Relay Business Checking
Startup / Profit First multi-account checking — $0 Starter, up to 20 checking buckets, QBO/Xero sync; no APY on checking
Brex Business Account
Startup / mid-market treasury + multi-user spend platform; $0 banking fees; no cash/ATM
Costs & Fees
| Metric | Relay Business Checking | Brex Business Account |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly maintenance | Starter $0; Grow $30; Scale $90 limited-time (list $120). Paid plans billed from designated checking account. | $0 banking. Software: Essentials $0/user; Premium $12/user; Enterprise custom. |
| Fee waiver | No balance waivers — Grow/Scale are subscriptions, not waivable by balance | N/A — banking already $0; software is plan-priced |
| Transaction fees | No per-item checking cap published. Unlimited standard ACH and digital items. Same-day ACH extra: $1 Starter / $0.50 Grow / included Scale. | No published per-item or excess-item fees. Effectively unlimited electronic items at $0. |
| Overdraft/NSF | $0 overdraft fees; transactions that would overdraw decline. Optional backup account internal pull (not a priced OD product). | Overdrafts not permitted. Dollar fee amounts not disclosed. Negative 30+ days → closure per Column DDA. |
| ATM fees | Allpoint in-network $0 Relay fee. Out-of-network owner surcharge not rebated. Allpoint+ cash deposit $1,000/txn; cash withdrawal $400/txn. | Not offered — no ATM network. No cash withdrawal from account or Brex cards. |
| Wire/ACH | 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. | 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 | Relay Business Checking | Brex Business Account |
|---|---|---|
| Checking APY | None — non-interest-bearing checking | None — uninvested Checking cash earns no yield |
| Savings APY | 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 Thread Bank — combined across all Relay sub-accounts | Checking: $250,000 at Column N.A. per ownership category (all sub-accounts share cap) |
Features & Access
| Metric | Relay Business Checking | Brex Business Account |
|---|---|---|
| Branch/ATM network | No branches. Allpoint network (32k–55k+ cited). Cash deposit at Allpoint+ only ($1k/txn). Green Dot retail. | None. No branches, ATMs, or cash rails. |
| Mobile app | iOS ~4.8; Android ~4.5 (~3.5k / ~1.1k reviews per 2026 aggregators) | Google Play 4.6 (~2.16k–2.18k reviews). iOS U.S. rating should be re-checked live. |
| Virtual cards | Included — physical + virtual Visa debit with freeze, limits, spend policies | Included — charge card product with spend limits and policies (Premium: multiple customizable policies) |
| Opening deposit | $0 | $0 |
| Eligibility | U.S.-registered sole prop, LLC, C-corp, S-corp, partnership, nonprofit. Not supported: personal, escrow, trusts, Series LLCs, 401(k)s. | 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
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
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
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.
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.