If you live in the Philippines, your phone almost certainly has one of them, and maybe both. GCash and Maya are the two dominant financial apps in the country, but they have taken very different paths. GCash grew from a simple text-message remittance service into a 90-million-user super app. Maya, reborn from the ashes of PayMaya, reinvented itself as a digital bank with aggressive interest rates and a swipe at the market leader. Here is how they compare in 2026, feature by feature.
The basics: what each app does
GCash is operated by Mynt, backed by Globe Telecom, Ayala Corporation, and Mitsubishi. It started in 2012 as a mobile money transfer service and has since ballooned into a full financial ecosystem with lending, investing, insurance, crypto, and soon, crypto trading. It has over 90 million registered users, making it the largest fintech platform in the Philippines by a wide margin.
Maya is operated by PayMaya Philippines, backed by PLDT and Voyager Innovations. It rebranded from PayMaya in 2022 and repositioned itself as a digital bank. Maya bills itself as the #1 Digital Bank app and has been on an aggressive product push, launching a savings account with up to 15% interest, personal loans up to PHP 400,000, and its own credit card in partnership with Landers.
Comparison table
| Feature | GCash | Maya |
|---|---|---|
| Users | 90 million+ | Not disclosed (est. 30-40M) |
| Type | E-wallet + financial services | Digital bank + e-wallet |
| Parent | Mynt (Globe, Ayala, Mitsubishi) | PayMaya PH (PLDT, Voyager) |
| Send money | Free to GCash; InstaPay PHP 10 | Free to Maya; InstaPay PHP 10 |
| Pay bills | 1,000+ billers | 1,000+ billers |
| Savings rate | GSave: up to ~2.5% p.a. | Maya Savings: up to 15% p.a. |
| Personal loan | GLoan: up to PHP 150K | Maya Personal Loan: up to PHP 400K |
| Credit line | GCredit: up to PHP 30K | Maya Credit: up to PHP 15K |
| Installments | GGives (merchant installment) | Maya Easy Credit |
| Stock investing | GStocks (PSE stocks) | None |
| Mutual funds | GFunds | None |
| Government bonds | GBonds (from PHP 500) | None |
| Crypto | GCrypto (BTC, ETH); trading coming | Maya Crypto |
| Insurance | GInsure (multiple providers) | Maya Insurance |
| Physical card | GCash Mastercard (PHP 150) | Maya Card (free, with delivery) |
| Credit card | None (GCash Mastercard debit PHP 150) | Maya Black Visa Platinum, Landers Cashback Everywhere |
| Business tools | GCash Business, QR PH | Maya Business, Maya Terminal |
| Cash-in fees | Free via bank transfer; fee via over-the-counter | Free via bank transfer; fee via over-the-counter |
| Cash-out fees | Free at partner merchants; fee at ATMs | Free first withdrawal; fee thereafter |
Where GCash wins
Investment options. GCash has no real rival here. Through GStocks, users can buy and sell shares on the Philippine Stock Exchange directly from the app. GFunds offers mutual funds from multiple asset managers. GBonds lets users invest in government securities for as little as PHP 500. Maya has none of these.
Crypto trading. GCrypto already lets users buy and sell Bitcoin and Ethereum, and a more active crypto trading feature is reportedly on the way. Maya has a crypto offering, but GCash is pushing harder into digital assets.
User base and network effects. With 90 million registered users, GCash is the default. If you are sending money to someone in the Philippines, odds are they have GCash. This network effect is its strongest moat.
Installment payments. GGives lets users convert purchases into monthly installments at partner merchants, a feature Maya matches only with Easy Credit.
Insurance marketplace. GInsure aggregates policies from multiple providers, giving users a choice Maya insurance cannot yet match in breadth.
Where Maya wins
Savings interest. Maya Savings offers up to 15% interest per annum, far outstripping GCash’s GSave which hovers around 2.5%. For users keeping meaningful balances, the difference is enormous. PHP 100,000 in Maya Savings earns PHP 15,000 in a year; the same amount in GSave earns PHP 2,500.
Personal loans. Maya Personal Loan lets users borrow up to PHP 400,000 with repayment terms up to 48 months. GCash’s GLoan maxes out at around PHP 150,000. For borrowers needing larger amounts, Maya is the clear choice.
Physical card. The Maya Card ships for free and functions as a standard debit card linked to your Maya balance. GCash’s Mastercard costs PHP 150 and has had intermittent availability issues.
Credit card. Maya issues two credit cards: the Maya Black Visa Platinum and the co-branded Landers Cashback Everywhere Credit Card with 10% cashback points on first Landers purchase. GCash has no credit card offering, relying instead on GCredit as a small credit line (up to PHP 30,000) that cannot replace a full credit card, though it offers a GCash Mastercard debit card for PHP 150 and a GCash Visa virtual card.
Business tools. Maya Business includes physical POS terminals, online payment gateways, and business banking. GCash Business exists but Maya’s terminal hardware and merchant onboarding are more mature.
Uptime and reliability. Maya has publicly claimed 99% uptime and zero fees on key transactions, positioning itself as the reliable alternative. GCash has suffered several high-profile outages that Maya has been quick to capitalize on.
Where they tie
Sending money and paying bills. Both apps offer free transfers within their own ecosystem, PHP 10 via InstaPay to banks, and coverage of 1,000+ billers. Neither has a clear edge here.
Cash-in. Both offer free bank transfer cash-in and fee-based over-the-counter options at convenience stores, pawnshops, and partner outlets.
Security. Both are BSP-supervised and maintain standard security measures: PIN, biometric login, and transaction notifications. Neither has had a major breach, though both face phishing and scam risks that are user education problems rather than platform flaws.
Infographic: feature strength comparison
Which one should you use?
There is no single winner, only the right app for your needs.
If you want a place to park savings and earn meaningful interest, want a personal loan larger than PHP 150K, or prefer a physical card and credit card from the same app, Maya is the better choice.
If you want to invest in stocks or mutual funds, buy and trade crypto, need the widest network of people to send money to, or want insurance options from multiple providers, GCash is the stronger platform.
Most Filipinos will keep both apps installed and use whichever fits the specific transaction. That is the reality of the Philippine fintech market in 2026, and both apps are betting that you will eventually pick one as your primary financial hub. The race is still wide open.
