Short answer: Venmo is cheaper per payment on a business profile (1.9% + $0.10) and many Americans already have it. If your customers are mostly US Venmo users, a Venmo business QR code is a good, low-cost option. The customer needs the Venmo app and a US bank account, and personal profiles are not meant for business payments. Tourists and anyone without Venmo cannot tip you. TipIns takes any card, Apple Pay or Google Pay with no app, works in 41 countries and splits tips across a team.
Side by side
| TipIns | Venmo | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A tipping app for workers and performers: a personal QR code and tip page, with tips paid to your bank. | Venmo is a US peer to peer payment app owned by PayPal, with optional business profiles for sellers. |
| Cost of taking a tip | No monthly fee. A 10% platform fee plus card processing (2.9% + $0.30 in the US) per tip, added on top for the person tipping by default, so you receive the full tip. | Personal profile: payments from friends are free, but a payment the sender marks as for goods and services carries a 2.99% fee. Business profile: 1.9% + $0.10 per payment received, and 2.29% + $0.09 through Tap to Pay. |
| What the person tipping needs | No app or account. They scan with the phone camera and pay by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay in the browser. | The tipper needs a Venmo account and the Venmo app: Venmo's help centre says customers use their Venmo app to scan a business profile QR code. No browser card checkout for QR payments is described. Venmo requires a US resident aged 18 or over with a US bank account and a mobile number they own. |
| QR code | Yes: a personal QR code and link, plus printable signs. | Yes. Business profiles can print or share a QR code (the customer can edit the amount to add a tip), and personal profiles have a personal QR code. Business profiles also have a Tipping toggle in settings. |
| Where it works | 41 countries, including the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and most of Europe. | United States only (user agreement: you must be in the United States and have a U.S. bank account). Not available in the UK or Australia. |
| Getting the money to your bank | Weekly payout every Friday, free; it usually arrives 24 to 48 hours later. Instant payout: 2% plus a small fixed fee, from 14 days after joining. | Standard transfer: $0.00, typically 1 to 3 business days to a linked bank account and about 48 hours to an eligible debit card. Instant Transfer: 1.75% (minimum $0.25, maximum $25), typically available in minutes. |
| Sharing tips with a team | Yes. A group has one QR code and splits each tip equally or by set percentages, with optional active shifts. | None found. Payments go to one personal or business profile. |
| Rules that matter for tips | Built for tips. Stripe checks your identity before you can receive tips. | User agreement (effective 24 Aug 2026): personal accounts may not be used to conduct business, commercial or merchant transactions; the help centre says the only ways to accept payment for goods and services are a business profile or the sender tagging the payment as a purchase. Purchase Protection covers eligible business profile transactions and payments tagged as goods and services; untagged personal payments are excluded. Venmo may limit the amount and number of payments at its discretion. Nonprofits cannot use a standard business profile (charity profiles exist, 1.9% + $0.10). |
Venmo figures are from Venmo's own pages, checked on 20 October 2026; they are US figures unless the row says otherwise. Fees change, so check before you decide.
When Venmo is the better choice
Venmo is cheaper per payment on a business profile (1.9% + $0.10) and many Americans already have it. If your customers are mostly US Venmo users, a Venmo business QR code is a good, low-cost option.
When TipIns fits better
The customer needs the Venmo app and a US bank account, and personal profiles are not meant for business payments. Tourists and anyone without Venmo cannot tip you. TipIns takes any card, Apple Pay or Google Pay with no app, works in 41 countries and splits tips across a team.
Using both
Nothing stops you showing two codes. Many workers keep a payment app for regulars and a TipIns code for everyone else. The QR tip jar maker turns any payment link into a printable code.
Sources
- Venmo: Our fees
- Venmo for Business (business profiles)
- Venmo help: QR codes for Business Profiles
- Venmo help: Can I use Venmo to buy or sell goods or services?
- Venmo Purchase Protection
- Venmo US User Agreement
Common questions
Is TipIns cheaper than Venmo?
Venmo is cheaper per payment on a business profile (1.9% + $0.10) and many Americans already have it. If your customers are mostly US Venmo users, a Venmo business QR code is a good, low-cost option.
Does the customer need Venmo to tip me?
The tipper needs a Venmo account and the Venmo app: Venmo's help centre says customers use their Venmo app to scan a business profile QR code. No browser card checkout for QR payments is described. Venmo requires a US resident aged 18 or over with a US bank account and a mobile number they own.
Does the customer need an app to tip with TipIns?
No app or account. They scan with the phone camera and pay by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay in the browser.
App Store
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