Axos Bank Business Checking
Basic = $0 monthly + unlimited items + unlimited domestic ATM rebates. Interest = waivable $10 + declining-tier APY.
PNC Business Checking
Branch + cash deposits + analyzed treasury for higher-volume businesses; monthly fee waivable but not unconditionally free; no APY on standard checking
Costs & Fees
| Metric | Axos Bank Business Checking | PNC Business Checking |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly maintenance | Basic: $0 unconditional. Interest: $10/mo waived if average daily balance ≥ $5,000 | BC $12; Plus $22; Analysis $25; TEP $50. First 3 statement cycles $0 on BC/Plus/TEP. |
| Fee waiver | Interest Checking only — $5,000 ADB waives $10 monthly fee. Basic has no monthly fee. | BC: $500 avg monthly collected balance OR $500 linked PNC business-card purchases OR $500 linked Merchant deposits. Plus: $5,000 collected OR $5,000 card OR $5,000 merchant OR $20,000 combined business checking+MMA. TEP: $30,000 combined collected across master + beneficiaries. Analysis: offset by earnings credit. |
| Transaction fees | Basic: unlimited items (debits, credits, deposited items). Interest: 100 free items/month then $0.50 each. RDA deposits count as 2 items; 60 RDA items/month cap on both. | Combined items = deposits + deposited items + paid items + ACH credits/debits received. BC: 150 free then $0.50 each. Plus: 500 free then $0.50. TEP: unlimited per 2026 marketing (confirm PDF). Cash priced separately on volume. |
| Overdraft/NSF | NSF paid or returned item $25 (max $75/day); no fee if negative balance less than NSF fee. Returned deposited item $10. Linked-account OD transfer free. | $36 per item; max 4/day. Auto-refund if overdrawn ≤$5 after all items post. |
| ATM fees | Axos charge $0. Unlimited domestic third-party ATM surcharge reimbursements on both products. International ATM surcharges not reimbursed. | PNC ATM $0. OON: $3 US/CA/PR/USVI; $5 other countries. Plus: first 2 non-PNC ATM transactions reimbursed/statement. TEP/Analysis: $0 PNC fee at non-PNC ATMs (surcharge may remain). |
| Wire/ACH | Incoming domestic + international: $0. Outgoing domestic: $15. Basic reimburses 2 outgoing domestic wires/month. Outgoing international: $50. Online/automated transfers free. ACH origination is treasury add-on. | Incoming domestic $15 (Plus/TEP: 1 free received domestic wire/month). Outgoing domestic $95. Incoming intl $21. Outgoing intl $135 same-currency / $110 cross-currency. ACH received counts toward item bucket; no separate ACH received fee. |
Interest & Yields
| Metric | Axos Bank Business Checking | PNC Business Checking |
|---|---|---|
| Checking APY | Basic: none. Interest: tiered variable — 1.01% ($0–$49,999.99), 0.20% ($50k–$249,999.99), 0.10% ($250k–$4,999,999.99), contact RM at $5M+ | None on BC, Plus, TEP DDA. Non-interest checking. |
| Savings APY | Business Premium Savings advertised up to 3.60% APY as of 9/2/2026 — separate product, not checking APY | |
| FDIC coverage | Standard FDIC $250,000 per depositor per ownership category at Axos Bank (Cert 35546) | Standard FDIC $250,000 per depositor per ownership category at PNC Bank, N.A. |
Features & Access
| Metric | Axos Bank Business Checking | PNC Business Checking |
|---|---|---|
| Branch/ATM network | No SMB retail branches. Any U.S. ATM with unlimited domestic surcharge rebates (~90,000+ network cited). Cash deposits at deposit-taking Allpoint+/MoneyPass ATMs only. | ~2,300–2,419 branches in 27 states + DC. ~58,000–60,000 PNC + partner ATMs. Night depository at many branches. HQ lobby Fishers-style hours vary by location. |
| Mobile app | iOS ~4.7; Android ~4.6 (~10.1K reviews); NerdWallet weighted ~4.52 (Feb 2026) | iOS ~4.8–4.9 (~1.9–2.0M ratings); Google Play ~4.6 (~306k). NerdWallet weighted 4.72 (May 21, 2026). J.D. Power 2025 mobile #2 at 675/1000. |
| Virtual cards | Standard Visa debit only; virtual employee cards not disclosed | Easy Lock + standard Visa controls. Full virtual-card program not offered as checking feature. |
| Opening deposit | Basic: none. Interest: $100 | $100 |
| Eligibility | U.S. companies only — sole prop, GP, LLC, LP/LLP, C-corp, nonprofit corp, association/HOA. U.S. resident signer with SSN and physical business address required. | Sole prop, partnership, LLC/LLP, corporation, unincorporated association, nonprofit. Holding companies/funds/SPVs not listed — expect enhanced KYC. |
Pros & Cons
Axos Bank Business Checking
Pros
- Basic: $0 monthly, $0 open, unlimited item processing (Agreement 07/2025)
- Unlimited domestic ATM surcharge rebates on both products
- Incoming domestic and international wires $0 on fee schedule
- Basic reimburses two outgoing domestic wire fees per month
- Interest Checking publishes dated deposit APY (1.01% as of 9/2/2026) with no spend gate; IntraFi ICS to $265MM
Cons
- No branches; cash is ATM/retail-constrained with possible retailer fees
- Interest Checking: $0.50/item after 100 plus 60-item RDA cap; APY falls sharply above $50k
- RDA availability can be five business days by contract
- Business support weekday-only; reviews cluster on holds, portal bugs, slow ops
- Outbound international wires $50 + undisclosed FX; no multi-currency; weak native multi-user
PNC Business Checking
Pros
- Official all-market fee PDF current (effective 5/31/2026) — rare clarity
- BC monthly fee waives at only $500 average collected — low national-bank bar
- Real cash rails (branch, night drop, Quick Deposit) with free caps to $50,000 on TEP
- TEP packages 4 extra checking accounts, aggregated limits, and $0 QuickBooks Direct Connect
- $400 / $1,000 bonuses through 9/30/2026; business phone line and ~58k ATM network
Cons
- No APY on core checking; Interest Checking rate unpublished and historically ~0.01%
- Outgoing wires $95 domestic / $110–$135 intl at list — among highest in SMB sets
- $36 OD max 4/day; only ≤$5 overdraw refunded
- Combined-item definition broader than checks written — 150 can burn fast on BC
- QuickBooks Direct Connect $15/month unless TEP; FDIC stays $250k
Verdict
Axos Bank Business Checking
Axos Bank offers two online SMB checking accounts at a direct FDIC member bank (Cert 35546). Basic Business Checking is structurally cheap: $0 monthly, $0 open, unlimited items, free incoming wires, and two reimbursed outgoing domestic wires — ideal for digital SMBs. Business Interest Checking adds tiered APY (1.01% below $50k as of 9/2/2026) but charges $10 unless $5k ADB and meters items after 100. Both cap mobile deposits at 60 items with up to 5th-business-day availability. IntraFi ICS to $265MM helps large balances but checking APY collapses above $50k. Weak on branches, cash, multi-user, and 24/7 support. Price Interest against the $50k APY cliff and item cap.
PNC Business Checking
PNC's SMB checking is a conventional regional-national bank stack from PNC Bank, N.A. (direct FDIC member). Four tiers: BC ($12, 150 items, $5k cash), Plus ($22, 500 items, $10k cash), Analysis ($25 analyzed + ECR), TEP ($50, unlimited items, $50k cash, 4 beneficiary accounts, ECR >$125k). Fee schedule effective 5/31/2026: outgoing domestic wires $95, OD $36, incoming wires $15. No APY on core DDAs. First 3 months fee-free; waivers by collected balance or card/merchant activity. ~2,400 branches in 27 states + DC. $400/$1,000 bonus through 9/30/2026. Strong app; weak site-level CSAT. Poor filter match for wire-heavy, APY-seeking, or out-of-footprint digital-only firms.