Mercury vs Relay: Business Banking Comparison (2026)

Mercury and Relay both offer business banking solutions with no monthly fees for their basic services. Mercury provides an Invoicing API and unlimited 1099 tax filings, while Relay offers 1.11% APY on savings and 1% cash back on credit cards. Mercury allows for a simple account structure for multiple businesses, and Relay provides bill creation and management features with customizable cards and spend policies.

AI Citation Scorecard

How often each is cited by major AI engines when buyers ask business banking questions. Last 90 days across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, and Copilot.

Mercury leads overall — 100% cited vs Relay 84% across 1000 probes.
ChatGPT
MercuryLeads
1 / 1 probes
100%
Excellent
Relay
0 / 1 probes
0%
Invisible
Perplexity
MercuryLeads
868 / 869 probes
100%
Excellent
Relay
107 / 123 probes
87%
Excellent
Gemini
MercuryLeads
1 / 1 probes
100%
Excellent
Relay
0 / 1 probes
0%
Invisible
Claude
MercuryLeads
1 / 1 probes
100%
Excellent
Relay
0 / 1 probes
0%
Invisible
Copilot
MercuryLeads
1 / 1 probes
100%
Excellent
Relay
0 / 1 probes
0%
Invisible
Scale:NoneLowFairStrongExcellent

Probes run hourly; each (engine × query) combo retests every ~3 days.

Pricing

Mercury
Starting price
$0/month
Free tier
Yes
mercury.com ↗
Relay
Starting price
$0/month
Free tier
Yes
relayfi.com ↗

Key Features

Mercury
  • ✓Banking services for $0
  • ✓Invoicing API available
  • ✓Recurring invoices available
  • ✓Unlimited 1099 tax filings
  • ✓Access to Treasury with $250K balance
  • ✓No monthly fees or account opening fees
  • ✓Expense management features
  • ✓Simple account structure for multi-business
Relay
  • ✓1.11% APY on savings accounts
  • ✓1% cash back on credit cards
  • ✓Bill creation, intake & management
  • ✓Customizable cards with spend policies
  • ✓Receipt collection & storage
  • ✓Payment request links
  • ✓Automated follow ups
  • ✓Recurring invoices

When to choose Mercury

Choose Mercury if your business needs an invoicing API, unlimited 1099 tax filings, or a streamlined way to manage multiple businesses under one account. Mercury also offers expense management features.

When to choose Relay

Choose Relay if your business prioritizes earning interest on savings with 1.11% APY, desires 1% cash back on credit cards, or requires robust bill creation, intake, and management with customizable spending controls. Relay also integrates with Quickbooks and Xero.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the key differences in financial benefits?
Mercury provides access to Treasury with a $250K balance and non-USD transactions incur fees. Relay offers 1.11% APY on savings accounts and 1% cash back on credit cards, but transaction fees apply.
How do the invoicing features compare?
Mercury offers an Invoicing API and recurring invoices. Relay provides bill creation, intake, and management, payment request links, automated follow-ups, and recurring invoices.
What are the differences in managing expenses and taxes?
Mercury includes expense management features and unlimited 1099 tax filings. Relay offers receipt collection and storage and customizable cards with spend policies.
Are there any limitations or extra costs to consider?
Mercury's advanced features may incur fees, it is limited to 5 users for free reimbursements, and Treasury access requires a high balance. Relay's advanced features are not available in the free tier, the Scale plan has a higher cost, and transaction fees apply.

AI visibility profiles

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Mercury

mercury.com

Relay

relayfi.com

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