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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Xoom vs Western Union

Xoom 4.8★ · Free to download 65
Winner Xoom
Western Union 4.8★ · Free to download 60

While both Xoom and Western Union face recent criticism regarding service quality and fees, Xoom appears to have a slight edge due to its historical reliability and speed, despite recent issues, whereas Western Union struggles more with app functionality and customer service.

Full reviews: Xoom · Western Union

Xoom and Western Union are both popular money transfer apps, but recent user reviews highlight declining service quality, increased fees, and customer support issues for both. Xoom is often praised for its speed and convenience, though many users report problems with delayed transfers and account closures. Western Union also offers fast transfers but is frequently criticized for its app's glitches, poor exchange rates, and unhelpful customer service.

Head to head

Features tieR2R5R9R18
Xoom Xoom generally provides a straightforward money transfer service, with users appreciating its ease of use for sending money internationally R2R5. However, some users report issues with managing recipients, such as not being able to edit or remove them R18. There are also complaints about the inability to print past account activity from the app R9.
Western Union Western Union offers basic money transfer features, with some users finding it easy to use for sending funds . However, the app is criticized for being glitchy and slow . Users also report issues with editing or canceling transfers and receiver names . Some find the interface difficult to manage, especially for international transfers .
Ease of Use tieR2R6R19R21
Xoom Many Xoom users find the app easy, fast, and convenient for sending money R2. However, a significant number of recent reviews highlight issues with logging in R21 and constant re-verification R19. Some users also find the process confusing, unsure if their transactions went through R6.
Western Union Western Union is generally considered easy to use by many for quick transfers . Conversely, numerous users find the app difficult, citing problems with accepting debit cards , connecting to banks , and a slow, glitchy interface . Some struggle with password resets and account access, especially when switching devices .
Reliability tieR7R8R10R14
Xoom Historically, Xoom has been praised for its reliability and speed, with many long-term users reporting no issues for years R8R14. However, recent reviews indicate a significant decline, with frequent problems like transactions getting stuck R10, delays R7R33, and cancellations R33. Some users also report accounts being closed without clear reasons .
Western Union Western Union is seen as reliable and secure by some users who appreciate its speed and communication . However, the app frequently experiences issues like delayed transfers , transactions not going through , and system outages . Users also report problems with the app's status updates, showing transfers as not ready even after pickup .
Price/Value tieR3R4R12R15
Xoom Xoom was once considered cheaper or even free compared to alternatives R4. However, many recent reviews complain about increased expenses, high remittance fees, and low exchange rates R3R12R15R25. Some users are actively seeking cheaper alternatives R15.
Western Union Western Union is often criticized for being expensive, with high commissions and poor exchange rates . Users note that while some promo codes might waive transfer fees, they can result in a worse exchange rate, effectively costing more . Despite this, some users still find it affordable and claim it offers the highest exchange rate among some competitors .
Customer Support tieR4R7R10R13
Xoom Xoom's customer service receives overwhelmingly negative feedback. Users describe it as terrible, unhelpful, lying, rude, and slow R4R7R10R13. Many report being unable to get issues resolved, with calls getting sketchy or reps hanging up , and email support being unresponsive or creating new cases without resolution R29.
Western Union Western Union's customer service is also a major pain point. Users report staff being hard to work with, lying, rude, and clueless . Many experience being bounced between customer service and physical store representatives without resolution . There are also complaints about long hold times and constant transfers .
Pick Xoom if

Pick Xoom if you prioritize historical reliability and speed for money transfers, especially if you've had positive experiences with it in the past, and are willing to navigate potential recent issues with account verification or customer service R8R14.

Pick Western Union if

Pick Western Union if you need a widely available service with many physical locations and generally find its transfer process easy and fast, despite common complaints about app glitches and customer service .

Evidence note: Both apps have a high volume of reviews, but recent negative feedback for both Xoom and Western Union often contrasts with their high lifetime ratings, suggesting a decline in service quality. Many reviews for both apps are one-sided, focusing on either extreme satisfaction or extreme frustration, making it challenging to find balanced comparisons on specific dimensions.

Frequently asked

Are Xoom and Western Union reliable for international money transfers?
Both Xoom and Western Union have a history of being reliable for international money transfers, with many users praising their speed and security over the years (Xoom: R8, R14, ; Western Union: , ). However, recent reviews for both apps indicate a decline in reliability, with frequent reports of delayed or canceled transfers (Xoom: R7, R33, , ; Western Union: , ).
Which app has better customer service, Xoom or Western Union?
Neither Xoom nor Western Union is consistently praised for good customer service; both receive overwhelmingly negative feedback. Xoom's customer service is frequently described as terrible, unhelpful, rude, and slow, with users reporting issues like calls getting disconnected and unresolved problems R4R7R10R29. Similarly, Western Union's customer service is criticized for being hard to work with, lying, and unhelpful, often bouncing users between different support channels without resolving issues .
Are Xoom and Western Union expensive to use?
Both Xoom and Western Union are frequently criticized for being expensive, with users reporting high fees and unfavorable exchange rates. Xoom users note that the service has become more expensive recently, with high remittance fees and low dollar exchange rates R3R12R15R25. Western Union is also often described as costly, with high commissions and poor exchange rates, and some users point out that promotional discounts on fees can be offset by worse exchange rates .

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. [R2] Xoom 5/5 · US Great and very convenient: Alex love el campo
  2. [R5] Xoom 5/5 · US Great service: I love it. A great service you can rely on.
  3. [R9] Xoom 3/5 · US Accounts activity: Unable to print past account activity from app nor from link .
  4. [R18] Xoom 3/5 · GB Deleting an recipient: You cannot edit a recipient or remove them which I find very frustrating, otherwise it is easy to work with.
  5. [R6] Xoom 3/5 · US Confusing: I went through the process to send money but I don’t know if it went through
  6. [R19] Xoom 1/5 · US Terrible: Constant reverification is intolerable. Why give all my info so many times? What’s the point of pairing with PayPal? When you cancel all my transactions? Useless.
  7. [R21] Xoom 3/5 · GB Login button problems: The keyboard covers the login button after I’ve entered the password rendering it impractical to access the account on the phone. This is a new development as I have been using Xoom on the phone all along and not the website.
  8. [R7] Xoom 1/5 · US Worst service ever: I used Xoom for many years it was a good service but now past three transactions they hold and make it delay I called customer care they always lying and rude after one customer support said problem for their partner but I contacted the partner abroad they said we didn't received anything pure lie Xoom is Sucks now
  9. [R8] Xoom 5/5 · US El mejor: Tengo años usando Xoom y nunca eh tenido quejas doy fe de un excelente servicio aumento si por lo que está pasando actualmente pero aún así lo necesito muy cómodo muy rápido gracias por hacer la vida más fácil para mí y así seguir ayudando a mi seres queridos allá en mi México gracias son los mejores
  10. [R10] Xoom 1/5 · US Hilarious how customer support team responded: So basically, my transaction got stuck for some sort of verification and when I call customer care, she says we cannot make your transaction because we could not verify your information and I said what’s the reason what’s not there she says we cannot share those information so I said, that means I cannot make my transaction?? And she said yes, so I sa
  11. [R14] Xoom 5/5 · US Excelente servicio: Tengo 15 años de ser cliente y nunca e tenido problemas
  12. [R3] Xoom 3/5 · US Got expensive: Works perfect, but got expensive this year
  13. [R4] Xoom 1/5 · US Terrible app & customer service: I was initially very excited about this app after struggling for some months to find a good streamlined but fairly full featured alternative to Wise that appeared in most cases to be cheaper (or even free) than most transfer apps. I’m an international research veterinary medical doctor and artist, I am a dual citizen so split my time between the EU & the US & trave
  14. [R12] Xoom 3/5 · US Paga menos que otros: Paga barato el dólar
  15. [R15] Xoom 3/5 · US High remittance fee: It’s getting more expensive to send money through Xoom. I am currently searching for a cheaper and reliable alternative.
  16. [R13] Xoom 1/5 · US Top worst service award: If there is a worst service award you will win the gold medal.
  17. [R33] Xoom 1/5 · US Era bueno, ahora es terrible: Antes era la mejor opción para enviar dinero, ahora solo retrasos y cancelaciones, ya por eso no los he seguido usando
  18. [R29] Xoom 1/5 · US Slowest customer service in my life: I’ve moved on to a diff app. These guys have the worse customer service emails in my life, its already been 3 weeks and they cant even comprehend basic email messages to help me. And they dont reply to your email reply, they keep telling you to email them again which opens up a new case and then dont even solve your issue and then if you reply to that email cl
  19. [R25] Xoom 1/5 · US Alta comisión: Muy alta la comisión

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