Relay Business Checking
Startup / Profit First multi-account checking — $0 Starter, up to 20 checking buckets, QBO/Xero sync; no APY on checking
Found Business Banking
$0 monthly fee + built-in taxes/bookkeeping for self-employed; APY only on paid plans or card-spend bonus
Costs & Fees
| Metric | Relay Business Checking | Found Business Banking |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly maintenance | Starter $0; Grow $30; Scale $90 limited-time (list $120). Paid plans billed from designated checking account. | Found Free $0. Optional Plus $35/mo or $315/yr; Pro $80/mo or $720/yr. No balance waiver required. |
| Fee waiver | No balance waivers — Grow/Scale are subscriptions, not waivable by balance | N/A — Free tier has $0 maintenance; Plus/Pro are optional subscriptions |
| 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 excess-item or per-count fees on ACH, deposited checks, or electronic items. Unlimited standard ACH in/out. |
| Overdraft/NSF | $0 overdraft fees; transactions that would overdraw decline. Optional backup account internal pull (not a priced OD product). | No overdraft fees. Account not designed to overdraft; negative balance from merchant adjustments or ACH timing risks closure. |
| 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. | Found does not add ATM fee. Operator surcharge possible. No surcharge rebate. No branded free network. |
| 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 domestic: $0. Outgoing domestic: $15 (Free/Plus), $10 (Pro). Incoming intl USD: $0 (SWIFT LEADUS49). Outgoing intl: not disclosed/not offered. Standard ACH in/out: $0 unlimited. |
Interest & Yields
| Metric | Relay Business Checking | Found Business Banking |
|---|---|---|
| Checking APY | None — non-interest-bearing checking | Free: 0% ongoing. Yield is monthly Balance bonus labeled APY — variable, paid 1st of following month. |
| 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. | N/A — Pockets are sub-accounts in same checking; same yield rules apply |
| FDIC coverage | Standard FDIC $250,000 per depositor per ownership category at Thread Bank — combined across all Relay sub-accounts | FDIC pass-through via Lead Bank — $250,000 per depositor per ownership category |
Features & Access
| Metric | Relay Business Checking | Found Business Banking |
|---|---|---|
| Branch/ATM network | No branches. Allpoint network (32k–55k+ cited). Cash deposit at Allpoint+ only ($1k/txn). Green Dot retail. | No branches. Any Mastercard ATM for withdrawal — Found $0, no rebate. ATM cash-out $550/day new, $1,550/day established. No ATM cash deposit. |
| Mobile app | iOS ~4.8; Android ~4.5 (~3.5k / ~1.1k reviews per 2026 aggregators) | iOS Found: Business Banking ~4.8 (~26k–34k ratings); Google Play ~4.7 (~16k–18.5k reviews) |
| Virtual cards | Included — physical + virtual Visa debit with freeze, limits, spend policies | Virtual + team cards with spend limits; lock/delete virtual cards |
| 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. | Sole prop, single/multi-member LLC, C-Corp, S-Corp, partnership. Nonprofits can use banking/invoicing (tax tools poor fit). Up to 4 additional beneficial owners plus primary. |
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
Found Business Banking
Pros
- $0 maintenance, $0 min balance, $0 overdraft fee, unlimited standard ACH (Jul 13, 2026 schedule)
- Native tax Pocket, estimates, write-offs, invoicing, and 1099 contractor tools on Free
- Pockets with dedicated account numbers; up to 5 businesses per login
- Incoming domestic + USD international wires at $0 from Found; SWIFT LEADUS49
- Optional 2.50% APY no cap on Pro; 1% card cash-back on Pro; strong app-store ratings
Cons
- Found is not a bank; pass-through FDIC $250,000 at Lead Bank only
- Cash ($2/deposit after 1 free/month) and mobile-check caps low for cash businesses
- Free APY is $0 or spend-gated bonus; Plus yield capped at $20k and can be eaten by subscription
- No surcharge-free ATM network; no ATM cash deposit
- Patterned freeze/hold complaints; outgoing FX wires, checkbooks, ICS, and W-2 payroll absent
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.
Found Business Banking
Found is an online business checking platform from Indie Technologies with deposits at Lead Bank (FDIC Cert. 8283). Three tiers share same rails: Free ($0), Plus ($35/mo), Pro ($80/mo). Jul 13, 2026 schedule: $0 maintenance, $0 overdraft, unlimited free ACH. Costs on wires ($10–$15), mailed checks ($1, free Pro), Instant/Express payouts, cash ($2 after 1 free/month), dormancy ($10/12 mo). Yield: Free 0% or 2% card-spend bonus; Plus 1.50% on first $20k; Pro 2.50% no cap + 1% card cash-back. Differentiator is built-in tax Pocket, Schedule C books, invoicing, and contractor 1099s. Cash capped $2k/week and $4k/month at retail. $250k FDIC only. Strong app UX; freeze/support complaints are operational risk.