A US business bank account for a new LLC is a checking account that accepts ACH and wire transfers under your company name, issues debit cards, and lets you separate personal spending from business spending without monthly fees on the entry tier.
Opening one in 2026 usually takes less than 20 minutes if you have your EIN, your LLC operating agreement, and a working phone. The hard part is choosing which fintech fits a single-member LLC with under fifty outgoing payments a month. The wrong pick costs lost wire fees, surprise FX margins, or a card decline on the first international supplier run.
Wise Business wins for US LLCs that invoice international clients and want the mid-market rate on every conversion. Mercury fits funded early-stage teams that live in a single currency and want polished treasury controls. Relay covers small US-only LLCs that need multiple sub-accounts, free ACH, and zero minimums.
Key facts: Wise Business offers a free starter plan with no monthly fee. Mercury requires no monthly fee on its standard checking tier. Relay is free for the basic plan with unlimited sub-accounts. All three are FDIC partner banks for US LLCs.
120 USD is the typical annual fee difference between choosing the wrong fintech and the right one for a US-only LLC processing 30,000 USD in revenue.
What a new US LLC actually needs from a business bank account
Solo founders and very small teams should pick on three jobs: separating business money from personal money, sending and receiving payments without per-transaction penalties, and surviving a tax review without missing statements. Anything that complicates those three jobs fails the test.
Pick a bank whose free tier covers your normal monthly volume. Most single-member LLCs move under 20,000 USD a month. If your tool charges a monthly fee that exceeds one ACH transfer, the math is already against you.
Skip any bank that requires a paid tier to send a wire or to receive a domestic ACH payment. These are basic plumbing for a US LLC, not premium add-ons. A paid tier should buy you real extras, not unlock the basics.
Start by listing your three most common payment scenarios. Domestic ACH, international wire, and card spend cover most small LLCs. Match the bank to the scenario you hit most, not the rare one.
Wise Business vs Mercury vs Relay at a glance
The table below compares monthly fees, ACH and wire costs, and the free-tier sub-account limit for a US-only LLC. All three are free on the entry tier, so binding limits matter more than subscription cost. Figures use published US pricing pages.
| Tool | Monthly fee | Domestic ACH send | International wire | Sub-accounts | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wise Business | 0 USD on Essential | Free | From 4.14 USD mid-market FX | Unlimited | International invoicing |
| Mercury | 0 USD on Standard | Free | From 20 USD | Up to 20 on paid tier | US-funded, single currency |
| Relay | 0 USD on Basic | Free up to 20 per month | Not standard | Unlimited | US-only, multi-account ops |
One number to remember: receiving a single 1,000 USD international wire through a traditional US bank typically costs the sender 25 to 45 USD in SWIFT fees. Wise sends the same wire for 4.14 USD plus the mid-market rate, saving the equivalent of 20 to 40 USD per transfer.
Wise Business: best for international invoicing
Wise Business is the only one of the three that publishes a real mid-market FX rate with no spread. For a US LLC billing a European client in EUR and paying a vendor in GBP, the difference adds up. A 10,000 USD conversion through a US retail bank hides 30 to 60 USD in spread. Wise charges the live rate plus a small fee.
The Essential tier is free forever and covers most solo founders. There is no monthly fee, no minimum balance, and free ACH sends. Paid tiers add features like batch payments, multi-currency debit cards, and team permissions, but the free tier is enough for a single-member LLC.
Skip Wise Business if you operate entirely in USD and never invoice a foreign client. The mid-market FX edge is wasted, and Mercury or Relay will feel simpler.
Wise publishes a free checking account option with FDIC-insured partner banks in the United States, debit cards in multiple currencies, and accounting integrations with Xero, QuickBooks, and Wave. Cards can hold balances in 50 plus currencies, which matters if you pay overseas contractors.
Mercury: best for US-funded single-currency teams
Mercury is built for US-incorporated teams that mostly receive and spend in USD. The dashboard is built for treasury work: ACH and wire support, virtual cards, custom permissions for contractors, and integrations with Ramp, Brex, and QuickBooks. For a solo founder with 200,000 USD or more in monthly revenue, the polish shows.
The Standard tier is free and includes the basics. Mercury also offers paid tiers like Startup and Scale that unlock treasury products, team seats, and the 1.5 percent APY on idle balances. Most solo LLCs do not need those.
Skip Mercury if you invoice international clients in EUR or GBP. The international wire fee starts at 20 USD and the FX rate includes a margin, which can erase 30 to 50 USD per transfer versus Wise.
Mercury does not support check deposits and does not issue physical debit cards outside the US. The product is a US-first treasury account, not a global one. Founders who occasionally need to deposit a paper check should plan a workaround.
Relay: best for US-only multi-account operations
Relay is the simplest pick for a US-only LLC that wants to separate operating money from tax reserve money from owner pay. The free Basic plan includes unlimited sub-accounts, each with its own account and routing number, plus free ACH sends up to 20 per month. For a single-member LLC running three buckets, that is enough.
The platform also issues physical and virtual debit cards, integrates with QuickBooks, and supports profit-first-style allocations on autopilot. Set a percentage of every deposit to route into a tax sub-account, and the books mostly handle themselves.
Skip Relay if you need international wires. Relay is a US-only product. There is no built-in foreign currency account, and SWIFT wires are not standard.
Relay’s paid tiers unlock more than 20 ACH sends a month, plus team seats and priority support. A solo founder on Basic rarely needs the upgrade. If you find yourself hitting the ACH ceiling, the Plus tier at 30 USD per month covers unlimited outgoing ACH.
The honest traps: what they do not put on the pricing page
Wire fees stack on top of FX spread. The 20 USD wire fee from Mercury or a US retail bank is the visible cost. The hidden cost is the 1.5 to 3 percent FX margin on the conversion. A 10,000 USD wire to a UK vendor can cost 150 to 300 USD in spread, plus the fee. Wise shows the spread; banks do not.
Free tiers lock the most useful features. Mercury holds the best treasury features behind a paid tier. Relay caps ACH at 20 per month on free. Wise charges for multi-currency cards beyond a small monthly allowance. Plan around your expected volume, not the headline “free”.
FDIC coverage is real but indirect. All three are fintechs, not chartered banks. Funds sit at FDIC partner banks, which is normal and legal, but you are trusting two companies instead of one. If the fintech pauses withdrawals, the bank still holds the money, but the operational risk sits in the fintech’s app.
International receiving accounts cost money. Wise lets you hold balances in 50 plus currencies with no monthly fee, but receiving money in some non-USD currencies costs a small percentage. Mercury and Relay do not offer this at all. If most of your client base is domestic, skip the foreign account.
Card declines on first international spend are common. All three need a few transactions and a few days of account history before approving large international card charges. New accounts can be flagged as suspicious. Warm the card with a small domestic purchase first.
How to open your business account in 20 minutes
Step 1: Gather your documents. Pull your EIN confirmation letter, your LLC operating agreement or articles of organization, and your US phone number. A passport or driver’s license handles identity verification.
Step 2: Pick the bank that matches your volume. International invoicing: Wise. US-funded, single-currency treasury: Mercury. US-only multi-account ops: Relay. Apply online with the EIN and the LLC name exactly as filed.
Step 3: Verify your identity. Each platform requires a selfie and a photo of your ID. Verification usually completes within 10 minutes, occasionally 24 hours for new applicants.
Step 4: Connect the account to your accounting tool. Wire the account into QuickBooks, Xero, or Wave. Set a chart of accounts that matches the sub-accounts you create. This is where Relay’s profit-first design pays off.
Step 5: Move your first deposit. Wire a small amount from a personal account or a client payment. Test an outgoing ACH to a known vendor. Confirm the integration shows the transaction before processing real revenue.
Final decision path
If you invoice clients in EUR, GBP, or any currency other than USD, pick Wise Business. The mid-market FX and low-cost international wires are unmatched, and the free tier is enough for a single-member LLC.
If your revenue is entirely US-based and you expect to grow past 100,000 USD a year, pick Mercury. The treasury dashboard, virtual cards, and integrations with QuickBooks are the best in class for single-currency operations.
If you are a US-only solo operator who wants profit-first sub-accounts and the lowest possible learning curve, pick Relay. The free Basic plan with unlimited sub-accounts covers most single-member LLCs, and the upgrade path is cheap.
Skip Wise if you never handle foreign currency. Skip Mercury if international wires matter. Skip Relay if you need to send or receive money outside the US. The wrong bank is not a disaster, but switching after you have wired your first major client payment is annoying.
For a broader view of business bank accounts for freelancers and a step-by-step guide to opening a US business account, see our comparison of the best business bank accounts and how to set up a US business bank account.
Basis: Pricing verified against Wise Business, Mercury, and Relay published US pricing pages (accessed October 2026). Figures are USD unless noted. We did not run hands-on tests on these accounts; recommendations are based on each vendor’s published fee schedule, their documentation, and standard US LLC banking patterns. Verify current fees on each platform before opening an account. Last updated: October 2026.
