Mercury vs Brex vs Relay: Best Business Bank Account for Marketing Freelancers & Agencies
Your business bank account is more than just where your money lives. For marketing freelancers, social media managers, copywriters, and micro agencies, it's how you manage client payments, pay for tools like Canva Pro or SEMrush, handle ad spend, and set aside money for taxes. Mercury, Brex Cash, and Relay are three top online banking options. They each have different strengths for managing your marketing business finances, whether you're solo or have a small team.
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The Quick Answer
Mercury is often the best choice for most solo marketing freelancers and micro agencies. It has a clean online setup, no fees, and just works for managing client payments and everyday bills. Relay is better if you want to split your money into different accounts for taxes, client ad budgets, or operating costs. Brex Cash makes sense if you already use Brex for your agency's corporate card and want to see all your spending in one place.
Side-by-Side Breakdown
Mercury: No monthly fees. No minimum balance. Your money is safe with FDIC insurance up to $5M through partner banks. They offer a Treasury product to earn money on large client retainers. It has a strong way to connect with other apps (API), useful for linking to your invoicing or accounting software. Supports payments like ACH, wires, and checks.
Relay: No monthly fees (Relay Pro costs $30/month for extra features). You can open up to 20 checking accounts and get 50 debit cards for your business. This is great for sorting money for different purposes like taxes, owner pay, or client ad campaigns. It also has strong controls if you have a virtual assistant or contractor making payments.
Brex Cash: It's free if you use the Brex corporate card. Your money is safe with FDIC insurance up to $6M. It offers a good return on your money. It's tightly linked with Brex's tools for tracking expenses. You cannot get Brex Cash as a separate checking account without also getting the Brex card.
When to Choose Mercury
Choose Mercury if you are a solo social media manager, copywriter, SEO specialist, or a one-person marketing agency. You want a simple, no-fee business account that is easy to open and manage your client payments. If you need to link your bank to financial software like QuickBooks or Stripe for custom automations, Mercury's connection (API) is helpful. It’s also good if you need one account for your daily money and another for larger, idle funds (like a big client retainer or savings for an annual Ahrefs subscription). Mercury is usually the fastest to get approved, often within 1-2 days.
When to Choose Relay
Choose Relay if you want to keep your marketing business finances highly organized. You can set up separate accounts for specific purposes, such as: money for client ad spend, funds for your quarterly taxes (often 20-30% of income), operating expenses (like your subscriptions for Canva Pro, Zoom, or your email marketing software), owner's pay, and profit. This helps you follow budgeting methods like Profit First. If you bring on a virtual assistant or a freelance copywriter to help, Relay also lets you set specific spending limits for their debit cards.
When to Choose Brex Cash
Choose Brex Cash if your marketing agency or freelance business handles significant client ad spend (e.g., over $10,000 per month across clients) and you want to use a corporate card for these expenses to earn rewards. It's also a good fit if you already use Brex for your agency's credit card and want to manage all your spending, reimbursements, and cash in one dashboard. You get a good return on your working cash balance without needing to move money to a separate savings product.
The Verdict
For most marketing freelancers and micro agencies, start with Mercury. It's simple, reliable, and covers most basic banking needs without hidden fees. Switch to Relay if you find yourself wanting to strictly separate money for taxes, ad spend, owner pay, or other key buckets. Consider Brex Cash if you go all-in with the Brex corporate card, especially if you manage large ad budgets or agency spending.
How to Get Started
Mercury: Apply at mercury.com. You'll need your business's EIN, formation papers (like your LLC documents), and your personal ID. Approval usually takes 1-2 days.
Relay: Apply at relayfi.com. Before you open, think about how you want to split your money. Deciding on your "buckets" upfront (e.g., taxes, ad spend, operating costs, owner's pay) will save you from reorganizing later.
Brex Cash: You can only open Brex Cash when you apply for the Brex corporate card. It is not available as a standalone bank account.
RECOMMENDED TOOLS
Mercury
No-fee startup banking with API access
Relay
Multi-account business banking for teams
Brex
Banking + corporate cards in one platform
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Are Mercury and Relay real banks?
No. Both are financial technology companies that partner with FDIC-insured banks to hold deposits. Your deposits are FDIC insured, but Mercury and Relay themselves are not chartered banks.
Can I use Mercury or Relay for payroll?
Yes — both support ACH transfers needed for payroll. But most businesses use a dedicated payroll platform (Gusto, Rippling, ADP) and simply connect it to their Mercury or Relay account for the ACH pull.
Which account earns the most interest on cash?
Mercury Treasury earns a competitive yield on balances over $500K. For smaller balances, Brex Cash currently offers the highest yield on operating balances among the three. Rates change frequently, so compare current rates at account opening.