Mercury vs Ramp (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Ramp: it is first in our ranking of spend and bill pay tools, and it grades higher too, 3.6 against 3.0.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Ramp grades higher on value for money and ease of use. 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.
Mercury
Business banking with cards, expenses, bill pay and invoicing
Ramp
Corporate cards, expenses, travel and bill pay, with a free plan
Which one is for you
Pick Mercury if
- Fits if you run a startup and want cards, bill pay and invoicing on a $0 account
- Works for companies that send USD payments and sync to QuickBooks or Xero
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you use Android, as only web and iPhone are listed
- Pricey if you want ACH debit invoicing at $0 or a relationship manager, which sit on Pro at $299 a month
- Watch out: Mercury isn't an FDIC-insured bank, as banking comes from Choice Financial Group and Column N.A.
- Watch out: non-USD international wires carry a 1% exchange fee and non-USD card transactions 3%
- Watch out: Books is $35 a month and Payroll $100 plus $50 a person, both waived only until 31 December 2026
Pick Ramp if
- Fits if you want cards, receipts and bill pay in one place without a subscription
- Works for US companies that book travel and want it tied to card spend
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if your company can't get credit approval for the card
- Skip it if you need purchase orders without paying for an add-on
- Tight if you'll outgrow Free soon, as Plus has a platform fee on top of $15 a user that isn't published
- Watch out: Workday and Oracle Fusion sync need Enterprise, which is quoted and billed yearly
- Watch out: 1099s cost $0.65 per IRS form, and cards are issued only in the US, Canada, the UK and the EEA
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAMercuryVery good | 3.6GPARampExcellent | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BThe Mercury plan is $0, with Plus at $29.90 a month and Pro at $299 on yearly billing. The core is free, so the paid plans are optional. | AFree and substantial. A ten-person company pays $0 a month on Ramp Free for cards, expenses, travel and bill pay, and the listing gives no fee for ACH bill payments, with same-day ACH free too. Plus is $15 a user, 20% less yearly, plus an unstated platform fee. |
| Free plan and trial | AThe $0 plan has no monthly fee or minimum balance, with cards, expense management, invoicing and bill pay. A 30-day free trial of Plus is offered. | AThe Free plan has no user cap on record and covers unlimited cards, receipts by text or Slack, travel booking, bill pay, invoicing, a checking account and QuickBooks or Xero sync. Plus has a 30-day trial. |
| Features | BCompany cards, expense management, bill pay and payments, invoicing and accounting integrations on the free plan. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in the core work. | BThe whole job: cards with controls, expenses and reimbursements, travel, bills read by OCR and routed for approval, invoicing and accounting sync. Purchase orders and three-way matching are an add-on, which mostly bigger finance teams will miss. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You open a business bank account, which takes setup and verification. | A4.91 from 47,070 App Store ratings, the top band. Staff can finish an expense by replying to a text. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb and iPhone, with QuickBooks, Xero and NetSuite. No Android or desktop app listed. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with QuickBooks Online, Xero, NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Dynamics 365, Workday, Slack and Amazon Business. No desktop app is listed, and Workday sync needs Enterprise. |
| Best for | online business banking for startups | cards, expenses and bill pay at no cost |
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: Mercury and Ramp. How we grade
Price against what you get
Mercury starts at $29.90 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Ramp starts at $15 a month for each person and scores 3.3.
Ramp scores higher and starts $14.90 a month lower. Of the other spend and bill pay tools on the chart, 7 score higher than Mercury for less, and none scores higher than Ramp 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
- Mercury also covers bookkeeping and payroll.
- Ramp also covers reports.
At a glance
| Mercury | Ramp | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $29.90 per month, billed annually | $15 per user / month, plus a platform fee based on team size |
| Free plan | The Mercury plan is $0 a month with checking and savings, cards, expense management, invoicing and bill pay. | Ramp Free: unlimited cards, expenses by text or Slack, travel booking, bill pay, invoicing, a checking account, custom reports and QuickBooks Online or Xero sync. |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial of Mercury Plus | 30-day free trial of Ramp Plus |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Mercury | Ramp Business Corporation |
| Price read from | mercury.com | ramp.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Mercury
- Mercury is not an FDIC-insured bank; banking is provided through Choice Financial Group and Column N.A., Members FDIC.
- Non-USD international wires carry a 1% currency exchange fee, and non-USD card transactions carry 3%.
- Mercury Books is $35 a month and Mercury Payroll is $100 a month plus $50 per person paid, both waived until Dec 31, 2026.
- Treasury, which pays up to 4.21% yield, is available only with a $250K Mercury balance, and Stripe fees apply to credit card invoice payments.
Ramp
- Plus adds a platform fee based on team size that the pricing page does not state; Enterprise is quoted and billed yearly.
- Ramp says it is not a bank: checking deposits are held at First Internet Bank of Indiana, and its corporate card is issued by Celtic Bank and needs credit approval.
- Purchase orders and three-way matching come as an add-on to Plus or Enterprise; Workday and Oracle Fusion sync need Enterprise.
- Cards are issued in the US, Canada, the UK and the EEA. Filing 1099s costs $0.65 per IRS form, with state filing free.
Key features
Mercury
- Company cards
- Virtual and physical debit and credit cards, with custom spend limits, merchant-locked cards and duplicate subscription detection. Corporate credit cards earn 1.5% cashback.
- Expense management
- Employee cards with limits, automatic receipt matching for card transactions, custom categories and reimbursements, including mileage.
- Bill pay and payments
- Free domestic ACH, wires, real-time payments and checks in USD, plus payment by ACH debit or wire drawdown.
- Invoicing
- Unlimited invoices that accept card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, wire and ACH, with recurring invoices on paid plans.
- Accounting integrations
- Syncs with accounting tools such as QuickBooks, Xero and NetSuite.
Ramp
- Corporate cards
- Unlimited physical and virtual Visa cards with spending controls. On Plus, cards lock themselves when receipts or other policy steps are missing.
- Expenses and reimbursements
- Employees complete expenses by text message or Slack, receipts are matched automatically, and out-of-pocket costs are reimbursed in batches.
- Travel booking
- Book flights, hotels and rental cars under a custom travel policy, with 24/7 phone support for bookings on Plus.
- Bill pay
- Invoices are read by OCR, routed through approvals and fraud checks, and paid by ACH, card, check or wire, with free same-day ACH and wires.
- Invoicing
- Create invoices, follow up with customers automatically and accept payment by ACH, card or check.
- Accounting automation
- QuickBooks Online and Xero sync on every plan. Plus adds NetSuite and Sage Intacct, AI coding for every field and automatic sync of routine spend.
Plans
Mercury
Mercury$0
No monthly fees or minimum balance. Includes company cards, expense management, bill pay, invoicing and free USD ACH, wires and real-time payments.
Mercury Plus$29.90
per month, billed annually
Adds recurring invoices, ACH debit invoicing at $1 per transaction, unlimited 1099 filings, priority support and 6 months of free Xero.
Mercury Pro$299
per month, billed annually
Adds a relationship manager, ACH debit invoicing at $0 per transaction and NetSuite categorizations on top of what Plus has.
Ramp
Free$0
Unlimited cards with controls, receipt matching, travel booking, bill pay by ACH, card, check or wire, invoicing, and QuickBooks Online or Xero sync.
Plus$15
per user / month, plus a platform fee based on team size
20% off with yearly billing; the platform fee is not shown. Adds AI expense reviews, coded bill lines, batch payments, NetSuite and multi-entity support.
EnterpriseCustom
Billed annually. Adds Workday and Oracle Fusion integrations and full customization.
Ways to pay less
Mercury
- Annual discount
15% off with annual billing
The pricing page toggle reads Annual Pricing (15% off), and was on by default when read. The monthly-billed price is not shown.
Ramp
- Annual discount
Save 20% on Plus with yearly billing
Ramp says Plus costs 20% less when billed annually than the $15 per user a month shown.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Mercury or Ramp?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Mercury starts at $29.90 per month, billed annually, and Ramp starts at $15 per user / month, plus a platform fee based on team size. One is priced for each person and the other is not, so which costs less depends on how many of you use it.
Which has a free plan, Mercury or Ramp?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Mercury and Ramp have a free plan.
Which platforms do Mercury and Ramp run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Ramp lists an Android app. Both list a web app and an iOS app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.