Best business bank accounts for small businesses in the US (2026)
Six business checking accounts compared on monthly fees, wire and cash charges, and which FDIC-insured bank actually holds the money.
Quick answer
For a business keeping $5,000 and sending one domestic wire a month, Mercury costs nothing on published prices, because its base plan has no monthly fee and free domestic wires. Bluevine and Found cost $15 that month, from their wire fees. Chase, Novo and Relay may also cost little, but their wire fees are not on the pages we read, so they rank after the fully priced accounts.
Key points
- At our reference profile, Mercury costs $0 a month and Bluevine and Found $15, all from published fees.
- Chase waives its $15 fee with a $2,000 daily balance, but its wire fees are in a separate fee schedule.
- Novo and Relay publish no monthly fee but do not state wire fees on the pages read.
- Mercury, Novo, Relay, Bluevine and Found are fintechs; a partner bank holds the deposits.
- Several use sweep networks to extend FDIC coverage beyond $250,000: up to $5M at Mercury and Novo, $3M at Relay and Bluevine.
- Found charges $2 per cash deposit; Chase includes $5,000 of branch cash deposits a cycle.
What you would pay
Set your own numbers. The list below is ranked with this same calculator at our reference profile: a $5,000 typical balance, one outgoing domestic wire a month and no cash deposits.
- Mercury Mercury$0.00
- Bluevine Standard$15.00
- Found Found$15.00
- Chase Business Complete Banking Business Complete$0.00Wire fee not published on the page read
- Novo Novo$0.00Wire fee not published on the page read
- Relay Starter$0.00Wire fee not published on the page read
Regular published prices only. Introductory offers and tax are left out. Figures are arithmetic on the provider’s own numbers, not a recommendation.
The list, in order
Order follows the published method on How we rank. Providers cannot pay for a position.
Mercury
A business account with no monthly fee on its base plan and free domestic wires and ACH, sending and receiving. Paid plans add software and services.
Suits: online businesses and startups that send wires. Watch for: Mercury is a fintech, not a bank, and the page does not describe cash deposits.
- Monthly fee
- $0
- Domestic wire
- $0
- ACH
- $0
- Paid plans
- $29.90 / $299
Bluevine
A Standard account with no monthly fee that pays interest if you meet a spending or deposit condition, and paid tiers that pay more.
Suits: small businesses that want interest on a checking balance. Watch for: outgoing wires cost up to $15 and ATMs outside MoneyPass cost $2.50.
- Monthly fee
- $0 (Standard)
- Outgoing wire
- Up to $15
- Standard ACH
- Free
- Interest
- 1.3% with conditions
Found
A free account aimed at self-employed people, with built-in bookkeeping and tax tools, and paid Plus and Pro plans that add interest.
Suits: freelancers who want banking and tax set-asides in one app. Watch for: $15 per outgoing wire and $2 per cash deposit.
- Monthly fee
- $0
- Outgoing wire
- $15
- Cash deposit
- $2 each
- ATM fee
- None from Found
Chase Business Complete Banking
A branch-backed account with a $15 monthly fee that is waived with a $2,000 minimum daily balance or one of several other routes, and $5,000 of cash deposits included each cycle.
Suits: businesses that handle cash and want branches. Watch for: wire and ACH fees are in a separate fee schedule, not on the account page.
- Monthly fee
- $15 or $0
- Waived at
- $2,000 daily balance
- Cash included
- $5,000/cycle
- Branches
- 5,000+
Novo
A no-monthly-fee account with free standard ACH and refunds of other banks' ATM fees up to $7 a month.
Suits: sole proprietors who mostly use ACH and cards. Watch for: outgoing wires "may carry fees" listed only in a separate fee schedule.
- Monthly fee
- $0
- Standard ACH
- $0
- ATM refunds
- Up to $7/mo
- Outgoing wire
- Not on page
Relay
A free Starter plan with paid Grow and Scale plans that add higher savings rates, more automation and free same-day ACH.
Suits: businesses that split money into many sub-accounts. Watch for: wire and standard ACH fees are not stated on the pricing page.
- Monthly fee
- $0 (Starter)
- Grow / Scale
- $30 / $90
- Savings APY
- 1.19% Starter
- Wire fee
- Not on page
Figures read from each provider’s own page on 29 October 2026. Reference profile: a $5,000 typical balance, one outgoing domestic wire a month and no cash deposits. Unranked entries publish no price that fits it.
- Bank of America Business Advantage — fee details could not be read in full on 29 Oct 2026. To be confirmed by hand.
- Lili — the pricing page returned "not found" on 29 Oct 2026. NorthOne's site now redirects to Relay.
Most US business accounts now advertise no monthly fee. The differences sit in transaction charges, such as wires and cash deposits, and in a question many owners never ask: which bank actually holds the money.
How the ranking works
We ranked accounts by monthly cost for a business keeping a $5,000 balance and sending one outgoing domestic wire a month, using fees read from each provider's own page on 29 October 2026. Change the balance, wires or cash deposits in the calculator above. An account whose wire fee is not published ranks after every fully priced account. See how we rank.
| Account | Monthly fee | Outgoing wire | Month at our profile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Bluevine Standard | $0 | Up to $15 | $15 |
| Found | $0 | $15 | $15 |
| Chase Business Complete | $15, waived at $2,000 | Not on page | $0 + wire |
| Novo | $0 | Not on page | $0 + wire |
| Relay Starter | $0 | Not on page | $0 + wire |
Who holds the money
Mercury's pricing page says it is "a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank", and that banking services are provided through Choice Financial Group and Column N.A. The same model applies at Novo, Relay, Bluevine and Found, each naming its partner bank. Chase is itself a bank.
The FDIC says its insurance covers "$250,000 per depositor, per FDIC-insured bank, for each account ownership category", and that it "only covers deposits, and only if your bank is FDIC-insured" (FDIC). Sweep networks spread a balance across several banks to raise the covered total: Mercury and Novo cite up to $5 million, Relay and Bluevine up to $3 million. Our guide to FDIC and FSCS protection for business accounts explains what this does and does not cover.
Interest
Bluevine pays interest on its Standard plan if you spend $500 a month on its card or receive $2,500 a month in customer payments. Found pays interest on its paid Plus and Pro plans. Relay pays interest on savings, rising with its paid plans. Mercury's higher yield is an investment product for balances over $250,000, not a deposit.
Cash
Found charges $2 per cash deposit. Chase includes $5,000 of branch cash deposits each statement cycle. The other fintech accounts do not describe cash deposits on the pages we read.
Not yet included
We could not read Bank of America's full fee details or Lili's pricing page. NorthOne's site now redirects to Relay. The UK comparison covers pounds, and the business account fee calculator works it out in dollars.
Keep reading
Best business bank accounts for sole traders and small firms in the UK (2026)
Four UK business accounts compared on monthly fees, transfer and cash charges, and whether your money is a protected bank deposit.
Guide · US & UKFDIC vs FSCS: what protects a business account, and what e-money and fintech accounts lack
How deposit protection works for business accounts in the US and UK, and what changes when a fintech, partner bank or e-money institution sits in the middle.
Calculator · US editionBusiness account fee calculator
The same calculator on its own page, in dollars.
Questions
Is my money FDIC-insured in a fintech business account?
Usually, through a partner bank. Mercury names Choice Financial Group and Column N.A., Novo names Middlesex Federal Savings, Relay names Thread Bank, Bluevine names Coastal Community Bank and Found names Lead Bank. The FDIC says its insurance covers deposits only at FDIC-insured banks, not the failure of a nonbank company.
Which business account has no monthly fee?
Mercury’s base plan, Novo, Bluevine Standard, Found and Relay Starter all list no monthly fee. Chase Business Complete Banking charges $15 a month unless you meet a condition such as a $2,000 minimum daily balance. Prices and conditions were read from each provider’s own page on 29 October 2026.
What does a domestic wire cost from a business account?
Mercury lists domestic wires as free to send and receive. Bluevine charges up to $15 for an outgoing wire and Found charges $15, or $10 on its Pro plan. Chase, Novo and Relay do not state a per-wire price on the pages we read, so check their fee schedules.
Can I deposit cash into an online business account?
It depends on the provider. Found charges $2 per cash deposit. Chase includes $5,000 of in-branch cash deposits each statement cycle and does not charge for deposits at its ATMs. Mercury, Novo, Bluevine and Relay do not describe cash deposits on the pricing pages we read.
Why rank accounts with unknown fees below ones that charge $15?
Because a missing fee is not a zero fee. If a provider does not publish what a wire costs, we cannot say the account is cheaper than one that publishes $15. Those accounts rank after every fully priced one, with a note naming the missing fee, until the figure can be read.