Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Service: Definition, Facts, and Examples

By
Adam Hayes
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Adam Hayes, Ph.D., CFA, is a financial writer with 15+ years Wall Street experience as a derivatives trader. Besides his extensive derivative trading expertise, Adam is an expert in economics and behavioral finance. Adam received his master's in economics from The New School for Social Research and his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in sociology. He is a CFA charterholder as well as holding FINRA Series 7, 55 & 63 licenses. He currently researches and teaches economic sociology and the social studies of finance at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

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Updated February 26, 2024
Reviewed by Charles Potters
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Katharine Beer
Katharine Beer
Fact checked by Katharine Beer
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Katharine Beer is a writer, editor, and archivist based in New York. She has a broad range of experience in research and writing, having covered subjects as diverse as the history of New York City's community gardens and Beyonce's 2018 Coachella performance.
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What Is a Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Service?

A peer-to-peer (P2P) service is a decentralized platform whereby two individuals interact directly with each other, without intermediation by a third party. Instead, the buyer and the seller transact directly with each other via the P2P service. The P2P platform may provide services such as search, screening, rating, payment processing, or escrow.

Key Takeaways

  • A peer-to-peer service is a platform that directly connects parties in a transaction without a third-party intermediary.
  • Peer-to-peer services leverage technology to overcome the transaction costs of trust, enforcement, and information asymmetries that have been traditionally addressed by using trusted third parties. 
  • Peer-to-peer platforms offer services such as payment processing, information about buyers and sellers, and quality assurance to their users.
Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Service

Investopedia / Julie Bang

Understanding Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Services 

The modern peer-to-peer concept was popularized by file-sharing systems, such as the music-sharing application Napster, which appeared in 1999. The P2P movement allowed millions of internet users to directly connect, form groups, and collaborate with each other to function as user-created search engines, virtual supercomputers, and file systems. This model of network arrangement differs from the client-server model, where communication is usually to and from a central server.

Today P2P services have moved beyond purely internet services, though they are mostly thought of as at least internet-based. Peer-to-peer services involve activities that range from simple buying and selling to those that are considered part of the sharing economy. Some peer-to-peer services don't even involve a paid transaction by the users at all, but they bring together individuals to work on joint projects, share information, or communicate without direct intermediation. These kinds of P2P services may be operated as free nonprofit services or generate revenue by advertising to users or by selling user's data.   

When a third party is removed from the transaction, there is a greater risk that the provider of the service may fail to deliver, that the service will not be of the quality expected, that the buyer may not pay, or that one or both of the parties might be able to take advantage of asymmetric information. This extra risk constitutes added transaction costs to a P2P transaction. Often, P2P services are created with the intent of facilitating these transactions and reducing risk for both buyer and seller. The buyer, seller, or both might pay the cost of the service or the service may be offered for free and generate revenue in some other way. 

Examples of Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Services

Open-source Software

Anybody can view and/or modify code for the software. Open-source software tries to eliminate the central publisher/editor of software by crowdsourcing the coding, editing, and quality control of software among writers and users. 

Filesharing

Filesharing is where uploaders and downloaders meet to swap media and software files. In addition to peer-to-peer networking, filesharing services can provide scanning and security for shared files. They may also offer users the ability to anonymously bypass intellectual property rights or alternatively may provide enforcement for intellectual property. 

Online Marketplaces

Online marketplaces consist of a network for private sellers of goods to find interested buyers. Online market places can offer promotion services for sellers, ratings of buyers and sellers based on history, payment processing, and escrow services. 

Cryptocurrency and Blockchain

A blockchain is an aspect of cryptocurrency technology. It is a network where users can make payments, process, and verify payments without a central currency issuer or clearinghouse. Blockchain technology allows people to transact business using cryptocurrencies and to make and enforce smart contracts.

Homesharing

Homesharing allows property owners to lease all or part of their property to short-term renters. Homesharing services typically provide payment processing, quality assurance, or rating and qualification of owners and renters. 

Ridesharing

Ridesharing is a platform for car owners to offer chauffeur service for people seeking a taxi ride. Ridesharing platforms offer similar services as homesharing services. 

What Are P2P Payment Services?

P2P payment services help facilitate the transfer of funds between people. Examples of P2P payment service providers include Venmo, CashApp, Zelle, and PayPal, among many others.

What Are Drawbacks of P2P?

One major disadvantage of P2P services is a lack of third-party vetting engaged parties. This introduces a level of risk and information asymmetry. On filesharing sites, media available for download may be corrupted. On homesharing platforms, there can be discrepancies between the expectations of property owners and lessees, leading to disagreements that are difficult to mediate in the absense of a third-party. On P2P payment platforms, it can be difficult to retrieve erroneous payments, as there is no mediator involved in overseeing a transaction.

Why Are P2P Services Popular?

P2P services have become incredibly popular over the past decade. This is in part due to the convenience they offer. People may transfer money to each other in seconds through Venmo, hire rides through Uber or Lyft in minutes, and book apartments through AirBnb across the world, seemingly with ease. On the flip side, P2P services can also introduce risks to one or both parties due to asymmetries in information.

The Bottom Line

Peer-to-peer services (P2P) are platforms where two parties may connect directly to engage in a transaction. On P2P platforms, technology plays a role in matching buyers and sellers, where a third-party intermediary may have previously played a role. Example of P2P services are prevalent in many fields, from payment processing to filesharing to online shopping. They can offer ease to users, though P2P services are not without their risks, as well.

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