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Personal Finance · head to head

PayPal vs Ramp

PayPal logo

PayPal

Personal Finance

The simpler, safer way to pay and get paid

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Ramp logo

Ramp

Accounting

The corporate card that helps you spend less

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Ramp has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: PayPal currency conversion on international purchases and sends carries a 4.00 percent fee, and 3.00 percent in other conversion scenarios; Ramp procurement module unavailable on Free plan; available as add-on on Plus
  • They diverge on capability: PayPal covers Payment processing, Ramp covers Corporate cards.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which PayPal and Ramp actually diverge.

Attributes where PayPal and Ramp differ
AttributePayPalRamp
Starting price$29/monthFree
Pricing modelusage-basedsubscription
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Ios, Android, ApiWeb, Mobile apps
CategoryPersonal FinanceAccounting
Founded19982019

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 PayPal

  • Payment processing
  • PayPal Checkout
  • Invoicing
  • Business debit card
  • Working capital loans
  • Shopify
  • WooCommerce
  • BigCommerce

Only in Ramp

  • Corporate cards
  • Expense management
  • Bill pay
  • Accounting automation
  • Spend insights
  • QuickBooks
  • NetSuite
  • Xero

Both cover

  • PCI DSS
  • Web support
  • Ios support
  • Android support

What people use each for

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

PayPal

  • Paying online merchants without sharing card detailsnot Ramp
  • Sending money to friends and family domestically and internationallynot Ramp
  • Holding balances in multiple currencies for cross border purchasesnot Ramp

Ramp

  • Corporate expense management and automationnot PayPal
  • Accounts payable automation with AI invoice processingnot PayPal
  • Multi-currency travel and policy managementnot PayPal

Where each one falls short

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

PayPal

  • Currency conversion on international purchases and sends carries a 4.00 percent fee, and 3.00 percent in other conversion scenarios
  • Instant transfer to a bank or debit card costs 1.75 percent of the amount, with a minimum of 0.25 USD and a maximum of 25.00 USD
  • International personal transactions carry a 5.00 percent fee regardless of payment method, with a minimum of 0.99 USD and a maximum of 4.99 USD
  • Sending domestic personal payments funded by a credit card costs 2.90 percent plus a fixed fee of 0.49 USD
  • Instant transfers are capped at 25,000.00 USD per transaction

Ramp

  • Procurement module unavailable on Free plan; available as add-on on Plus
  • Workday and Oracle Fusion integrations limited to Enterprise tier only
  • Multi-entity functionality requires Plus tier or higher
  • Local card issuance in 30+ countries limited to Enterprise tier
  • Advanced ERP integrations require higher tier selection

Pricing, plan by plan

PayPal

$29/month
  • Standard$2.99/transaction
    • Card payments
    • PayPal checkout
    • Invoice payments

Ramp

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited physical and virtual corporate cards
    • Receipt collection and matching
    • AI-powered OCR invoice capture
  • Plus$15/month
    • All Free plan features
    • Auto-lock cards for compliance violations
    • 24/7 phone support
  • Enterprise$null/year
    • All Plus plan features
    • Custom pricing
    • Workday and Oracle integrations

Which should you pick?

Choose PayPal if

  • You need payment processing.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want paypal checkout.
PayPal review

Choose Ramp if

  • You need corporate cards.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile apps.
  • You also want expense management.
Ramp review

Questions people ask

Is PayPal or Ramp better?
Neither clearly leads. PayPal starts at $29/month and Ramp at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, PayPal or Ramp?
Ramp has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29/month for PayPal and Free for Ramp.
Does PayPal or Ramp run on more platforms?
PayPal runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api. Ramp runs on Web, Mobile apps.
Can I use Ramp for free?
Yes. Ramp has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. PayPal starts at $29/month.
What is PayPal best used for?
PayPal is most often used for paying online merchants without sharing card details, sending money to friends and family domestically and internationally, holding balances in multiple currencies for cross border purchases. Of those, paying online merchants without sharing card details and sending money to friends and family domestically and internationally are not what Ramp is typically brought in for.
What can PayPal do that Ramp cannot?
PayPal covers Payment processing, PayPal Checkout, Invoicing, Business debit card. Ramp covers Corporate cards, Expense management, Bill pay, Accounting automation. Both handle PCI DSS, Web support, Ios support, Android support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

PayPal: Does PayPal charge fees and when do they apply?

PayPal states that fees apply when converting currency and sending money to accounts in another country. Specific fee amounts are not disclosed on the homepage but are referenced in their published fee schedule.

Source
Ramp: How much does Ramp Plus plan cost?

Ramp Plus plan costs $15 USD per user per month plus a platform fee based on team size. Annual billing provides a 20% discount compared to monthly billing.

Source
PayPal: Is there a subscription cost to use PayPal's basic services?

No subscription fees are mentioned on the homepage. PayPal operates on a transaction-based fee structure for money transfers and payments rather than recurring charges.

Source
Ramp: What accounting systems does Ramp integrate with?

Ramp Free and Plus plans integrate with QuickBooks Online and Xero. Plus plan adds access to additional ERP systems, and Enterprise plan supports Workday, Oracle, and advanced options.

Source
PayPal: Are there restrictions on when I can use buyer protection?

PayPal offers buyer protection for eligible purchases, but coverage limitations exist. A user agreement sets the specific conditions for protection eligibility.

Source
Ramp: Does Ramp offer a free plan?

Yes, Ramp Free plan includes unlimited corporate cards, AI invoice capture, receipt collection, multiple payment methods, QuickBooks and Xero integrations, and 24/7 chat support. No pricing is charged for the Free tier.

Source
PayPal: What payment methods can I link to PayPal?

PayPal's digital wallet allows storage of multiple payment methods and can be used for secure money transfers, payment requests, and checkout at major retailers.

Source
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