Airwallex vs Melio
We give Airwallex a 3.2 GPA and Melio a 2.8, out of 4.0. Airwallex grades higher on value for money and features. They get the same grade on the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Airwallex
Multi-currency business accounts, cards, bill pay and expenses
Melio
Bill pay and invoicing for small US businesses, with a free plan
How we grade them
| 3.2GPAAirwallexVery good | 2.8GPAMelioGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree and substantial. A ten-person company pays $0 a month on Explore, which covers up to 10 Spend users, and the listing gives no fee for local bill payments. You pay on conversion, 0.5% to 1% over the interbank rate, and on SWIFT at $15 to $25. | BGraded against its bill pay alternatives. A ten-person company paying 20 supplier bills a month pays $7.50 on the free Go plan: 5 free ACH payments, then $0.50 each. Core at $20 a month yearly makes all 20 free. That beats BILL and Plooto, but Nickel and Ramp send ACH for nothing. |
| Free plan and trial | BExplore is free with accounts in 20+ currencies, unlimited cards, expenses, bill pay, invoicing and Xero or QuickBooks sync. The cap is 10 Spend users: the eleventh takes you to Grow at $12 each plus a platform fee. | BGo is free for good: one user, 5 free ACH payments a month, card, check and wire payments, invoices and up to 10 QuickBooks or Xero syncs. The paid plans are free for the first 90 days with no card needed. |
| Features | BThe whole job: multi-currency accounts, Visa cards with no foreign transaction fees, receipts matched by AI, reimbursements in 200+ countries, bill pay with AI data capture, invoicing, card acceptance and APIs. | CBill pay is done fully: AI bill capture, approvals on paid plans, payments to 80+ countries, invoices, W-9s and 1099s. It's the smaller job, though, and Melio issues no cards: its expense tool works with cards you already hold. |
| Ease of use | B4.81 from 584 App Store ratings, high but short of the 1,000 we want for the top band. There are accounts, cards and an accounting link to set up first. | B4.6 from 1,485 App Store ratings. Bills come into their own inbox and get read for you, though you'll want the accounting sync set up early. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Xero, QuickBooks, NetSuite, Business Central, BambooHR, Shopify, WooCommerce and Amazon, plus developer APIs. No desktop app is listed. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with QuickBooks Online and Desktop, Xero, NetSuite, Tax1099 and Amazon Business. No desktop app is listed, and NetSuite sync needs Unlimited at $64 a month. |
| Best for | multi-currency spending and paying abroad | paying a handful of supplier bills for free |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Airwallex and Melio. How we grade
Price against what you get
Airwallex starts at $12 a month for each person and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Melio starts at $20 a month and scores 2.7.
Airwallex scores higher and starts $8 a month lower. Of the other spend and bill pay tools on the chart, 1 scores higher than Airwallex for less, and 7 score higher than Melio for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Airwallex starts at $12 per Spend user / month, plus a platform fee based on team size. Melio starts at $20 per month, billed annually ($25 billed monthly).
- Airwallex also covers company cards.
At a glance
| Airwallex | Melio | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $12 per Spend user / month, plus a platform fee based on team size | $20 per month, billed annually ($25 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | Explore: multi-currency accounts, unlimited corporate cards, expenses, reimbursements, bill pay and invoicing for up to 10 Spend users, with no monthly fee. Transaction fees apply. | Go: 1 user, 5 free ACH payments a month ($0.50 each after), payments by card, check or wire, international payments, invoices and payment links, and up to 10 QuickBooks or Xero syncs. |
| Free trial | None listed | First 90 days of Core, Boost or Unlimited free, no credit card needed; then the account moves to Go |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Airwallex | Melio Solutions Inc. |
| Price read from | airwallex.com | melio.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Airwallex
- Businesses that pay suppliers or staff in other countries
- Teams that want multi-currency cards with no foreign transaction fees
- Online sellers collecting payments in several currencies
Melio
- US small businesses that want to pay suppliers by card or ACH
- Owners who pay a few bills a month and want a free plan
- Accounting firms paying bills for clients
Worth knowing
Airwallex
- Currency conversion costs 0.5% above the interbank rate for major currencies and 1% for others; SWIFT transfers cost $15 to $25 each.
- Grow adds a platform fee based on the number of Spend users that the pricing page does not state, and plan fees are charged per legal entity.
- Airwallex US, LLC is a licensed money transmitter that works with Evolve Bank & Trust for some US customers; the cards are issued by Community Federal Savings Bank.
- Taking card payments costs 2.8% + $0.30 for US cards and 4.3% + $0.30 for international ones.
Melio
- ACH payments beyond the plan's free allowance cost $0.50 each, checks $1.50, wires $10 and paying a bill by card 2.9%.
- International USD transfers cost a flat $20 (fast ones 1%, $30 to $95); local-currency payments carry a currency conversion rate instead.
- Melio does not issue cards: the expense tool works with the cards a business already holds. Pay over time loans are made by Lead Bank.
- Melio says it serves businesses across the United States; extra users cost $10 a month ($8 yearly) on Core and Boost.
Key features
Airwallex
- Multi-currency accounts
- Collect and hold money in more than 20 currencies, send local transfers to over 120 countries and SWIFT transfers to more than 200.
- Corporate cards
- Virtual and physical Visa cards with per-card limits for use in 60+ markets, with no foreign transaction fees and up to 2% cashback on local USD spend.
- Expenses and reimbursements
- Receipts are matched by AI from email or bulk upload, staff submit and approve in the mobile app, and reimbursements go to employees in 200+ countries.
- Bill pay
- Upload, email or sync bills, have their details extracted automatically, and pay domestic or international suppliers in bulk after approval.
- Invoicing and payments
- Send invoices for free, take cards and 160+ local payment methods through checkout or payment links, and run subscription billing.
- Developer APIs
- APIs for accounts, payouts, card issuing and payments, for businesses that build these into their own products.
Melio
- Pay bills any way
- Pay by ACH, paper check, wire or same-day transfer, or put a bill on a credit or debit card even when the vendor only takes bank payments.
- Bill capture and approvals
- Bills arrive in a dedicated inbox or by upload and are read by AI. Paid plans route them through approvals by amount, vendor or user.
- Invoices and payment links
- Every plan sends invoices and payment links. Customers pay by card or bank transfer, and the card fee can be passed on to them.
- International payments
- Pay vendors in more than 80 countries in US dollars or their local currency, by bank transfer or Visa and Mastercard.
- Expense receipts
- Connect the cards a business already uses; each purchase triggers a text or email asking for the receipt, which is coded and synced to Xero or QuickBooks.
- Accounting sync and 1099s
- Two-way sync with QuickBooks Online and Xero from Core, QuickBooks Desktop from Boost and NetSuite on Unlimited, with W-9 collection and 1099s through Tax1099.
Plans
Airwallex
Explore$0
Accounts in 20+ currencies, unlimited cards, expense management, bill pay with AI coding, invoicing and Xero or QuickBooks sync, for up to 10 Spend users.
Grow$12
per active Spend user / month, plus a platform fee by team size
Up to 250 Spend users. Adds multi-step approvals, an AI expense policy agent, bill rules, NetSuite and Business Central sync. The platform fee is not shown.
AccelerateCustom
Adds purchase orders and requests, AI 3-way matching, several legal entities, a direct ERP integration and an account manager.
Melio
Go$0
1 user and 5 free ACH payments a month. Pay by ACH, card, check or wire, capture bills with AI, send invoices and payment links.
Core$20
per month for 1 user, billed annually ($25 billed monthly)
20 free ACH payments a month, QuickBooks Online and Xero sync, batch payments, approvals, W-9s and 1099 sync. Extra users $8 a month ($10 monthly).
Boost$44
per month for 1 user, billed annually ($55 billed monthly)
50 free ACH payments a month, advanced user roles, QuickBooks Desktop sync, classes and locations, and phone support. Extra users $8 a month ($10 monthly).
Unlimited$64
per month for unlimited users, billed annually ($80 billed monthly)
Unlimited free ACH payments and users, NetSuite sync, premium phone support and onboarding.
PlatinumCustom
Invite-only, for businesses paying over $300,000 a month by card: custom transaction and card fees, API access and an account manager.
Ways to pay less
Airwallex
No public discounts listed.
Melio
- Annual discount
Save 20% with yearly billing
Core costs $20 a month billed yearly instead of $25, Boost $44 instead of $55 and Unlimited $64 instead of $80; extra users drop from $10 to $8.
