin lines) | Payout schedules or on-chain when using supported crypto products | Checkout Sessions, Billing | Manual holds via Connect | Human merchant keys; no agent wallet primitive | Industry standard for card commerce; Bruce compares on USDC settlement and 0% Bruce platform fees |
| PayPal REST | Per transaction + FX | Merchant balance | Orders and invoicing APIs | Disputes, not programmable escrow | OAuth as merchant user | Agents need stored merchant credentials |
| Circle Wallets / Programmable Wallets | Enterprise pricing + gas | Chain-dependent | Build your own | Build your own smart contracts | Wallet infrastructure API | Powerful; you own compliance, UX, and product surface |
| Coinbase Commerce API | ~1% + chain costs | On-chain | Charges and checkouts | No | Webhook-driven; wallet required | Good for crypto-native buyers |
| Self-custody USDC + RPC | Gas + your engineering time | Block time | None out of the box | Custom contracts only | Full control; full liability | Maximum flexibility; no invoices, disputes, or support layer |
| x402 / HTTP-native micropay | Varies by facilitator + gas | Per request | Not applicable | Rare; usually instant pay | Emerging standard for tool calls | Great for metered API access; weak for invoices and milestones |
| Wise Business API | Transfer and FX pricing | Hours to days | Payouts, not checkout | No | Treasury automation | Fiat treasury moves, not merchant checkout |
Agent protocols (x402, AP2, A2A) are documented on docs.bruce.money. Building on raw chain RPC remains an option if you want to own every layer.
When Bruce is the fit
- Keep the full amount on global send, receive, invoice, and checkout without a platform percentage.
- Escrow is product-native — fund, deliver, release, or dispute with rules documented up front (Escrow).
- One stack for people and software — humans use the app; agents use API, MCP, and delegated keys (API & webhooks).
- Self-custodial Money — you hold keys; Bruce does not rehypothecate balances for platform revenue.
When another rail may win
- Card-present retail — Stripe Terminal, Square, and acquirers own in-person chip-and-PIN.
- Employer-of-record payroll — Deel, Remote, and similar handle tax withholding and local employment law.
- Legacy bank treasury only — if you never want stablecoin settlement, a bank-only stack may feel familiar (often slower and FX-heavy).