Best Banks for Small-Business Checking 2023

Which bank deserves your business’s business? We analyzed dozens of business checking accounts to help you decide.
Best overall
BlueVine
Bluevine
$0 monthly fee
  • pro
    $0 minimum opening deposit
  • pro
    Interest-bearing checking
Best for solopreneurs
Lili logo
Lili
$0 or $9 monthly fee
  • pro
    $0 minimum opening deposit
  • pro
    Basic checking only
Fastest approval
Small Business Bank
Small Business Bank
$0 monthly fee
  • pro
    $5 minimum opening deposit
  • pro
    Basic checking only
Best for scaling
Axos
Axos Bank
$0 monthly fee
  • pro
    $100 minimum opening deposit for interest account
  • pro
    Basic, interest-bearing, & analyzed checking
Best for freelancers
found-logo
Found
$0 monthly fee
  • pro
    $0 minimum opening deposit
  • pro
    Banking, taxes, bookkeeping and invoices included

Data effective 2/23/23. At publishing time, rates, fees, and requirements are current but are subject to change. Offers may not be available in all areas.

We are committed to sharing unbiased reviews. Some of the links on our site are from our partners who compensate us. Read our editorial guidelines and advertising disclosure.

Checking out your checking account options? Then you’ll love our rankings of the best banks for small-business checking.

Below, we’ve identified which banks have the best checking and what makes them stand out. We’ve chosen these banks based on their account offerings, banking fees, availability, customer reviews, and other key factors. And for bonus points, all of our picks offer nationwide banking for busy, on-the-go entrepreneurs.

We found that Bluevine offers the best small-business checking overall, thanks to the lack of almost any fees, a great interest rate, and ease of use.

But let’s take a look at all your best nationwide checking account choices.


Banking built for small businesses: Bluevine

Set your business up for success with a checking account that has no monthly or overdraft fees and earns you up to $5,000 in interest each year.


Compare the Top Small Business Checking Accounts

Bank
Type
Lowest monthly fee
Min. opening deposit
Free transactions per month
Get a bank account
BluevineOnline$0$0Unlimited
LiliOnline$0$0Unlimited
Small Business Bank

Online

$0

$5

Unlimited

Axos Bank

Online

$0

$0

Unlimited

FoundOnline$0$0Unlimited

Data effective 2/23/23. At publishing time, rates, fees, and requirements are current but are subject to change. Offers may not be available in all areas.

Choosing the Right Small Business Checking Account

To choose the best nationwide checking account for your business, you’ll want to consider a few key factors.

Features

First, think about features. For example, if you prefer in-person banking, for example, you’ll want to check out how many branches are near you. But if you plan to withdraw lots of cash, you’ll care more about ATM density. You might also care about customer service (what hours you can contact support and how you can get in touch) or other products a bank offers (like credit cards, business loans, and merchant services).

And if you use certain accounting software or credit card processing service, you should make sure your bank account will integrate with it.

Basic Business Checking Account Features
Bullhorn

With pretty much any checking account, you’ll get a free debit card. You should also get access to both online and mobile banking.

Fees

You should also look for these common fees:

  • Monthly service fees
  • Transaction fees
  • Deposit fees
  • Overdraft fees
  • ATM fees

Find out if you get a certain number of free transactions, free cash deposits, or reimbursed ATM fees. (Most online banks offer unlimited transactions for free. Most brick-and-mortar banks have a transaction limit, after which you have to pay.)

And remember, most banks have an option to waive your monthly maintenance fees. However, in some cases, you have to maintain a specific minimum balance requirement or make a certain number of transactions. Of course, if that’s too much hassle, you can just go with a bank that doesn’t charge monthly fees.

Ultimately, how much you prioritize cheap fees over ATM locations will depend on how you bank. But these criteria should give you a good starting point.

Bluevine: Best Overall Small Business Checking Account

Bluevine
BlueVine
Bluevine

$0 monthly fee for checking

  • Online banking only
  • Online applications accepted

Data as of 12/9/22. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

Bluevine offers the best small-business checking account we’ve found.

That’s partially because Bluevine has interest-bearing checking, letting you earn up to 2.0% interest on balances of up to $250,000. That’s the best rate we’ve found for business interest checking (although you do have to qualify by using your Bluevine debit card or receiving payments in your account).

Plus, Bluevine offers free business checking, so you don’t have to make a minimum deposit to get an account, you won’t pay a monthly maintenance fee, you won’t have to maintain a minimum balance, and you don’t have to worry about transaction fees, or other common banking fees.

Bluevine comes with other key advantages too. For example, Bluevine recently added two free sub-accounts to its business checking. That way, you can set aside money for taxes, a planned purchase, or something else. Bluevine also gives you free checkbooks when you open an account

And though it is an online-only financial technology ("fintech") company, Bluevine makes it easy to deposit cash at any Green Dot location (often found in Walmarts, Walgreens, and other stores) for a small fee. 

As you can see, it’s just an all-around solid checking account. With all that, it’s easy to see why Bluevine has the best business checking account for most business owners.

Pros
pro Interest-bearing checking
pro Easy cash deposits
pro Availability in 50 states
Cons
con No interest on balances over $250,000
con No branch locations

Lili: Best for Solopreneurs

Lili
Lili logo
Lili

$0 or $9 monthly fee for checking

  • Online banking only
  • Online applications accepted

Data effective 12/9/22. At publishing time, rates, fees, and requirements are current but are subject to change. Offers may not be available in all areas.

Is your business a one-person show? Then check out Lili, a bank designed for solopreneurs.

Lili has all kinds of features to make things easier on solo operations―like a sub-account that you can use to automatically set aside money for taxes. Or invoicing software, to help you bill your clients. And expense management tools, including sorting to help you get the most deductions possible.

But Lili has more than just freelancer tools. It has features like a cashback debit card and a bonus savings account. It also earns positive customer reviews. Just note that you do need to pay for Lili Pro ($9.00) to get the most out of Lili―but we think it’s worth the cost.

Put simply, Lili offers better banking for solo operations.

Pros
pro Tax, invoicing, and other tools for freelancers and solopreneurs
pro Excellent customer reviews
pro Availability in 50 states
Cons
con Monthly fee for best tools
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Small Business Bank: Fastest Account Approval

Small Business Bank
Small Business Bank
Small Business Bank

$0 monthly fee for checking

  • Online banking only
  • Online applications accepted

Data effective 12/9/22. At publishing time, rates, fees, and requirements are current but are subject to change. Offers may not be available in all areas.

Can’t wait several days to get approved for a checking account? Go with Small Business Bank.

Small Business Bank brags that it usually approves accounts either the day you apply or the day after. (Many other banks admit their process can take days or even weeks.) And even if Small Business Bank requires a little extra paperwork from you, it has nice, long customer support hours―giving you time to get everything in.

And don’t worry―Small Business Bank has more than account-opening speed going for it. It’s also quite affordable, since Small Business Bank doesn’t charge a monthly service charge or any transaction fees on its checking account (though unlike truly fee-free banks, you may encounter an nonsufficient funds fee or an incoming wire fee).

Why wait around to get approved? With Small Business Bank, you could have free business checking this time tomorrow.

Pros
pro Same-day account approval
pro Long customer support hours
pro Availability in 50 states
Cons
con Potential fees on free account
con Outdated website and app

Axos Bank: Best for Scaling Businesses

Axos Bank
Axos
Axos Bank

$0 monthly fee for checking

  • Online banking only
  • Online applications accepted

Data effective 12/9/22. At publishing time, rates, fees, and requirements are current but are subject to change. Offers may not be available in all areas.

Planning on growing your business a lot? Axos Bank can keep up.

Axos Bank offers checking accounts for businesses of many sizes. It offers an affordable basic checking account for small businesses that need a cheap solution, an interest-bearing account for businesses with higher account balances, and analyzed checking for commercial power users.

You’ll also find other types of bank accounts and banking services. Because while you may just need a checking account right now, you’ll probably need more from your bank―like merchant services or treasury management―as your business grows.

So rather than switch banks as your business scales, let Axos Bank grow alongside your business.

Pros
pro Variety of business checking accounts
pro Accounts for small and large businesses
pro Availability in 50 states
Cons
con High minimum opening deposits
con Negative customer reviews

Found: Best for Freelancers

Found
found-logo
Found

$0 monthly fee for checking

  • Online banking only
  • Online applications accepted

Data effective 2/23/23. At publishing time, rates, fees, and requirements are current but are subject to change. Offers may not be available in all areas.

Found is an all-in-one platform making it easy for freelancers to bank, send and receive invoices, and care for their bookkeeping and taxes. And the best part - all of this is free. 

It also allows freelancers to accept payment through Venmo or PayPal and other apps. With Found, you can link your checking account to all of these apps and have your money transferred for free within 2 days. 

The application is quick and easy and does not require your credit score. Once you are accepted, you are welcome to use all of their services for no monthly fees and unlimited transactions. 

Pros
pro No monthly maintenance fees
pro Free bookkeeping and tax tools included
Cons
con No mobile check deposits
con No phone support

Honorable Mentions

We love the banks and fintechs above, but they aren’t your only good options. We’ve got five more checking accounts to recommend.

Heads up, though: the entities recommended above all happen to be online, which means you can enjoy nationwide banking. But with traditional banks, like most of our honorable mentions, your location matters. So keep in mind that you may not be able to use the banks below, depending on where you are. (That’s why we’ve found the best bank for business in your state.)

Compare honorable mention small-business checking accounts

Bank
Type
Lowest monthly fee
Min. opening deposit
Free transactions per month
Get a bank account
Online$0$0Unlimited
Online$0$0Unlimited
Online$10$50Unlimited
Online$0$50Unlimited
Traditional$0$1200

Data effective 2/23/23. At publishing time, rates, fees, and requirements are current but are subject to change. Offers may not be available in all areas.

NBKC Bank: Best Personal Accounts

NBKC
NBKC Bank logo
NBKC Bank

$0 monthly fee for checking

  • Online & traditional banking
  • Online applications accepted

Data effective 12/9/22. At publishing time, rates, fees, and requirements are current but are subject to change. Offers may not be available in all areas.

NBKC Bank can help you cut through the (account) clutter with its business and personal bank accounts. NBKC is the rare bank that has both a great business checking account and a great personal checking account.Both accounts come free. To make things even better, the business checking account lets you add on a free money market savings account, which comes with a competitive interest rate. And the personal checking account happens to earn interest too (also at a very competitive rate).

Even with its very limited support hours, NBKC’s personal and business accounts make it a great bank for people who want to keep things simple―and in the same place. 

Kabbage: Another Interest-Bearing Option

Kabbage
Kabbage
Kabbage

$0 monthly fee for checking

  • Online banking only
  • Online applications accepted

Data effective 12/9/22. At publishing time, rates, fees, and requirements are current but are subject to change. Offers may not be available in all areas.

Kabbage checking accounts earn interest on most account balances (as long as they’re below $100,000). You get money simply for having money sitting in your bank account―no extra effort required. Now, Kabbage isn’t the only bank to offer interest-bearing checking. But unlike Bluevine, Kabbage doesn’t require you to meet any conditions to earn interest, so you can earn 1.1% APY no matter your spending habits.

So if you’re ready for a checking account that pays you back, give Kabbage a close look.  

NorthOne: Best Paid Account

NorthOne
NorthOne
NorthOne

$10 monthly fee for checking

  • Online banking only
  • Online applications accepted

Data effective 12/9/22. At publishing time, rates, fees, and requirements are current but are subject to change. Offers may not be available in all areas.

NorthOne is the first account on this list to charge a monthly fee―and an unwaivable one at that. However, NorthOne packs a lot of value into that $10 monthly fee. It gives you free sub-accounts for all your financial planning needs. It offers lots of accounting software integrations. And outside of the monthly fee and wire transfer fees, NorthOne doesn’t charge other typical banking fees. Plus, it has much more robust customer support than most online banks.

So while we love the free banks above, NorthOne does give you quite a few features they don’t―and those features just might be worth paying for.

Novo: Best Integrations and Discounts

Novo Banking
Novo
Novo Banking

$0 monthly fee for checking

  • Online banking only
  • Online applications accepted

Data effective 12/9/22. At publishing time, rates, fees, and requirements are current but are subject to change. Offers may not be available in all areas.

You need more than just a business checking account to run a successful company. Novo gets that. For example, Novo integrates with payment processors like Stripe, accounting software like QuickBooks and Xero, and even communication software like Slack. Plus, Novo tries to make it easier for you to get the other software and services you need by offering “perks,” or discounts, for other business-related companies, like Google Ads, Stripe, and QuickBooks.

All of which is to say that if you want your business checking account to work as part of your larger business ecosystem, Novo’s perks and integrations make it the checking account for you.

Citizens: Best Customer Service

Citizens
Citizens
Citizens

Starting at $0 monthly fee for checking

  • Traditional & online banking
  • In-branch applications only

Data effective 12/9/22. At publishing time, rates, fees, and requirements are current but are subject to change. Offers may not be available in all areas.

Like knowing someone always has your back? Citizens has 24/7 customer service for all your business banking needs. (Other banks with 24/7 support limit that to credit cards.) Plus, Citizens offers lots of ways to reach its customer service. For example, you can use a phone, email, Citizens’ online support forum, or even social media.

Whether you’re burning the midnight oil or rising early, you’ll know you can get help from Citizens.

Location
What about your local credit union?
There’s a good chance your local credit union has great deals on small-business checking accounts (and all the other banking services you could want). While we can’t review all the credit unions in the nation, you might want to give yours a call to see what it offers.

The Takeaway

With no service fee, no minimum deposit, and virtually no other fees (plus the convenience of online banking!) on its interest-bearing checking account, Bluevine is our top pick for small-business checking.

If time is of the essence, Small Business Bank’s fast approval times might interest you.  Or if you want a full-service bank, go with LendingClub. For businesses that plan to make it big, Axos Bank's business interest checking has plenty of options to scale with you. And Lili has great tools and perks for freelancers or other solopreneurs.

Enjoy your new account!

Now that you’ve found a business checking account, keep an eye on your cash with the best small-business accounting software.

Related Content

Small Business Checking FAQ

Sure, you can open a checking account with no money―as long as you go with a bank that doesn’t require an opening deposit. You could opt for our favorite bank for checking, Bluevine, or several of the other banks we recommend above.

You might be able to use your personal bank account for your business but you probably shouldn’t. Most banks dislike this practice, so they may insist you open a separate business bank account anyway if they catch on to it. But if you just have a freelance writing business on the side, you probably won’t run into many problems.

At any rate, we recommend keeping your personal finances and your business finances separate. It makes your business more legitimate, plus it makes things like accounting and taxes way easier. So go ahead and open a business bank account.

You can absolutely have two business bank accounts! Many businesses, for example, have both a checking account and a savings account. You might choose to have two accounts if you want an easy way to work toward different financial goals (e.g., cash flow money in one business account, your new employee fund in a separate account).

Some people also like to spread their money across more than one account as a security measure. Just to be safe, be sure to keep track of those account numbers and passwords.

Our favorite no-fee bank is Bluevine (thanks mostly to its interest-bearing checking account), which doesn't charge monthly fees for its business bank account. We also like Small Business Bank, NBKC Bank, Axos Bank, and Novo.

For more details, check out our guide to the best free business checking accounts.

We haven’t found a perfect substitute for the late Azlo yet, but we’ve got a few suggestions.

If you’re after fee-free banking like Azlo had, quite a few online banks offer that. Small Business Bank, Bluevine, NBKC Bank, and Novo all offer business checking accounts with no monthly fees, low (or no) minimum opening deposits, and unlimited transactions.

If you like Azlo for its invoicing tools, you might consider either NBKC Bank or Novo. Both offer some invoicing tools, though we don’t like them as well as Azlo’s. NBKC offers invoicing through Autobooks, but it costs $10 a month after a two-month free trial. Novo’s invoicing is free, but it doesn’t (yet) work on its mobile apps, making it less convenient.

Read Azlo Review.

Methodology

We researched over 30 banks to get our list of the 10 best banks for small-business checking. To narrow things down, we looked at factors including account options, typical fees and costs, customer reviews, and other banking services. Then, we used these factors to score, rank, and review our top banks.

Disclaimer

At Business.org, our research is meant to offer general product and service recommendations. We don't guarantee that our suggestions will work best for each individual or business, so consider your unique needs when choosing products and services.

Chloe Goodshore
Written by
Chloe Goodshore
Chloe covers business financing and loans for Business.org. She has worked with many small businesses over the past 10 years, from video game stores to law firms. Those years watching frustrated business owners try to sift through their many options gave her a passion for breaking down complex business topics. She wants to help business owners spend less time agonizing over their businesses so they can spend more time running them.
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