Cross-Border Freelancer Payment Calculator
Compare international payment scenarios using fee assumptions you can edit to match the quote or account terms you actually have.
| Method | Estimated Cost | Estimated Net |
|---|
How this calculator works
Cross-border fees are not one universal number. Wise pricing varies by currency route, PayPal pricing depends on the product and transaction, and banks may combine visible wire fees with an exchange-rate spread. This tool therefore exposes the assumptions instead of hard-coding a claim that one option is always cheapest.
Worked example
For a $2,000 payment, a 4.49% PayPal assumption produces an estimated cost of $89.80. A 0.50% Wise assumption produces $10.00. A $35 bank wire plus a 2% assumed FX spread produces $75.00. Those are scenario estimates only; replace the defaults with the quote or published rate that applies to your payment.
Sources and assumptions
Last reviewed: September 16, 2026. PayPal's US fee table publishes multiple commercial-payment rates plus an additional international percentage. Wise states that sending and conversion fees vary by currency and currently start from a published minimum rather than one universal rate. Bank wire and FX costs vary by bank, account, route, and currency, so the bank assumptions are deliberately editable.
FAQ
Why not use one fixed Wise percentage? Wise explicitly varies fees by route and funding method, so a single hard-coded percentage can be misleading.
Why is the bank FX markup editable? Banks can price currency conversion differently from the visible wire fee. Use the spread shown by your bank or compare the bank's offered rate with a reference market rate.
Does this include marketplace platform fees? No. Upwork, Fiverr, and other platforms can have their own fees that are outside this direct-payment comparison.