Mercury Business Banking
Startup / multi-user digital ops — $0 monthly fee, free USD wires & ACH, no cash deposits, 0% checking APY
Lili Business Account
Startup/SMB digital checking with $0 Core fee, team access, Green Dot cash, savings APY, and IntraFi sweep to $3M
Costs & Fees
| Metric | Mercury Business Banking | Lili Business Account |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly maintenance | $0 on deposit accounts. Optional Plus ~$29.90–$35/mo; Pro $299/mo (software subscriptions, not DDA maintenance) | Core $0. Pro $15/mo or $144/yr. Smart $35/mo or $336/yr. Premium $55/mo or $528/yr. Subscription fees, not balance-waivable. |
| Fee waiver | N/A — core banking is $0 unconditional; Plus/Pro are optional paid software tiers | No balance waiver on paid plans. Occasional new-applicant discounts not in fee table. |
| Transaction fees | No per-item fees on ordinary ACH, wires, checks. Unlimited USD ACH, domestic wires, USD intl wires (SHA), RTP (Column). | Unlimited electronic items on published schedule. Priced extras: Express ACH, outgoing wires, Mail-a-Check, OON/international ATMs, plan subscription. |
| Overdraft/NSF | $0 overdraft fee; overdrafts not permitted — items may be rejected. Persistent negative ≥30 days may trigger closure. | Overdraft fee $0. Returned item (EFT) $0. Deposited-check returned $0. BalanceUp (Pro+ only) is discretionary courtesy pay $0–$200, not guaranteed coverage. |
| 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. | MoneyPass in-network $0 Lili fee. OON domestic $2.50 + surcharge. International ATM $5 + surcharge. Intl balance inquiry $2.50. No rebate. |
| 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 domestic wire $0. Outgoing domestic $15. Incoming intl $15 + correspondent FX. Outgoing intl $25 + 1% commission on USD principal + correspondent markup. Standard ACH $0. Express ACH 1.5%, min $0.50, max $20. |
Interest & Yields
| Metric | Mercury Business Banking | Lili Business Account |
|---|---|---|
| Checking APY | 0.00% — non-interest-bearing (Column Exhibit 1, Aug 14, 2026) | None — non-interest-bearing on all tiers |
| Savings APY | 0.00% APY on business savings (0.001% rate; Column Exhibit 1). Not a high-yield account. | 2.25% APY on portion up to $500,000; 4.00% on portion $500,000.01–$1,000,000; 0.00% above $1,000,000. Blended by tranche. All plans including Core. |
| FDIC coverage | Standard FDIC $250,000 per depositor per ownership category at Choice or Column | Standard FDIC $250,000 at Sunrise Banks, N.A. per depositor per ownership category |
Features & Access
| Metric | Mercury Business Banking | Lili 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. | No branches. MoneyPass 38,000–40,000+ ATMs for cash withdrawal only. No ATM cash deposit. |
| Mobile app | Trustpilot 4.0 (~2,761 reviews); Google Play ~4.6 (~1.76k); App Store ~4.9 (CA listing) | CreditDonkey Jul 2026: ~4.6 iOS / ~4.1 Android — re-check live stores |
| Virtual cards | Included — physical + virtual debit with freeze, merchant lock, spend limits | Digital debit yes; dedicated virtual-card/spend-control suite not disclosed |
| 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. | Sole prop (incl. DBA), LLC, GP, LLP, S-Corp, C-Corp, 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Not B-Corps, non-501(c)(3) tax-exempts, trusts. International: no sole props. |
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
Lili Business Account
Pros
- Core $0 with no min balance and $0 NSF/OD fee (Appendix A, Jul 2, 2025)
- Savings APY 2.25%/4.00% by tranche through $1M on all plans (rate sheet Jan 13, 2026)
- IntraFi sweep advertised to $3M via Sunrise + program banks
- Team/accountant roles and up to five businesses per login without per-seat fees
- Incoming domestic wires $0; debit card foreign-transaction fee $0; intl founder path (passport + EIN)
Cons
- Checking earns 0%; 4.00% applies only to $500k–$1M savings slice
- Cash deposits via Green Dot (retailer fee up to $4.95) capped at $5,000/month per cardholder
- Outgoing wires $15 domestic / $25 + 1% international; Express ACH 1.5%
- Invoicing and bill management require Smart ($35) or Premium ($55)
- No branches, no ATM cash deposit, no published RTP/FedNow or treasury API
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.
Lili Business Account
Lili Business Checking is a four-tier digital SMB package from Lili App Inc. with deposits at Sunrise Banks, N.A., wires via Column, cash via Green Dot, and IntraFi sweep to $3M. Core $0; Pro $15, Smart $35, Premium $55 sell software not cheaper banking. Checking 0% APY; linked savings pays 2.25% to $500k and 4.00% $500k–$1M (Jan 13, 2026). ACH and MoneyPass ATM free; outgoing wires $15/$25+1%; Express ACH 1.5%. Team roles on all plans. Strong for digital SMBs and intl founders with U.S. entity; weak for cash-heavy ops and multi-currency treasury.