PayPal USD vs United Stables — side-by-side comparison of supply, chains, backing, and peg data.
| Metric | PYUSD | U |
|---|---|---|
| USD circulation value | $2.66B | $1.08B |
| Rank (by USD value) | #9 | #16 |
| Peg | USD | USD |
| Mechanism | fiat-backed | crypto-backed |
| Backing | Cash & T-bills (PayPal) | Stablecoin basket |
| Chains deployed | 19 | 3 |
| Primary chain | Ethereum | BSC |
| Issuer | PayPal USD | United Stables |
| CoinGecko | View → | View → |
Both PYUSD and U track USD, but they differ in backing and issuer. PYUSD is backed by cash & t-bills (paypal) while U is backed by stablecoin basket. As of today, PYUSD ranks #9 and U ranks #16 among tracked stablecoins.
PYUSD is larger, with $2.66B in circulation vs $1.08B for U. That's roughly 2.5× the size.
Neither PYUSD nor U is inherently "safer" — safety depends on the specific backing composition, issuer transparency, redemption rights, and regulatory oversight. PYUSD uses fiat-backed backing model; U uses crypto-backed. Users should read each issuer's most recent reserve attestation before choosing.
Yes. PYUSD and U both trade on major centralized and decentralized exchanges. Since both track USD, the exchange rate is typically very close to 1:1. Direct swap protocols on Ethereum, Solana, and other chains offer the tightest spreads.
The right choice depends on your use case. Consider: which chain do you need? PYUSD is available on 19 chains and U on 3. What backing do you prefer? What's your integration surface (exchanges, DeFi protocols, payment providers)? Both have deep liquidity, so market cap alone shouldn't decide it.