Relay Business Checking
Startup / Profit First multi-account checking — $0 Starter, up to 20 checking buckets, QBO/Xero sync; no APY on checking
PNC Business Checking
Branch + cash deposits + analyzed treasury for higher-volume businesses; monthly fee waivable but not unconditionally free; no APY on standard checking
Costs & Fees
| Metric | Relay Business Checking | PNC Business Checking |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly maintenance | Starter $0; Grow $30; Scale $90 limited-time (list $120). Paid plans billed from designated checking account. | BC $12; Plus $22; Analysis $25; TEP $50. First 3 statement cycles $0 on BC/Plus/TEP. |
| Fee waiver | No balance waivers — Grow/Scale are subscriptions, not waivable by balance | 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. |
| 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. | 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. |
| Overdraft/NSF | $0 overdraft fees; transactions that would overdraw decline. Optional backup account internal pull (not a priced OD product). | $36 per item; max 4/day. Auto-refund if overdrawn ≤$5 after all items post. |
| 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. | 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). |
| 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 $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. |
Interest & Yields
| Metric | Relay Business Checking | PNC Business Checking |
|---|---|---|
| Checking APY | None — non-interest-bearing checking | None on BC, Plus, TEP DDA. Non-interest checking. |
| 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 | Standard FDIC $250,000 per depositor per ownership category at PNC Bank, N.A. |
Features & Access
| Metric | Relay Business Checking | PNC Business Checking |
|---|---|---|
| Branch/ATM network | No branches. Allpoint network (32k–55k+ cited). Cash deposit at Allpoint+ only ($1k/txn). Green Dot retail. | ~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. |
| Mobile app | iOS ~4.8; Android ~4.5 (~3.5k / ~1.1k reviews per 2026 aggregators) | 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. |
| Virtual cards | Included — physical + virtual Visa debit with freeze, limits, spend policies | Easy Lock + standard Visa controls. Full virtual-card program not offered as checking feature. |
| Opening deposit | $0 | $100 |
| 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, partnership, LLC/LLP, corporation, unincorporated association, nonprofit. Holding companies/funds/SPVs not listed — expect enhanced KYC. |
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
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
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.
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.