Best apps to send money to Pakistan
A detailed comparison
Disclaimer: I have not been paid by any service as a hidden advertisement for this article. I have no conflicts of interest. This is for money transfers from the USA to Pakistan.
I compared MoneyGram, LemFi, TapTap Spend, Wise, Remitly, Xoom, WorldRemit, and Western Union.
Best overall: TapTap Send
As of today, the best app for sending money to Pakistan is TapTap Send. To avoid the hassle of calculating fees, TapTap Send remains the simplest, offering consistently great exchange rates with no hidden costs.
Exchange rates fluctuate daily, but at the time of publishing, TapTap Send offers the best rate at 1 USD = 280 PKR with no transfer fees. While LemFi provides a slightly better exchange rate of 281 PKR per USD, this only applies to transfers over $100. For amounts under $100, transfer fees apply, reducing their overall value.
It’s worth noting that TapTap Send offers US customers phone support in Urdu.
Best by exchange rate: TapTap Spend and LemFi
As of today, the best way to send money instantly to Pakistan depends on the amount:
For amounts under $100, TapTap Send offers the best exchange rates.
For amounts of $100 or more, TapTap Send and LemFi provide the best rates. It really depends on the day.
Exchange rates change daily, but TapTap Send and LemFi consistently offer the best rates. Between the two, LemFi usually beats TapTap Send by about 1 PKR. But, I've noticed that on some days, TapTap Send offers better exchange rates for Pakistan than Lemfi.
For example, on Feb 27, 2025, LemFi provided 281 PKR per USD, the highest in the industry. However, since January 2025, they charge a $2 fee for transfers under $100. In contrast, TapTap Send offered 280 PKR per USD with no fees, making it the better choice for smaller transfers.
Both outperform competitors like MoneyGram, Wise, Remitly, Xoom, WorldRemit, and Western Union.
Best by delivery speed: TapTap Spend
I'm genuinely amazed by how fast TapTap Send delivers—often in as little as one minute. LemFi takes around 10 minutes, while MoneyGram takes about an hour. The rest aren't even worth considering due to their much slower speeds and poor exchange rates. Remitly is one of the worst because they charge extra for same-day delivery.
Best referral bonus: LemFi
I recommend signing up for LemFi using a referral link. It’s significant. If your friend sends $100 or more in one go, they get $20, and you score a $20 bonus too. Easy money. LemFi even has a dashboard where you can track your referrals. That’s the best deal by far. It was $30 each in 2024, but it looks like they're lowering the bonus as they expand.
The TapTap Send referral bonus is $5 when you send $1 or more. However, when I tried to claim my bonus, I was disappointed. I never received it and couldn’t even find a place to enter my referral code, despite actively searching for it.
Hidden fees mire the industry
You might think comparing exchange rates is simple—just check the numbers, right? But in reality, hidden fees make it more complicated. I know this from personal experience, having used three different services myself.
Here are some common issues:
Transfer fees for amounts under $100
Fees are applied to all transactions
Delivery time (instant vs 5 days)
Different exchange rates depending on the delivery time (instant vs. 5 days)
Exchange rates that change after your first transfer
Poor customer service
Some don’t accept business or nonprofit cards
In my opinion, the best service can send money instantly for the highest exchange rate with no hidden fees. That’s why I chose TapTap Send as the best. You should know TapTap Send doesn’t accept business or nonprofit cards.
On the MoneyGram website, you might see a high rate, but that rate is only for the first transfer before it drops. Sneaky, I’d say.
Other information
Pakistan’s economy relies heavily on money sent from abroad to families in Pakistan. These are called remittances. In 2024, that totaled $34 billion. That exceeds the entire export value of goods from Pakistan, which was $31 billion in fiscal year 2024.
In the past, I've used LemFi, MoneyGram, and Remitly. Since finding better alternatives, I no longer use Remitly and don't recommend it to anyone.
LemFi is led by co-founder and CEO Ridwan Olalere, a name that sounds Muslim. He is Nigerian, and the company was founded in Nigeria. You can follow him on his Twitter account @ridwan_olalere, where he sometimes sends Eid Mubarak. He says he loves going to Ibadan, Nigeria, for Eid. Likely Muslim?
It’s worth mentioning that Remitly is led by co-founder and CEO Matthew Oppenheimer, who is Jewish. In 2022, Remitly acquired an Israeli startup for $80 million. And just this month, the Jerusalem Post wrote a puff piece on it that sounded more like a promotional. Their service has worsened with expansion. I know several people whose transfers held up for days, requiring hours on the phone with customer service from the Indian subcontinent.
I remember the days when my parents used to wire money through banks or send money through Western Union. Alhamdullilah, service has significantly improved since then.