Kiip vs Wise: Which is better for paying creators globally?

You're running a platform with creators scattered across the globe. Every payout needs to land fast, cost less, and not create a tax nightmare for your accounting team. Pick the wrong solution and you're either bleeding money on fees or spending weeks filing tax forms manually.

Wise and Kiip both promise global payouts. But they solve your problem very differently.

The math: fees add up fast

With Kiip, you know exactly what you're paying: 1% plus $0.10 per transaction. A $100 payout costs you $1.10. A $1,000 payout costs $10.10. Predictable.

Wise charges 0.26% to 0.57% on the transaction itself. Then add their foreign exchange spread—that's another 0.33% to 0.47%. Then, if you're using SWIFT payments, add $7 to $35 per transfer. For a $1,000 payout, you're looking at $7 to $15 in fees minimum, plus FX costs that vary by currency pair and time of day.

Run 10,000 creator payouts per month through each platform. Kiip costs you $11,000 in fees. Wise could cost you anywhere from $15,000 to $25,000.

The tax problem nobody talks about

This is where Wise breaks down for most platforms.

Wise doesn't handle tax forms. At all. You still need to collect W-9s and W-8BENs from your creators. You still need to file 1099s yourself. You still need to track and file DAC7 forms for cross-border payments.

Your accounting team becomes tax administrators. Every quarter, they're chasing creators for missing paperwork. Every year, they're filing forms manually.

With Kiip, we handle this. Creators fill out W-9, W-8BEN, and DAC7 information themselves through a simple flow. We collect it. We store it. We provide the information you need for 1099 filing. Your accountant gets clean, organized records.

This isn't just convenience. It's liability protection.

Branding matters more than you think

When a creator on your platform receives a payout, what do they see? With Kiip, they see your brand on their wallet and their payment confirmations. It's white-label. Your platform stays your platform.

With Wise, they see Wise. They see Wise branding. They see Wise support. If there's a problem with a payment, they contact Wise, not you. This fragments your relationship with your creators.

The admin burden compounds

Let's say one creator has a frozen account. With Kiip, that doesn't happen. We don't hold funds—money goes straight to creators. Nothing to freeze.

With Wise, account freezes happen. Creators report them. Your support team gets stuck in the middle. Support is slow. Resolution takes time.

Batch payouts also matter. Kiip processes payouts instantly. Wise batches up to 1,000 at a time with 1-2 day settlement. For platforms moving serious volume, this means more complexity.

Side-by-side comparison

When Wise actually makes sense

Wise works if you have a small creator base (under 100), you're comfortable managing all tax compliance yourself, or you don't care about white-label branding. For simple, low-volume platforms with basic needs, Wise is functional.

But for any platform at scale, with international creators, and where compliance matters, Kiip removes the friction Wise creates.

The bottom line

You don't just need a payout processor. You need tax compliance handled, your brand protected, and support you can actually reach. Wise makes you do the work. Kiip does it for you.

Not ready to fully switch? Test Kiip with a few payouts first. Run one campaign through it. Move over completely when you're ready.