PNC Business Checking
Branch + cash deposits + analyzed treasury for higher-volume businesses; monthly fee waivable but not unconditionally free; no APY on standard checking
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 | PNC Business Checking | Lili Business Account |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly maintenance | BC $12; Plus $22; Analysis $25; TEP $50. First 3 statement cycles $0 on BC/Plus/TEP. | 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 | 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. | No balance waiver on paid plans. Occasional new-applicant discounts not in fee table. |
| Transaction fees | 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. | Unlimited electronic items on published schedule. Priced extras: Express ACH, outgoing wires, Mail-a-Check, OON/international ATMs, plan subscription. |
| Overdraft/NSF | $36 per item; max 4/day. Auto-refund if overdrawn ≤$5 after all items post. | 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 | 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). | 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 $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. | 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 | PNC Business Checking | Lili Business Account |
|---|---|---|
| Checking APY | None on BC, Plus, TEP DDA. Non-interest checking. | None — non-interest-bearing on all tiers |
| Savings APY | 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 PNC Bank, N.A. | Standard FDIC $250,000 at Sunrise Banks, N.A. per depositor per ownership category |
Features & Access
| Metric | PNC Business Checking | Lili Business Account |
|---|---|---|
| Branch/ATM network | ~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. | No branches. MoneyPass 38,000–40,000+ ATMs for cash withdrawal only. No ATM cash deposit. |
| Mobile app | 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. | CreditDonkey Jul 2026: ~4.6 iOS / ~4.1 Android — re-check live stores |
| Virtual cards | Easy Lock + standard Visa controls. Full virtual-card program not offered as checking feature. | Digital debit yes; dedicated virtual-card/spend-control suite not disclosed |
| Opening deposit | $100 | $0 |
| Eligibility | Sole prop, partnership, LLC/LLP, corporation, unincorporated association, nonprofit. Holding companies/funds/SPVs not listed — expect enhanced KYC. | 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
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
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
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.
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.