Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Klarna vs Wise

Klarna 4.9★ · Free to download 75
Winner Klarna
Wise 4.6★ · Free to download 60

Klarna is better for flexible shopping payments and building credit, while Wise excels at international money transfers, despite some reliability and customer service issues.

Full reviews: Klarna · Wise

Klarna offers flexible payment options for purchases and can help with credit building, though users sometimes face declines and customer service frustrations. Wise is designed for international money transfers with good exchange rates, but struggles with transfer reliability, technical issues, and unresponsive support.

Head to head

Features and Flexibility edge: KlarnaR6R7R8R12
Klarna Klarna is praised for its 'buy now, pay later' options, making purchases more affordable and helping users manage finances R8R12. Some users appreciate the ability to build credit R7R29. However, there are complaints about unexpected declines after offers R6, changes in purchase power R7, and issues with subscriptions or unexpected charges R13R50.
Wise Wise is valued for its international money transfer capabilities and good exchange rates . Users like its convenience for traveling abroad and paying in local currency . However, some find it difficult to send larger amounts and report issues with connecting banks or cards R108. There are also complaints about high commissions and low exchange rates .
Ease of Use and Reliability tieR1R4R12R14
Klarna Many users find Klarna easy to use for making payments R12R14. However, the app can be buggy, with continuous loading R4, freezing during large purchases , and forced updates that cause inconvenience at checkout . Face recognition issues are a recurring problem R1, and some find the refund process confusing .
Wise Wise is often described as easy and fast for transfers R68R71. Yet, it suffers from significant technical problems, including difficulty connecting banks or cards R108, slow app performance , and buggy behavior . Transfer times are noted as unreliable, sometimes taking much longer than expected R69.
Customer Support and Trust tieR1R7R16R19
Klarna Klarna's customer service receives widespread criticism for being non-existent R19, providing copy-paste instructions that don't help R1, and being difficult to reach by phone R19. Users report issues with double charges , being charged for services not received , and difficulties getting refunds R16. Some feel unfairly treated, with purchase power decreasing despite good payment history R7.
Wise Wise's customer support is frequently criticized for being unhelpful, with AI-only responses R67, canned answers R70, and difficulty speaking to a live representative R99R108. Users report money getting stuck during transfers with no assistance R70, and issues with disputes taking too long or being unresolved . There are also serious concerns about accounts being closed without justification and money not being protected .
Price and Value edge: KlarnaR9R10R12R13
Klarna Klarna is valued for offering accessible payments and making shopping more affordable R12. Users appreciate the ability to get items without remorse and on comfortable installments . However, some are concerned about unexpected late fees R10R52, being charged for subscriptions they didn't want R13R50, or having their credit checked frequently R9.
Wise Wise is praised for its fair fees and good exchange rates for international transfers . However, users complain about high commissions , low exchange rates , and intermediary banks withholding unknown fees, leading to short payments .
Pick Klarna if

you want flexible payment options for shopping, need to make purchases more affordable, or are looking for a way to potentially build credit R8R12R29.

Pick Wise if

you frequently send or receive money internationally and prioritize good exchange rates .

Evidence note: Both apps have a significant number of 1-star reviews, indicating consistent pain points despite their high lifetime ratings. Klarna's positive reviews often focus on the convenience of installment payments, while Wise's positive reviews highlight fast international transfers.

Frequently asked

Is Klarna good for building credit?
Yes, some Klarna users report that the app helps them build their credit score R7R29, though others are confused by frequent credit checks and changing available balances R9.
Does Wise have good customer service?
Wise's customer service is frequently criticized, with users reporting unhelpful AI responses, difficulty reaching live agents, and unresolved issues like stuck transfers and disputes R67R70R99R108.
Are there hidden fees with Klarna?
While some users praise Klarna for having no extra charges , others report being charged for unwanted subscriptions R13R50 or unexpected late fees R10R52.
Is Wise reliable for international transfers?
Wise is often fast and reliable for international transfers R68R71, but many users report unreliable transfer times, with funds sometimes taking much longer than expected or getting stuck R69R70.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R6] Klarna 3/5 · US Often Decline after offering: I’ve noticed Klarna will have services advertised all over these wholesale platform apps. Then you pick your items click Klarna, wait for plans to appear and then click to be told payment is declined due to something not at all related to me. I’m well ahead of my payments nor had 1 late. Strange but ai bot says it happens. So idk I guess it happens
  2. [R7] Klarna 1/5 · US Horrible treatment: Gonna make this quick but I’ve never missed a payment ever. Been with them for over a year and have other profiles I’m above 750 credit score. Randomly my purchase power went down dramatically and they want me to just pay all of it pretty much so why would I use you. I have the money but want to build my credit I would tell people to use the app and everything. I’m uninstalling
  3. [R8] Klarna 5/5 · US Klarna Account: I love that Klarna is there for people that need payments. Thank you
  4. [R12] Klarna 3/5 · GB Hooray for Klarna: Love using the pay in 3 agreement that Klarna offer. It makes shopping so easy and help make paying for things more affordable. I’m a very happy member. 👍👍👍
  5. [R1] Klarna 1/5 · US Face Recognition: No help at all! The face recognition keeps blacking out. This is the fourth time. Every time I ask for help with an agent they give me a copy paste instructions that I told them several times I’ve already done it and still doesn’t work. They don’t care and always say wait 24-72 hours and try again. SSTILL DOESN’T WORK! I really hate the face recognition system. It’s so horrible!
  6. [R4] Klarna 1/5 · US App: Continuous loading
  7. [R14] Klarna 5/5 · US Lo mejor: Muy buena oportunidad de conpras
  8. [R16] Klarna 1/5 · US STARZ: I ordered STARZ through Klarna but could not login. STARZ says they can’t find my account and cannot provide a refund and stated Klarna has my payment and will be responsible for the refund. Now Klarna won’t refund my money and I guess I’ll be seeking legal action.
  9. [R19] Klarna 1/5 · US No customer service: Klarna needs to have a contact phone number available to speak to a live customer service representative
  10. [R9] Klarna 3/5 · US Report: It’s ok but I’m confused on why my available balance keep changing and yall keep running a credit check this affects people credit
  11. [R10] Klarna 1/5 · US Declined for what??: There was no reason for my payment to have been declined! Thus, there was no justification for the late fee being applied to my account!
  12. [R13] Klarna 1/5 · US Makes you pay for a subscription: And will not allow you to opt out after you order with them
  13. [R29] Klarna 5/5 · US Salva vidas: Es una gran oportunidad de poder comprar más por menos y crear un crédito
  14. [R67] Wise 1/5 · US No help: The app says I have two accounts. I do not. It will not transfer funds by debit card, Visa card, or by direct bank transfer but is stuck in an endless loop. Contact only responds with unintelligent AI. I’ve wasted hours trying to get it to work.
  15. [R70] Wise 1/5 · US The worst app: My money got stuck in transferring and no one in their chat, email and phone support can assist me. All canned answers. So frustrating. Useless
  16. [R99] Wise 3/5 · GB Please take note: The app itself is extremely good, fast, intuitive and reliable. However, I absolutely abhor the fact that you cannot directly speak with customer service the way you can with other banks. The chat function is not easily accessible, and when you finally reach someone, the support often feels dismissive. The representatives seem to take advantage of the fact they cannot be seen or
  17. [R108] Wise 1/5 · US Can’t connect Cards or Bank: Very Disappointed as I travel a lot and hoped that this would be a way to avoid many of the International Banking fees. Unfortunately, I am not able to transfer funds on the fly as I am not able to connect my Apple Card or any of my other 7 major US credit cards, all of which are in good standing. The Customer Service team is of course located somewhere in India or Ban
  18. [R50] Klarna 1/5 · US Theft!!!: I tried to see how it worked during a Walmart purchase and it gave me a zillion problems. It didn’t allow me to use cards attached to the account. It didn’t allow me to add a card to the account. And it CHARGED me for some stupid membership. You’ll definitely give me THAT back!!!
  19. [R52] Klarna 1/5 · US early payment: got a notice saying payment due or late fee payment not due until july 11th
  20. [R68] Wise 5/5 · US Great: Fast and trusted
  21. [R69] Wise 3/5 · US Unreliable transfer times: On most occasions, the transfers are practically immediate or take no more than 24 hours. However, when they’re not, they can take much longer. There doesn’t seem to be any way to predict when they will take longer as there has been huge variability between transfers with all other conditions stable (bank and recipient and amounts remain the same). This unreliability is
  22. [R71] Wise 5/5 · US Transfer: Quick and positive!!

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store