Best Relay alternatives

#1 alternative

Mercury

active

The US start-up current account, built with partner banks.

4.6

San Francisco · 200k businesses · ~$150M raised

7.6Solid

If you are a Delaware C-corp, Mercury is the opening account. If you invoice in AUD and EUR, add Airwallex or Wise Business.

Best for: US-incorporated start-ups that need a beautiful operating account.

Licence

Fintech with partner banks

Protection

Pass-through FDIC at Choice Financial Group and Column N.A., Members FDIC. Mercury is not a bank (Mercury footer).

Monthly

Free core operations

#2 alternative

Bluevine

active

US business checking and invoice factoring. Partner-bank, not a charter.

4.5

Jersey City · 500k+ businesses · ~$300M raised historically

7.0Solid

Bluevine (not Bluewine) is the US SMB checking + cash-flow brand. Mercury is prettier for start-ups. Relay is for multi-account ops.

Best for: US SMBs that want checking plus working-capital, and will read the partner-bank line.

Licence

Fintech with partner banks

Protection

FDIC pass-through via Coastal Community Bank and partners — confirm current list

Monthly

Free checking SKU; factoring and extras priced

#3 alternative

Novo

active

Simple US business checking for freelancers and small LLCs.

4.5

New York · 200k+ businesses · ~$140M raised

6.9Mixed

Novo is the on-ramp. Relay or Mercury is the upgrade.

Best for: US sole-props who found Mercury too start-up and Chase too 1998.

Licence

Fintech with partner banks

Protection

FDIC via Middlesex Federal and partners

Monthly

Free checking

#4 alternative

Found

active

US banking for the self-employed: taxes, invoices, and a debit card.

4.8

San Francisco · Self-employed base · Series-era (Allianz x others)

7.3Solid

Found is the freelancer current account. Novo is generic SMB. Relay is multi-entity ops.

Best for: US freelancers who hate QuickBooks more than they hate banks.

Licence

Fintech with partner banks

Protection

Pass-through FDIC at Lead Bank, Member FDIC. Found is not a bank. Do not use the old Piermont name — Found’s 2026 footer names Lead Bank.

Monthly

Free core

#5 alternative

RazorpayX

active

Razorpay’s business-banking layer. Current account at partner banks. Payouts API. Not a bank.

Bengaluru · Startup payouts · Razorpay

7.2Solid

RazorpayX is the payouts machine Indian startups already have. The deposit is at a scheduled bank. File it on Business next to Open and Airwallex (different legal object: Airwallex is not an RBI current account). Do not headline it as a neobank.

Best for: Indian firms that already collect on Razorpay and want the money to leave through the same dashboard.

Licence

Fintech overlay — current account at scheduled banks

Protection

DICGC follows the partner bank on the statement.

Monthly

Confirm live X plan

#6 alternative

Open

active

Business payments for Indian companies. The current account sits at a partner bank, not at Open.

Bengaluru · SME connected finance · Private

7.1Solid

Open is the dashboard a lot of Indian companies use to pay vendors, run payroll, and see balances in one place. The current account is at a scheduled bank — Open’s own site names ICICI Bank, State Bank of India, Axis Bank, Yes Bank and others. Open is the software. Compare it with RazorpayX, not with Jupiter.

Best for: Indian private limited companies and LLPs that want one dashboard on a named bank current account.

Licence

Fintech overlay / partner current account

Protection

If the current account is at a scheduled bank, DICGC can cover eligible deposits up to ₹5 lakh per depositor per bank at that bank. Open itself is not insured. Read the bank name on your statement.

Monthly

Plans sit on the live Open site. There is no single free plan we can print here.