Capital One Business Checking
Waivable monthly fee + unlimited digital transactions + 70,000+ ATMs; cash-friendly near Cap One/Allpoint or Enhanced's $40k/mo design limit
Relay Business Checking
Startup / Profit First multi-account checking — $0 Starter, up to 20 checking buckets, QBO/Xero sync; no APY on checking
Costs & Fees
| Metric | Capital One Business Checking | Relay Business Checking |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly maintenance | Basic $15/mo; Enhanced $35/mo | Starter $0; Grow $30; Scale $90 limited-time (list $120). Paid plans billed from designated checking account. |
| Fee waiver | Basic: $2,000+ 30- or 90-day avg ledger balance (whichever greater), nonprofit classification, or up to 2 Basic accounts waived if Enhanced open. Enhanced: $25,000+ avg ledger balance. | No balance waivers — Grow/Scale are subscriptions, not waivable by balance |
| Transaction fees | Unlimited fee-free digital transactions (mobile deposit, ACH, select bill pay). No per-item fee on checks, ACH, or debit purchases. | No per-item checking cap published. Unlimited standard ACH and digital items. Same-day ACH extra: $1 Starter / $0.50 Grow / included Scale. |
| Overdraft/NSF | $35 NSF/OD/Uncollected Funds when transaction would bring balance below $0. Free Overdraft Protection transfer from linked Cap One Business deposit account (does not eliminate $35 if uncovered). | $0 overdraft fees; transactions that would overdraw decline. Optional backup account internal pull (not a priced OD product). |
| ATM fees | $0 at Cap One/MoneyPass/Allpoint. Out-of-network $2 + owner surcharge (no rebate). | Allpoint in-network $0 Relay fee. Out-of-network owner surcharge not rebated. Allpoint+ cash deposit $1,000/txn; cash withdrawal $400/txn. |
| Wire/ACH | Basic: incoming domestic $15, outgoing domestic $25, incoming intl $15, outgoing intl $40 FX / $50 USD. Enhanced: incoming domestic $0, first 5 outgoing domestic free then $25, incoming intl $15, outgoing intl $40/$50. Standard ACH $0. | Incoming domestic: $5 (Aug 2026 official table). Outgoing domestic: $8 Starter / $5 Grow / $5 Scale. Incoming intl: typically $0. Outgoing intl Local Network $5/$3/$1.50; SWIFT $25/$22/$20. Standard ACH in/out: $0. |
Interest & Yields
| Metric | Capital One Business Checking | Relay Business Checking |
|---|---|---|
| Checking APY | None — non-interest-bearing on both Basic and Enhanced | None — non-interest-bearing checking |
| Savings APY | Business Savings marketed up to 3.50% APY (promotional; re-check rate page — not checking yield) | Plan-tiered on up to 2 savings accounts: Starter 1.11%, Grow 1.75%, Scale 3.00% APY (as of 2026-05-01). Variable; savings cannot originate ACH/wires. |
| FDIC coverage | Standard FDIC $250,000 per depositor, per ownership category at Capital One, N.A. | Standard FDIC $250,000 per depositor per ownership category at Thread Bank — combined across all Relay sub-accounts |
Features & Access
| Metric | Capital One Business Checking | Relay Business Checking |
|---|---|---|
| Branch/ATM network | ~260 branches (8 states + D.C.); 60+ Cafés; 70,000+ Cap One/MoneyPass/Allpoint ATMs | No branches. Allpoint network (32k–55k+ cited). Cash deposit at Allpoint+ only ($1k/txn). Green Dot retail. |
| Mobile app | Google Play ~4.5/5 (~1.7M reviews); iOS ~4.8–4.9 cited (consumer-dominated app) | iOS ~4.8; Android ~4.5 (~3.5k / ~1.1k reviews per 2026 aggregators) |
| Virtual cards | Digital debit + employee debit mentioned; granular spend controls unclear on Basic/Enhanced | Included — physical + virtual Visa debit with freeze, limits, spend policies |
| Opening deposit | Not disclosed (commonly $0) | $0 |
| Eligibility | Legal U.S. resident 18+; U.S. street address (no P.O. box). Typical corp, LLC, partnership, sole prop structures. | U.S.-registered sole prop, LLC, C-corp, S-corp, partnership, nonprofit. Not supported: personal, escrow, trusts, Series LLCs, 401(k)s. |
Pros & Cons
Capital One Business Checking
Pros
- Unlimited fee-free digital transactions on both tiers — ACH, mobile deposit, select bill pay
- 70,000+ fee-free withdrawal ATMs (Cap One/MoneyPass/Allpoint)
- Basic: Cap One/select Allpoint ATM cash deposits don't hit the $5k teller fee bucket
- Enhanced: $0 cash deposits (under $40k/mo), $0 inbound domestic wires, 5 free outbound domestic wires
- Enhanced can carry two Basic accounts at $0 monthly fee; nonprofit Basic waiver
Cons
- Checking pays 0.00% APY
- Branch footprint small (~260 branches) for a big-bank cash business
- Public fee PDF lists $35 NSF/OD — linked-account protection doesn't eliminate fee if uncovered
- No Zelle for Business, native invoicing, multi-currency, or published multi-user controls
- Enhanced not unlimited cash — conversion/closure language at $40k/month
Relay Business Checking
Pros
- Starter $0 with no minimum balance, $0 OD fees, and no per-item checking cap
- Up to 20 checking accounts (50 on Scale) with auto-transfer rules — rare on free tier
- Native QuickBooks Online and Xero feeds on all plans including Starter
- Outbound domestic wires $8/$5/$5 — below typical big-bank $15–$30
- IntraFi sweep to $3M; Scale savings 3.00% APY; unlimited users and virtual debit cards
Cons
- Checking earns 0% APY — savings yield is plan-gated and mid-pack at Starter/Grow
- Mobile check funds can take up to 7 business days
- Cash deposits via Allpoint+/Green Dot only — retailer fee up to $4.95, low caps
- Official Aug 2026 table lists $5 incoming domestic wires (conflicts with free-inbound marketing)
- BaaS structure (Thread Bank); sub-accounts do not multiply $250k FDIC; weekday-only support
Verdict
Capital One Business Checking
Capital One Business Basic ($15/mo, waived at $2,000 avg ledger) and Enhanced ($35/mo, waived at $25,000) are non-interest checking at Capital One, N.A. with unlimited fee-free digital transactions — a structural advantage over item-metered big-bank accounts. Cash splits by tier: Basic gives $5k free teller cash then $1/$1k (ATM cash at Cap One/select Allpoint exempt); Enhanced is $0 cash but designed for under $40k/month. Wires: Basic $15 in/$25 out domestic; Enhanced free inbound and first 5 outbound domestic. Thin branch network but 70,000+ ATMs. Modest software (QuickBooks feed, no invoicing/Zelle). Use Basic for low-balance digital ops; Enhanced for higher balances, wire volume, and two extra Basics.
Relay Business Checking
Relay Business Checking is an online SMB platform from Relay Financial Technologies with deposits at Thread Bank, Member FDIC, and IntraFi sweep to $3M. Checking is non-interest-bearing across Starter ($0), Grow ($30), and Scale ($90–$120) plans; savings APY is 1.11%/1.75%/3.00% as of May 1, 2026. Differentiator is operational: up to 20–50 checking buckets with auto-allocation, unlimited users, virtual Visa debits, and native QBO/Xero on Starter. Official Aug 11, 2026 fees: incoming domestic wire $5, outgoing $8/$5/$5, same-day ACH $1/$0.50/included. Weak on cash deposits, check holds (7 days), 0% checking, and BaaS partner-bank structure. Strong for Profit First digital SMBs; weak for cash retail and same-day check users.