Melio and BILL (formerly Bill.com) are online payment platforms designed to streamline accounts payable (A/P) and accounts receivable (A/R) processes for businesses. However, they cater to different market segments and offer distinctive features.
BILL serves a broader range of businesses and offers a more comprehensive suite of features that can handle more complex A/R and A/P processes. Meanwhile, Melio focuses on simplifying bill payments and providing easy-to-use tools for businesses with relatively straightforward financial needs.
Ultimately, the choice between BILL vs Melio should be driven by the size, complexity, and specific demands of your business, which will ensure that you select the best fit for your financial management needs.
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|---|---|---|
Best For | Businesses seeking a full-featured A/P and A/R solution | Businesses seeking free bill pay software |
Monthly Platform Fee | $45 to $79 per user | $0 |
Distinctive Features |
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Short-term Financing | ✕ | ✓ |
Audit Trails | ✓ | ✕ |
Approval Workflows | ✓ | ✓ |
Automatic Bill Codification | ✓ | ✕ |
Batch Payments | ✓ | ✓ |
Mobile App | iOS and Android | iOS only |
Payment in Multiple Currencies | ✓ | ✕ |
Vendor Portal | ✓ | ✕ |
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When To Use
Are you seeking accounting software for your small business? Learn more about the pricing and features of different accounting solutions in our evaluation of the best small business accounting software.
BILL vs Melio: Pricing (Melio Wins)
BILL | Melio | |
|---|---|---|
Monthly Pricing | A/P or A/R:
| $0 |
Number of Users | Unlimited | Unlimited |
ePayment/ACH Transaction Fees | $0.49 per transaction (send & receive) | $0 |
Check Mailing Fee | $1.69 per check payment | $1.50 per check payment (first two checks per month are free) |
Invoice Mailing Fee | $1.49 per invoice | N/A |
Payment by Debit or Credit Card | 2.9% of payment (applies to payer) | 2.9% of payment (applies to payer) |
Short-term Financing | N/A | Fees vary based on repayment terms |
International Wire Transfer (Local Currency) | $0 fee and competitive exchange rates | N/A |
International Wire Transfer (USD) | $14.99 flat fee | $20 flat fee or 2.9% when paying with card |
Vendor Direct Virtual Card Payment | $0 for vendors who accept Vendor Direct | N/A |
Faster Automated Clearing House (ACH) Payments | $9.99 (send and receive) for same or next day | 1% of payment (up to $30) for same day |
Faster Check Payments | Overnight: $22.99 Two-day: $17.99 Three-day: $11.99 | $20 flat fee within three business days |
Free Trial | ✕ | ✕ |
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The biggest distinction between Melio vs BILL is that Melio doesn’t charge a platform fee while BILL’s fees range from $45 to $79 per month, depending on the services needed. It is for this reason that we selected Melio as the winner in this category.
Both platforms allow for unlimited users, but BILL’s fees are priced per user, per month. Melio also doesn’t charge for ACH transactions while BILL charges 49 cents per transaction. BILL will send invoices for you at a fee of $1.49 per invoice while Melio doesn’t offer this service.
The fees for payment by debit or credit card are the same—2.9% of the payment, which applies to the payer. While BILL offers international wire transfers in both US dollars and international currencies, Melio only offers international wire transfers in USD. Also, BILL offers Vendor Direct, which is a Mastercard payment sent via email that includes a single-use card number that your vendor can process through its merchant card processing system.
Melio offers short-term financing through a program they call pay-over-time. Pay-over-time charges a fee based on the length of your repayment term. Rates will vary over time, but the example rates they give on their website go from 2.5% for 30 days to 15.6% for 12 months. While the percentage fee is applied to the total amount borrowed, you can pay the fee evenly over required installments.
BILL vs Melio: Features (BILL Wins)
BILL | Melio | |
|---|---|---|
A/P & A/R Features | ✓ | ✓ |
Compatible Accounting Software | QuickBooks, Xero, Sage Intacct, and NetSuite | QuickBooks, Xero, FreshBooks, and Business Central |
Approval Workflows | ✓ | ✓ |
International Payments | ✓ | ✓ |
Autocapture Receipts & Bills | ✓ | ✓ |
Unlimited Custom User Roles | ✓ | ✕ |
Short-term Financing | ✕ | ✓ |
Payments in Multiple Currencies | ✓ | ✕ |
Audit Trails | ✓ | ✕ |
Mobile App | Android and iOS | iOS only |
Automatic Bill Codification | ✓ | ✕ |
Batch Payments | ✓ | ✓ |
Vendor Portal | ✓ | ✕ |
Unlimited Document Storage | ✓ | ✕ |
When it comes to features, BILL offers a wider range that can accommodate many types of businesses. While both providers offer approval workflows and the ability to autocapture receipts and bills, only BILL allows for audit trails, automatic bill codification, and payment in multiple currencies. You also receive unlimited document storage, a vendor portal, and unlimited customer user roles, three features that are unavailable with Melio.
Melio only offers a mobile app for iOS that can perform basic A/P features while BILL’s mobile app allows you to send invoices and process bill payments. Melio and BILL both integrate with QuickBooks and Xero. However, only Melio integrates with FreshBooks and Business Central, and only BILL integrates with Sage Intacct and NetSuite.
A unique service offered by Melio is their Pay-over-time feature, which provides short-term financing for specific bills that you are unable to pay. You can add multiple bills to your financing request and then click apply at which time Melio will pull a soft credit check. If approved, if you can choose repayment terms from 30 days to 12 months. You’re vendor will be paid immediately and you’ll repay Melio over time. There is a fee for the service based on the amount financed and the length of the repayment. The total fee is a percentage of the original amount financed, but is paid evenly over the installment period.
BILL vs Melio: A/P (BILL Wins)
BILL | Melio | |
|---|---|---|
Intelligent Virtual Assistant | ✓ | ✕ |
Bill Approvals | ✓ | ✓ |
1099 Contractor Payments | ✓ | ✓ |
Automatic Bill Capture | ✓ | ✓ |
OCR | ✓ | ✓ |
In the battle between BILL vs Melio in terms of A/P features, BILL wins, as its features are more advanced, with access to an intelligent virtual assistant. However, both platforms allow for bill approvals, 1099 contractor payment tracking, and automatic bill capture.
BILL vs Melio: A/R (Tie)
BILL | Melio | |
|---|---|---|
Invoice Customization | ||
Recurring Invoices | ✓ | ✓ |
Create & Send Invoices | ✓ | ✓ |
Sales Tax Tracking | ✕ | ✕ |
Melio and BILL both allow you to create and send single or recurring invoices, but their A/R features are otherwise limited. Melio can send invoices via email with a built-in pay button and track all payment requests from a single platform. Melio also allows you to choose whether you’ll pay the 2.9% credit card fee or require the customers to pay it. This feature isn’t available with BILL.
Meanwhile, BILL lets you choose a template and then customize your invoices and send them via email or US mail. If you select email, you can either schedule a date to send them or send them immediately. Recurring invoices and invoice tracking are also available with BILL. Melio allows you to add your branding to your invoices but no further customization.
Neither Melio nor BILL offer sales tax tracking, but it is possible to use accounting software that integrates with either provider. For Melio, you would first create the invoice in the accounting software and then transfer it over. For BILL, it depends on what accounting software your account syncs with. With QuickBooks Online, sales taxes sync in both directions, and once you set up sales tax in QuickBooks Desktop it will bring the sales tax items over to BILL after a sync is run.
BILL vs Melio: Ease of Use (Tie)
BILL | Melio | |
|---|---|---|
Overall Ease of Use | Easy | Easy |
Accessibility | Cloud | Cloud |
Online Help Section | ✓ | ✓ |
User-friendly Dashboard | ✓ | ✓ |
When we compare BILL vs Melio for ease of use, we see a tie. Both are extremely user-friendly and are available via the cloud. If you need immediate assistance, you can search each provider’s online help section for answers to common user questions.
BILL vs Melio: Mobile App (BILL Wins)
BILL | Melio | |
|---|---|---|
Accessibility | iOS and Android | iOS only |
Invoice Customers | ✓ | ✕ |
Pay Bills | ✓ | ✓ |
Financial Reports | ✕ | ✕ |
Bill/Receipt Scanning | ✓ | ✕ |
Automated Workflows | ✓ | ✓ |
The main difference between Melio and BILL is that Melio’s mobile app is available only for iOS—and it doesn’t allow you to create or send invoices. You also can’t scan bills or receipts with Melio, but BILL, which has both iOS and Android apps, offers this feature.
Melio vs BILL: Customer Support (Tie)
Melio | BILL | |
|---|---|---|
Customer Support Hours | Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern time | Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET |
Community Support | ✕ | ✕ |
Email Support | ✓ | ✓ |
Live Chat Support | ✓ | ✓ |
Phone Support | ✕ | ✕ |
Searchable Knowledge Base | ✓ | ✓ |
Online Help Resources | ✓ | ✓ |
Neither Melio nor BILL offer phone support, but you can access email or live chat support during their customer support hours. Both providers also offer a searchable knowledge base and online help resources, but no community support.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Melio has no subscription fees. However, there are transaction fees associated with using credit card payments. Melio also charges optional fees for expedited payments and certain advanced features.
Yes, BILL syncs with QuickBooks, Sage Intacct, NetSuite, and Xero. You can also use a comma-separated values (CSV) template to import and export data with any accounting system, such as Blackbaud and Acumatica.
Yes, Melio offers a mobile app. However, it’s for iOS users only. Also, you are limited to A/P features with the mobile app.
Yes, BILL charges a monthly fee per user plus small transaction fees. For electronic payments, it costs $0.49 per transaction. To mail checks, $1.69 per check payment is charged.
Bottom Line
Melio is a free, user-friendly solution that is ideal for small businesses and startups seeking simplified bill payment processes. On the other hand, BILL offers a more robust feature set, making it a great choice for businesses with more complex financial requirements. Although Melio has many useful features, especially for software with no subscription fees, BILL is the best if you’re willing to pay the platform fee because of its comprehensive A/R and A/P capabilities.
