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Personal Finance · head to head

Google Pay vs Increase

Google Pay logo

Google Pay

Personal Finance

Fast, simple and secure payments

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Increase logo

Increase

APIs

Direct banking API for ACH, wires, real-time payments, accounts and cards

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Google Pay has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Google Pay limited to Android devices and Chrome browser; lacks native support for iOS devices; Increase the published per transaction rates exclude a monthly platform fee that Increase states varies by use case, so the transparent price page cannot produce a total cost and the material part of the deal is still negotiated privately.
  • They diverge on capability: Google Pay covers Digital wallet, Increase covers ACH origination and receipt.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Google Pay and Increase actually diverge.

Attributes where Google Pay and Increase differ
AttributeGoogle PayIncrease
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreequote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsAndroid, Chrome browserAPI, Web
CategoryPersonal FinanceAPIs
Founded2015Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Google Pay

  • Digital wallet
  • Contactless payments
  • Online shopping
  • P2P money transfers
  • Credit cards
  • Debit cards
  • Android support
  • IOS support

Only in Increase

  • ACH origination and receipt
  • Domestic wires
  • Real-time payments
  • Cards
  • Cheques
  • Sandbox and simulations
  • Audit and reconciliation data

Both cover

  • Bank accounts

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Google Pay

  • Android users making contactless payments at supported retailersnot Increase
  • Chrome browser users utilising payment autofill at checkoutnot Increase

Increase

  • A payroll or treasury product that needs to originate same-day ACH and wires under its own control rather than through a payment processornot Google Pay
  • A marketplace that must hold seller balances in ledgered accounts with real account and routing numbersnot Google Pay
  • A fintech that wants FedNow and RTP payouts so recipients are paid outside banking hoursnot Google Pay
  • An engineering team that needs the underlying return codes and settlement timing visible in order to build correct reconciliation and retry logicnot Google Pay

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Google Pay

  • Limited to Android devices and Chrome browser; lacks native support for iOS devices
  • International money transfer through third-party provider (Wise Inc.) with limited details on coverage

Increase

  • The published per transaction rates exclude a monthly platform fee that Increase states varies by use case, so the transparent price page cannot produce a total cost and the material part of the deal is still negotiated privately.
  • Free allowances are deliberately small at ten account numbers and five physical cards, so any programme issuing accounts or cards at volume moves to quoted pricing almost immediately.
  • Banking is provided through partner banks, so programme approval, compliance obligations and the ability to launch at all depend on a bank relationship you do not control, and post-Synapse bank risk appetite has tightened considerably.
  • The API deliberately exposes payment rail mechanics rather than smoothing them, which is correct engineering but means a team without payments expertise will build reconciliation and return handling wrongly and only discover it when funds go astray.
  • Coverage is United States only, so a company with international payout needs runs a second provider and reconciles two ledgers, and the single API argument disappears at the first cross border customer.

Pricing, plan by plan

Google Pay

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Google Pay review.

Increase

On request
  • Increase Platform$undefined/month
    • Monthly fee quoted by use case and not published
    • Next-day ACH origination listed at 0.50 US dollars per transaction
    • Same-day ACH origination listed at 2.00 per transaction

Which should you pick?

Choose Google Pay if

  • You need digital wallet.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Android, Chrome browser.
  • You also want contactless payments.
Google Pay review

Choose Increase if

  • You need ach origination and receipt.
  • You work on API, Web.
  • You also want domestic wires.
Increase review

Questions people ask

Is Google Pay or Increase better?
Neither clearly leads. Google Pay starts at Free and Increase at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Google Pay or Increase?
Google Pay has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Google Pay and On request for Increase.
Does Google Pay or Increase run on more platforms?
Google Pay runs on Android, Chrome browser. Increase runs on API, Web.
Can I use Google Pay for free?
Yes. Google Pay has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Increase starts at On request.
What is Google Pay best used for?
Google Pay is most often used for android users making contactless payments at supported retailers, chrome browser users utilising payment autofill at checkout. Of those, android users making contactless payments at supported retailers and chrome browser users utilising payment autofill at checkout are not what Increase is typically brought in for.
What can Google Pay do that Increase cannot?
Google Pay covers Digital wallet, Contactless payments, Online shopping, P2P money transfers. Increase covers ACH origination and receipt, Domestic wires, Real-time payments, Cards. Both handle Bank accounts.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Increase: Does Increase publish its pricing?

Partly. Per transaction fees for ACH, wires, RTP, FedNow and cards are listed publicly. The monthly platform fee is not, and it is described only as varying by use case.

Increase: Who holds the deposits?

Partner banks, not Increase itself. That relationship determines your programme approval, your compliance obligations and your risk if the bank changes appetite.

Increase: Is it international?

No. Increase covers United States rails only, so cross border payouts require a second provider.

Increase: How is it different from a middleware BaaS platform?

It exposes the rails rather than abstracting them, showing real return codes and settlement timing. That suits teams who understand payments and punishes teams who do not.

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