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9 Best Free Business Checking Accounts

Explore free small business checking accounts with free transactions, no monthly fee or overdrafts.

A business bank account helps keep your personal expenses separate from your business expenses and keeps you stay in the clear from a legal and compliance standpoint. In addition to this base necessity, the best free business checking accounts have no monthly maintenance fees, no minimum opening deposit or overdraft fees and offer built-in tools to help you manage your cash flow.

Why trust Finder?

  • 300+ banks and credit unions reviewed
  • 50+ business checking accounts analyzed and rated by our team of experts
  • Evaluated under our unbiased rating system covering 13 categories
  • 20+ years of combined experience covering financial topics

We're big on editorial independence. That means our content, reviews and ratings are fair, accurate and trustworthy. We don't let advertisers or partners sway our opinions. Our financial experts put in the hard work, spending hours researching and analyzing hundreds of products based on data-driven methodologies to find the best accounts and providers for you. Explore our editorial guidelines to see how we work.

Best free business checking accounts

Do a deep dive into the best accounts by comparing their pros and cons:

Best overall

NBKC Business Checking

9.2 Excellent

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NBKC takes the win for best overall business checking account. It has very few fees, requires no deposit to open and has no minimum balance requirement. You'll pay $0 on nearly every function, including overdrafts, e-statements, stop payments, and incoming domestic wires. And if you use an out-of-network ATM and incur a fee, the account offers up to $12 in reimbursements per month.
APYN/A
Fee$0 per month
Minimum deposit to open$0

Best for freelancers

Found

9 Excellent

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on Found's secure site
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Found only services businesses operated by one person like gig workers and freelancers. The base account has no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements, and since it's only designed for single-person businesses, it has some great specialized features. You can create invoices, track expenses and income, create basic reports, and calculate and save taxes in Found's savings account. Plus business owners can choose to upgrade to Found Plus for $19.99 a month or $149.99 per year to earn additional perks, such as a 1.5% APY on balances up to $20,000 and custom expense categories
APY1.50%
FeeFrom $0 per month
Minimum deposit to open$0

Best for accountants and bookkeepers

Novo Business

8.4 Great

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Novo earns our best pick for accountants and bookkeepers thanks to its list of supported software integrations: you can connect Novo to Slack, Stripe, Zapier, Venmo and more. The account also carries no monthly fees and has no minimum deposit requirement to open. Plus, there's no ATM fees, foreign transaction fees, incoming wire fees, or debit card replacement fees. This all makes Novo an ideal choice for accountants, but also for other small businesses like restaurants or hair stylists that want to keep their business finances and information all in one place.
APYN/A
Fee$0 per month
Minimum deposit to open$0

Best for team access

Relay

9.6 Excellent

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Relay takes the crown for best account for team access as it allows businesses to create up to 20 checking accounts and customize them as needed, whether as a way to categorize finances or assign accounts to specific teams for their own needs. It's also a flexible business checking account aside from this strength, with a baseline of no minimum opening deposit and no monthly, foreign transaction or ATM fees. This business account also lets you assign up to 50 debit cards to employees, while maintaining control over daily spending and ATM withdrawals. You can also open up to two savings accounts to earn 1.75% to 3.76% APY, depending on your balance. And get up to $3 million in FDIC insurance coverage through its network of program banks.
APYUp to 3.76%
Fee$0 per month
Minimum deposit to open$0

Best for high APY

Bluevine Business Checking

9 Excellent

You can earn $300 when you open a new Bluevine Business Checking account and meet eligibility requirements. Apply with referral code CA300.
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With a rate of up to 1.5% APY, Bluevine wins our pick for best business account for it's high APY on it's free plan option, Bluevine Standard. This is the highest interest rate available on a free business checking account on balances up to $250,000. To earn this, businesses only need to make $500 in debit or credit card transactions each month, or receive $2,500 in customer payments each month. You'll also get high FDIC insurance up to $3 million through Coastal Community Bank and a network of program banks. You'll enjoy no monthly fees, have unlimited transactions, the ability to create subaccounts, take advantage of team management tools, and access Green Dot, Allpoint and MoneyPass ATMs for cash withdrawals and deposits. And if you can swing it, you can choose a paid plan, either Plus for $30 per month or Premier for $95 per month, both of which can offer higher APYs with no activity requirements, and you can waive the monthly fees.
APYUp to 3.70%
FeeFrom $0 per month
Minimum deposit to open$0

Best for free domestic wire transfers

Mercury

8.8 Great

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Mercury is best for free wire transfers as it offers free domestic wire transfers and free outgoing international wires in USD. This is quite generous for a business checking account, as many accounts at least charge international wire transfers. You'll pay $0 to open and maintain the account and there are no overdraft fees. The only fees featured are on optional functions, like exchanging money in non-US currency or sending money internationally with premium processing. Mercury also offers an array of business integrations like QuickBooks and Stripe, and the potential to open up a cash management account earning a high yield when you have a large enough balance. While the account comes with a checking and savings account, you won't earn interest with either.
APYN/A
Fee$0 per month
Minimum deposit to open$0

Best for early access to payments

Lili

7.8 Great

Get 30 days free plus 40% off for 3 months.
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While there are other accounts on our list that also offer early access to payments, Lili wins due to the ease. Most other accounts require a third-party app integration or a setup to access early payment features. The free Lili Basic plan has no monthly fee, no minimum opening deposit, and no overdraft fees. The free plan also lets you set up automatic savings for emergencies, receive domestic and international wires and enjoy a large fee-free ATM network. With the paid plans, starting at $9 per month, you can automatically set aside a portion of your paycheck for taxes as well. And while many digital banks don't support cash deposits at all, Lili accepts them at Green Dot locations.
APY3.00%
FeeFrom $0 per month
Minimum deposit to open$0

Best for landlords

Baselane

9.2 Excellent

Up to 5% cash back on debit card spend
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on Baselane's secure site
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Baselane is a free property management account built for landlords and real estate investors, supporting individuals, LLCs, partnerships and corporations. It offers tools like automated late fee settings, transaction importing, cash flow analytics, and integrations with Airbnb, QuickBooks, Venmo and more. Renters can pay rent for free via ACH transfer and opt into rent reporting, and users can create unlimited subaccounts and virtual cards, and import or export CSV files. Earn a competitive 3.35% APY on balances over $50,000, or 1.75% APY for balances under $10,000, plus get unlimited 1% cashback on purchases and up to 5% back on eligible home improvement expenses. With up to $3 million in deposit insurance through Thread Bank, Baselane is a solid choice for property management — but there's no mobile app.
APYUp to 3.35%
Fee$0 per month
Minimum deposit to open$0

Best for free reimbursements

Axos Bank Basic Business Checking

9 Excellent

Open a business checking account by September 30 and get up to $400 when you use promo code NEW400 on your application and maintain a minimum average daily balance of $50,000.
Axos Bank's Basic Business Checking account wins a spot on our list thanks to a generous reimbursement policy that few other business bank accounts can match. It offers unlimited domestic ATM fee reimbursements and two outgoing wire transfer fee reimbursements per month. Axos also gifts the first 50 checks for free, and incoming domestic wire transfers are free as well. To cap off the generosity, there's no monthly fee or minimum opening deposit, resulting in a friendly, lenient business banking champion.
APYN/A
Fee$0 per month
Minimum deposit to open$0

Methodology: How we choose the best accounts

Finder’s banking experts review more than 41 business checking accounts to determine which banks offer the best perks and features to businesses at no extra cost. We choose the accounts with the highest APYs, most software integrations, and least number of miscellaneous fees for a given category on our list. But for our experts to consider an account for this list, it must first meet the following criteria:

  • $0 monthly fee
  • $0 opening deposit
  • $0 overdraft fee
  • $0 incoming domestic wire fees or reimbursements for wire fees
  • $0 ATM fees or an option for ATM reimbursements

How to find the best free business checking account

Find the best account for your business needs by considering these factors:

  • Monthly fees. Some business bank accounts charge a monthly fee. This fee comes in at around $7 a month based on Finder’s internal data.
  • Minimum opening deposit. Look for an account with no deposit requirement, so that you don’t have to transfer money during your application process.
  • Integrations. Many business accounts come with some form of software integration, such as connecting to QuickBooks. These can make tracking and managing your business finances or taxes much easier.
  • Transaction limits. Unlike personal checking accounts, business accounts limit how many deposits and transfers you make each month before you pay a fee. Most have a 200 to 500 transaction limit, but you’ll find some that offer unlimited transactions.
  • Interest. While it’s rare for a business checking account to offer interest, there are some like Bluevine that offer strong yields when you meet certain requirements. If you want to grow your money, look for one that earns above the national average which is currently at 0.07% APY for checking accounts, according to the FDIC.
  • Overdraft fees. The average overdraft fee will cost around $30, according to the FDIC. If you’re prone to overdraw on your account, these fees can add up quickly and hurt your finances. All of the accounts on our best list omit this fee or offer overdraft protection.
  • Cash deposits. Although most online business checking accounts don’t come with the ability to make cash deposits, some like Bluevine are starting to offer it for a fee. Check the bank’s ATM network as well as whether they offer reimbursements for ATM fees.
Steven Dashiell's headshot
Our expert says: Consider where your business will operate before opening an account

"Some banks only allow you to open a business bank account in the same state where your business operates and where one member of the LLC resides. If you need to access your account in other states as well, look at banks that service a wide network in the US, such as Chase or Capital One. Also look at online and digital business bank accounts, which offer more flexibility in this area."

Senior writer

Free business checking accounts by state

Use this table to find which free business checking accounts are available in your state or online. Compare features like monthly transaction limits and minimum opening deposits of each to find one that best suits your needs.

What do I need to open a free business checking account online?

Applying online for a business account typically takes a few minutes with the right documents in hand, but the exact steps will look different from bank to bank. Here is what you’ll need to bring with you.

  1. Social Security number
  2. Government-issued ID
  3. Employee Identification Number (EIN)
  4. Business certifications
  5. Ownership agreements

Can I open a free business checking account online with no minimum deposit?

Yes, there are many free online business accounts that don’t require a minimum opening deposit or minimum balance. A few examples include NBKC Business Checking, Lili, Found, Novo and Bluevine Business Checking.

Because digital business accounts have less overhead costs than traditional accounts, they’re able to offer better perks, like no minimum opening deposits to their customers.

Compare top business checking accounts

Narrow down business accounts by monthly fee, APY and ATMs to find the best for your budget and financial goals. Select Compare for up to four products to see their benefits side by side.

Product Finder Score Fee Annual Percentage Yield (APY) FDIC Insured Amount Software Integrations Account management Bank transfer fee Bonus offer
North One logo
Finder score
From $0 per month
3.00% on balances of $0 to $250,000
2.50% on balances of $0 to $250,000
Up to $250,000
PayPal, Stripe, Square, Etsy, Airbnb, Amazon and more
Online, App, Phone
$0
Airwallex logo
Finder score
$0 per month
N/A
Up to $250,000
Amazon, Quickbooks, Zapier, Shopify, Xero, Hubspot and more
Online, App, Phone
$0
Found logo
Finder score
From $0 per month
1.50% on balances of $0 to $20,000
Up to $250,000
QuickBooks, Stripe, Cash App, PayPal, Square, etc.
Online, App, Phone
$0
Grasshopper logo
Finder score
$0 per month
1.80% on balances of $25,000 to $250,000
1.00% on balances of $0.01 to $24,999.99
1.00% on balances of $250,000.01+
Up to $125 million
Plaid, Quickbooks, Autobooks
Online, App, Phone
$0
Earn unlimited 1% cash back on online and signature-based purchases with your free physical Visa debit card or instant-issue virtual cards.
Novo logo
Finder score
$0 per month
N/A
Up to $250,000
Quickbooks, Stripe, Square, Xero, and more
Online, App, Phone
$0
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What is the Finder Score?

The Finder Score crunches over 300 checking accounts from hundreds of financial institutions. It takes into account the product's monthly fees, overdraft fees, opening deposit, customer support options, ATM network and features — this gives you a simple score out of 10.

To provide a Score, Finder’s banking experts analyze hundreds of checking accounts against what we consider is the best option: no monthly fees, no overdraft fees, a large ATM network of 50,000 or more, additional features outside of typical banking services, and the optional perk of earning interest. Accounts that are nearly free to maintain and use are scored the highest, while accounts with costly fees and few features are scored the lowest.

Read the full Finder Score breakdown

Bottom line

Whether you started your business today or have been making money for years, there’s a free business checking account out there to meet your banking needs. Be sure to find one that can accommodate the size of your business and won’t hit you with little fees if you have a better month than usual. The best business checking accounts are ones that offer a perfect mix of features, high transactions and low fees.

Cassidy Horton's headshot
Written by

Writer

Cassidy Horton is a freelance personal finance copywriter and past contributing writer for Finder. Her writing and banking expertise have been featured in Forbes Advisor, Money, The Balance, Money Under 30, Insure.com, and other top digital publishers. She holds a BS in public relations and an MBA from Georgia Southern University. See full bio

Steven Dashiell's headshot
Co-written by

Senior writer

Steven Dashiell is an editor for Bankrate and CreditCards.com and formally a personal finance writer at Finder, specializing in credit cards, banking and growing and protecting your income. His insights and expertise has been featured on Nasdaq, U.S. News & World Report, Time, CBS, ABC, Fox Business, Lifehacker and Martha Stewart Living, among other top media. Steve holds a BA in English from University of Maryland, Baltimore County, minoring in composition and rhetoric. In his spare time Steve nerds out on birds, paints and plays a whole lot of Street Fighter. See full bio

Steven's expertise
Steven has written 47 Finder guides across topics including:
  • Credit cards
  • Budgeting and saving
  • Rewards programs

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