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Payroll · head to head

Openwage vs Volopay

Openwage logo

Openwage

Payroll

UK earned wage access charging a transparent 1 percent transfer fee, free for employers

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Volopay logo

Volopay

Payroll

Corporate cards, multi-currency accounts and accounts payable automation for Asia-Pacific businesses

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Openwage it is UK-only, tied to UK payroll cycles and regulation, so it is not usable for international workforces.; Volopay cross-currency spend within Singapore carries a fee around 3.1%, which is easy to overlook against the advertised free domestic transfers and can dominate total cost for internationally mobile teams.
  • They diverge on capability: Openwage covers On-demand pay, Volopay covers Multi-currency business accounts.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Openwage and Volopay actually diverge.

Attributes where Openwage and Volopay differ
AttributeOpenwageVolopay
Pricing modelPer-transfer fee, paid by the employeequote

Identical on both: starting price (On request), free tier (No), platforms (Web, iOS, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Payroll).

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 Openwage

  • On-demand pay
  • Transparent per-transfer fee
  • Payroll and T&A integration
  • No credit impact
  • Automatic payday reconciliation
  • Employer-free deployment

Only in Volopay

  • Multi-currency business accounts
  • Virtual and physical corporate cards
  • Accounts payable automation
  • Expense management
  • Accounting integrations
  • Approval workflows

What people use each for

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

Openwage

  • A UK employer with shift or hourly staff wanting an on-demand pay benefit at no cost to the businessnot Volopay
  • An employee wanting to know the exact cost of an advance before requesting one, rather than an opaque feenot Volopay
  • A company already running standard UK payroll and time and attendance systems wanting straightforward integrationnot Volopay
  • An HR team comparing earned wage access providers on published unit economics rather than sales quotesnot Volopay

Volopay

  • A Singapore-headquartered company paying vendors and staff across several APAC currencies from one accountnot Openwage
  • A finance team wanting free domestic transfers with accounts payable automation includednot Openwage
  • A regional business consolidating separate local business bank accounts into one multi-currency platformnot Openwage
  • A company whose card spend is concentrated in SGD and wants to minimise cross-currency fee exposurenot Openwage

Where each one falls short

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

Openwage

  • It is UK-only, tied to UK payroll cycles and regulation, so it is not usable for international workforces.
  • Even a published, low fee still means employees effectively pay to access their own earned money, and frequent use compounds that cost over a year.
  • The 50% cap on gross (not net) earned pay can overstate what an employee can actually draw once tax and deductions are accounted for, creating confusion at the point of request.
  • As with all earned wage access, dependency on the product is a symptom of insufficient pay cadence or amount that the advance itself does not fix, and can mask a deeper compensation problem an employer should address directly.
  • Accuracy is entirely dependent on the employer's payroll and time and attendance data being current, so errors upstream produce incorrect available-balance figures for employees.

Volopay

  • Cross-currency spend within Singapore carries a fee around 3.1%, which is easy to overlook against the advertised free domestic transfers and can dominate total cost for internationally mobile teams.
  • Cross-border payments in non-SGD currencies add roughly 1.6%, so a company paying many overseas vendors accumulates a real cost that is not visible on the headline pricing.
  • Regional focus on Asia-Pacific means weaker fit for companies whose spend is mainly in Europe or North America, where Payhawk or Extend cover the ground better.
  • Pricing is not published, so despite the specific fee percentages that are publicly known, the underlying subscription or platform fee must be obtained by quote.
  • As a comparatively young fintech, its card issuing depends on banking partners whose regulatory standing in each APAC market can change, and companies should confirm current licensing in their specific country before committing.

Pricing, plan by plan

Openwage

On request
  • Openwage$undefined/month
    • Free for employers to offer
    • 1% fee per transfer, minimum £1, paid by the employee
    • No interest and no credit check

Volopay

On request
  • Volopay$undefined/month
    • Free domestic SGD transfers and Accounts Payable Automation
    • Approximately 1.6% fee on cross-border non-SGD payments
    • Approximately 3.1% fee on cross-currency spend within Singapore

Which should you pick?

Choose Openwage if

  • You need on-demand pay.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want transparent per-transfer fee.
Openwage review

Choose Volopay if

  • You need multi-currency business accounts.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want virtual and physical corporate cards.
Volopay review

Questions people ask

Is Openwage or Volopay better?
Neither clearly leads. Openwage starts at On request and Volopay at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Openwage or Volopay?
Openwage starts at On request and Volopay at On request.
Does Openwage or Volopay run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, iOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is Openwage best used for?
Openwage is most often used for a uk employer with shift or hourly staff wanting an on-demand pay benefit at no cost to the business, an employee wanting to know the exact cost of an advance before requesting one, rather than an opaque fee, a company already running standard uk payroll and time and attendance systems wanting straightforward integration, an hr team comparing earned wage access providers on published unit economics rather than sales quotes. Of those, a uk employer with shift or hourly staff wanting an on-demand pay benefit at no cost to the business and an employee wanting to know the exact cost of an advance before requesting one, rather than an opaque fee are not what Volopay is typically brought in for.
What can Openwage do that Volopay cannot?
Openwage covers On-demand pay, Transparent per-transfer fee, Payroll and T&A integration, No credit impact. Volopay covers Multi-currency business accounts, Virtual and physical corporate cards, Accounts payable automation, Expense management.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Openwage: Who pays the fee?

The employee, at 1% of the amount transferred with a minimum of £1; the employer benefit itself is free.

Volopay: What currency is Volopay built around?

Singapore dollar as the base account currency, with support for spend and transfers across several other Asia-Pacific currencies.

Openwage: Is it a loan?

No, Openwage states it is not a loan or credit product; there is no interest and no credit score impact.

Volopay: Are transfers free?

Domestic SGD transfers and the Accounts Payable Automation product are advertised as free; cross-border and cross-currency transactions carry separate fees.

Openwage: How much can an employee access?

Up to 50% of gross wages already earned in the current pay period.

Volopay: Is pricing published?

No, subscription pricing requires a quote, though the specific cross-currency fee percentages are disclosed publicly.

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