Relay vs Mercury for a Fee-Free Setup (2026)

Both Relay and Mercury have a $0 monthly tier as of 2026-10-06, so a fee-free setup is possible at either. Which account integrates best with bookkeeping software depends on the tool: each provider keeps its own integrations page, and that is the place to confirm that a specific tool is supported. Relay suits a business that wants a defined ladder of paid tiers at $30 and $90 per month, and Mercury suits one that expects to stay on the free base tier.

Which business bank accounts integrate well with bookkeeping software?

The honest answer is that integration support is specific to each provider and each software package, and it changes. Relay and Mercury each list the bookkeeping tools they connect to on their own integrations pages, so check the current list there.

What can be said with confidence is the fee picture, which decides whether the account is worth connecting to anything. Both providers offer a $0 tier, so the integration question can be checked on the provider's own site without committing to a monthly cost first. The practical test is simple: name the bookkeeping software in use, then confirm on the provider's integrations page that it is supported.

How do the fees compare side by side?

The table lists the two providers alphabetically. That is not a ranking, and the order carries no preference. All figures were checked on each provider's own pricing page on 2026-10-06 and can change.

Where the table points to a provider's own page, that page is where to confirm the detail.

What does Mercury charge?

Mercury lists a $0 per month base tier, a Plus tier at $29.90 per month and a Pro tier at $299 per month, as of 2026-10-06. The gap between Plus and Pro is large, so the tier chosen matters far more here than it does with a smaller step.

For a business that wants a fee-free setup, the relevant question is whether the base tier covers what it needs. Mercury sets out which features sit on which tier on its own pages, and that detail, along with the integrations, should be read there before applying.

What does Relay charge?

Relay lists Starter at $0 per month, Grow at $30 per month and Scale at $90 per month, as of 2026-10-06. The steps are even and the top tier is a fraction of Mercury's, which makes the upgrade path easier to budget.

As with Mercury, Relay sets out which features and integrations belong to which tier on its own site. A business that needs a particular bookkeeping connection should confirm both that it exists and which tier includes it, because a $0 starting point is only useful if the needed feature is on it.

Is the money insured at either provider?

Fees are only half of the comparison, and where the money sits is the other half. The FDIC states that the deposit accounts of a corporation, partnership, or unincorporated association are insured for up to $250,000. All accounts held by the same entity at one insured bank are combined, so separate accounts for different divisions or purposes do not get separate coverage.

The FDIC also says that nonbank companies are never themselves FDIC-insured. Funds sent to a nonbank are not eligible for FDIC insurance until the company deposits them in an FDIC-insured bank and other conditions are met. Deposit insurance does not protect against the insolvency or bankruptcy of a nonbank company, and recovery then runs through an insolvency or bankruptcy proceeding that may take some time.

Each provider publishes its own disclosures about how it holds funds, and they should be read before money is moved.

What about the other no-fee options?

Five other providers are on this site's list. They are shown alphabetically, which is not a ranking, with prices as of 2026-10-06.

• Axos Bank: Basic Business Checking is $0 per month with no minimum balance and no maintenance fee. Business Interest Checking is $10 per month, waived with a $5,000 minimum average daily balance, and it takes a $100 opening deposit.
• Bluevine: Standard is $0 per month, Plus is $30 per month and Premier is $95 per month, and the Plus and Premier fees are waivable. The APY is 1.3% on Standard, subject to a monthly activity goal, 1.75% on Plus and 3.0% on Premier.
• Found: Free is $0, Plus is $35 per month or $315 per year, and Pro is $80 per month or $720 per year.
• Lili: Core is $0, Pro is $15 per month, Smart is $35 per month and Premium is $55 per month. Lili also runs a promotional rate of roughly 40% off for three months on the paid tiers, which is introductory pricing and not the ongoing cost.
• Novo: $0 per month, with no monthly fee.

Every one of these has a $0 entry point, so the monthly fee alone rarely separates them. Integration support is a separate check for each.

Which is the better fit?

Mercury fits a business that expects to stay on the free base tier and is comfortable that the base tier covers its needs. Its upper tiers are priced steeply, so it makes the most sense where an upgrade is unlikely.

Relay fits a business that wants a clear, modest set of steps to climb if its needs grow, from $0 to $30 to $90 per month. Neither is automatically better, and since each provider keeps its own integration list, the deciding factor should be which one explicitly supports the bookkeeping software already in use.

Why does a separate business account come first?

Connecting an account to bookkeeping software only works well if the account holds business money alone. The SBA says that keeping personal and business funds completely separate requires two different bank accounts. It frames the separation as a liability question, not just a tidiness one: failing to separate risks forfeiting the legal protections that entity structures offer, and separation is pivotal for protecting your own assets and credit.

The IRS makes the same point from the recordkeeping side. In Publication 583 it says one of the first things to do when starting a business is open a business checking account, and to keep it separate from the personal one. For someone who has not yet formed the business, that means the entity, the EIN and the formation documents come before the account. ZenBusiness covers that earlier stage, including formation, the EIN and a registered agent, along with a free accounting consultation for customers who form with it. It does not offer business banking, so it sits before the choice between Relay and Mercury rather than within it.

What should be checked before applying?

Four checks cover most of it. Confirm that the bookkeeping software in use is listed on the provider's integrations page. Confirm which tier includes that connection and what the tier costs. Read where the provider holds deposits. And confirm which documents the provider will ask for, since requirements vary by institution.

Bank of America, for example, asks for the business name and address, state of formation, an EIN or SSN, and the date established. It also asks for personal details, including SSN and date of birth, for everyone on the application, including those with at least 25% or more ownership. It may request the Articles of Organization or an equivalent, and it does not list an operating agreement as required. Other providers set their own lists, so the specific provider's requirements are the ones that count.

Sources

• Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, "Deposit Insurance for Corporation, Partnership and Unincorporated Association Accounts"
• Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, "Banking with Third-Party Apps"
• U.S. Small Business Administration, "5 Ways to Separate Your Personal and Business Finances"
• Internal Revenue Service, "Publication 583, Starting a Business and Keeping Records"

This is general information, not legal, tax or accounting advice, and requirements vary and change.