Ruul vs Remotify vs Xolo: Which One Is Actually Cheaper for Freelancers in 2026?

Why Platform Fees Matter More Than You Think

Most freelancers look at the percentage and think: it’s just a few percent, it doesn’t matter that much. But run those numbers across a year of invoicing and the picture changes.

A freelancer billing 3,000 EUR a month pays 1,080 EUR a year in platform fees at 3%, 1,800 EUR at 5%, and 2,124 EUR at 5.9%. That gap between the cheapest and most expensive platform in this comparison is over 1,000 EUR annually on the same volume of work. That’s real money.

Beyond the headline percentage, the other question is whether the fee structure has add-ons. Some platforms charge extra for faster payouts, specific payment methods, or card processing. Understanding what the base rate actually covers matters as much as the rate itself.

A Quick Overview of Each Platform

Ruul is a US-headquartered platform that lets freelancers invoice and get paid in 190+ countries across 140 currencies. It has broad global reach and is particularly popular with freelancers in the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia, and Turkey. Its standard fee is 5% per invoice. Add-ons include an Early Pay feature (plus 3.5%) for faster payouts and a crypto payout option (plus 1.5%).

Xolo Go is an Estonian product that provides freelancers with a virtual EU business account, letting them invoice clients and receive payments without registering a company. Its fee is 5.9% on outgoing payments, which includes a 5% Xolo fee and a 0.9% processing fee. Card payment collection via Stripe carries additional charges. Payouts are made via SEPA only — there is no option to receive funds in other currencies or through alternative payout methods. Xolo also offers separate products (Leap, Leap Pro) for freelancers who want to run a full Estonian company via e-residency, but those are on monthly subscription plans and are a different product category. 

Remotify is an EU-registered platform incorporated in Estonia that acts as a Merchant of Record. It issues VAT-compliant invoices to your client on your behalf as the EU legal entity, collects payment, and pays you via SEPA. Its fee goes up to 4% and decreases with higher invoice volumes. There are no add-on fees for standard payouts. Remotify also handles KYC and AML verification, DAC7 compliance, and reverse charge VAT on cross-border B2B invoices.

Fee Comparison: Side by Side

	Ruul	Xolo Go	Remotify
Base fee	5% per invoice	5.9% per payout	Up to 4%, scales with volume
Monthly fee	None	None	None
Early payout add-on	+3.5% (Early Pay)	Not available	Not available
Crypto payout add-on	+1.5%	Not available	Available for unsupported currencies
Payment method	Multiple (incl. crypto)	Bank transfer, Stripe	SEPA
VAT-compliant invoicing	Yes	Yes (via OU entity)	Yes (EU/Estonia entity)
No company needed	Yes	Yes	Yes

A few notes on this table. Ruul’s 5% fee is charged per invoice, which means the effective cost is always predictable. Xolo Go’s 5.9% applies to outgoing payments from your Xolo account, so if you pay for a business expense through the account before withdrawing, that expense is also subject to the fee. Remotify’s fee scales down with volume, so the 4% figure represents the standard starting point rather than a fixed ceiling.

For Remotify’s current pricing tiers, check the pricing page at remotify.co/pricing, as the exact thresholds and volume rates are updated periodically.

What You Actually Pay Per Invoice

The table below shows the platform fee deducted from invoices at different amounts, using each platform’s standard base rate. All figures are in EUR.

Invoice amount	Ruul (5%)	Xolo Go (5.9%)	Remotify (4%)
500	25.00	29.50	20.00
1,000	50.00	59.00	40.00
3,000	150.00	177.00	120.00
5,000	250.00	295.00	175.00 (3.5%)
10,000	500.00	590.00	350.00 (3.5%)

At every invoice size, Remotify’s 4% base rate results in a lower fee than Ruul’s 5% or Xolo Go’s 5.9%. On a 1,000 EUR invoice, the difference between Remotify and Xolo Go is 19 EUR. On a 10,000 EUR invoice, that gap is 190 EUR.

For freelancers sending several invoices a month, or working with retainer clients on consistent monthly amounts, those differences compound meaningfully across a year.

Why Remotify's Setup Matters Beyond Cost

Cost is the headline, but the underlying structure matters too, particularly for freelancers who need compliant, legally valid invoices — whether their clients are in Europe or anywhere else in the world.

Remotify is incorporated in Estonia and issues invoices as the EU legal entity. While it is EU-based, Remotify serves freelancers with clients globally, not just within Europe. When your client is an EU company that needs a VAT-compliant invoice with proper reverse charge language, Remotify’s invoice satisfies that requirement cleanly. The client pays an EU entity, receives a legally valid invoice, and their accounting team has no grey areas to navigate. For clients outside the EU, Remotify’s international invoicing works just as smoothly.

Ruul also has a European entity alongside its US headquarters, so its invoices carry legal validity across regions as well. The key difference lies in VAT compliance handling and regulatory reporting — specifically DAC7, the EU directive that requires platforms to report freelancer earnings to tax authorities. Remotify manages this at the platform level, so it does not fall on you to track or report separately.

One important boundary to understand: Remotify does not handle your income tax in your home country. Your personal tax obligations remain your responsibility, just as they would with Ruul or Xolo Go. None of these platforms replace a local accountant for income tax purposes.

Where Ruul Still Has an Edge

Ruul’s 5% fee is higher than Remotify’s, but the platform has some genuine advantages depending on your situation.

Geographic reach is one. Ruul operates in 190+ countries and supports 140 currencies. If you work with clients outside the EU, in regions where SEPA is not available, Ruul’s multi-currency payout options give you more flexibility than Remotify’s SEPA-focused model.

The crypto payout option is another genuine differentiator. If you want to receive payment in cryptocurrency, Ruul offers this for an additional 1.5%. Neither Remotify nor Xolo Go currently offer crypto payouts.

And if your client needs to pay you fast and you want same-day or early access to funds, Ruul’s Early Pay option provides that, at the cost of an extra 3.5%.

So Ruul makes the most sense for freelancers working with a genuinely global client base, particularly outside Europe, or for those who want payout flexibility that goes beyond bank transfer.

Where Xolo Go Has an Edge

Xolo Go is the most expensive of the three at 5.9%, but it comes with one feature the others don’t: a virtual EU business account that behaves like a real bank account.

You get an IBAN, you can receive and hold multiple currencies, and you can pay business expenses from the account directly. For freelancers who want something closer to a business banking setup without actually registering a company, Xolo Go provides that experience.

It’s also a natural gateway into Xolo’s broader product ecosystem. If you later want to set up a formal Estonian company via e-residency and run it through Xolo Leap, the transition is designed to be smooth.

Where Xolo Go falls short is cost. At 5.9%, you are paying a meaningful premium over the other two options. For freelancers who just want to invoice a client and get paid with minimal friction, that extra percentage is hard to justify over a lower-cost alternative.

Which Platform Is Right for You

The honest answer depends on three things: where your clients are, how you want to get paid, and how much invoicing volume you do.

Choose Remotify if: your clients are primarily in Europe, you want the lowest fee on a standard invoice, your clients need a proper EU VAT-compliant invoice, and SEPA bank transfer is your preferred payout method.

Choose Ruul if: you work with clients across multiple regions outside Europe, you want crypto payout options, or you need Early Pay to access funds faster than standard settlement timelines.

Choose Xolo Go if: you want a virtual business bank account experience, you plan to move toward formal Estonian e-residency and company setup later, or you work with clients that pay by card through Stripe.

Is Ruul cheaper than Remotify?

No. Ruul charges 5% per invoice as its standard rate. Remotify charges up to 4% with volume-based reductions. On every invoice size, Remotify’s base fee is lower than Ruul’s.

What is Xolo Go’s fee in 2026?

Xolo Go charges 5.9% on outgoing payments, which combines a 5% platform fee and a 0.9% processing fee. Card payment collection via Stripe incurs additional fees on top of this.

 

Does Remotify charge a monthly fee?

No. Remotify operates on a transaction-based model with no monthly subscription. You only pay a fee when an invoice is processed. For current pricing tiers, visit remotify.co/pricing.

Which platform is best for EU clients?

Remotify and Xolo Go are both EU-registered in Estonia, so both can issue EU-compliant invoices. Remotify is generally cheaper for this use case and handles reverse charge VAT and DAC7 reporting explicitly. Ruul is US-headquartered and does not issue invoices from an EU legal entity.

Can I use any of these platforms without registering a company?

Yes, all three platforms are specifically designed for freelancers who do not have a registered company. Each platform acts as the intermediary legal entity, issues the invoice on your behalf, and pays you after the client settles.

Do these platforms handle my income tax?

No. None of these platforms handle your personal income tax. They manage invoicing, VAT compliance, and platform-level reporting, but your local income tax obligations remain your own responsibility.

What is the cheapest freelancer invoicing platform in 2026?

Based on publicly available fee structures in 2026, Remotify has the lowest standard rate at up to 4%, compared to Ruul at 5% and Xolo Go at 5.9%. The cheapest option for any individual freelancer depends on their invoice volume and payout preferences.