Best Business Bank Accounts
Online business accounts from fintech providers compete on fees, interest and software features. This page compares Mercury, Relay, Bluevine and Wise Business using only what each publishes on its own page, with a public checklist applied the same way to every provider. We read every page on 2026-10-14.
Who this is for
These accounts suit small businesses that are comfortable banking online and want a business account without monthly fees on the base plan. If you need cash deposits or branches, a traditional bank may fit better; we have not compared traditional banks here.
How we scored this
Scores come only from what each provider publishes, using the checklist below. Commission, affiliate status and our own use of a product never change a score. Full rules are on our methodology page. Read the methodology.
A score measures what a provider publishes against this checklist. It is not a rating of product quality or service, and it does not use customer reviews.
Ranked by our scoring
#1 Mercury · 10/10
Published pricing
- Mercury base plan: $0 per month
- Mercury Plus: $29.90 per month (annual pricing shown)
- Mercury Pro: $299 per month
- ACH, domestic wires, real-time payments and USD international wires: $0 on every plan
- Non-USD international wires: 1% currency exchange fee
Verified on the provider's page
- Monthly plan prices are published on the provider's page. Plans listed at $0, $29.90 and $299 per month.
- Amounts for ACH, wire or other transfer fees are published on the page. A table lists ACH, wires and real-time payments at $0 and non-USD wires at a 1% currency exchange fee.
- Interest (APY) rates and their conditions are published. "Earn up to 4.05% yield" with the condition "$250K Mercury balance".
- The partner bank and its FDIC status are disclosed. "Banking services provided through Choice Financial Group and Column N.A., Members FDIC"; Mercury is not a bank.
- Business debit cards. "Virtual and physical debit and credit cards".
- A credit card or cash-back card. Credit card and "1.5% cashback" are listed.
- Savings or interest-bearing balances with a published rate. "Business checking and savings" and a published treasury yield.
- Invoicing tools. "Invoicing" is listed, with ACH debit invoice pricing.
- Accounting software integrations. Accounting features and free Xero access are listed.
- International payments. "USD international wires" and non-USD wires are listed.
- No monthly fee on the base plan. "No monthly fees, overdraft penalties, or minimum balances".
- No minimum balance stated. "No monthly fees, overdraft penalties, or minimum balances".
- No overdraft fees stated. "No monthly fees, overdraft penalties, or minimum balances".
- Amounts for non-routine fees (for example ATM, checks, currency exchange) are published. The 1% currency exchange fee and other fee triggers are explained in the FAQ.
- A way to contact support is named on the page. "Email or contact support via your Mercury dashboard".
- The FDIC insurance coverage level is stated as an amount. "Up to $5M in FDIC insurance" through partner banks and sweep networks.
Score breakdown: Overall score 10/10
Category Weight Score Evidence Pricing transparency 30% 10/10 4 of 4 checks Total cost for a typical small business 25% 10/10 $0 → 10 Features 20% 10/10 6 of 6 checks Contract and fee fairness 15% 10/10 4 of 4 checks Support and reputation signals 10% 10/10 2 of 2 checks Cost input: Annual fee for the provider's base plan (12 × the monthly fee on its free or entry plan): $0
#2 Relay · 8.4/10
Published pricing
- Starter: $0 per month
- Grow: $30 per month
- Scale: $90 per month (shown as discounted from $120)
- Savings APY: 1.19% Starter, 1.87% Grow, 3.21% Scale (as of 9/17/2026, variable)
- Additional transaction fees apply; Relay refers to a fee calculator and details on its page
Verified on the provider's page
- Monthly plan prices are published on the provider's page. $0, $30 and $90 per month are listed.
- Interest (APY) rates and their conditions are published. APY by plan with an "as of 9/17/2026" date and the rates stated.
- The partner bank and its FDIC status are disclosed. "Banking services provided by Thread Bank, Member FDIC"; Relay is not a bank.
- Business debit cards. "50 credit & debit cards" on all plans.
- A credit card or cash-back card. Cash back on credit cards (1% to 1.5%) is listed.
- Savings or interest-bearing balances with a published rate. Savings accounts with APY of 1.19% to 3.21% are listed.
- Invoicing tools. "Invoice creation & tracking" is included on all plans.
- Accounting software integrations. "Accounting integrations" are included on all plans.
- International payments. The fee calculator lists domestic wires, local international wires and SWIFT wires.
- No monthly fee on the base plan. Starter is $0 per month.
- No minimum balance stated. "No minimum balance."
- No overdraft fees stated. "No hidden or overdraft fees."
- The FDIC insurance coverage level is stated as an amount. Deposits "qualify for up to $3,000,000 in FDIC insurance coverage" through Thread Bank's sweep program.
Not found on the provider's page
No points are given for anything we could not find published. This does not mean the provider lacks it.
- Amounts for ACH, wire or other transfer fees are published on the page. The page says "Additional transaction fees apply" but the per-transaction amounts were not in the page text we read.
- Amounts for non-routine fees (for example ATM, checks, currency exchange) are published. Non-routine fee amounts were not in the page text we read.
- A way to contact support is named on the page. Only a "Help center" link appears; no contact channel is stated on the pricing page.
Score breakdown: Overall score 8.4/10
Category Weight Score Evidence Pricing transparency 30% 7.5/10 3 of 4 checks Total cost for a typical small business 25% 10/10 $0 → 10 Features 20% 10/10 6 of 6 checks Contract and fee fairness 15% 7.5/10 3 of 4 checks Support and reputation signals 10% 5/10 1 of 2 checks Cost input: Annual fee for the provider's base plan (12 × the monthly fee on its free or entry plan): $0
#3 Bluevine · 8.1/10
Published pricing
- Standard: no monthly fee (1.3% APY if activity requirements are met)
- Plus: $30 per month (fee can be waived), 1.75% APY
- Premier: $95 per month (fee can be waived), 3.0% APY
- Check payments: $1.50 each
- ATM outside the MoneyPass network: $2.50
Verified on the provider's page
- Monthly plan prices are published on the provider's page. Standard "None", Plus "$30/month", Premier "$95/month".
- Interest (APY) rates and their conditions are published. APY table lists 1.3%, 1.75% and 3.0% with the requirements to earn them.
- The partner bank and its FDIC status are disclosed. "Banking services provided by Coastal Community Bank, Member FDIC"; Bluevine is not a bank.
- Business debit cards. "Issue debit cards" is listed.
- Savings or interest-bearing balances with a published rate. APY of 1.3% to 3.0% on checking balances is listed.
- Invoicing tools. "Professional estimates and invoicing" is listed.
- International payments. "Domestic or international wire" payments are listed.
- No monthly fee on the base plan. No monthly fee on the Standard plan.
- No minimum balance stated. "No minimum balance".
- No overdraft fees stated. "No monthly or overdraft fees".
- Amounts for non-routine fees (for example ATM, checks, currency exchange) are published. $1.50 per check and $2.50 for out-of-network ATMs are stated.
- The FDIC insurance coverage level is stated as an amount. "FDIC insured up to $3,000,000 per depositor" through program banks.
Not found on the provider's page
No points are given for anything we could not find published. This does not mean the provider lacks it.
- Amounts for ACH, wire or other transfer fees are published on the page. Wire transfer fee amounts are not given ("Wire Transfer Fees may apply"). Only ACH (free standard) is stated.
- A credit card or cash-back card. No credit card is listed on the page we read (the 4% cash back is a debit rebate program).
- Accounting software integrations. No accounting software integration is listed on the page we read.
- A way to contact support is named on the page. The page promises "real people, ready to help" but names no phone, chat or email channel.
Score breakdown: Overall score 8.1/10
Category Weight Score Evidence Pricing transparency 30% 7.5/10 3 of 4 checks Total cost for a typical small business 25% 10/10 $0 → 10 Features 20% 6.7/10 4 of 6 checks Contract and fee fairness 15% 10/10 4 of 4 checks Support and reputation signals 10% 5/10 1 of 2 checks Cost input: Annual fee for the provider's base plan (12 × the monthly fee on its free or entry plan): $0
Side-by-side checklist
| Feature | Mercury | Relay | Bluevine |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 10/10 | 8.4/10 | 8.1/10 |
| Monthly plan prices are published on the provider's page | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Amounts for ACH, wire or other transfer fees are published on the page | Yes | Not found | Not found |
| Interest (APY) rates and their conditions are published | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| The partner bank and its FDIC status are disclosed | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Business debit cards | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| A credit card or cash-back card | Yes | Yes | Not found |
| Savings or interest-bearing balances with a published rate | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Invoicing tools | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Accounting software integrations | Yes | Yes | Not found |
| International payments | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| No monthly fee on the base plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| No minimum balance stated | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| No overdraft fees stated | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Amounts for non-routine fees (for example ATM, checks, currency exchange) are published | Yes | Not found | Yes |
| A way to contact support is named on the page | Yes | Not found | Not found |
| The FDIC insurance coverage level is stated as an amount | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Not scored
We could not verify enough of these providers' published pricing today, so we do not score or rank them.
Wise Business
Wise's answer to "How much does it cost to open an account?" is collapsed on its page and we could not read it, so we could not verify the account fees.
Published pricing
- Wire transfers "from as low as $1.13" (Wise's wording)
- Receive domestic wires for a fixed $6.11 (Wise's wording)
- 22 currencies; USD balance earns 3.4% (variable) APY if you opt in
- FDIC pass-through insurance up to $250K on interest-earning funds via a program bank; Wise is not a bank
The checklist behind the scores
Pricing transparency · 30% of the score
- Monthly plan prices are published on the provider's page
- Amounts for ACH, wire or other transfer fees are published on the page
- Interest (APY) rates and their conditions are published
- The partner bank and its FDIC status are disclosed
Total cost for a typical small business · 25% of the score
Cost: Annual fee for the provider's base plan (12 × the monthly fee on its free or entry plan). Each $25 subtracts one point from 10 (floor 0).
Features · 20% of the score
- Business debit cards
- A credit card or cash-back card
- Savings or interest-bearing balances with a published rate
- Invoicing tools
- Accounting software integrations
- International payments
Contract and fee fairness · 15% of the score
- No monthly fee on the base plan
- No minimum balance stated
- No overdraft fees stated
- Amounts for non-routine fees (for example ATM, checks, currency exchange) are published
Support and reputation signals · 10% of the score
- A way to contact support is named on the page
- The FDIC insurance coverage level is stated as an amount
Frequently asked questions
Are Mercury, Relay and Bluevine banks?
Each says it is a financial technology company, not a bank. Their pages state that banking services are provided by partner banks: Choice Financial Group and Column N.A. for Mercury, Thread Bank for Relay, and Coastal Community Bank for Bluevine. All are listed as Members FDIC.
How much FDIC insurance do they offer?
Mercury's page says up to $5M through partner banks and sweep networks. Relay and Bluevine each state up to $3,000,000 through program banks. Wise says it provides pass-through FDIC insurance up to $250K on interest-earning funds through a program bank, and that Wise is not a bank. FDIC insurance covers the failure of an insured bank, not the provider itself.
Why isn't Wise Business scored?
Our scoring needs a verified cost input. Wise's answer to how much it costs to open an account is collapsed on its page and we could not read it. We list the facts we could verify, but we do not score it. Wise is built for international payments and multiple currencies.
Does the owner's use of Mercury or Wise change the ranking?
No. Using a product earns it no points. Scores come only from the checklist and each provider's published pages. Any first-hand notes appear in a separate, labeled box.
What do I need to open a business account?
It varies by provider. Bluevine's page lists business details including an EIN confirmation letter and owner verification for anyone owning 25% or more. Check each provider's requirements.
How current is this comparison?
We read each provider's page on 2026-10-14. Interest rates are variable and change, so confirm on the provider's site.
Related tools and guides
Sources
- Mercury: pricing (checked 2026-10-14)
- Relay: plans and pricing (checked 2026-10-14)
- Bluevine: business checking (checked 2026-10-14)
- Wise: business account (checked 2026-10-14)
- SBA: Choose a business structure and open a business bank account (checked 2026-10-14)
Last updated: · Prices verified: