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Personal Finance · head to head

Skrill vs Trustly

Skrill logo

Skrill

Personal Finance

Fast and secure money transfer

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Trustly logo

Trustly

APIs

Pay-by-bank payments network, majority-owned by private equity firm Nordic Capital

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Skrill has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Skrill a currency conversion fee of 4.49 percent applies to most conversions; Trustly it is majority-owned by Nordic Capital, a private equity firm, so its long-term roadmap is ultimately oriented toward an eventual sale or IPO rather than indefinite independent operation.
  • They diverge on capability: Skrill covers Money transfers, Trustly covers Pay by bank checkout.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Skrill and Trustly actually diverge.

Attributes where Skrill and Trustly differ
AttributeSkrillTrustly
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modeltransactionquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, IOS, AndroidWeb, API
CategoryPersonal FinanceAPIs
Founded2001Unknown

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 Skrill

  • Money transfers
  • Digital wallet
  • Currency conversion
  • Prepaid card
  • Bank accounts
  • Credit cards
  • Web support
  • IOS support

Only in Trustly

  • Pay by bank checkout
  • Instant refunds
  • Verified payouts
  • Multi-market bank connectivity
  • Merchant dashboard and reconciliation
  • Fraud and risk tooling

What people use each for

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

Skrill

  • Sending money internationally from a prepaid digital walletnot Trustly
  • Funding and withdrawing from online merchants and gaming sitesnot Trustly
  • Buying and selling cryptocurrency inside a wallet accountnot Trustly

Trustly

  • An e-commerce merchant wanting a lower-cost alternative or complement to card payment acceptancenot Skrill
  • A gaming or gambling operator needing verified, instant payouts to players' bank accountsnot Skrill
  • A merchant wanting instant refunds processed directly to a customer's bank account rather than card reversal delaysnot Skrill
  • A business in a market with strong open banking adoption wanting pay-by-bank as a checkout optionnot Skrill

Where each one falls short

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

Skrill

  • A currency conversion fee of 4.49 percent applies to most conversions
  • An inactivity fee of EUR 5.00 is deducted monthly after six months with no login or transaction
  • Card deposits carry a 2.50 percent fee
  • SWIFT bank withdrawals cost 2.80 percent with a minimum fee of EUR 3.5
  • Skrill to Skrill transfers cost 2.99 percent with a EUR 0.50 minimum on standard accounts, reduced to 1.45 percent only for True Skriller accounts
  • Crypto trading fees are tiered by VIP status, from 1.50 percent standard down to 1.30 percent at Gold and Diamond VIP

Trustly

  • It is majority-owned by Nordic Capital, a private equity firm, so its long-term roadmap is ultimately oriented toward an eventual sale or IPO rather than indefinite independent operation.
  • Consumer familiarity with paying by bank transfer still lags card payments in most markets, so merchants typically see it used as a secondary option rather than a full card replacement.
  • The 1.15 to 3.15% merchant fee range is not a single published rate, so a merchant cannot know its actual cost without a sales negotiation.
  • As with all open banking-dependent payment methods, reliability depends on the consistency of the underlying banks' own APIs, which Trustly does not control.
  • Its verified payout functionality is heavily used in gaming and gambling, a sector with additional regulatory scrutiny, which is worth factoring in when evaluating vendor risk exposure by association.

Pricing, plan by plan

Skrill

Free
  • Free AccountFree
    • Money transfers
    • Digital wallet
  • Premier Account$undefined/month
    • Higher limits
    • Special rates

Trustly

On request
  • Trustly$undefined/month
    • Typical merchant cost of 1.15% to 3.15% depending on volume and market
    • Exact rate negotiated per merchant, not published as a flat card

Which should you pick?

Choose Skrill if

  • You need money transfers.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want digital wallet.
Skrill review

Choose Trustly if

  • You need pay by bank checkout.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want instant refunds.
Trustly review

Questions people ask

Is Skrill or Trustly better?
Neither clearly leads. Skrill starts at Free and Trustly at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Skrill or Trustly?
Skrill has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Skrill and On request for Trustly.
Does Skrill or Trustly run on more platforms?
Skrill runs on Web, IOS, Android. Trustly runs on Web, API.
Can I use Skrill for free?
Yes. Skrill has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Trustly starts at On request.
What is Skrill best used for?
Skrill is most often used for sending money internationally from a prepaid digital wallet, funding and withdrawing from online merchants and gaming sites, buying and selling cryptocurrency inside a wallet account. Of those, sending money internationally from a prepaid digital wallet and funding and withdrawing from online merchants and gaming sites are not what Trustly is typically brought in for.
What can Skrill do that Trustly cannot?
Skrill covers Money transfers, Digital wallet, Currency conversion, Prepaid card. Trustly covers Pay by bank checkout, Instant refunds, Verified payouts, Multi-market bank connectivity.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Skrill: Is Skrill free to use?

Skrill operates on a freemium model. The digital wallet is free to open and use for basic features. The site refers to a fees page where transfer, conversion, and service fees are disclosed.

Source
Trustly: Who owns Trustly?

Nordic Capital, a private equity firm, holds a 51.1% majority stake; Alfven & Didrikson and BlackRock hold smaller stakes.

Skrill: What are Skrill's fees for transfers and conversions?

Skrill lists transfer, conversion, and service fees but does not display the specific amounts on the homepage. Detailed fee structures are available on Skrill's dedicated fees page at /en/siteinformation/fees/.

Source
Trustly: Is Trustly going public?

It has discussed an IPO but as of its most recent comments said one remained at least a year away.

Skrill: What services does Skrill offer?

Skrill provides international money transfers, online payment processing, cryptocurrency buying and selling, loyalty rewards through the Knect points program, and a mobile app. These services are included in the free account.

Source
Trustly: What does it typically cost a merchant?

Roughly 1.15% to 3.15% of transaction value depending on volume and market, negotiated per merchant.

Skrill: Is Skrill regulated?

Yes. Skrill Limited is authorized by the Financial Conduct Authority under the Electronic Money Regulations 2011 for issuing electronic money and payment instruments. It is also registered with the FCA as a cryptoasset firm.

Source
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