NALA Review Verdict
NALA is one of the cheapest, fastest ways to send money from the UK to Africa. It charges no upfront fee on its biggest routes, and most mobile-money payouts land in minutes.
The cost sits in a small exchange-rate margin, around 1% on the busy Kenya route and tighter still on Ghana. NALA plugs straight into mobile wallets like M-Pesa, so your recipient needs no app and no bank account.
The catch is the same as its rivals. The app runs strict fraud checks, so some users hit sudden account holds. There is no FSCS cover, and limits are modest, so it is not built for a big one-off transfer.
Best for
- Sending to Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana or Tanzania with no upfront fee
- Mobile-money payouts to M-Pesa, MTN MoMo and Airtel Money in minutes
- Recipients who have no smartphone, app or bank account
Look elsewhere if
- You want the exact mid-market rate on a large transfer
- You need to move a large lump sum in one go
- You want full FSCS protection on your balance
How Much Does NALA Cost to Send Money?
The fee and the exchange rate
NALA keeps fees low and earns in the rate, and we checked both. There is no upfront fee to send to Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana or Tanzania, as long as you send £20 or more.
Small sends are the exception. In August 2025 NALA added a fee on transfers under £20. You get three free small sends a month, then each one costs a flat £0.65.
The rate margin is the real number to watch. On Kenya it runs around 1% above the mid-market rate. Ghana is tighter, close to the interbank rate. Uganda is wider, around 2.3%, so the cost depends on which route you use.
The Nigeria rate and referrals
On Nigeria, NALA often gives you more naira per pound than the official interbank rate, because it taps local liquidity. So the Nigeria route can land more than a pure mid-market provider on the day.
New customers who use a friend's referral code and send £50 or more get a £10 bonus credited to a reward wallet, which you can withdraw or send on.
Worked Example: £1,000 to Kenya and £1,000 to Nigeria
These are sourced figures dated 27 June 2026. Rates move daily, so check the live quote in the app before you commit.
| Rate | Fee | Your recipient gets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transfer to a Kenyan shilling wallet | 171.17 | £0 | ~KES 171,170 |
| Transfer to a Nigerian naira account | 1,833.90 | £0 | ~NGN 1,833,900 |
On Kenya the mid-market rate was about 171 to 173 that day, so NALA's margin was small and the whole £1,000 converted with no fee. On Nigeria, NALA's local pricing landed about 25,000 naira more than WorldRemit on the same £1,000.
Costs to watch
- The rate margin is the main cost on fee-free routes
- Small sends under £20 carry a £0.65 fee after three a month
- A first transfer can be held while NALA runs identity checks
- Bank deposits outside Nigeria can take 1 to 3 days
Where Can You Send Money With NALA?
Countries and currencies
We confirmed NALA covers 11 core African markets, including Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Ghana, Uganda, Rwanda, Senegal, Cameroon and Côte d'Ivoire. It has also opened routes to India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Philippines.
It is built for diaspora sends to these regions, so you cannot use it for UK-to-UK or to send to most Western countries. For its busiest route, sending money to Kenya, payouts go straight to M-Pesa in minutes.
How a transfer reaches your recipient
- Mobile money, the flagship method, to M-Pesa, MTN MoMo, Airtel Money and more
- Bank deposit, across almost every supported market
- Cash pickup, in select markets such as Bangladesh
- For mobile money, your recipient needs no app, smartphone or bank account
Limits
| Per day | Up to 10 transfers in a rolling 24 hours |
| Per month | A rolling 30-day cap set by your verification level |
| Typical monthly cap | Around £5,000 to £10,000, higher once fully ID-verified |
| Wallet caps | Local telecoms cap mobile-wallet balances, so very large sends can fail |
Who Is NALA Best For?
Regular sends to Africa
This is the heart of what NALA does well. If you send money home to Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana or Tanzania, the no-fee model and the fast mobile-money payout make it cheap and simple for everyday amounts.
For a weekly or monthly send to a wallet like M-Pesa, the cost is just a small rate margin, and the money usually arrives in minutes.
Recipients without a bank account
A strong fit. NALA pays straight into a mobile wallet linked to a phone number, so your recipient can receive and spend the money without an app, a smartphone or a bank account.
Larger one-off transfers
Not its strength. The daily and monthly caps are modest, a big or unusual send triggers a source-of-funds check, and there is no FSCS cover, so a large lump sum suits a specialist better.
When another provider fits better
- You want the exact mid-market rate on a large transfer
- You need to move a large lump sum at once
- You want FSCS protection on your balance
NALA Pros and Cons
✓Pros
- No upfront fee on Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana and Tanzania for sends of £20 or more
- Tight exchange-rate margins, very low on Kenya and Ghana
- Fast payouts, with most mobile-money sends landing in minutes
- Deep mobile-money links, so recipients need no app or bank account
- Often beats the official rate on Nigeria using local liquidity
✕Cons
- Your balance is safeguarded, not FSCS-protected
- Modest daily and monthly limits, so big one-off sends are hard
- Small sends under £20 now carry a fee after three a month
- Account holds from fraud checks are a recurring complaint
- Bank deposits outside Nigeria can take a few days
Is NALA Safe?
How your money is protected
We checked the FCA Register. NALA's UK service runs through NALA Payments Limited, registered as an agent of Modulr FS Limited, an FCA-authorised e-money institution. NALA's own firm reference number is 902973.
Money you load is safeguarded, held separately from NALA's own funds at a banking partner. It is not covered by the FSCS, so if NALA failed you would not have the government-backed deposit guarantee that a bank gives you. You can still escalate a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman.
Security and account holds
The app uses two-factor login and biometric sign-in, and asks for ID before you send. For large or frequent sends, you may need to show where the money came from, which is a standard anti-money-laundering rule.
Be aware that holds are a common complaint we found. NALA's automated fraud system can freeze a legitimate account, and a local network outage can delay a payout after your money has left, so keep your details current.
Using NALA: App, Funding and Support
The app. You set up a recipient, fund the transfer, and see the rate and the amount they get before you confirm. Mobile-money sends are the default, and you track the payout in the app.
Funding. You can pay by instant bank transfer through open banking, by debit card, or with Apple Pay and Google Pay. NALA does not take credit cards through Apple Pay, and card issuers may treat a transfer as a cash advance.
Customer support. Help is available by in-app chat, email and phone, with messaging tuned to the African diaspora through its "Mama NALA" service. The weak spot is account holds, where users report anxious waits during a review.
NALA Customer Reviews and Reputation
We read the recent reviews rather than just the score, and the picture is positive, with a solid number of ratings behind it.
| Source | Score | Reviews | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trustpilot | 4.3/5, "Great" | 1,050 | July 2026 |
| What people praise: the speed of mobile-money payouts, the clean app, and quick replies from support when things go smoothly. |
What goes wrong: account holds during fraud checks, money deducted while a local network is down, and being asked for an email and phone number before you can see the live rate.
How Does NALA Compare?
For sending to Africa, NALA is cheap and fast, and you can weigh it against the rest in our money transfer comparison.
On a large send the rate matters most, so our Wise review shows the pure mid-market route, which can suit a big one-off. For a wider global network and cash pickup, our WorldRemit review is the closer rival, though on our £1,000 Kenya and Nigeria checks NALA landed more. Among the other apps for sending to Africa our Sendwave, Mukuru, Zeepay and Leatherback reviews cover the closest rivals.
Rates move daily, and we refresh the live figures, so run a live comparison of today's rates and fees before you send. For paying suppliers or staff in Africa, NALA's Rafiki rail sits alongside other international business payments options.
Final Verdict: Is NALA Worth It?
NALA is the one to reach for when you send to Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana or Tanzania and want the money there fast, with no upfront fee and a wallet payout your recipient can use straight away.
For that job it is very good, and we rate it 4.2 out of 5. The fee-free routes and quick mobile-money payouts suit regular diaspora sends, and the Nigeria pricing can beat the official rate.
Just know the trade before you send. On a large transfer a mid-market provider can fit better, the limits are modest, there is no FSCS cover, and the fraud checks can freeze an account, so keep your details current and compare the landed amount first.
NALA FAQs
There is no upfront fee to send £20 or more to Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana or Tanzania. Small sends under £20 are free three times a month, then cost £0.65 each. Your main cost is a margin in the exchange rate, around 1% on Kenya and tighter on Ghana.
NALA's UK service runs through NALA Payments Limited, registered with the FCA as an agent of Modulr FS Limited (FRN 902973). Money you load is safeguarded and held separately, but it is not covered by the FSCS, so you do not get the bank-style deposit guarantee.
Most mobile-money payouts to wallets like M-Pesa or MTN MoMo land within minutes, and NALA says about 90% arrive in under 30 minutes. Bank deposits usually take 1 to 3 days, though transfers to Nigeria are often near-instant.
In some markets, yes. NALA is built around mobile money and bank deposits, but it does offer cash pickup in select countries such as Bangladesh. For its core African routes, mobile-wallet payout is the main way your recipient gets the money.
There is no upfront fee to send £20 or more to Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana or Tanzania. Small sends under £20 are free three times a month, then cost £0.65 each. Your main cost is a margin in the exchange rate, around 1% on Kenya and tighter on Ghana.
NALA's UK service runs through NALA Payments Limited, registered with the FCA as an agent of Modulr FS Limited (FRN 902973). Money you load is safeguarded and held separately, but it is not covered by the FSCS, so you do not get the bank-style deposit guarantee.
Most mobile-money payouts to wallets like M-Pesa or MTN MoMo land within minutes, and NALA says about 90% arrive in under 30 minutes. Bank deposits usually take 1 to 3 days, though transfers to Nigeria are often near-instant.
In some markets, yes. NALA is built around mobile money and bank deposits, but it does offer cash pickup in select countries such as Bangladesh. For its core African routes, mobile-wallet payout is the main way your recipient gets the money.
Verified 27 June 2026. Provider data cross-checked against the FCA Register, nala.money, Wise, WorldRemit and Trustpilot via the NALA deep-research source set. Live transfer figures are illustrative and refreshed by the Currency Expert comparison engine.
Currency Expert compares money transfer providers and may earn a commission when you use our links. It does not change how we rank providers or what we say below. Rates and fees move daily, so the figures here are dated; confirm the live quote in the NALA app before you send.