Relay vs Wise Business (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Relay grades higher than Wise Business: 2.8 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Relay grades higher on the free plan. Wise Business grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Relay
Online business banking with bill pay, cards and expenses
Free plan · from $30/mo
Wise Business
Multi-currency business account for international payments
From $31 one-time
Which one is for you
Pick Relay if
- Fits if you run a small business and want several checking accounts with cards under one login
- Works for teams that want a savings rate and cash back, and will pay for Grow
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay on Starter: it earns less on savings and lacks spend approval requests
- Pricey if you want automation, as Scale is $90 a month
- Watch out: transaction fees apply on every plan, for example $25 for SWIFT wires on Starter
- Watch out: Relay isn't an FDIC-insured bank, as banking comes from Thread Bank
- Watch out: pay-by-bank invoice collection costs 1%, 0.75% or 0.5% depending on plan, capped at $10
Pick Wise Business if
- Fits if you pay suppliers or contractors abroad and want to see the fee before sending
- Works for businesses that get paid in several currencies and want local account details
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a monthly flat price, as fees depend on the currency and amount
- Tight if you receive USD wires or Swift payments: each costs a fixed $6.11
- Pricey if you use ATMs a lot: free up to $250 a month, then $1.95 plus 1.95% each
- Watch out: Wise says it isn't an FDIC-insured bank, and pass-through cover applies only to interest-earning funds
- Watch out: a volume discount only starts once conversions pass $25,000
How we grade them
| 2.8GPARelayGood | 2.2GPAWise BusinessFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BStarter is $0, and Grow is $30 a month and Scale $90. The $0 plan covers the core, so the paid plans are an upgrade, not a toll. | BA $31 one-time set-up fee is under a year of the category's middle subscription, but the fees on every transfer and conversion are where the real cost sits. |
| Free plan and trial | AStarter is free outright, with 20 checking accounts, cards with spend controls, invoicing and QuickBooks and Xero sync. A 14-day trial of Grow or Scale is also offered. | FNo free plan or trial. Opening the account is free, but account details in 22 currencies need the $31 fee. |
| Features | CChecking and savings, debit and credit cards, expense tracking, bill pay and invoicing. Spend approval requests and bookkeeping automation start on Grow. | BInternational transfers, account details in 22 currencies, team cards, accounting sync and interest on balances. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in the core work. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You open a business bank account, which takes setup and verification. | CNo store rating on record. You open the account, verify the business and set up currencies. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with QuickBooks Online and Xero. No desktop app. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with QuickBooks, Xero and Sage. No desktop app. |
| Best for | business banking for a small team with several accounts | paying and getting paid in other currencies |
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: Relay and Wise Business. How we grade
Where they differ
- Relay also covers invoicing, bookkeeping, expense tracking and bill pay.
In commonWebiOSAndroidCompany cards
At a glance
| Relay | Wise Business | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Paid |
| Starts at | $30 per month | $31 one-time set-up fee, then per-transaction fees |
| Free plan | Starter plan: $0 a month, with 20 checking accounts, cards with spend controls, invoicing and QuickBooks and Xero integration. | None |
| Free trial | 14-day trial of the Grow or Scale plan | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Relay | Wise Payments Limited |
| Price read from | relayfi.com | wise.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Relay
- Relay is not an FDIC-insured bank; banking services come from Thread Bank, Member FDIC.
- Transaction fees apply on every plan: for example SWIFT international wires are $25 on Starter, $22 on Grow and $20 on Scale.
- Pay-by-bank invoice collection costs 1%, 0.75% or 0.5% of the amount on Starter, Grow and Scale, capped at $10.
- Savings APY and card cash back differ by plan and are variable, so the $0 Starter plan earns less than the paid plans.
Wise Business
- Wise says it is not an FDIC-insured bank; pass-through FDIC cover of up to $250K applies only to interest-earning funds held at program banks.
- Receiving a USD wire or Swift payment costs a fixed $6.11; domestic non-wire payments in nine currencies are free.
- ATM withdrawals are free up to $250 a month; after that each one costs $1.95 plus 1.95%.
- Sending and converting fees differ by currency, and a volume discount starts once conversions pass $25,000.
Key features
Relay
- Checking and savings accounts
- Open up to 20 checking accounts (50 on Scale) and high-yield savings accounts, with deposits auto-transferred by rule.
- Debit and credit cards
- Visa debit and credit cards with spend limits and roles, up to 50 debit cards per cardholder per checking account.
- Expense tracking
- Receipt capture and upload reminders, expenses categorized as they happen, and sync to accounting software.
- Bill pay
- Upload bills, assign tasks, set multi-step approval rules and pay vendors by ACH or wire.
- Invoicing
- Create and track invoices, send payment links and automated follow-ups, and collect by card, bank payment or wire.
Wise Business
- International transfers
- Send money to other countries with fees that vary by currency and start from 0.23%. The site says BatchTransfer can pay up to 1,000 contractors at once.
- Account details in 22 currencies
- Receive payments from abroad in USD, EUR, GBP and other currencies. Receiving USD wire and Swift payments carries a fixed fee.
- Multi-Currency Cards for the team
- Physical and digital cards for staff, with custom spending permissions and team access settings.
- Accounting software sync
- Connects the account to accounting software, including QuickBooks, Xero and Sage Business Cloud Accounting, for reporting in each currency.
- Interest on balances
- An opt-in feature that pays a variable rate on USD, GBP and EUR balances. The page quotes 3.4% variable APY on USD.
Plans
Relay
Starter$0
20 checking accounts, 1.19% APY on savings and 1% cash back on credit cards, as of 9/17/2026. Same-day ACH is $1 and domestic wires are $8.
Grow$30
per month
Adds spend approval requests, batch vendor payments, bookkeeping automation and recurring invoices. 1.87% APY and 1.25% cash back. Same-day ACH is $0.50 and domestic wires are $5.
Scale$90
per month
Shown as $90, down from $120, no end date given. 50 checking accounts, bill payment automation, cash flow forecasts, 3.21% APY, 1.5% cash back and no fee for same-day ACH.
Wise Business
Wise Business account$31
one-time set-up fee
Opening the account is free; the one-time fee unlocks account details in 22 currencies. Transfers and conversions are charged per use.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Relay or Wise Business?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Relay starts at $30 per month, and Wise Business starts at $31 one-time set-up fee, then per-transaction fees.
Which has a free plan, Relay or Wise Business?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Relay has a free plan. Wise Business does not.
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.