PayPal alternative for international payments in USDT
PayPal's US crypto terms do not list USDT or USDC. If clients pay you in either, Unigox is a PayPal alternative for international payments: sell them for local money. If clients pay through PayPal, stay.
When Unigox fits better than PayPal
Your client pays in USDT or USDC
PayPal's US crypto terms list BTC, ETH, LTC, BCH, SOL, LINK and PYUSD, and say a token PayPal does not support is lost if someone sends it to you. USDT and USDC are not on that list. On Unigox the client sends either one to your deposit address, and you sell it for local money.
PayPal does not list your country
Pakistan and Ghana are not on PayPal's list of countries and regions. If you work from one of them and a client can pay in USDT or USDC, see whether Unigox pays out your currency on the day you sell.
PayPal's fees stack on a payment from abroad
In Kenya or South Africa, PayPal keeps 4.40% of a client's payment plus a fixed fee (0.30 USD on a dollar payment). In Kenya, moving the balance to your bank in shillings adds 3% over PayPal's base rate. In South Africa you withdraw dollars through FNB, which sets the rand rate. On Unigox the fee sits inside the rate you accept: one number to check before you confirm.
When to stay with PayPal
Your clients pay you through PayPal
PayPal counts a payment for your work as a commercial transaction, and the client pays from the PayPal account they already have. Unigox helps only when the client can send USDT or USDC.
PYUSD is open in your PayPal app
If PYUSD is open in your country, a client can pay you in it from their own PayPal account, and sending it between PayPal users costs nothing. PayPal buys and sells PYUSD 1:1 for dollars; its fee page lists a 3% spread for selling PYUSD into local money in Uganda, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and other listed markets, but not in Kenya or South Africa.
You are based in the United States
Unigox does not currently offer its services in the United States; there, PayPal buys and sells PYUSD 1:1 for dollars with no fee.
One payment from a client abroad: PayPal vs Unigox
PayPal prices the incoming payment and the currency conversion; Unigox prices a stablecoin sale. Compare what reaches your bank on the day, not the percentages.
| Topic | PayPal | Unigox |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A wallet and checkout for paying and getting paid, with withdrawals to a linked bank account or an eligible card. | A place to sell USDT or USDC: a P2P merchant or a payment business takes the sale and pays the local money into your account. |
| How the client pays | From their PayPal account. Paid work counts as a commercial transaction. | In USDT or USDC, sent from the client's wallet or exchange to your Unigox deposit address. |
| Fee on the payment | Charged to you, by your market:
| The client's wallet or exchange may charge the client a network fee to send it. |
| Getting local money | Transfer to your bank, converted at PayPal's rate:
| Sell at the rate shown before you confirm, with the Unigox fee already in it. |
| Stablecoins | PYUSD, PayPal's own, bought and sold 1:1 for dollars with no fee, on Ethereum, Solana, Arbitrum and Stellar. USDT and USDC are not among the assets in PayPal's US crypto terms. | USDT and USDC, received from another wallet or an exchange and sold for local money. |
| Where it works | Markets on every continent on PayPal's list of countries and regions; Pakistan and Ghana are not on it. | Unigox does not currently offer its services in the United States, and the currencies it pays out change as P2P merchants and payment businesses join or leave. |
| Identity check | Required for crypto: PayPal asks you to verify your identity and opt in. | Required before your first sale, at any amount. |
| Regulation | In the US, PayPal Digital, Inc. runs the crypto service under a limited purpose trust charter from the New York State Department of Financial Services. Paxos issues PYUSD and keeps it in custody. | Unigox works through two companies: UNIGOX NETWORK CORP. in Canada handles the local-money side and is registered with FINTRAC as a money services business and with the Bank of Canada as a payment service provider; UNIGOX NETWORK CORP. in Panama handles the crypto side, including wallets and escrow. |
UnigoxFrom a client's USDT to your bank
Verify as the person paid
Before any client payment can be sold, Unigox needs a photo ID and a live selfie from you.
Put your deposit address on the invoice
Copy your USDT or USDC deposit address and its network from your Unigox Wallet and give both to the client. A payment on another network can be lost.
Sell when the payment lands
Pick your currency, add the bank or mobile money account that should receive the money and accept the rate. If a P2P merchant pays you, confirm the money arrived to close the trade.
Questions about PayPal alternatives
Is there a PayPal alternative for payments in USDT?
Yes, if your client can pay in USDT or USDC. You receive it in your Unigox Wallet and sell it for local money. If the client can only pay through PayPal, PayPal stays the simpler route.
Which PayPal alternatives suit freelancers?
It depends on how your clients pay. For USDT or USDC, Unigox turns it into local money. We also compare Unigox with Payoneer and Wise, and each comparison says when to stay with that service.
Read the Payoneer comparisonCan a client send USDT or USDC to my PayPal account?
PayPal's US crypto terms do not list either one. They list BTC, ETH, LTC, BCH, SOL, LINK and PYUSD, and say a token PayPal does not support is lost if it is sent to your PayPal crypto account. Check the list in your own PayPal app before anyone sends you crypto.
What does PayPal charge on a payment from a client abroad?
For an account in Kenya or South Africa, 4.40% plus a fixed fee (0.30 USD on a dollar payment); in Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Sierra Leone, 4.90% plus the fixed fee. In Kenya, moving the balance to your bank in shillings adds 3% over PayPal's base rate; in South Africa, FNB turns the dollars into rand at its own rate. On Unigox the fee is inside the rate shown before you confirm a sale.
Is there a PayPal alternative where PayPal does not work?
PayPal's list of countries and regions leaves out Pakistan and Ghana. For people there whose clients can pay in USDT or USDC, Unigox may pay out the local currency; it shows which currencies it serves on the day you sell.
Who holds my USDC while the local money is on its way?
During a trade the crypto sits in an on-chain escrow that Unigox can release only to the buyer or the seller. If the money does not arrive, open a dispute in live chat or by email.
Email support@unigox.comPrice your next client payment
Note what PayPal's fees leave you from a client payment. Then see what the same value in USDT or USDC fetches on Unigox, fee included, before you confirm.
PayPal and other names and logos are trademarks of their respective owners. Unigox is not affiliated with, endorsed or sponsored by them. Information about other companies comes from public sources, mainly the companies' own websites, and each company can change its products and fees at any time.