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PayPal Review

Depends

Should I use PayPal?

From paying friends to saving money or getting cash back when you shop, explore what the new PayPal app has to offer. - paypal.com

· 1 month ago

Good free pick for US friends-and-family payments and online buyer protection. Skip it for high-volume selling or international transfers, where Stripe, Square, or Wise cost less.

Confidence

High. Based on 16 public sources: app-store and finance reviews, fee comparisons, and security reporting.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support quality
  • Security posture

Pricing

Free

Personal

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly fees2.29%–3.49%
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
Goods & Services2.99% + ~49¢
Merchant checkout2.29%–3.49% + 9¢–49¢

Best for

  • US friends & family payments
  • Online shoppers wanting buyer protection
  • Casual sellers invoicing occasionally
  • Beginner savers via FDIC-insured PayPal Savings

Not for

  • High-volume merchants — Stripe/Square beat its fees
  • International senders — Wise is far cheaper
  • Anyone using it as a primary bank
  • Sellers who can't risk sudden account freezes

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Users report sudden freezes holding funds after 'suspicious' flags

high

Confirmed long-running breach — change your password and monitor transactions

medium

Card-funded personal payments cost 2.9% + $0.30 — fund from bank instead

medium

Goods & Services sales incur 2.99% plus fixed fee, even small ones

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free US friends & family sends from balance or bank
  • Buyer protection praised for third-party seller purchases
  • Works across millions of PayPal and Venmo accounts
  • PayPal Savings is FDIC-insured via Synchrony Bank
  • 4.8/5 on the App Store across 6.3M ratings

Cons

  • Merchant fees up to 3.49% + 49¢ beat rivals
  • Just 3.2/5 on WalletHub despite App Store polish
  • Confirmed breach exposed personal data, enabled fraud
  • Blocked payments and account freezes reported by users
  • International sends can cost $30–$200 in fees

Sources & method

- 10 sources - Encryption and buyer protection are real, but a confirmed breach and account-freeze complaints weigh heavily.

official x1review x7security x2
  • Confirmed long-running data breach, PayPal confirmed a breach exposing personal information and leading to fraudulent transactions.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 3/5

    Rating

  • Free

    Starting price

  • 10

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 3/5. Free P2P, but merchant fees top rivals
  • Ease of use: 4/5. Reviewers call it easy, fast, convenient
  • Feature depth: 4/5. Savings, credit, crypto, BNPL, direct deposit
  • Support quality: 2/5. Freeze complaints; 'zero customer back-up'
  • Security posture: 3/5. Buyer protection, but confirmed breach and freezes
  • 4.8/5 App Store rating 6.3M ratings
  • 4.6/5 Capterra rating 26,629 reviews
  • 3.2/5 WalletHub rating 214 reviews
  • 2.29%–3.49% Merchant fees plus 9¢–49¢ per transaction

Pricing

Personal

Free

  • Free US P2P from balance/bank
  • Card funding costs 2.9% + $0.30

Goods & Services

2.99% + ~49¢

  • Applies to seller transactions
  • Invoicing runs 3.49% + fixed fee

Merchant checkout

2.29%–3.49% + 9¢–49¢

  • Rate varies by payment method
  • Free merchant account setup

Security

Encryption and buyer protection are real, but a confirmed breach and account-freeze complaints weigh heavily.

  • Confirmed long-running data breachPayPal confirmed a breach exposing personal information and leading to fraudulent transactions.⁷

What users say

App Store users love it (4.8/5, 6.3M ratings), but WalletHub and Trustpilot reviewers cite freezes, blocked payments, and weak support.

“I've used PayPal for many years now. I feel my transactions are safer. It gives me a peace of mind.”
Apple App Store review
“I highly recommend PayPal for their excellent dispute resolution.”
WalletHub review
“I'd give 0 stars if I could. They blocked a 'suspicious' payment on my credit card, I phoned up and told them it wasn't suspicious”
Trustpilot review
Full analysis

Based on 16 public sources: app-store and finance reviews, fee comparisons, and security reporting.

Great free P2P wallet with buyer protection; skip for business volume or international sends — fees and freezes bite.

Methodology

Based on 16 public sources: app-store and finance reviews, fee comparisons, and security reporting.

Read how a report is made.

Sources

  1. Send Money Online | PayPal USpaypal.com
    official
  2. PayPal — App Store Ratings & Reviewsapps.apple.com
    review
  3. PayPal Reviews: 214 User Ratings — WalletHubwallethub.com
    review
  4. PayPal Pricing, Reviews & Features — Capterracapterra.ca
    review
  5. PayPal review — Wisewise.com
    review
  6. PayPal Fees: 2026 Pricing and Calculator — NerdWalletnerdwallet.com
    review
  7. PayPal Data Breach Confirmed — Forbesforbes.com
    security
  8. Is PayPal Safe? — Security.orgsecurity.org
    security
  9. PayPal merchant evaluation — TechnologyAdvicetechnologyadvice.com
    review
  10. How to pay someone with PayPal — Xexe.com
    review

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