Wise vs Revolut in Estonia: My review after spending 5 years

Living in Estonia for 5 years, I have used both Wise and Revolut extensively for daily spending, receiving business payments, sending money abroad, and traveling. This is not a generic Wise vs Revolut feature comparison. This is what actually works in Estonia, based on real use.

Table of Contents

My Setup After 5 Years in Estonia

I arrived in Estonia in 2021 for my Master’s and started with Wise Personal. Over time, my setup evolved:

• Revolut Personal —> my main card today
• Wise Business — > for international business payments
• LHV Business —> Estonian bank for local business payments

I use these for daily spending in Tallinn (Bolt, Wolt, groceries, rent), receiving payments from clients in Estonia and the EU, paying subscriptions, sending money home, and tracking my budget.

Sorting out your finances is just one part of settling into Estonia. If you are also looking for ways to meet people and find local events in Tallinn, Fienta is the platform I use to discover and run community events here.

I wrote a complete guide on how to find or organize your events on Fienta.

Everyday Life in Estonia: Revolut Wins

For daily life in Tallinn and beyond, Revolut is my primary app. Here is why:

• Apple Pay: I use my Revolut card daily via Apple Pay everywhere in Estonia.
• Bolt & Wolt: Both work seamlessly with Revolut. No issues, ever.
• Subscriptions: Revolut detects recurring payments like Netflix and notifies me 3 days before the charge. I can cancel instantly if I want to.
• Analytics: At a glance, I can see what I spent on food, transport, entertainment, and even per country when I travel. This alone is why I switched from Wise + LHV (local Estonian Bank).
• Points & travel perks: With Metal/Ultra, I save points and have used them as a discount on Emirates for my trip to visit my home country.
• Joint account: I opened a Revolut joint account with my partner entirely online in minutes.
• Money splitting: I used Splitwise before, but now I split with friends directly inside Revolut and see everything in one place.

For Invoicing: Wise Business Shines

For marketing consulting contracts and international clients, Wise Business is my choice.

• I receive payments from all around Europe, and Wise handles multi-currency clearly with transparent fees.
• For business clients sending money internationally, Wise feels more ‘bank-like’ and professional in how it presents transfers.
• I still use LHV Business for Estonian companies that prefer local IBANs and bank transfers.

Sending Money Abroad: I prefer Revolut

I send money back home regularly. My honest rule: I check both Revolut and Wise before every transfer, because rates and fees change.

I mostly end up using Revolut because the analytics show me exactly what I spent and where, and I can see the total cost of the transfer clearly linked to my monthly categories.

But I still check Wise when the transfer is large, when the destination country has specific fees or limits, or when Wise offers a clearly better rate that day.

Speed: both platforms make near-instant transfers within the EU. Wise can take a little longer for first-time transfers to a new recipient, as it verifies details more carefully.

Revolut is my Travel Card

When I travel, Revolut is always in my pocket first.

• Fee-free ATM withdrawals: During my trip to Azerbaijan, with Revolut Ultra, I withdrew cash instantly with no fees.
• Currency exchange: I exchange money in the app at good rates before or during the trip.
• Travel insights: Revolut shows my total spending per country, which helps me track my trip budget. I currently have 7 countries tracked in my Revolut history.

Wise vs Revolut: Comparison Table

Aspect	Revolut	Wise
Set up in Estonia	Quick app setup, EUR account	Quick, multi-currency account numbers
Daily use (Bolt, Wolt)	Excellent, Apple Pay, analytics	Good, but weaker analytics
Subscriptions	Recurring payment alerts (e.g., Netflix)	Standard card payments
ATM / Travel	Fee-free ATM (Metal/Ultra), travel perks	Good, but fewer travel perks
Business payments	Fine for a small income	Strong for international invoices
International transfers	Often cheaper + full analytics	Transparent fees can be cheaper
Speed	Fast, smooth for repeat transfers	Fast; slower for first-time transfers
Analytics	Full breakdown by category & country	Basic
Joint account	Yes, set up online in minutes	Not available
Points / Travel perks	Metal/Ultra: points, airline discounts	None

My Honest Recommendation

Use this as a quick rule based on your situation:

New to Estonia (student or expat)

Start with Wise Personal for your first few months. It is easy to open and great for international transfers. Then add Revolut for daily spending and analytics.

If you’re thinking about trying Wise, click on the link below and get a free Wise card or a fee-free transfer up to 500 EUR to make spending and transfers easier from day one.

The main focus is on everyday life in Estonia

Use Revolut as your main card. Its analytics, recurring payment alerts, and travel perks make it much more convenient for how Estonia actually works: Bolt, Wolt, and subscriptions.

Running a business

Keep Wise Business for client payments and invoices. Use LHV Business for local Estonian company payments.

Sending money abroad regularly

Compare both before each transfer. I often pick Revolut for the analytics and ease, but always check Wise for better rates in some corridors.

Disclosure: Some links in this post are affiliate links. If you sign up through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend tools I personally use.

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