Novo Business Checking
No monthly fee + invoicing/integrations; online-only; no cash deposits; 0% APY
U.S. Bank Business Checking
Branch + cash deposits + $0 entry checking; fee-heavy wires/ACH; weak checking APY
Costs & Fees
| Metric | Novo Business Checking | U.S. Bank Business Checking |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly maintenance | $0 unconditional | Essentials $0 unconditional; Gold $20; Platinum $30; Premium $34; Nonprofit $0 |
| Fee waiver | N/A — already $0 | Gold: Payment Solutions OR $10k avg collected OR $20k combined business deposits OR $50k deposits+credit (interest Gold: $25k/$50k/$75k). Platinum: Payment Solutions OR $25k collected OR $75k deposits+credit. Premium: offset via earnings credit. |
| Transaction fees | No excess-item fees on schedule. Operational limits on ACH, RDC, mailed checks, ATM, POS (raisable in-app). | Essentials: unlimited digital items; 25 teller/paper free/cycle then $0.50. Gold: 350 items then $0.45. Platinum: 550 then $0.40. Nonprofit: 1,800/year then $0.50 (billed January). Cash is separate unit fee. |
| Overdraft/NSF | $0 Insufficient Funds; $0 Uncollected Funds Returned. No overdraft protection product. | Overdraft Paid $0 if item ≤$5; $36 if ≥$5.01. Max 3 OD paid fees/day. Redeposited item $10. |
| ATM fees | Novo ATM fee $0. Third-party operator surcharge rebate max $7/customer/month. No branded free network disclosed. | USB/partner-logo ATM $0. Non-USB $3.00 per ATM transaction. MoneyPass surcharge refundable on request. Cash deposit at USB ATMs only. |
| Wire/ACH | Incoming domestic: $0. Outgoing domestic: up to $45 (online only, eligibility-gated). Incoming intl: $0 Novo-side. Outgoing intl: via Wise (Wise fees apply). Standard ACH in/out: $0. | Incoming domestic $14 Fedwire / $16 CTP / $7 internal. Outgoing digital domestic $30; branch $40. Incoming intl $20. Outgoing intl digital USD $45 / FX $75. ACH outgoing $1 standard / $3 same-day. Enhanced Payments ($25/mo): ACH $0.50, same-day $1.70, instant $0.75, domestic wire $16, intl USD $35. |
Interest & Yields
| Metric | Novo Business Checking | U.S. Bank Business Checking |
|---|---|---|
| Checking APY | 0% — non-interest-bearing (fee schedule Annual Percentage Yield 0%) | Essentials and Platinum: none (non-interest). Gold with Interest and Nonprofit: variable ~0.01% APY in aggregators; official rate ZIP-dependent. Premium: ECR not APY. |
| Savings APY | N/A — Reserves earn 0%; same deposit account | |
| FDIC coverage | FDIC pass-through at Middlesex Federal Savings, F.A. — $250,000 per depositor per ownership category | Standard FDIC $250,000 per depositor per ownership category at U.S. Bank N.A. |
Features & Access
| Metric | Novo Business Checking | U.S. Bank Business Checking |
|---|---|---|
| Branch/ATM network | No branches. Any ATM for withdrawal only — $7/month rebate cap. No ATM cash deposit. | ~2,066 branches in 26+ states. ~4,458 U.S. Bank ATMs. MoneyPass network (surcharge refundable on request). Cash deposit at USB ATMs and branches; not at non-USB ATMs. |
| Mobile app | iOS ~4.8; Android ~4.5–4.6 (secondary 2026 aggregators) | iOS 4.8 (~2.1M ratings); Google Play 4.7 (~492k–500k). Javelin 2026 Mobile Banking Scorecard #1 among large banks. |
| Virtual cards | Virtual debit included. Fine-grained merchant locks not documented. | Not a documented default of these DDA packages |
| Opening deposit | $0 ($1,000 recommended) | $25 |
| Eligibility | U.S. sole prop (incl. DBA), LLC, corp, partnership, 501(c)(3). Trusts not offered. One checking login per EIN. | Sole prop, LLC, corp, partnership, nonprofit (dedicated SKU). Holding company/fund/SPV not published — expect manual KYC. |
Pros & Cons
Novo Business Checking
Pros
- $0 monthly, $0 minimum, $0 NSF/stop-pay/statement/card replace (Feb 2026 schedule)
- Free standard ACH both ways; $0 inbound domestic and foreign wires
- Invoices + up to 20 Reserves in one account
- Stripe/Shopify/Square/QuickBooks/Xero connectors (40+ integrations)
- Virtual + physical debit; $7/month ATM rebate; fast U.S. online open including nonprofits
Cons
- No cash deposits at all
- 0% APY; Reserves earn nothing
- Advertised FDIC $250,000 only — no marketed multi-million sweep
- Outbound wires up to $45 and eligibility-gated; FX via Wise only
- Weekday support; added users get full owner access; freeze/hold complaints recur
U.S. Bank Business Checking
Pros
- Essentials: unconditional $0 monthly at a top-10 bank with unlimited digital items
- Official fee PDFs public (May 11, 2026 BPI; Aug 10, 2026 BEP)
- Branch + ~4,500 USB ATMs + MoneyPass surcharge refund path
- Gold/Platinum waive via merchant or collected balances; cash units to 125/250
- Essentials bundles $0-software Elavon acceptance + free first reader; Nonprofit $0 with 1,800 items/year
Cons
- Outgoing ACH $1 and domestic wires $30–$50 on default menu
- Essentials free cash only 25 units (~$2,500); excess $0.35/$100
- Checking APY none or ~0.01%; idle cash must leave operating DDA
- Overdraft paid $36 up to 3/day; paper statements default on Essentials ($6.50)
- FDIC $250k only; no public ICS
Verdict
Novo Business Checking
Novo Business Checking is a single-tier online account from fintech Novo Platform Inc. with deposits at Middlesex Federal Savings, F.A. (FDIC Cert. 28368). Feb 26, 2026 fee schedule: $0 monthly, $0 NSF, $0 standard ACH, $0 inbound wires, 0% APY. Costs appear on Express ACH (1.5%), Express Check Deposit (up to 2%), outbound wires (up to $45 when enabled), and ATM surcharges above $7/month rebate. Up to 20 Reserves inside same 0% account. Strong ecommerce integrations. No cash, no branches, $250k FDIC advertised. Fits indie digital businesses; weak for cash, treasury, international founders, and teams needing permission controls.
U.S. Bank Business Checking
U.S. Bank's SMB checking: Essentials ($0, unlimited digital, 25 teller/paper, 25 cash units), Gold ($20, 350 items, 125 cash), Platinum ($30, 550 items, 250 cash), Premium ($34 analyzed + ECR), Nonprofit ($0, 1,800 items/year). Deposits at U.S. Bank N.A., FDIC $250k. Fee PDFs May 11 and Aug 10, 2026. Expensive internals: ACH out $1, wires $30–$75, non-USB ATM $3, OD $36. Enhanced Payments $25/mo cuts unit prices. No core checking APY. $400/$1,200 bonus through Sep 27, 2026. Strong app; wire/ACH-heavy ops should compare against fintech DDAs.