Relay Business Checking
Startup / Profit First multi-account checking — $0 Starter, up to 20 checking buckets, QBO/Xero sync; no APY on checking
Rho Business Banking
Startup / growth-stage digital treasury + $0 wires/ACH + sweep FDIC on savings; no cash, no branches
Costs & Fees
| Metric | Relay Business Checking | Rho Business Banking |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly maintenance | Starter $0; Grow $30; Scale $90 limited-time (list $120). Paid plans billed from designated checking account. | $0 unconditional on checking and savings — no paid banking subscription tiers |
| Fee waiver | No balance waivers — Grow/Scale are subscriptions, not waivable by balance | N/A — core banking is $0 |
| 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. | Unlimited electronic ACH, wires, checks at $0 on published pricing. Savings limited to 6 outbound transfers/month. |
| Overdraft/NSF | $0 overdraft fees; transactions that would overdraw decline. Optional backup account internal pull (not a priced OD product). | $0 overdraft fees advertised; overdraft facility not published. NSF/return matrix not fully disclosed. |
| 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 — cards cannot withdraw cash at ATMs; no cash advance |
| 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 wire: $0. Same-day ACH: $0 before 2pm ET. Incoming intl: $0 Rho-side. Outgoing intl: $0 Rho fee + optional $15 SWIFT + 1% FX via Wise. Returned domestic wire ~$20–$45; recall $30 (conflict with help center 'recalls free'). |
Interest & Yields
| Metric | Relay Business Checking | Rho Business Banking |
|---|---|---|
| Checking APY | None — non-interest-bearing checking | 0% — non-interest-bearing DDA. Do not treat card cashback or Treasury yield as checking APY. |
| 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. | Variable competitive yield — no public rate sheet number; check live rate at rho.co/business-savings. Requires $25,000 average monthly balance or no interest. |
| FDIC coverage | Standard FDIC $250,000 per depositor per ownership category at Thread Bank — combined across all Relay sub-accounts | Checking: $250,000 at Webster/Santander. Savings: up to $75M advertised via ADM sweep ($250k per program bank). |
Features & Access
| Metric | Relay Business Checking | Rho Business Banking |
|---|---|---|
| Branch/ATM network | No branches. Allpoint network (32k–55k+ cited). Cash deposit at Allpoint+ only ($1k/txn). Green Dot retail. | None. No branches, no ATM cash access. |
| Mobile app | iOS ~4.8; Android ~4.5 (~3.5k / ~1.1k reviews per 2026 aggregators) | G2 4.8 (~121 reviews); iOS ~4.6–4.8 (small n); Android ~3.8 (5 reviews); Trustpilot low-to-mid 3s |
| Virtual cards | Included — physical + virtual Visa debit with freeze, limits, spend policies | Included — physical + virtual Mastercard with spend controls, merchant locks |
| 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.-based incorporated businesses — LLC, C-corp, S-corp, nonprofits with EIN. Sole proprietorships NOT eligible per FAQ. EIN required to move money. |
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
Rho Business Banking
Pros
- $0 monthly, $0 same-day ACH, $0 domestic wires, $0 mailed checks on published pricing
- Checking at Webster/Santander (Santander U.S. org ~$327B post 8/20/2026 close)
- Savings ADM sweep advertises $75M FDIC per entity via 400+ bank network
- Treasury RIA securities book (T-bills + funds) with dated net-yield grid and $50k minimum
- AP, expenses, invoicing, and QBO/NetSuite/Sage/Xero bundled at $0 per seat with role/approval controls
Cons
- No cash, no ATMs, no branches — requires second bank for cash businesses
- Checking earns 0%; operating cash in checking is a yield leak
- $75M FDIC headline is savings-only; checking capped at $250k Webster
- Treasury 4.60% is VFSTX/$20M+/15bp case — SIPC not FDIC, market risk, 2–3 day liquidity
- Sole props ineligible; strict industry/geo KYC; savings APY not published; 6 savings transfers/month
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.
Rho Business Banking
Rho is a fintech (Under Technologies, Inc.) with checking and cards at Webster Bank, a division of Santander Bank, N.A. ($250k FDIC). Rho Savings is a separate ADM sweep to $75M (400+ banks) with $25k average balance gate for interest. Rho Treasury is SIPC securities (T-bills + funds) at $50k min with 15–60 bp wrap. Published banking price is $0 for monthly fee, ACH, same-day ACH, domestic wires, and mailed checks. Differentiator is bundled AP, expenses, invoicing, and ERP integrations at $0 per seat. No cash or ATMs. Checking 0% APY. Fits incorporated cashless startups; not sole props or cash businesses. Re-verify savings APY and Treasury yields quarterly.