Mercury Business Banking
Startup / multi-user digital ops — $0 monthly fee, free USD wires & ACH, no cash deposits, 0% checking APY
Brex Business Account
Startup / mid-market treasury + multi-user spend platform; $0 banking fees; no cash/ATM
Costs & Fees
| Metric | Mercury Business Banking | Brex Business Account |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly maintenance | $0 on deposit accounts. Optional Plus ~$29.90–$35/mo; Pro $299/mo (software subscriptions, not DDA maintenance) | $0 banking. Software: Essentials $0/user; Premium $12/user; Enterprise custom. |
| Fee waiver | N/A — core banking is $0 unconditional; Plus/Pro are optional paid software tiers | N/A — banking already $0; software is plan-priced |
| Transaction fees | No per-item fees on ordinary ACH, wires, checks. Unlimited USD ACH, domestic wires, USD intl wires (SHA), RTP (Column). | No published per-item or excess-item fees. Effectively unlimited electronic items at $0. |
| Overdraft/NSF | $0 overdraft fee; overdrafts not permitted — items may be rejected. Persistent negative ≥30 days may trigger closure. | Overdrafts not permitted. Dollar fee amounts not disclosed. Negative 30+ days → closure per Column DDA. |
| ATM fees | Mercury does not charge own ATM withdrawal fee (U.S.). Operator surcharge possible; business ATM rebate not confirmed on current help page. 3% FX on non-USD ATM cash. | Not offered — no ATM network. No cash withdrawal from account or Brex cards. |
| Wire/ACH | Incoming domestic: $0. Outgoing domestic: $0. Incoming intl: $0 from Mercury. Outgoing intl USD SHA: $0; USD OUR: $15; non-USD: 1% FX. ACH in/out: $0. Same-day ACH $0 if before 12pm PT and <$1M. | Incoming/outgoing domestic and international wires $0 Brex-issued. ACH domestic and international $0. Intermediary/recipient fees possible. Customer reimburses intermediary costs per Column DDA. |
Interest & Yields
| Metric | Mercury Business Banking | Brex Business Account |
|---|---|---|
| Checking APY | 0.00% — non-interest-bearing (Column Exhibit 1, Aug 14, 2026) | None — uninvested Checking cash earns no yield |
| Savings APY | 0.00% APY on business savings (0.001% rate; Column Exhibit 1). Not a high-yield account. | |
| FDIC coverage | Standard FDIC $250,000 per depositor per ownership category at Choice or Column | Checking: $250,000 at Column N.A. per ownership category (all sub-accounts share cap) |
Features & Access
| Metric | Mercury Business Banking | Brex Business Account |
|---|---|---|
| Branch/ATM network | No branches. Mastercard chip ATMs for cash withdrawal only — $1,000/card/business day, $3,000 company-wide. No cash deposits. | None. No branches, ATMs, or cash rails. |
| Mobile app | Trustpilot 4.0 (~2,761 reviews); Google Play ~4.6 (~1.76k); App Store ~4.9 (CA listing) | Google Play 4.6 (~2.16k–2.18k reviews). iOS U.S. rating should be re-checked live. |
| Virtual cards | Included — physical + virtual debit with freeze, merchant lock, spend limits | Included — charge card product with spend limits and policies (Premium: multiple customizable policies) |
| Opening deposit | $0 | $0 |
| Eligibility | U.S.-formed LLC, corp, partnership typical. EIN letter required. Trusts refused on business onboarding. International founders OK if U.S. entity and not in prohibited residence country. | U.S.-organized C-corp, S-corp, LLC, LLP only. Not sole props, consumers, unincorporated partnerships, or foreign-registered entities. Nonprofits case-by-case. |
Pros & Cons
Mercury Business Banking
Pros
- $0 monthly, $0 min, $0 overdraft fee on deposit accounts
- $0 domestic wires, $0 USD intl wires (SHA), $0 ACH, $0 same-day ACH under $1M/12pm PT
- Sweep FDIC marketed up to $5M; RTP/FedNow-style rails $0 on Column accounts
- Strong multi-user, virtual cards, QBO/Xero/NetSuite feeds, bill pay, invoicing on free tier
- IO charge card 1.5% cashback, $0 annual fee (Patriot Bank; separate product)
Cons
- Business checking/savings APY 0.00% — yield requires Treasury ≥$250k (SIPC, not FDIC)
- No cash deposits at all; ATM cash-out capped $1k/card, $3k company
- Fintech + partner-bank stack; documented closure/freeze complaint pattern
- 3% card FX and 1% non-USD wire; Plus/Pro needed for advanced AP/AR automation
- Treasury wrap fee 0.15%–0.60%; Choice consent order and bank migration uncertainty
Brex Business Account
Pros
- $0 opening, maintenance, ACH, check, and wire fees (Brex-issued)
- Three-bucket design: Column DDA + up to $6M Vault sweep + DGVXX Treasury (3.71% as of 09/01/26)
- 512 sub-checking accounts with distinct account/routing numbers
- Same-day outbound ACH at $0; 3:15 p.m. ET cutoff documented
- Tight coupling to expense, bill-pay, virtual charge cards, and API
Cons
- No cash, no ATM, no branches
- Checking and Vault earn 0%; Treasury yield is MMF/SIPC, not FDIC checking APY
- Eligibility excludes sole props and foreign entities; scale screen plus abrupt closure history
- Checking FDIC only $250k across all sub-accounts; $6M is sweep-only with caveats
- Card FX up to 3%; Premium software $12/user; wire FX markup not published
Verdict
Mercury Business Banking
Mercury is a fintech front end with deposits at Choice Financial Group and Column N.A. (FDIC), optional sweep to $5M. Core checking and savings have $0 monthly fee, $0 minimums, $0 overdraft fee, and $0 USD ACH/wires/RTP (Column). Checking and savings APY are 0.00%. Yield is separate Mercury Treasury (Apex/SIPC, 0.15–0.60% wrap) unlocked at $250k. Cash deposits not offered. Differentiator is startup-grade ops: multi-user permissions, virtual cards, QBO/Xero/NetSuite, bill pay, invoicing on free tier. Weak on 0% checking, no cash, partner-bank risk, and closure complaints. Do not treat Treasury yield as checking APY or Mercury as an FDIC member.
Brex Business Account
Brex business account is a three-bucket cash-management stack at Column N.A. (FDIC #58224, routing 121145349). Checking 0% APY with $250k FDIC shared across 512 sub-accounts. Vault sweeps to program banks for up to $6M FDIC (0% yield). Treasury in DGVXX via Brex Treasury LLC — up to 3.71% 7-day yield as of 09/01/26, not FDIC. Banking fees $0 on ACH/wires/checks. No cash/ATM/branches. Corp/LLC/LLP only; scale underwriting. Premium $12/user. Capital One acquired Brex Apr 2026. Closure risk is operational concern — keep backup bank. $1,000 card promo through Sep 30, 2026.