Venmo
by PayPal, Inc. · Finance & Banking · Banking
Social payment app for splitting bills, paying friends, and making purchases.
Quick Answer: Venmo has a verified Real Score of 4/5 based on 120,000 verified reviews, compared to its App Store rating of 4.7/5. Highly recommended by verified users.
Real Score vs App Store Rating
App Store Rating
Includes unverified reviews
Verified Real Score
Based on 120,000 verified reviews
Gap Alert: Venmo's App Store rating is 0.7 points higher than its verified Real Score. This suggests that some store reviews may be inflated by fake or incentivized ratings.
Pros & Cons
What Users Love
- Ubiquitous among young users
- Social payment feed
- Easy bill splitting
- Venmo debit card
Common Complaints
- Social feed is a privacy concern
- Instant transfer has fees
- Scam vulnerability
- Limited buyer protection
Verified Reviews (20)
Everyone uses Venmo
The biggest advantage of Venmo is network effect - literally everyone I know has it. "Venmo me" has become a verb. For splitting dinner, concert tickets, or rent, it's the default.
Bill splitting is seamless
The group payment splitting feature makes dividing restaurant bills easy. One person pays, requests splits, everyone pays their share. No more math or IOUs.
The social feed is weird
Why can I see that my coworker paid her ex for "utilities" or that my boss sent his kid money? The default public transaction feed is a strange design choice. Make everything private by default.
Debit card cash back is decent
The Venmo debit card with automatic cash back offers (3-8% at select retailers) is surprisingly good. I use it for everyday purchases and the rewards go straight to my Venmo balance.
Instant transfer fee is annoying
Free transfer takes 1-3 days. Instant costs 1.75% (up to $25). When everyone else offers free instant transfers, paying a fee feels outdated. Zelle is free and instant.
Pay in 4 is useful
The buy now, pay later feature lets you split purchases into 4 payments with no interest. Used it for a $400 purchase and paid over 6 weeks. Handy for larger expenses.
Accepted at so many stores now
More and more stores accept Venmo QR codes for payment. It's becoming a real payment method beyond just peer-to-peer. Used it at CVS, Uber, and several restaurants.
Scams are a problem
Received a Venmo payment from a stranger who then "accidentally" sent it and asked for it back. Classic scam. Venmo needs better protection against social engineering attacks.
Business profiles are useful
Creating a business profile for my side hustle lets customers pay me through Venmo easily. The business transaction fees (1.9% + $0.10) are competitive with Square and PayPal.
Emoji game is strong
Sounds silly but the emoji reactions and payment notes make Venmo fun. Sending pizza emoji for splitting dinner makes the transaction feel social rather than transactional. Good UX detail.
Crypto feature is basic
You can buy crypto on Venmo but can't transfer it to external wallets, selection is limited, and the spread is unfavorable. It exists but dedicated crypto apps are much better.
Been using for 7 years, no issues
Venmo has been reliable for me since 2017. Thousands of transactions, never lost money, transfers work. The app has gotten better over time with more features while staying simple.
Customer support could be better
When a payment was held for review, getting help was difficult. Chat bot couldn't help, email took 3 days. For a financial app, support response time should be hours, not days.
Direct deposit and savings
Direct deposit to Venmo with a savings feature earning interest is turning Venmo into a basic bank account. For people who live in the Venmo ecosystem, this consolidation makes sense.
Charity donations through Venmo
The ability to donate to verified charities directly through Venmo is a nice touch. After disasters or for causes I care about, sending money is as easy as paying a friend.
Privacy settings need to be default
Transactions are public by default. You have to manually change settings to private. This should be private by default with an option to share. Personal financial transactions are sensitive.
Group feature makes trips easier
Created a Venmo group for our vacation. All shared expenses went through the group and it tracked who owed what. Settlement at the end was one tap. Genius for group travel.
Purchase protection on eligible payments
Payments for goods and services (not personal) have purchase protection. If an item doesn't arrive or isn't as described, you can open a dispute. Good to know this exists.
Venmo is a lifestyle at this point
Rent, dinner splits, gifts, coffee runs, concert tickets - everything goes through Venmo in my friend group. It's not just an app, it's become infrastructure for how we handle money socially.
Balance management is key
Keep your Venmo balance low or transfer to bank regularly. Don't keep large amounts in Venmo as it's not a bank and doesn't have full FDIC protection on the balance. Treat it as a transfer tool.
Showing 1-20 of 12,847 reviews
Have you used Venmo?
Share your honest experience and help others make better decisions. All reviews go through our 5-step verification.
Write a Verified Review
Your review will go through our 5-step verification process
Venmo FAQ
Is Venmo worth downloading in 2026?
What is Venmo's real rating without fake reviews?
What do users like most about Venmo?
What are the biggest complaints about Venmo?
How does VerifiedAppReviews rate Venmo?
Last updated: April 2026