Best Free Business Checking Account 2021

What’s better than a business checking account? A free business checking account, of course!

Lucky for you, we’ve done the research and found the best free checking account options out there. You’ll find our top picks below, along with some answers to frequently asked questions about business checking.

Now, let’s find your new account.

BlueVine doesn’t just have our favorite free business checking account―it offers the best business checking account, period. (Not bad for a bank that launched in 2020.)

So what makes BlueVine’s checking account so great? Well, first of all, it’s everything a free checking account should be. You don’t have to pay a monthly fee, transaction fees, ATM fees, or non-sufficient fund fees. You don’t have to make a minimum opening deposit to get an account. In other words, it’s really, really free.

In fact, one of the only fees you need to worry about is a cash deposit fee. Because unlike many online banks, BlueVine makes it easy to deposit cash. Just visit a Green Dot location (often found in Walmart, Walgreens, and other stores) and pay a low $4.95 fee to make your deposit.

Of course, the real reason we love BlueVine banking is that its checking account earns interest. Not just a little bit of interest, either―BlueVine offers a 1% interest rate on account balances under $100,000. So not only do you not pay for your BlueVine checking account, you actually get paid to use it.

Oh, and don’t forget that BlueVine has excellent customer reviews too. Sounds like the whole enchilada, right?

Put simply, BlueVine offers an all-around great checking account for businesses―and it happens to be free.

Azlo’s free checking account can work for many kinds of businesses, but it works best for freelancers.

That’s largely because your Azlo bank account includes invoicing tools. You can create invoices―and send them to clients―right from your Azlo dashboard. You’ll have the option to customize your invoices a bit (think your logo and business info). And if you have regular, repeat clients, Azlo lets you create a client profile that can save you time on future invoices.

But what if you already have an invoicing process you like? No problem. Azlo also works with the most popular accounting software (like Wave and QuickBooks Online). That means you can keep up your normal invoicing and accounting and still sync your Azlo bank account.

Azlo does have a few limitations (you can’t use checks or deposit cash) that some businesses will find too restrictive. But if you need a basic business checking account for your freelancing, Azlo offers just that.

Free checking accounts can often take several days to successfully open―but not at Small Business Bank, which offers same-day approval on its bank accounts.

Now, it’s not a guarantee―it could take longer―but Small Business Bank tries to get you up and running fast. In most cases, you just submit an application, a copy of your driver’s license, your EIN (employer identification number), and maybe a proof of address. Then Small Business Bank will review your application and approve it within one business day.

In some cases, Small Business Bank may need additional documentation from you. But even then, it can move faster than other banks do. That’s because Small Business Bank has longer customer support hours than most banks (from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. CT every day). In other words, you won’t have to scramble to submit documents by 5 p.m.―you’ve got some time.

So if you need a business bank account and you need it fast, Small Business Bank will be your best bet.

Don’t want to keep track of accounts at multiple banks? NBKC Bank makes it easy―and appealing―to do your business and personal banking in the same place.

See, NBKC has a great free business checking account. The only fees you’ll ever pay are wire fees (on all outgoing wires and on incoming international wires). You can add a money market savings account for no additional charge. All sounds good, right?

Well wait until you hear about its personal account. NBKC offers interest-bearing checking with a super-competitive 0.5% rate. And just like the business checking account, NBKC’s personal account doesn’t come with any of the usual monthly fees, transaction fees, or overdraft fees.

That means that whether you want both a free business account and a free personal account or just one of them, NBKC has you covered.

Axos Bank works best for businesses that are established enough to have some cash on hand.

We’ll cut to the chase: Axos Bank doesn’t charge a maintenance fee on its business checking account, but it’s not as cheap an option as other accounts on this list. The minimum deposit to open an account is $1,000. So if you want a free account because you don’t have much cash on hand, you should go with another bank. But if you want a free business checking account because fees are dumb—and you have an established business—then Axos Bank deserves your attention.

Besides having no monthly fee, Axos Bank also offers unlimited reimbursement on ATM fees. And while it does charge transaction fees, Axos gives you 200 free monthly transactions first. Axos will even give you 50 free checks when you open an account. Plus, if you ever feel the need to upgrade to a more robust deposit account, Axos offers lots of options for small and large businesses alike.

So if you can afford that opening deposit, Axos might be just what your established business needs.

Novo’s free checking account offers a number of integrations and discounts for your business. You can sync your Novo bank account with popular accounting software, payment processing apps, and virtual wallets. And your Novo account will also give you access to exclusive discounts on things like web hosting, travel, and accounting services.

For a free checking account that plays nice with your software―and gives you bonus deals―Novo is the way to go.

Maybe you’re the kind of person that keeps customer service on speed dial. In that case, consider Citizens. This bank has the best customer service options of any bank on this list. That means 24/7 customer support, yes, but it also means that you can contact customer support through phone, online chat, email, or even social media. (Sorry, no homing pigeons.)

So if you want a free checking account plus ultra-accessible customer service, give Citizens a go.

Is your business debit card your best friend? Are you constantly on the prowl for an ATM? Then check out TIAA Bank. This online bank has more ATMs than any other bank on this list (80,000 of them, in fact). Even better, most of those are fee-free, so you can avoid hefty ATM fees. And if you do rack up a few, TIAA will reimburse them all with a minimum balance of $5,000.

If you care a lot about ATM access, give TIAA a look.

Let’s be real: a free checking account is just the beginning. As your business grows, you’ll need more finance products, like business loans, credit cards, savings accounts, merchant services, and more. Huntington Bank has all that and then some. In addition to the usual financial products, you’ll even find things like insurance and cybersecurity products—useful complements to your free checking account.

Put simply, Huntington Bank offers a good free checking account―and plenty more besides.

If you see your business going places—big places—then you might want to start checking with US Bank. Its basic checking account doesn’t have a monthly fee, and it gives you 150 free transactions per month. Once you outgrow that, you can move on to its more advanced checking accounts. Those have monthly fees, but you can waive them by maintaining a (large) balance. And when you really hit it big, you can go with its Premium analyzed account, so US Bank is perfect if you want a bank account that grows with you.

The checking accounts above don’t charge any kind of monthly maintenance fee. But if you have your heart set on another bank that does charge monthly service fees, we have good news: There’s a good chance you can get those fees waived.

Pretty much all business banks will waive the monthly fee on your checking account when you meet certain conditions, like meeting a minimum balance requirement. Here are some examples:

• PNC will waive the $10 fee on its basic checking account if you spend at least $500 on your business credit card each month.
• KeyBank waives the $5 fee on its cheapest checking account when you keep an average balance of $1,000 in your checking account.
• Bank of America waives the $14 fee on its basic checking when you join its Preferred Rewards for Business program.

And those are just a few of your options. So if you have a bank you like, go ahead and ask about how you can waive monthly fees and get a free checking account.

Just keep in mind that you won’t be able to waive other fees (like transaction fees or cash deposit fees). Fortunately, most bank accounts give you a number of free transactions and cash deposits each month, so you might be able to avoid those fees.

None of the checking accounts reviewed here charge any monthly maintenance fee, so they’re free to use.

That said, many banks do require you to make a minimum opening deposit (often between $5 and $100), so you should plan for that initial expense.

Plus, many banks charge transaction fees, deposit fees, and overdraft fees. If you use your debit card to withdraw cash from ATMs, you might also end up with ATM fees. And depending on how you use your account, you might also have to pay fees for incoming and outgoing wire transfers.

If you don’t want to pay common banking fees, simply choose a bank that doesn’t charge them. Most online banks, for example, don’t charge transaction fees. Some (like BlueVine and Azlo) don’t even charge overdraft fees or NSF fees.

But even if you go with a traditional brick-and-mortar bank, many banking fees are pretty avoidable. Pretty much all banks give you a certain number of free transactions or let you deposit a certain amount of cash for free.

If you’re concerned about overdraft fees (we’ve been there), you can always sign up for overdraft protection by linking your small-business checking account to another account, like a savings account or a personal checking account. Or, you know, try not to overdraft your account in the first place.

As for ATM fees, many banks have “in network” ATMs that let you withdraw cash without paying a fee. And if that’s not an option, some banks will refund you a certain amount of ATM fees each month.

Yep, all the banks we recommend offer free mobile banking apps for customers. Most also give you the option of using their website if you prefer slightly older-school online banking.

Yes, Azlo and all the other online banking companies featured here are legitimate. They all have plenty of positive customer reviews, and in most cases, we’ve personally communicated with their customer service departments.

And if you think it will make you feel better, you can always look up a bank’s Better Business Bureau profile to verify that it's real and legit.

BlueVine is our pick for the best free business checking account, but it’s hardly your only option. We’ve handpicked several other banks that have no service fees, and many even offer no or reduced fees on things like transactions, deposits, and ATMs.

So go ahead and get your new checking account—and enjoy your free business banking.

Now that you have a business checking account, brush up on the small-business bookkeeping basics to keep your accounts in order.

Disclaimer

At Business.org, our research is meant to offer general product and service recommendations. We don't guarantee that our suggestions will work best for each individual or business, so consider your unique needs when choosing products and services.