Venmo vs Western Union:Which is searched more?
In September 2026, Western Union had more branded searches than Venmo among money transfer services worldwide. Western Union had about 9.1 million branded searches, while Venmo had 1.5 million. Western Union made up 20.9% of all money transfer service searches we track, and Venmo accounted for 3.4%. These are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.
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Is Venmo or Western Union more popular in search?
Compare the services people use to send money abroad. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time.
Share of searches by month for Western Union, Venmo. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | PayPal | Western Union | Revolut | MoneyGram | Cash App | Venmo | Remitly | Zelle | Wise | Xe | OFX | WorldRemit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 51.5% | 18.9% | 8% | 7.5% | 3.8% | 3.8% | 2.5% | 2.1% | 1.2% | 0.51% | 0.1% | 0.15% |
| Nov 2025 | 52.6% | 19.3% | 6.8% | 7.6% | 3.9% | 3.2% | 2.6% | 2.1% | 1.2% | 0.52% | 0.1% | 0.13% |
| Dec 2025 | 49.7% | 22.2% | 6.4% | 8.8% | 3% | 3.7% | 2.4% | 2% | 1.2% | 0.49% | 0.1% | 0.15% |
| Jan 2026 | 49.1% | 21.9% | 7.6% | 8.5% | 3.6% | 3% | 2.4% | 2% | 1.3% | 0.48% | 0.1% | 0.12% |
| Feb 2026 | 44.7% | 24.3% | 7% | 9.5% | 4% | 4% | 2.2% | 2.2% | 1.2% | 0.54% | 0.11% | 0.13% |
| Mar 2026 | 44.1% | 24% | 8.4% | 9.5% | 4% | 3.2% | 2.6% | 2.2% | 1.3% | 0.53% | 0.11% | 0.13% |
| Apr 2026 | 45.6% | 24.8% | 7.2% | 7.9% | 4.1% | 3.3% | 2.7% | 2.2% | 1.4% | 0.55% | 0.09% | 0.11% |
| May 2026 | 44.9% | 24.5% | 8.5% | 7.8% | 4% | 3.3% | 2.7% | 2.2% | 1.3% | 0.54% | 0.09% | 0.11% |
| Jun 2026 | 47.6% | 21.3% | 9% | 8.3% | 3.5% | 3.5% | 2.3% | 2.3% | 1.4% | 0.57% | 0.12% | 0.12% |
| Jul 2026 | 45.6% | 24.8% | 8.7% | 7.9% | 3.4% | 3.4% | 2.2% | 1.8% | 1.3% | 0.55% | 0.11% | 0.09% |
| Aug 2026 | 44.4% | 24.1% | 8.5% | 9.3% | 4% | 3.3% | 2.7% | 1.8% | 1.4% | 0.44% | 0.09% | 0.09% |
| Sep 2026 | 46.6% | 20.9% | 10.7% | 8.1% | 3.4% | 3.4% | 2.8% | 1.9% | 1.4% | 0.56% | 0.11% | 0.09% |
How has the Venmo and Western Union comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Western Union was ahead of Venmo in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Venmo’s share of searches among money transfer services worldwide moved from 3.8% to 3.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.8M to 1.5M.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Western Union’s share of searches among money transfer services worldwide moved from 18.9% to 20.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 9.1M.
How did search popularity change for money transfer services worldwide in September 2026?
2 changes
In September 2026, Western Union lost share of searches among money transfer services worldwide, from 24.1% to 20.9%.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Venmo worldwide fell 18% over 12 measured months, from 1.8M to 1.5M in September 2026.
How are branded searches counted?
2 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Venmo’s and Western Union’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
Venmo
1 branded search term
- venmo
Western Union
1 branded search term
- western union
Other head-to-heads among money transfer services
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