23 April Kathmandu, 2020
Have you switched to an online platform for transactions yet? Well, you should give it a try. There are many online services that store your payment information and facilitate electronic transactions. We also call these services “digital wallets”. You can make transactions simply via a web portal or mobile app.
The list of online payment gateways in Nepal includes platforms like eSewa, Khalti, IME Pay, and PrabhuPay. Among these, eSewa and Khalti already have a huge customer base and reputation in the market. Although, IME Pay and PrabhuPay are also doing quite well and emerging as convenient digital payment platforms. In case you haven’t noticed, both come from Nepal’s well-established finance industries.
Wondering what to choose between IME Pay and PrabhuPay? Read through and find out the features of the two platforms to support your decision.
Oh! If you haven’t come across our similar article, eSewa vs Khalti, then go and check it out.
Introduction to IME Pay
As the name implies, IME Pay is a subsidiary of IME Remittance which is one of the leading remittance companies in Nepal. It is one of the most popular and emerging online payment solutions in the country covering a wide range of services. In fact, it was the first digital wallet to get licensed by Nepal Rastra Bank.
IME Pay is basically the legacy of IME on your smartphone. Its services include basic utility payments, remittance services, flight booking, bus ticketing, wallet-to-wallet transaction, etc. It has a wide IME network of over 14,600 touch points in Nepal.
DOWNLOAD IME PAY APP IN PLAY STORE
DOWNLOAD IME PAY APP IN APP STORE
Introduction to PrabhuPay
PrabhuPay also comes from one of the most influential groups in Nepal’s finance sector. This digital wallet is from Prabhu Group and incorporates all the payment services like IME Pay. It has managed to bag over thousands of downloads within a short span of its release.
It allows quick recharge and easy payment of utility bills with a user-friendly user interface (UI). Moreover, the new additions to its services make it app quite unique and multipurpose.
Certainly, an attention-grabber!
DOWNLOAD PRABHU PAY APP IN PLAY STORE
DOWNLOAD PRABHU PAY APP IN APP STORE
IME Pay vs PrabhuPay: Difference in Features
| Platform | IME Pay | PrabhuPay |
| Services | – Internet Bill
– Landline Bill – Airline ticket – Remittance – Complete Remittance Module – Electricity/Water Bill – Mobile Top Up – TV Subscription – Fuel payment (in selected petrol pumps) – Insurance Premium – EMI Payment – Movie Ticket – Money Transfer – Voting – Merchants, service providers and retail outlets can Send/receive payments |
– Internet Bill
– Landline Bill – Airline and bus ticket – Remittance check – Electricity/Water Bill – Mobile Top Up – TV Subscription – Antivirus recharge – Insurance Premium – Prabhu Capital Market – Register Patients in Hospital – Newspaper Subscription – EMI Payment – Movie Ticket – Money Transfer – Voting – Merchants, service providers and retail outlets can Send/receive payments |
| Mobile App Availability | Both for Android & iOS | Both for Android & iOS |
| Nearby Deals | Yes | Yes |
| Registration | Free | Free |
| Global and Nepal Alexa Ranking | Global – 223,048
Nepal – 400 (Rank may change) |
Global – 546,527
Nepal – 1216 (Rank may change) |
| Refer and Earn | Yes | Yes |
| Reward Points | Yes | Yes |
| User Interface | Better | Average |
| App Downloads | 500k+ (Play Store) | 100k+ (Play Store) |
| App Rating | 4.2 (Play Store)
4.0 (App Store) |
4.1 (Play Store)
2.4 (App Store) |
| App Rank (Finance) | #4 (App Store) | #32 (App Store) |
| Fingerprint Verification | No | Yes |
| Scan & Pay | Yes | Yes |
IME Pay or PrabhuPay: Which Digital Wallet To Choose?
Both offer pretty much the same kind of payment services. However, IME Pay has a complete module of remittance from sending/receiving the money to tracking the money. Moreover, it offers Rs. 50 cash back on the first utility payment. You can also pay with IME Pay for fuel in selected petrol pumps. As a matter of fact, IME Pay offers the highest amount of cashback on flight booking. Also, it offers Chandragiri Cable Car ticketing. Talking about its UI, it is visually pleasing but has large icons and font for no reason.
Meanwhile, PrabhuPay is no less in its emerging popularity with successful marketing campaigns. Recently, the app was the official voting and payment partner for season 2 of “The Voice of Nepal” which added to its popularity. Furthermore, it doesn’t get left behind on the remittance system. Like IME Pay with its “IME Remittance”, Prabhu Pay supports its own “Prabhu Money Transfer” service along with Prabhu Insurance.
Another notable feature of PrabhuPay is that it offers hospital appointment booking with the integration of bill payment. Currently, this service is limited to 6 hospitals with the likes of Civil Service Hospital and Shahid Gangalal National Heart Center. That’s not it! It also offers newspaper subscriptions. It might be relatively new but it is making its impact in the Nepali market with its productivity and marketing campaigns.
Personally, I prefer the UI of PrabhuPay due to its well-managed font and icons. It is expanding its services and reaching out to more stakeholders and gaining partners. So, it is certainly one to look out for. However, it still has a lot of catching up to do compared to the popularity and reputation of IME Pay.
Which digital wallet do you prefer to use? Please let us know in the comments!