Melio vs Nickel
We give Melio and Nickel the same GPA: 2.8 out of 4.0. Melio grades higher on ease of use. Nickel grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Melio
Bill pay and invoicing for small US businesses, with a free plan
Nickel
Free ACH invoicing and bill pay for US businesses
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAMelioGood | 2.8GPANickelGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | AGraded against its bill pay alternatives. A ten-person company paying 20 supplier bills a month by ACH pays $0 on the free Core plan, since ACH carries no fee on any plan. Checks are $2 and wires $25 if you need them, and Plus is $35 a month billed yearly. |
| Free plan and trial | 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. | BCore is free with 3 users, unlimited invoices and bills, free ACH, payment links and QuickBooks sync. A small business could live on it. The walls are 3 users and $25,000 a payment, and Plus has a 14-day trial. |
| Features | 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. | CBill pay and getting paid are done fully, with batch payments, approvals and vendor onboarding. But it's a smaller job than the category's: no expense reports or receipt tools are listed, and Xero or NetSuite need custom work on Pro. |
| Ease of use | 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. | CNo store rating on record. Paying and getting paid by ACH is simple, but there's QuickBooks to connect and vendors to onboard first. |
| Platforms and integrations | 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. | BWeb only, with native sync to QuickBooks Online and Desktop on every plan. Xero, NetSuite and Salesforce need the custom integration that comes with Pro at $300 a month, and so does the API. |
| Best for | paying a handful of supplier bills for free | free ACH bill pay and invoicing |
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: Melio and Nickel. How we grade
Price against what you get
Melio starts at $20 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Nickel starts at $35 a month and scores 2.3.
Melio scores higher and starts $15 a month lower. Of the other spend and bill pay tools on the chart, 7 score higher than Melio for less, and 8 score higher than Nickel 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
- Melio starts at $20 per month, billed annually ($25 billed monthly). Nickel starts at $35 per month, billed annually ($45 billed monthly).
- Only Melio lists iOS and Android apps.
- Melio also covers expense tracking.
At a glance
| Melio | Nickel | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $20 per month, billed annually ($25 billed monthly) | $35 per month, billed annually ($45 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | 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. | Nickel Core: 3 users, unlimited invoices and bills, free ACH, payment links and one payment page, QuickBooks sync and 2% APY on Nickel Balance, with a $25,000 limit per payment. |
| Free trial | First 90 days of Core, Boost or Unlimited free, no credit card needed; then the account moves to Go | 14-day free trial of Nickel Plus |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Melio Solutions Inc. | Nickel Technology Inc. |
| Price read from | melio.com | nickel.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
Nickel
- US businesses that collect large invoices by ACH
- Teams that want to stop paying card fees by moving customers to bank payments
- QuickBooks users who want free bill pay and receivables
Worth knowing
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.
Nickel
- Card payments cost 2.9% (another 1% for international cards), and you choose whether you or the customer pays; mailed checks cost $2 and wires $25.
- The free plan stops at 3 users and $25,000 per payment; Plus lifts that to unlimited users and $1 million.
- Native sync is QuickBooks Online and Desktop only; Xero, NetSuite or Salesforce need custom integration, included on Pro.
- Nickel says it is not a bank: banking services and its Visa commercial card are provided by Grasshopper Bank, N.A.
Key features
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.
Nickel
- Free ACH both ways
- Sending and receiving standard ACH costs nothing on any plan; payments clear in two to three business days, a day faster on paid plans.
- Invoices and payment pages
- Branded payment links, hosted payment pages, QR codes and reminders. Plus adds recurring invoices, saved cards and banks, and autopay.
- Bill pay
- Unlimited bills a month, scheduled ahead or paid in batches, with approval workflows and a secure link that collects vendors' bank and tax details.
- Nickel Balance
- Money received can be held in a Nickel Balance earning 2% APY, where incoming ACH and card payments arrive instantly and expedited ACH is free.
- Penny AI
- From Plus, an AI assistant works from your email inbox, follows up on unpaid invoices and keeps the books reconciled.
- QuickBooks sync
- Native two-way sync with QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop on every plan, including the free one.
Plans
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.
Nickel
Nickel Core$0
3 users, $25,000 per-payment limit, invoices, bill pay, vendor onboarding, free ACH and QuickBooks Online and Desktop sync.
Nickel Plus$35
per month, billed annually ($45 billed monthly)
Unlimited users, $1M per-payment limit, faster payouts, recurring invoices, autopay, 1099 filing and the Penny AI assistant.
Nickel Pro$300
per month, billed annually ($375 billed monthly)
Adds API access, vendor verification, single sign-on, the option to turn off card payments and a dedicated account manager.
EnterpriseCustom
Multi-entity support, custom ERP and data warehouse integrations, custom per-payment pricing and a dedicated support line.
Ways to pay less
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.
Nickel
- Annual discount
Save 20% with yearly billing
Nickel Plus costs $35 a month billed yearly instead of $45 monthly, and Nickel Pro $300 instead of $375.
