PayPal vs. Block: Which Fintech Stock Is the Better Buy Right Now?
Their latest second-quarter 2025 earnings highlight diverging strengths — PayPal's improving profitability and platform innovation versus Block's network expansion and product velocity. Let's weigh the pros and cons of each to find out which deserves a spot in your portfolio.
The Case for PayPal
PayPal delivered a solid second quarter, with revenues up 5% year over year to $8.3 billion, Total Payment Volume ('TPV') climbing 6% and non-GAAP EPS growing 18% to $1.40. Transaction margin dollars, excluding interest on customer balances, rose 8%, underscoring the health of its core payments engine. Importantly, PayPal raised its full-year EPS and transaction margin dollar guidance, signaling confidence in sustained momentum.
Strategically, PayPal is executing on four growth pillars: winning checkout, scaling omni and Venmo, driving payment services profitability, and investing in next-gen vectors like AI, ads and stablecoins. Venmo, in particular, grew revenues more than 20% year over year, with Venmo Debit Card monthly active account growth of more than 40% and Pay with Venmo TPV soaring 45%. The company is also rolling out PayPal World, connecting major wallets like Mercado Pago, NPCI's UPI and Tenpay Global to broaden its global reach. These initiatives strengthen its relevance in both e-commerce and offline retail while laying the groundwork for new revenue streams.
That said, PayPal still faces challenges. While TPV rose 6%, payment transactions fell 5% as unbranded processing weighed on volumes. Engagement per user also slipped slightly, with payment transactions per active account on a trailing 12-month basis declining 4% year over year. Still, excluding low-margin processing, engagement improved.
Compared to Block, PayPal offers greater global scale and a stronger branded checkout presence, but its growth profile is steadier rather than explosive. Investors seeking a combination of resilience, profitability and innovation may find PayPal's improving fundamentals more compelling.
The Case for Block
Block's second quarter was a story of strong gross profit growth but softer top-line performance. Revenues declined 2% year over year to $6.05 billion, missing expectations, but the gross profit rose 14% to $2.54 billion, with Cash App up 16% and Square up 11%. Adjusted operating income surged 38% with a margin of 22%, showing that scale and efficiency are starting to pay off.
Block's strength lies in Cash App's momentum. With $1.5 billion in gross profit, Cash App continues to serve as a financial hub for younger customers, expanding into P2P, commerce, banking and bitcoin.
The company introduced new products like Cash App Pools for group payments, Afterpay integrations and enhanced borrowing features — all deepening engagement. Meanwhile, Square is seeing double-digit GPV growth and rolling out innovations like Square AI and Tap to Pay on iPhone. Together, these ecosystems reinforce Block's ambition to be a comprehensive financial operating system.
Still, Block's journey isn't without headwinds. Bitcoin remains a meaningful part of Block's strategy, but it also adds volatility. Competition is fierce, particularly in consumer payments, where PayPal and other global networks have more entrenched merchant acceptance. While Block's innovation velocity is impressive, it is still more U.S.-centric and reliant on Cash App's young demographic, leaving it somewhat narrower in scope than PayPal's global reach.
How Do Zacks Estimates Compare for PYPL & XYZ?
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for PayPal's 2025 sales and EPS implies a year-over-year increase of 3.97% and 12.04%, respectively. EPS estimates have been trending northward over the past month.
Meanwhile, the consensus estimate for Block's 2025 sales calls for a year-over-year rise of 1.83%, while that for EPS suggests a 23.7% decline year over year. EPS estimates have also been trending southward over the past week.
Valuation: PYPL vs. XYZ
From a valuation perspective, we note that PayPal shares are trading cheap, as suggested by the Value Score of A. However, Block shares are currently overvalued, as implied by the Value Score of D.
In terms of forward 12-month Price/Sales (P/S), PYPL stock is trading at 1.94X, below its three-year median, while Block is currently trading at 1.81X, which is ahead of its three-year median.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Price Performance: PYPL vs. XYZ
Over the past three months, shares of XYZ have outperformed PYPL and the S&P 500 composite.
Conclusion: PayPal Has the Edge Right Now
Both PayPal and Block posted strong Q2 results, but their paths diverge. PayPal is proving it can deliver steady, profitable growth while investing in next-generation commerce and global wallet connectivity. Block is firing on all cylinders in product innovation and engagement, but with greater volatility and earnings inconsistency. For investors deciding today, PayPal looks like a better buy, offering scale, profitability and resilience. Block remains a company worth holding, given its powerful ecosystems and long-term potential, but PayPal's execution and global positioning give it the edge right now. Estimate revisions and valuations also suggest the same.
Currently, PYPL has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), while Block carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
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