#AppArrives asBehind the topFee
1LemFi₦365,000₦ 10,726.00£0Rate close to the real market rate, no fee. The exact live rate is only visible inside the app.
2Wise₦362,864₦ 12,862.00£1.77Real market rate, small visible fee, arrives in seconds. The safe default.
3Xoom (PayPal)₦357,199₦ 18,527.00£1.89Small visible fee, plus about 1.5 percent more hidden in the exchange rate.
4Western Union₦354,814₦ 20,912.00£2.99The biggest visible fee, plus about 1.6 percent more hidden in the rate. The least money arrived.
5Remitly (first send only)₦375,726£0Beats everyone this week. Only on your first transfer, and only on the first £250. After that they price like the others.
Here is what each one delivered.
Rates checked Tuesday 7 July 2026, morning UK time. Wise's number is from the Wise public price feed at 08:24 GMT. Xoom's is from the same feed at 05:24 GMT. Western Union's was last sampled by that feed on Friday 3 July. LemFi's rate is from a third party (Sendrater) that reads the LemFi app's rate feed; the number in your own LemFi app when you tap send is the one that binds. Remitly's numbers are from the Remitly UK site.
What to actually open
If you already have LemFi installedOpen it and check.It delivered the most naira on £200 this week and it charges no fee.
If you do not have LemFi and do not want to set up a new appUse Wise.On this send Wise gave about 2,000 naira less than LemFi. The fee is visible, the rate is close to the market, the money arrives in seconds.
Do not open Western Union or Xoom for a bank transfer this size unless there is no other option.The visible fee looks small. The real price is hidden in the exchange rate. On £200, that hidden slice cost 5,600 naira with Xoom and 8,000 naira with Western Union more than Wise did. In pounds, that is about £3 and £4.40, quietly taken.
If you are a new Remitly customerTheir first-transfer rate really does beat everyone this week.It gives 375,726 naira on the first £250 sent, with no fee. That is a one-off. After it runs out, Remitly prices like the others, so it is worth taking that first send and then checking again before you commit to them for the second.
For the whole route in one place, including the 2026 catch to check before your next send, see how to send money to Nigeria.
One thing the table cannot show
Nigeria has two live exchange rates. The official rate, which is near what Wise shows you, sits around 1,830 naira to the pound this week. The parallel market rate, the number a street changer in Lagos would give you, is higher, around 1,878 naira. That is why Remitly can afford to price their first-send rate at that level for one transfer only. No consumer app can offer that rate day in and day out, because they cannot legally source the amount of naira they need at it. If someone messages your family on WhatsApp offering to change your pounds for a rate that looks too good, that is where the number is coming from, and that is why no regulated app will match it.
Next Friday: £300 to the Philippines.
Corrections
None so far. If we get something wrong, the fix is dated here.