Melio vs Plooto
We give Melio a 2.8 GPA and Plooto a 2.2, out of 4.0. Melio grades higher on value for money, the free plan and ease of use. They get the same grade on 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
Plooto
Bill pay and receivables for businesses in Canada and the US
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAMelioGood | 2.2GPAPlootoFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | CGraded against its bill pay alternatives. A ten-person company paying 20 supplier bills a month pays $29 on Go, $9 plus $1.00 a payment, in dollars its summary file doesn't name as US or Canadian. That's well under BILL but above Melio's free plan, and Nickel and Ramp send ACH free. |
| 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. | CNo free plan, but a 30-day trial with 10 free domestic payments and no credit card needed. After that the cheapest plan is Go at $9 a month plus $1.00 a payment. |
| 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. | CPayables and receivables are covered: invoices read by OCR, multi-level approvals, batch payments, pre-authorized debits and CRA remittances. It's a smaller job than the category's, though, with no company cards or expense reports listed. |
| 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. You connect QuickBooks or Xero and set approval rules before the first payment goes out, which takes a bit of setting up. |
| 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 QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop and Xero syncing on every plan and NetSuite as an add-on to Pro at $499 a month. No phone apps are listed. |
| Best for | paying a handful of supplier bills for free | bill pay across the Canada and US border |
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 Plooto. 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. Plooto starts at $9 a month and scores 2.3.
Melio scores higher, and starts $11 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other spend and bill pay tools on the chart, 7 score higher than Melio for less, and 2 score higher than Plooto 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). Plooto starts at $9 per month, billing term and currency not stated.
- Melio has a free plan. Plooto does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Melio lists iOS and Android apps.
- Melio also covers expense tracking.
At a glance
| Melio | Plooto | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $20 per month, billed annually ($25 billed monthly) | $9 per month, billing term and currency not stated |
| 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. | None |
| Free trial | First 90 days of Core, Boost or Unlimited free, no credit card needed; then the account moves to Go | 30-day free trial with 10 free domestic transactions, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Melio Solutions Inc. | Plooto |
| Price read from | melio.com | plooto.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
Plooto
- Canadian and US businesses that pay suppliers across the border
- Bookkeeping firms paying bills for many clients
- Canadian businesses remitting payroll and GST/HST to the CRA online
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.
Plooto
- Fees per payment: domestic $1.00 on Go or $0.50 on Grow, checks $1.99, CRA payments $3.00, card acceptance about 2.9% + $0.30. The file also lists cross-border at $9.99.
- Plooto's pricing page answered with a bot check; plan prices come from Plooto's own summary file of April 2026, which does not say whether they are US or Canadian dollars.
- Plooto serves businesses in Canada and the US and says it is a licensed money transmission business in Canada.
- QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop and Xero sync on every plan; NetSuite is a Pro add-on.
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.
Plooto
- Accounts payable
- Plooto Capture reads invoices by OCR, and bills go through multi-level approvals, scheduling and batch payment with a full audit trail.
- Receivables
- Send invoices and collect by pre-authorized debit or by Visa, Mastercard or Amex with two-business-day settlement, plus recurring payments and reminders.
- International payments
- Pay suppliers in 40+ countries and 25+ currencies over Global ACH, with a flat cross-border fee and no separate FX transfer fee.
- Pay by card
- Pay a supplier with a commercial credit card while the supplier receives EFT, ACH or a check, for a 2.9% fee.
- Plooto Instant
- A pre-funded wallet in US or Canadian dollars that speeds payments up to one or two business days at no extra transaction cost.
- Dashboard for accounting firms
- Firms run payables for every client from one dashboard, with per-client approval rules and dual controls.
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.
Plooto
Go$9
per month, billing term and currency not stated
1 approver. Domestic payments $1.00 each, cross-border payments a $19 flat fee.
Grow$32
per month, billing term and currency not stated
Unlimited approvers. Domestic payments $0.50 each, cross-border payments a $10 flat fee.
Grow Unlimited$59
per month, billing term and currency not stated
Grow with unlimited free domestic payments.
Pro$499
per month, billing term and currency not stated
Everything in Grow plus single sign-on, priority support and a NetSuite integration add-on.
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.
Plooto
- Other savings
Free firm subscription for accountants
Accounting firms with 3 or more active clients on Grow or Pro get their own firm subscription free.
