Yeah as long as you're paying with your Paypal balance or bank account. It still charges a fee if you use a credit card though. Just when you send money, check "I'm sending money to family or friends" instead of goods/services and it will send it as a gift.
It's not as easy to chargeback if it's sent as a gift, but they can still call Paypal and get it reversed. Paypal is never 100% safe.