Best business bank accounts for small businesses in 2026
We compared 9 providers across pricing, features, APY, and integrations to help you pick the right business banking option in 2026.
Last verified: October 19, 2026. Features, pricing, and availability may vary. Always confirm current details directly with each provider.
Choosing a business bank account in 2026 isn’t one decision — it’s a set of tradeoffs between features, fees, APY, integrations, and whether you need physical branches. We compared 9 business banking options across the categories that actually matter for small business owners: pricing, banking features, bookkeeping and tax tools, contractor management, invoicing, team controls, and support.
Found is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided by Lead Bank, Member FDIC.
TL;DR — quick overview
Each of the 9 business banking options below is a strong fit for a specific use case. Here’s how we’d match them to common small business needs:
- Want banking, bookkeeping, and tax tools in one place: Found — Best for built-in bookkeeping and tax tools for small businesses.
- Want access to business credit alongside your checking account: Bluevine — Best for business lending alongside business checking.
- Want a straightforward, no-monthly-fee account with no tiers: Novo — Best for simple, single-tier online business banking.
- Run multiple revenue streams and need separate pots: Found — up to 20 Pockets, sub-accounts, each with its own account number, plus the option to route a percentage of every deposit into automatic tax savings; Relay if you need 20+ individual checking accounts for granular bucket-by-bucket allocation.
- Run a tech startup or VC-backed business: Mercury — Best for tech startups and companies with treasury needs.
- Prefer a mobile-first experience: Lili — Best mobile-first option for small businesses.
- Need physical branches and in-person banking services: Chase Business Complete Banking — Best traditional banking option with branch access.
- Need to regularly deposit cash: Bank of America Business Advantage — Best for businesses that deposit cash regularly.
- Already have a strong Amex card relationship: American Express Business Checking — Best for earning rewards on debit spend.
How we evaluated
We compared each provider’s free or lowest-paid tier (we call this the ‘entry tier’ throughout this article — some providers have a free tier, others charge a waivable monthly fee on their base plan) against Found’s free plan, each provider’s mid tier against Found Plus¹, and each provider’s premium tier against Found Pro¹ — always matching the same tier level across brands so the comparison is apples-to-apples. For each provider we verified monthly cost, minimum balance requirements, APY (if any), included banking features, built-in bookkeeping and tax tools, contractor management capabilities, invoicing, multi-user support, and whether physical branches are available. Every claim in this article is sourced against the provider’s own pricing and product pages as of the date at the top of this article. We update this article monthly and note the last-verified date on every publish.
The 9 business banking options we reviewed
1. Found — Best for built-in bookkeeping and tax tools
Found bundles automated bookkeeping, real-time tax estimates, Schedule C generation, and free contractor 1099-NEC e-filing into a business checking account — with no monthly account maintenance fees on any plan¹. Every plan — including the free plan — includes a business checking account, a Mastercard Business debit card², automated expense categorization, unlimited invoicing, real-time tax estimates, a tax savings bucket, auto-generated Schedule C (the IRS tax form filed by sole proprietors and single-member LLCs taxed as sole proprietorships to report business income) for Schedule C filers, and up to 20 Pockets (sub-accounts, each with its own account number).
Contractor management and 1099-NEC e-filing are included at no extra cost. Every Found plan supports W-9 collection, ACH contractor payments, free instant payments between Found users³, and free 1099-NEC e-filing at year-end. Most providers in this article require a separate contractor-payment service (for example, QuickBooks Contractor Payments at $25/month) to match this.Found Plus¹ ($35/month or $315/year)⁴ adds 1.50% Annual Percentage Yield (APY) on balances up to $20,000⁵, plus in-app quarterly tax payments for Schedule C filers⁶ and priority support⁷. Separately, customers who opened an account on or after November 1, 2025 (including on the free Found plan) can earn a 2.00% APY bonus (variable) on balances up to $20,000 in any month they make $5,000 or more in qualifying card purchases⁸. Unlike most competitors in this article, Found’s APY applies to your primary account balance (not a separate savings account): Found Plus¹ earns 1.50% Annual Percentage Yield (APY) on balances up to $20,000 across your entire account (no need to move funds between pockets to maximize yield). Found Pro¹ ($80/month or $720/year)⁴ earns 2.50% APY on all balances with no cap (variable)⁵, includes a Metal⁹ Mastercard², a dedicated account manager⁷, and 1% cash back on qualifying purchases¹⁰ (exclusions apply for ATM withdrawals, person-to-person transfers, and cash equivalents).
Who it’s best for: small businesses, sole proprietors, and single-member LLCs who file a Schedule C and want their banking, bookkeeping, and quarterly taxes handled in one app.
Best for: built-in bookkeeping and tax automation.
2. Bluevine — Best for business lending alongside business checking
Bluevine’s free Standard tier offers a business checking account with a Bluevine Business Debit Mastercard® and 1.30% Annual Percentage Yield (APY) on balances up to $250,000 (variable). That APY is activity-gated rather than balance-gated: per Bluevine, Standard-plan customers must spend $500 per month with the Bluevine Business Debit Mastercard®, or receive or deposit $2,500 per month in customer payments (see bluevine.com/business-checking for current terms). FDIC insurance is provided through Coastal Community Bank, Member FDIC, and program banks in Bluevine’s sweep network; FDIC coverage only protects against failure of an FDIC-insured depository institution¹¹. Bluevine Plus ($30/month, waivable) pays 1.75% APY on balances up to $250,000 (variable), and Bluevine Premier ($95/month, waivable) pays 3.00% APY on all balances (variable).
Bluevine does not include built-in bookkeeping or tax tools — customers typically connect to Xero or similar accounting software. Sub-accounts and multiple team members are supported.
Who it’s best for: small business owners who want access to business credit alongside checking. Bluevine also originates business credit: a line of credit up to $250,000, term loans up to $500,000 through lending partners, and SBA 7(a) loans up to $350,000 via Fundera by NerdWallet. Line-of-credit eligibility requires at least $10,000 in monthly revenue, a 625+ personal FICO score, 12+ months in business, and a corporation or LLC — sole proprietorships are not eligible. See Bluevine for current terms.
Best for: business lending alongside business checking.
3. Novo — Best for simple, single-tier online business banking
Novo offers one tier with no monthly fees and no minimum balance requirement. The account includes a Mastercard debit card, Novo Reserves (up to 20 buckets inside your checking account for setting aside money), unlimited free Novo Invoices, and Novo’s AI-powered bookkeeping with automatic transaction categorization, P&L reports, and tax-friendly categories, with PDF and CSV exports you can share with your accountant. Novo does not pay APY on checking balances. Banking services are provided by Middlesex Federal Savings, F.A., Member FDIC¹¹.
Novo integrates broadly with QuickBooks, Stripe, Square, Shopify, Etsy, and Amazon.
Who it’s best for: small business owners who want a no-monthly-fee, straightforward online checking account with light automated bookkeeping and broad e-commerce integrations.
Best for: no-monthly-fee online banking with automated categorization.
4. Relay — Best for multi-account allocation across many checking accounts
Relay’s free Starter tier lets customers open up to 20 individual checking accounts and issue up to 50 virtual and plastic Relay Visa® debit cards per cardholder per account — useful for allocating money by purpose (taxes, payroll, operating expenses) across separate accounts. Relay’s savings accounts earn tiered APY based on plan: Starter earns 1.19% APY on all savings account balances (variable; as of 9/17/2026); Grow ($30/month) earns 1.87% APY on all savings account balances (variable) plus adds multi-step approval rules; Scale ($120/month, currently discounted to $90/month for a limited time) earns 3.21% APY on all savings account balances (variable) and supports up to 50 checking accounts. APY is variable and subject to change; APY applies to Relay savings account balances only, not checking. Scale adds features like no-fee same-day ACH.
Relay integrates with QuickBooks Online, Xero, Gusto, Plaid, and Yodlee. Relay is a financial technology company, not an FDIC-insured bank; banking services are provided through Thread Bank, Member FDIC.
Who it’s best for: businesses that want to run a multi-bucket cash flow system and need granular allocation across many checking accounts.
Best for: multi-account allocation across many checking accounts.
5. Mercury — Best for tech startups and companies with treasury needs
Mercury is a banking platform designed for technology startups and VC-backed businesses. The free tier includes a business checking account and a Mastercard debit card. Mercury is a financial technology company, not an FDIC-insured bank — banking services are provided through Choice Financial Group and Column N.A., Members FDIC. Mercury Treasury is designed to earn yield on idle cash up to 4.08% annually (variable; yield as of October 16, 2026, based on the 30-day Effective Yield for MCRYX and assumes total Mercury deposits of $20M+; see Mercury for current rates) and requires a minimum $250,000 balance across all Mercury accounts. Treasury accounts are not FDIC-insured. Paid plans start at $29.90/month billed annually ($35/month billed monthly).
Mercury offers Mercury Books, accounting software built into Mercury, as a separate subscription ($35/month; fee waived through December 31, 2026 for customers who subscribe by December 1, 2026). Mercury also integrates directly with QuickBooks Online, Xero, and NetSuite.
Who it’s best for: venture-funded startups and tech companies that need treasury, corporate card, and integrations with accounting platforms.
Best for: tech startups and companies with treasury needs.
6. Lili — Best mobile-first option for small businesses
Lili offers four tiers: Lili Core ($0/month), Lili Pro ($15/month), Lili Smart ($35/month), and Lili Premium ($55/month). All tiers include a business checking account, a Lili Visa® Debit Card, and access to the Lili Savings Account, which earns 2.25% APY on Lili Savings Account balances up to $500,000, and 4.00% APY on the portion of balances between $500,000 and $1,000,000 (tiered structure: customers earn 2.25% on the first $500K and 4.00% on the portion from $500K to $1M; balances above $1M do not earn APY). APY is variable and subject to change; rates as of January 2026 — see Lili for current rates. Lili is a financial technology company, not a bank; banking services are provided by Sunrise Banks, N.A., Member FDIC¹¹. Pro adds expense and tax management; Smart and Premium add Lili AI predictive transaction categorization, P&L and cash flow reports, and unlimited invoicing with reminders and payment acceptance.
Lili offers mobile access to payments, alerts, and controls, and supports role-based team access and multiple business accounts under a single login.
Who it’s best for: small business owners who primarily manage their business from a phone and want progressive expense, tax, and bookkeeping tools as they grow.
Best for: mobile-first small businesses.
7. Chase Business Complete Banking — Best traditional banking option with branch access
Chase Business Complete Banking® has a $15 monthly service fee, waivable each statement period by maintaining a $2,000 minimum daily ending balance, receiving $2,000 in eligible Chase QuickAccept® or other Chase Payment Solutions deposits, spending $2,000 in eligible purchases on a Chase for Business credit card, linking a qualifying Chase Private Client Checking℠ or JPMorgan Classic Checking account, or meeting Chase Military Banking requirements (see Chase’s Business Complete Banking fee schedule at chase.com/business/banking/checking/business-complete-banking for current waiver terms)
Chase does not include built-in bookkeeping or tax tools. Multi-user access is available through Chase’s Access & Security Manager℠.
Who it’s best for: businesses that need physical branch access, accept cash or checks regularly, or prefer a traditional banking relationship.
Best for: traditional banking with physical branch access.
8. Bank of America Business Advantage — Best for businesses that deposit cash regularly
No monthly service fee is charged for the first 12 statement cycles (transactional fees for wires, non-network ATMs, and other services still apply per the Bank of America business fee schedule). The account includes free cash deposits up to $5,000 per statement cycle and access to approximately 15,000 Bank of America ATMs. Bank of America, N.A. is Member FDIC¹¹.
Bank of America does not include built-in bookkeeping or tax tools but offers Cash Flow Monitor, Zelle for business, multi-user access via its Account Management service, and integrations with QuickBooks.
Who it’s best for: small businesses that regularly deposit cash, need a wide branch and ATM network, or want to consolidate personal and business banking at a traditional bank.
Best for: businesses that deposit cash regularly.
9. American Express Business Checking — Best for earning rewards on debit spend
American Express® Business Checking has no monthly maintenance fee, no minimum opening deposit, and no minimum balance requirement. It pays 1.00% Annual Percentage Yield on account balances up to $500,000 (variable; no interest is earned on balances above $500,000; APY is subject to change at any time without notice, per American Express National Bank’s Business Checking Rates & Fees; rate as of October 19, 2026) and earns 1 Membership Rewards® point for every $2 spent on eligible Business Debit Card purchases. The account includes fee-free cash withdrawals at more than 70,000 Allpoint® and MoneyPass® ATM locations nationwide and FDIC insurance via American Express National Bank, Member FDIC. New users may be eligible for a welcome offer after meeting qualifying criteria.
American Express Business Checking does not include built-in bookkeeping or tax tools and is designed for businesses already within the American Express ecosystem.
Who it’s best for: businesses with an existing American Express Business Card who want to earn rewards on debit-card spending in addition to card spend.
Best for: earning rewards on debit-card spend.
Summary comparison (free / entry tier)
This table compares each provider’s free or entry-tier offering. See required disclaimers below the table.
| Provider | Required monthly fees | APY | Bookkeeping | Tax tools | Contractor mgmt + 1099 e-file | Physical branches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Found¹² (free) | $0 | Up to 2.00% APY on balances up to $20,000 for customers who signed up on or after November 1, 2025, with $5K+ monthly qualifying spend (variable)⁸ | Yes (automated categorization + P&L) | Yes (tax estimates + tax savings bucket + auto-generated Schedule C form for Schedule C filers) | Included (W-9 + ACH + 1099-NEC e-file) | No |
| Bluevine (Standard) | $0 | 1.30% APY up to $250K (eligible)* | No (QB integration) | No | No | No |
| Novo | $0 | — | AI categorization + P&L reports | No | No | No |
| Relay (Starter) | $0 | 1.19% APY on savings (variable)* | No (QB/Xero sync; bookkeeping automations on Grow) | No | No | No |
| Mercury (free) | $0 | Up to 4.08% via Treasury¹³ (variable; $20M+ deposits; not FDIC-insured; $250K min) | Add-on (Mercury Books, $35/mo; fee waived through Dec 31, 2026) or QB/Xero/NetSuite | No | W-9 collection + 1099-NEC/MISC e-file ($5/filing on free plan) | No |
| Lili (Core) | $0 | Up to 4.00% APY on savings (tiered)* | Lili AI (Smart/Premium only) | Tax savings bucket (Pro+) | No | No |
| Chase Business Complete | $15/mo (waivable) | — | No | No | Via Chase Payroll (separately priced, powered by Gusto) | Yes (5,000+ branches, 14,000+ ATMs) |
| BofA Business Advantage | $16/mo (waivable) | — | Cash Flow Monitor only | No | No | Yes (~3,500 financial centers, ~15,000 ATMs) |
| Amex Business Checking | $0 | 1.00% APY on account balances up to $500,000 (variable; no interest is earned on balances above $500,000; APY is subject to change at any time without notice, per American Express National Bank’s Business Checking Rates & Fees)* | No (QB/Xero integrations) | No | No | No |
What it costs to get equivalent features elsewhere
Most providers in this comparison offer a business checking account only — bookkeeping, contractor payments, 1099 e-filing, and tax tools are separate products you’d add through integrations. Found bundles these into its free plan at $0/month. For a small business owner who wants automated bookkeeping, invoicing, and the ability to pay contractors and file 1099-NECs, here’s what a comparable stack looks like:
| Stack | Business checking | Bookkeeping | Contractor payments + 1099 e-file | Required monthly fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Found (free plan)¹² | Included | Included (automated, Schedule C) | Included (W-9, ACH, 1099-NEC e-file) | $0 |
| Bluevine Standard + QuickBooks + QuickBooks Contractor Payments | Bluevine Standard ($0) | QuickBooks Simple Start (~$38) | QuickBooks Contractor Payments ($25/mo, up to 20 contractors, includes 1099 e-filing) | ~$63+ / month |
| Relay Starter + Xero + Gusto | Relay Starter ($0) | Xero Early (~$27) | Gusto Simple, Gusto’s lowest current plan ($49/mo base + $6 per person) | ~$82+ / month |
| Chase Business Complete + QuickBooks + QuickBooks Contractor Payments | Chase Business Complete ($15) | QuickBooks Simple Start (~$38) | QuickBooks Contractor Payments ($25/mo, up to 20 contractors, includes 1099 e-filing) | ~$78+ / month |
Note on QuickBooks pricing: QuickBooks offers a $0/month “QuickBooks Free” plan, which includes income and expense tracking, 2 invoices per month, one connected bank, and a profit & loss report, for 1 user with no accountant access and without the mobile app or third-party integrations. Automated bookkeeping and automatic expense categorization — the capabilities compared in this article — begin with QuickBooks Simple Start at $38/month. Figures are regular monthly list prices verified at quickbooks.intuit.com/pricing on October 19, 2026; promotional intro pricing may be lower. See QuickBooks for current plans and pricing.
Note: QuickBooks (~$38) and Xero (~$27) figures are regular monthly list prices; promotional intro pricing may be lower. QuickBooks Contractor Payments is $25/month and includes up to 20 contractors and 1099 e-filing. Gusto no longer offers its Contractor Only plan to new customers (as of October 1, 2026); Gusto Simple, Gusto’s lowest current plan, is $49/month base plus $6 per person, billed only in months a contractor is paid. Totals assume one contractor; per-person fees scale with the number of contractors paid.
What to consider when choosing a business banking option
1. Do you need built-in bookkeeping and tax tools, or do you already use accounting software?
If you don’t currently have a bookkeeping workflow, choosing a provider with native bookkeeping (Found, Lili) can eliminate the need for separate accounting software. If you already use QuickBooks, Xero, or a bookkeeper, most providers offer integrations — and your choice can focus on banking features instead.
2. Do you handle cash deposits?
If yes, a traditional bank with branches (Chase, Bank of America) will usually be more practical. Online-first providers either don’t support cash deposits or route them through retail or partner networks that charge fees. Found, for example, accepts cash at 79,000+ retail locations for a $2.00 fee per deposit¹⁴.
3. Do you need to earn yield on idle balances?
If you keep meaningful cash in the business, compare APY structures at the same tier. Bluevine and Amex pay APY on eligible checking balances; Mercury offers higher yield via Treasury; Found Plus¹ pays 1.50% APY on balances up to $20,000⁵ and Found Pro¹ pays 2.50% APY on all balances with no cap⁵ (all variable); separately, customers who opened an account on or after November 1, 2025 (including on the free Found plan) can earn a 2.00% APY bonus (variable) on balances up to $20,000 in any month they make $5,000 or more in qualifying card purchases⁸. Always read the activity requirements — many checking APYs require monthly spend minimums. Use our annual value calculator to estimate what Found Plus or Found Pro could be worth for your business.
4. How many sub-accounts or ‘buckets’ do you need?
If you run multiple revenue streams and want to keep money in separate pots, Found offers up to 20 Pockets — sub-accounts, each with its own account number — and can automatically route a percentage of each deposit into tax savings. Relay is built around a larger number of individual checking accounts (up to 20 on its free Starter tier), which suits granular allocation across many buckets. Novo has Reserves. Traditional banks typically don’t support this natively.
5. Do you pay contractors regularly?
If yes, Found includes contractor W-9 collection, ACH payments, and 1099-NEC e-filing in every plan at no extra charge. Most other providers require a separate contractor payments service (often an add-on cost — for example QuickBooks Contractor Payments at $25/month (see QuickBooks’ pricing at quickbooks.intuit.com/payroll/contractor-payments for current rates)).
Frequently asked questions
Is Found a bank?
Found is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services are provided by Lead Bank, Member FDIC. Deposits are FDIC-insured up to $250,000 per depositor through Lead Bank. FDIC insurance only covers the failure of an FDIC-insured depository institution.
What is the best business bank account for a sole proprietor who files a Schedule C?
Each provider in this article serves different needs. For a sole proprietor who files a Schedule C and wants built-in tax estimation and in-app quarterly tax payments, Found Plus¹ ($35/month or $315/year) includes these features. Other options in this article are better-suited to different priorities — see the TL;DR section above.
What is the best business bank account for an LLC?
LLC owners have many of the same needs as sole proprietors (Schedule C filers) plus some additional ones — multi-member LLCs need shared access, and single-member LLCs taxed as corporations may need different tax support. For a dedicated breakdown by LLC tax structure, see our Best business bank accounts for LLCs in 2026 guide.
What if I’m a growing business with employees?
If you have 5–25 employees (W-2 or 1099) and need multi-user access, payroll integrations, and team-scale features, see our Best business bank accounts for growing businesses with employees in 2026 guide. It covers the same providers as this article (Mercury, Bluevine, Chase, Bank of America, Relay, American Express, plus Found) but with growing-business-specific criteria: multi-user roles, payroll integrations, corporate-card programs, and treasury at scale.
Do any of these providers pay interest on checking or savings?
Several do, subject to eligibility and terms. Bluevine’s Standard tier pays 1.30% APY on balances up to $250,000 with eligibility requirements (see Bluevine’s Business Checking eligibility terms at bluevine.com/business-checking for current criteria) (Plus pays 1.75% APY on balances up to $250,000 and Premier pays 3.00% APY on all balances; variable). Amex Business Checking pays 1.00% APY on account balances up to $500,000 (no interest is earned above $500,000; variable). Mercury Treasury earns up to 4.08% annually (variable; as of October 16, 2026, for total Mercury deposits of $20M+; see Mercury for current rates), but requires a $250,000 minimum balance across all Mercury accounts¹³. Relay and Lili pay APY on separate savings accounts (Relay 1.19%–3.21%, Lili 2.25%–4.00% tiered). Found is structured differently: APY applies to your primary account balance, not a separate savings account. Found Plus¹ ($35/month or $315/year) pays 1.50% Annual Percentage Yield (APY) on balances up to $20,000⁵ and Found Pro¹ ($80/month or $720/year) pays 2.50% APY on all balances with no cap⁵. Separately, customers who opened an account on or after November 1, 2025 (including on the free Found plan) can earn a 2.00% APY bonus (variable) on balances up to $20,000 in any month they make $5,000 or more in qualifying card purchases⁸. APY is variable — confirm current rates with each provider.
Which of these accept cash deposits?
Chase Business Complete Banking and Bank of America Business Advantage accept cash deposits at their branches and ATMs. Found accepts cash deposits at 79,000+ retail locations for a $2.00 fee per deposit¹⁴. Other online-first providers (Novo, Mercury, Lili, Amex Business Checking) do not accept cash deposits directly; Relay lets customers add cash for free at Allpoint+ ATMs, or at Green Dot participating retailers for a fee (limits apply). Some partner with retail networks or prepaid card programs for cash loading, which typically carry per-deposit fees.
How often is this article updated?
We re-verify every claim against each provider’s pricing and product pages on the first of every month, and update the article when pricing, APY, or feature availability changes. The ‘Last verified’ date at the top of the article reflects the most recent review.