Mercury alternatives: 11 business bank accounts tools compared
People weigh a Mercury alternative when the free account no longer fits the company: they need a bank account held by a licensed bank, wish to pay in several currencies, or live outside the US and cannot open one at all. They tend to move to other US fintech accounts, to spend platforms, or to a local bank-licensed provider.
Short answer: The first three places are kept for challengers when the category has enough of them; the best-known brands come after that, in ranked order. For Mercury users, the top three picks from our business bank accounts ranking are Relay, Novo and Found. Pick Relay if you split cash across many named accounts and want more than one or two people with logins. These 11 products are all in Best Business Bank Accounts in 2026; the notes say how each one compares with Mercury.
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Pricing: Free account with paid Plus and Pro plans, published monthly or annually
Established in: Not stated by the vendor
Built for: Software and online businesses wanting a zero-cost account that adds paid features later
Not for: Businesses needing multi-currency accounts or interest on small balances
01
Why buyers look past Mercury
01
Eligibility stops at the US border
Mercury's FAQ says the company must be formed and registered in the US or a US territory. It adds that founders or financial controllers living in countries on a restricted list cannot be supported, and that trusts cannot open accounts. A company formed elsewhere has to look at providers licensed in its own market.
02
The bank is a partner, not Mercury
The FAQ states that Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Services come through Choice Financial Group and Column N.A., and the $5M FDIC figure relies on partner banks and sweep networks spreading deposits across up to 20 banks. Buyers who want a direct banking relationship or a single named bank compare accordingly.
03
Currency, cash and phone gaps
Non-USD international wires and non-USD card payments each cost 1% and 3% respectively, and companies formed outside the US cannot use international wires. Cash cannot be deposited at all, including at ATMs. Support runs by email and the Help Center on the FAQ we read; priority support and a relationship manager sit on paid plans, Pro at 299 dollars a month.
you operate several entities, some outside the US, and want card and treasury tools in one stack
#12
03
What each one does differently
1
Relay
Not stated by the vendor · Published
Relay gives a business twenty checking accounts on the free Starter plan and fifty on Scale at 90 dollars a month, with unlimited users on all three. Savings APY climbs with the plan: 1.19% on Starter, 1.87% on Grow at 30 dollars, 3.21% on Scale. Grow and Scale come with a 14-day trial, and the Scale price is marked as discounted for a limited time.
Switch from Mercury if you split cash across many named accounts and want more than one or two people with logins.
Novo advertises no monthly fees, no minimum balance and no transaction limits. Inside the account sit invoicing with payment reminders and up to 20 Reserves that take a share of incoming money. Third-party ATM fees are refunded up to 7 dollars a month. Deposits are insured to 5 million dollars through Middlesex Federal Savings and its sweep network.
Switch from Mercury if you want a plain US checking account for a small company and care about ATM refunds.
Found has three levels: a 0 dollar plan, Plus at 35 dollars a month and Pro at 80. All include up to 20 Pockets and bookkeeping and tax features, while interest starts at Plus (1.50% on balances up to 20,000 dollars) and reaches 2.50% on all balances at Pro. Outgoing domestic wires cost 15 dollars, or 10 on Pro.
Switch from Mercury if you are a sole proprietor or freelancer who wants bookkeeping and tax estimates beside the account.
Bluevine's Standard plan has no monthly fee and pays 1.3% on up to 250,000 dollars if you spend 500 dollars on the debit card or receive 2,500 in customer payments each month. Plus costs 30 dollars for 1.75%, Premier 95 dollars for 3.0% on every balance. Deposits are covered up to 3 million dollars through Coastal Community Bank and program banks.
Switch from Mercury if you want interest on operating cash and a lender under the same login.
Lili sells Core, Pro, Smart and Premium accounts for US self-employed people; Core has no monthly fee. Accounting, tax preparation and invoicing software appear only on Smart and Premium, and the page we read did not print the paid prices. The one-month trial we saw belongs to the BusinessBuild credit add-on, not the accounts. Banking is by Sunrise Banks.
Switch from Mercury if you work alone and expect to pay for tax and invoicing tools in the same app.
Qonto is a French business account with six published tiers billed annually, from Basic at 9 euros to Enterprise at 199 euros a month excluding VAT, each with a one-month trial. The page we read says it is open to companies registered in France, Italy, Spain and Germany. A US startup formed in Delaware is therefore outside that list.
Switch from Mercury if your company is registered in France, Italy, Spain or Germany and you want euro accounts with published tiers.
Tide's Lite plan costs nothing but allows five bank transfers a month, three invoices and a 2.75% fee on international card payments. Smart, at 12.49 pounds a month, lifts transfers to 30 and drops the card fee to nothing; Pro is 27.49 pounds with unlimited transfers. The product is a UK sterling account, so it serves British firms.
Switch from Mercury if you run a UK company and want sterling accounts where the plan sets your transfer allowance.
Starling Bank Limited is registered in England and Wales and authorised by the PRA, regulated by the FCA and PRA, which makes it a bank in its own right. Its business and sole trader accounts carry no monthly fee. Moving money between its own currency accounts costs a fixed 0.4%. We did not find eligibility rules on the page.
Switch from Mercury if you are UK-based and want the account held by an authorised bank rather than a fintech partner.
Wise Business is authorised by the FCA to issue electronic money. Registration is free on the UK page, with no subscription; you pay on each conversion or transfer. It lists receiving details in 22 currencies and cards that work in 231 countries and territories. That cross-border design contrasts with Mercury's 1% fee on non-USD wires.
Switch from Mercury if you pay or get paid in several currencies and want the fee shown per transfer.
Ramp is a spend platform: the Free plan costs nothing per user, Plus is 15 dollars per user a month plus a platform fee that depends on team size, and Enterprise is quoted. The checking account, held at First Internet Bank of Indiana, showed 2% APY on eligible funds on 2 November 2026. The tool targets companies that manage cards and approvals.
Switch from Mercury if you want corporate cards, approvals and bill pay to come before the bank account.
Brex lists Essentials at 0 dollars per user, Premium at 12 dollars per user a month and Enterprise by quote. Essentials covers two entities, one of them global. Its home page claims up to 6 million dollars of extra FDIC cover via program banks and treasury up to 4.36%. Our category record notes Capital One ownership, which the pages we read did not confirm.
Switch from Mercury if you operate several entities, some outside the US, and want card and treasury tools in one stack.
Wise Business: Registration is free on the UK page and it lists receiving details in 22 currencies, with fees per transfer.
02
You want the account held by a licensed bank
Starling Bank Business: Starling Bank Limited is PRA authorised and regulated by the FCA and PRA, with no monthly fees on business accounts.
03
You want interest on idle operating cash
Relay: Savings APY shows 1.19% on free Starter and 3.21% on Scale, as of 17 September 2026.
04
You want to split money into many named accounts
Novo: Up to 20 Reserves sit inside one free checking account, with no monthly fees.
05
You are a freelancer who wants bookkeeping built in
Found: Plans start at 0 dollars with up to 20 Pockets, and bookkeeping and tax features come with the account.
04
When Mercury is still the right choice
Mercury remains a sound pick for a US-registered startup that does its banking online. ACH, domestic wires and USD international wires cost nothing on every plan, the core account has no monthly fee, and Treasury offers up to 4.10% once the balance reaches 250,000 dollars. Mercury Books and Payroll are waived until the end of 2026. If you rarely touch foreign currency or cash, little here pushes you away.
05
What moving off Mercury involves
01
Rebuild payments and connected tools
Vendors, payroll, card subscriptions and accounting feeds all point at your current account numbers. List them, give suppliers the new details, and keep the Mercury account open for a billing cycle or two so late ACH debits and refunds land somewhere.
02
Check Treasury money before you leave
If funds sit in Treasury, note that same-day withdrawals apply to the JPMorgan U.S. Treasury Plus Money Market Fund and have a 3pm ET cutoff. Withdraw ahead of the transfer date, and confirm the new provider's insurance arrangement for balances above 250,000 dollars.
06
Questions about replacing Mercury
6 answers
Does Mercury charge a monthly fee?
The core Mercury account is 0 dollars a month. Plus is listed at 29.90 dollars monthly, with an annual toggle at 15% off, and Pro at 299 dollars, with custom pricing available by contacting sales.
The page we read lists no free trial for the plans.
Is Mercury a bank?
No. Its FAQ says it is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank, with banking by Choice Financial Group and Column N.A., both Members FDIC. Starling Bank is the one provider here that describes itself as a regulated bank.
Can a non-US company open a Mercury account?
The FAQ requires formation in the US or a US territory, although non-US founders are allowed outside a restricted list. A company registered elsewhere is not eligible. Qonto, Tide, Starling and Wise Business serve other markets, within the limits in the entries above.
Which alternative has no monthly fee?
Novo advertises none, Found has a 0 dollar plan, Relay's Starter and Bluevine's Standard cost nothing, and Starling lists no monthly fees. Interest, wires and extra tools often cost extra on those plans, so read each fee page.
Which alternative pays the highest interest?
Of the pages we read, Relay Scale shows 3.21% savings APY and Bluevine Premier 3.0% on all balances, both on paid plans. Found Pro shows 2.50%. Rates are variable and dated, so check the day you apply.
Where do I find multi-currency accounts?
Wise Business lists details in 22 currencies and Starling offers multiple currencies in one app with a 0.4% fee between its accounts. Mercury charges 1% on non-USD wires.
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Sources
Checked 2 November 2026
Mercury pricing: Plans at 0, 29.90 and 299 dollars, fees, Treasury at 250K and up to 4.10%, 1% and 3% currency fees, Books and Payroll waiver.
Mercury FAQ: Eligibility, not a bank, partner banks, 5M FDIC, no cash deposits, email support.
Founder of The Knowledge Engineers and of 2 Steps Ahead, an AI search visibility agency. Editorially responsible for every page on this site; research and drafting are AI-assisted.
Written, edited and fact-checked by Sebastiaan Smits. Last reviewed 2 November 2026. How we review.
