Online payments rank among the top forms of payment accepted by small businesses in the United States—and it’s not hard to see why. The speed and convenience it offers help buyers simplify transactions and provide them with better control over their finances. 

As it stands, the number of Venmo users in the United States is set to increase by 8.8% in 2024, to 68.3 million. What about Zelle, another rising digital payment service and one of Venmo’s biggest competitors? Here’s a look at how many people use Zelle.

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How many people use Zelle in 2024?

According to a recent study, the number of Zelle users in 2024 is set to hit 73.2 million, registering an 8% annual increase, from 67.8 million the previous year. 

Not only does Zelle have more users than Venmo, expert analysis shows that the company’s peer-to-peer payments (in terms of dollar amount) exceed that of Venmo. That said, the growth rate of its number of users in 2024 is just slightly slower than Venmo’s. Meanwhile, the number of people using Cash App, another one of Zelle’s competitors, is expected at 50 million this year.

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Despite Zelle’s strong growth this year, it actually marks a deceleration from the previous years. In 2022 and 2023, Zelle grew its number of users by 13.9% and 10.1%, respectively.

The number of people using Zelle has been rising year after year. In 2019, there were 33.5 million users. In other words, from 2019 to 2024, Zelle more than doubled its user base, growing it at an impressive annual growth rate of 17.3%. During this period, the largest year-on-year increase came in 2020, when the number of Zelle users rose by 37.3%, to 46 million.

How many users does Zelle have: 2025–2026 forecast

Looking ahead, experts expect Zelle’s user count to continue growing—albeit at slower, single-digit rates. In 2025, Zelle is predicted to increase its total user base by 7.1%, to hit 78.4 million. By 2026, forecasts show there will be 82.4 million Zelle users, a 5.1% annual increase. From 2024 to 2026, the average annual growth rate of Zelle users is expected at 6.7%.

Should the growth continue as analysts have predicted, there would be 48.9 million more Zelle users in 2026 than in 2019—an increase of 48.9 million, or 146%.

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