Skydo Alternatives (2025): 5 Options Compared for Indian Exporters & Freelancers

If you run an export business, a freelance practice, or an agency in India, you already know the real problem isn’t getting paid—it’s getting paid without losing time, margin, or compliance sanity.
So if you’re searching for a “Skydo alternative”, you’re usually asking one of these questions:
- “Is there a cheaper option for small, frequent payments?”
- “My client insists on PayPal—what now?”
- “Do I still get export documents like FIRA/eFIRC (and eBRC if needed)?”
- “How fast will INR land in my bank account?”
This guide compares 5 common alternatives in a clear, non-salesy way—so you can choose what fits your payment pattern, buyer preference, and documentation needs.
Pricing, limits, and policies can change. Wherever possible, I’ve used official product pages and help docs.
Quick TL;DR (choose based on your situation)
- Choose PayPal if the client refuses to switch and wants the simplest familiar flow—just be conscious of fee + FX impact. (PayPal lists 4.40% + fixed fee for Indian merchants receiving international commercial payments, and 3-4% further currency conversion fees can apply.)
- Choose Wise Business if you want local receiving details + predictable bank transfer workflows, and your payments fit within Wise’s India receiving limits (Wise says max $10,000 per transaction, and payout to INR is typically 1–2 days; eFIRC is emailed, with a fee to issue it.)
- Choose Payoneer if you’re marketplace-heavy (Upwork/Fiverr/e-com etc.) and want broad global rails + “request a payment” options (card/ACH). Pricing varies by method (e.g., 3.20% + $0.49 for card via Payment Request; 1% for ACH debit, US-only).
- Choose Infinity-style “low-ticket” players if your average invoice is small and frequency is high; Infinity advertises 0.5% fee (GST inclusive).
- Choose remittance apps (Western Union/Xoom/etc) for personal transfers, cash pickup, family support—not export collections (they’re not built for export documentation workflows).
How this comparison is structured
We’ll compare options on the parts that usually matter most to Indian exporters/freelancers:
- Fees & FX transparency (flat vs %; conversion fees/spreads)
- Speed to INR (typical settlement windows)
- Limits (per-transaction caps)
- Export documentation (FIRA/eFIRC; eBRC where relevant)
- Best-fit use cases (when it actually makes sense)
What Skydo solves
Skydo is positioned for India-based B2B collections, especially for freelancers, agencies, exporters, and Amazon Global Sellers, where the goal is to reduce hidden FX loss, avoid slow SWIFT chains, and keep documentation clean and audit-friendly.
In plain terms, Skydo is typically chosen when you want:
- Bank-account style collections (so clients pay “locally” in major currencies)
- Predictable settlement timeline (commonly positioned as 24–48 hours)
- Export-grade compliance workflows (FIRA per payment; eBRC support for specific use cases like Amazon Global Sellers)
- Visibility & tracking (payment status, reminders, reconciliation support)
Now, here’s when looking beyond Skydo is genuinely reasonable.
When a Skydo alternative might make sense
1) Your client insists on PayPal
Some finance/procurement teams have PayPal embedded into approvals. When the deal is new, reducing buyer friction can matter more than optimizing fees.
2) You want P2P + cards + spending in one ecosystem
If you want one app that blends personal wallet behavior, cards, and business collections, you may prefer a different stack (Skydo is more “collections + compliance” oriented than “wallet + spending”).
3) You handle high-volume, low-ticket payments
Flat-fee models often shine at higher ticket sizes; if you’re doing 50–80 payments/month in the $30–$200 range, percentage pricing can sometimes align better (depending on the provider).
4) You’re receiving personal remittances, not export income
Family support, one-off transfers, travel-related incoming money = different compliance expectations. Consumer remittance products are designed for that flow. Western Union Money Transfer
Skydo alternative #1: PayPal
What it is: A globally recognised checkout + invoicing platform that many international clients already trust.
Best for
- “My client will only pay via PayPal.”
- Low-ticket or one-off work, where convenience is the priority.
- When you want PayPal’s ecosystem benefits like dispute flows and buyer familiarity.
What to watch (fees & FX)
- PayPal lists 4.40% + fixed fee for Indian merchants receiving international commercial transactions.
- PayPal’s India merchant fees page also lists currency conversion fees—e.g., 3% above base rate for certain conversions and 4% for other cases (as disclosed on the same page).
Documentation (India)
- PayPal India states you can download a Monthly Digital FIRA from your PayPal Business account (available since Feb 2021).
Use PayPal instead of Skydo when: client acceptance > cost optimization, and you’re fine with PayPal’s fee/Fx structure.
Skydo alternative #2: Wise Business
What it is: A global payments platform that lets Indian businesses share receiving account details (USD/EUR/GBP, etc.) and then converts + pays out to INR. It is known for offering midmarket exchange rates without any markup
Best for
- Businesses receiving small to mid-sized B2B payments and wanting a familiar “bank transfer” experience for clients.
- Teams that want a single tool for business + personal international transfers (depending on how you operate).
Important operational notes (India)
- Wise states a maximum of 10,000 USD (or equivalent) per transaction for receiving payments for Indian businesses
- Wise also notes that those account details can’t be used to hold/send balances, and funds are auto-converted to INR and sent to your Indian bank.
- Wise offers e-FIRC (digital FIRA) for your transfer at an additional fee of USD 2.50/FIRA
Use Wise instead of Skydo when: your invoices fall within Wise’s receiving limits, and you’re comfortable with the payout + eFIRC workflow.
Skydo alternative #3: Payoneer
What it is: A platform popular with marketplace sellers and freelancers, offering receiving accounts and multiple ways to get paid (including card/ACH via “Request a Payment”).
Best for
- Marketplace-heavy revenue (where Payoneer is a default rail or widely supported).
- You want “request a payment” links where clients can pay via card/ACH (method-dependent fees).
Fees (method-dependent)
Payoneer’s pricing page lists:
- 3.20% + $0.49 for credit card payments (via Payment Request)
- 1% for ACH bank debits (US only)
- 3% currency conversion fee while withdrawing payments to INR
Documentation
- Payoneer offers digital FIRA for every transaction
Use Payoneer instead of Skydo when you’re deeply tied to marketplaces or need Payoneer’s network/payment-request flexibility more than a purpose-built exporter collection flow.
Skydo alternative #4: Infinity (and similar “low-ticket” specialists)
What it is: An India-focused cross-border payments product often positioned for smaller, frequent payments.
Best for
- Micro / low-ticket payments where a percentage fee is easy to reason about.
- Teams that want a simple product experience without negotiating bank FX.
Fee positioning (from their own pages)
Infinity advertises a 0.5% transaction fee (GST inclusive).
Typical trade-off to consider
Percentage fees scale with invoice size. A flat-fee model can become cheaper when ticket sizes grow—so this depends on your monthly mix.
Use Infinity-style options instead of Skydo when: your average invoice size is small and frequency is high, and you’re less focused on advanced exporter workflows like eBRC.
Skydo alternative #5: Revolut / Western Union / Xoom etc. (personal remittances)
What they are: Consumer-first products built for P2P transfers, travel money, family support, or cash pickup.
Best for
- Personal inbound money (not business sales).
- Cash pickup requirements (Western Union explicitly supports cash pickup / bank receipt flows).
The key limitation (for exporters)
These tools generally aren’t designed around exporter compliance workflows (invoicing + purpose codes + export docs), and you usually don’t choose them for regular B2B export receipts.
Use these instead of Skydo when the transfer is personal, not business income.
So when is Skydo still the best option?
Skydo tends to be the best fit when you want:
- B2B export collections, India-first workflows
- Clarity on FX and total cost (especially compared to models with baked-in conversion spreads)
- Documentation-led operations (FIRA per payment; eBRC support where relevant)
- Predictable cash flow (faster settlement than SWIFT-style chains in many cases)
If you’re an Amazon Global Seller, the “documentation question” becomes even more important because:
- eBRC is used in India for export realisation/incentive and compliance workflows. (DGFT describes eBRC as a digital certificate of export realisation.)
Here's a quick comparison table to show how Skydo compares to other alternatives
| Platform | Best for | Fees and Fx | Notes |
| PayPal | Clients insist, trust badge | 4.40% + fixed fee +3-4% currency conversion | expensive at scale |
| Wise business | Smaller to mid invoices | 1.6-1.8%, mid market rates | Transaction limit, FIRA at additional cost |
| Payoneer | Marketplace integrations | varies across rails+3% currency conversion fee | Dormant account charges levied |
| Infinity | High volume, low ticket | 0.5% charges and live fx rate advertised | Often best under ~$200–$500 ticket size |
| Remittance apps (Xoom/WU/Remitly) | Personal transfers | Consumer pricing | Not built for export compliance workflows |
So, when is Skydo still your best option?
Skydo is usually the best fit when you’re receiving B2B export payments into India and you want three things: lower total cost on meaningful invoice sizes, faster settlement, and zero chasing for compliance docs.
Choose Skydo if most of this describes you:
- You bill in the $500–$20,000+ range (freelancers, agencies, exporters). On these invoice sizes, percentage-fee platforms can get expensive fast, while a flat-fee style model stays predictable.
- You want 24–48 hour settlement into your Indian bank account instead of waiting through longer banking chains that can stretch several business days.
- You need a clean compliance trail for each inward payment—especially instant FIRA (and if you’re an Amazon Global Seller, eBRC + EDPMS-closure support matters).
- You’re tired of “where is my payment?” follow-ups and want payment tracking + status visibility (so both you and your client can see what’s happening).
- You’re receiving international payments regularly (not the occasional one-off personal transfer), and you want an India-focused support team that understands exporter workflows.
If your reality is: “I’m exporting services/goods, I invoice overseas clients every month, and I want money + documents to land cleanly without manual chasing,” Skydo is built specifically for that.
What are the best Skydo alternatives in 2025?
Common Skydo competitors include PayPal, Wise Business, Payoneer, Infinity (and similar low-ticket platforms), plus remittance apps for personal transfers.
Common Skydo competitors include PayPal, Wise Business, Payoneer, Infinity (and similar low-ticket platforms), plus remittance apps for personal transfers.
What’s the best alternative when I receive lots of small payments?
Should I use remittance apps for business payments?






