Found vs. North One: Which Business Banking Platform Is Right for Your Small Business?

Running a small business shouldn't mean choosing between earning interest on your money and having proper tax management. Yet that's exactly the trade-off most business banking forces on you.

Found and North One both promise to solve different pieces of the small business puzzle, but they take completely different approaches. Found focuses on automated tax management and built-in business tools, while North One prioritizes high-yield earnings and extensive business integrations.

We'll compare how each platform handles the critical aspects of business banking—from APY rates and transaction limits to tax automation and contractor management—to help you make the right choice for your business needs.

Found vs. North One: Feature Comparison

Data compiled September 2025 and subject to change. Features, pricing, and availability may vary. Always confirm current details directly with the providers.

¹Found is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services are provided by Lead Bank, Member FDIC. The funds in your account are FDIC-insured up to $250,000 per depositor for each account ownership category.

²The Found Mastercard Business debit card is issued by Lead Bank pursuant to a license from Mastercard Inc. and may be used everywhere Mastercard debit cards are accepted.

⁴Optional subscription to Found Plus for $19.99/month or $149.99/year. There are no monthly account maintenance fees, but other fees such as transactional fees for wires, instant transfers, and ATM apply. Read more.

⁶Direct deposit funds may be available for use for up to two days before the scheduled payment date. Early availability is not guaranteed.

¹³Found customers can create 1 custom expense rule, 1 custom tag, and 1 custom category for free. Unlimited rules, tags, and categories available with Found Plus.

¹⁴1.5% APY on balances up to $20K for Found Plus subscribers.

Feature-Focused "Best For" Analysis

Here's how Found and North One stack up across the features that matter most to your small business.

Best for All-in-One Business Banking: Found 

Found offers a comprehensive suite of financial tools designed specifically for small business owners, including automatic expense categorization, real-time tax calculations, unlimited invoicing, contractor management, and built-in bookkeeping on their core plan at no additional cost.⁴ The platform integrates with popular gig economy platforms, making it easy to track income from multiple sources and stay organized for tax season. North One's business bank account provides core banking services with extensive third-party integrations, but the lack of integrated bookkeeping and tax tools makes Found the clear winner for all-in-one functionality.

Best for High-Yield Savings: North One

North One dominates in this category with industry-leading APY rates: 2.5% on their Standard plan and 3.0% on their Plus plan for balances up to $250,000. Found Plus offers only 1.5% APY on balances up to $20,000.⁴ For businesses with significant cash reserves, North One's earning potential can generate thousands of dollars in additional annual interest. However, North One's rates require meeting eligibility requirements, such as $500+ monthly debit card spending. 

Best for ATM Access & Fee Reimbursements: North One

North One provides access to 55,000+ fee-free ATMs through the Allpoint network, making cash access convenient and cost-effective for businesses that need regular ATM withdrawals. Found charges fees for cash deposits⁵ at retail locations and doesn't maintain its own ATM network, making North One the clear choice for businesses requiring frequent cash access.

Best for Integrated Bookkeeping: Found 

Found automatically categorizes your expenses, provides receipt capture, and generates profit and loss statements and financial reports on its free core plan. North One offers basic expense categorization through third-party integrations but lacks the comprehensive built-in bookkeeping automation that Found provides.

Found Plus⁴ provides additional bookkeeping features, such as activity import from other cards or accounts, and the ability to set up unlimited custom rules, categories, and tags. 

Best for Tax Automation: Found 

Found handles real-time tax estimations and automatically generates Schedule C, 1120, and 1120-S forms (depending on your business structure), with automatic tax savings and quarterly estimate generation at no cost. Found also provides a real-time tax estimate based on your provided tax profile and lets you set up a tax savings Pocket. North One offers Envelopes for manual budget organization, but it lacks automated tax management, real-time estimates, and form generation. Found Plus subscribers⁴ who file a Schedule C can even pay federal taxes directly through the app.

Best for Free Invoicing: Found

Found offers unlimited professional invoicing with custom branding, multiple payment options including direct deposit, credit card, and Cash App Pay, automated payment tracking, and reminders—all included free on their core plan. North One lacks built-in invoicing tools, requiring businesses to use separate invoicing software or third-party integrations, making Found the obvious choice for businesses needing integrated invoicing capabilities.

Transform your invoicing with sleek, branded designs that make your business shine. Say goodbye to invoice headaches with automated reminders, instant notifications, and seamless integration that puts money directly into your Found account. Learn more →

Best for Managing 1099 Contractors: Found 

Found offers a complete contractor management solution with free W-9 collection, payment processing via multiple methods, and automatic 1099-NEC generation and filing for contractors. Unlike traditional payroll software, Found does not have any per-contractor fees. North One doesn't provide built-in contractor payroll services or 1099 management tools. If you regularly work with independent contractors, Found's integrated approach eliminates the need for separate contractor management tools or services.

Best for Multiple Business Management: Tie

Both Found and North One support multiple business management, but they excel in different areas. Found allows you to manage multiple businesses from a single login with comprehensive built-in functionality—automatic tax management, invoicing, contractor payments, and bookkeeping for each business. Each business gets its own separate account number and completely separate tax information and reporting.

North One also supports multiple businesses and offers team banking with up to four owners/admins per business, each with their own secure logins and physical/virtual debit cards. This makes North One better for businesses that need multiple people to have access to the same accounts.

• Choose Found if you want built-in business management tools for each venture.

• Choose North One if you need team access with multiple owners/partners managing the same business accounts.

Best for Freelancers and Sole Proprietors: Found 

Found provides built-in financial tools that freelancers and sole proprietors need without required monthly fees⁴, helping preserve precious cash flow. You get a complete business banking solution from day one with built-in bookkeeping tools, automatic tax management, unlimited invoicing, and contractor payments—all free⁴. This comprehensive approach eliminates the need for multiple software subscriptions that can quickly drain freelancer budgets. Found's feature offering on their core plan means you can operate longer before needing to upgrade, while North One requires third-party tools for essential freelancer needs like tax automation and invoicing.

Best for Small Business Startups: Found 

Found provides everything new businesses need without required monthly fees, helping preserve precious startup cash flow. You get a complete business banking solution from day one with built-in compliance tools, automatic tax management, unlimited invoicing, and contractor payments—all free⁴. This comprehensive approach eliminates the need for multiple software subscriptions that can quickly drain startup budgets. Found's feature offering on their core plan means you can operate longer before upgrading, while North One's value comes primarily from high APY rates that matter less when cash reserves are still building.

Best for Business Financing: Neither

Neither Found nor North One offers integrated business financing options as part of their core banking platforms. Both focus on banking services rather than lending products. Businesses needing financing would need to seek separate lending solutions regardless of which banking platform they choose.

Which Platform Is Best for Small Business?

The decision between Found and North One depends on your business priorities and operating style.

Choose Found if you:

• Want comprehensive tax automation without additional software costs

• Work with contractors and need built-in 1099 payments and filings

• Prefer built-in invoicing with automated payment tracking

• Run a freelance or self-employed business with variable income

• Want financial tools integrated in one platform without managing multiple tools

• Are launching a startup and want to minimize software subscription costs

• Value early direct deposit⁶ for improved cash flow

Choose North One if you:

• Want to maximize earnings with APY rates (up to 2.5-3.0%)

• Maintain larger business cash reserves where APY makes a significant difference

• Already use established business tools and prefer integration over built-in features

• Need extensive ATM access through the Allpoint network

• Can commit to $500+ monthly debit card spending to qualify for APY rates

• Prefer manual control over automated tax management

The bottom line? Found delivers comprehensive business banking with built-in tools for free⁴, while North One maximizes earnings with industry-leading APY rates. Unless you maintain large cash balances where North One's higher rates would generate meaningful returns, Found's all-in-one approach eliminates the need for multiple software subscriptions and delivers better overall value for most small businesses.

Ready to Make the Switch?

Found makes it simple to get comprehensive business banking without any required monthly fees⁴. With automatic bookkeeping, real-time tax calculations, unlimited invoicing, and contractor management all included free⁴, you can focus on growing your business instead of managing multiple software subscriptions. Join thousands of entrepreneurs who've already made Found their all-in-one financial solution and start streamlining your business finances today.

FAQs

How much does Found cost?

Found offers business banking, tax tools, invoicing, bookkeeping, and 1099 contractor management with no required monthly fees⁴. Found also offers an optional paid product, Found Plus, for $19.99/month or $149.99/year.

How does Found help with taxes?

Found helps simplify tax time by tracking your income and expenses, calculating quarterly estimates, and setting aside tax money in a dedicated Pocket so there will be less scrambling at tax time. Depending on your business structure, you'll get pre-filled tax forms, such as Schedule C, 1120, and 1120-S.

Does Found support 1099 contractor payments? 

Yes—and it's built right into Found's free plan⁴. There are no per-contractor fees or limits. You can collect W-9 forms, pay contractors via multiple methods, and automatically generate and file 1099-NEC forms for contractors without needing a separate contractor payroll tool.

Disclaimer: The information on this website is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on, for tax advice. Found is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services are provided by Lead Bank, Member FDIC. 

Data compiled September 2025 and subject to change. Features, pricing, and availability may vary. Always confirm current details with providers directly.

¹Found is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services are provided by Lead Bank, Member FDIC. The funds in your account are FDIC-insured up to $250,000 per depositor for each account ownership category.

²The Found Mastercard Business debit card is issued by Lead Bank pursuant to a license from Mastercard Inc. and may be used everywhere Mastercard debit cards are accepted.

⁴Optional subscription to Found Plus for $19.99/month or $149.99/year. There are no monthly account maintenance fees, but other fees such as transactional fees for wires, instant transfers, and ATM apply. Read more.

⁵Subject to eligibility requirements, applicable terms and conditions, and service fees. See Terms of Service and Lead Account Terms for more details.

⁶Direct deposit funds may be available for use for up to two days before the scheduled payment date. Early availability is not guaranteed.

¹³Found customers can create 1 custom expense rule, 1 custom tag, and 1 custom category for free. Unlimited rules, tags, and categories available with Found Plus.

¹⁴1.5% APY on balances up to $20K for Found Plus subscribers.