Relay vs Found Business Checking 2023: Which Is Best?
Digital banking platforms Relay and Found both offer affordable business checking accounts and useful bookkeeping tools. Although the two seem similar at first glance, each has a very different target customer.
Relay aims to serve organizations with teams of two or more. It makes collaboration easier by not only letting you create multiple subaccounts and debit cards but also giving you the option to customize account permission and set strict spending limits to ensure that your team uses your funds responsibly.
Meanwhile, Found was designed with the one-person team in mind. By providing streamlined tax and bookkeeping assistance, Found helps you save time and effort on the usual business paperwork.
Here is a summary of what each provider is best for:
- Relay* is best for businesses that need multiple accounts and debit cards
- Found* is best for freelancers, solopreneurs, and self-employed individuals
*Providers are financial technology (fintech) platforms backed by and Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC)-insured through a supporting bank partnership (Evolve Bank & Trust for Relay and Piermont Bank for Found).
Relay vs Found Quick Comparison
When To Use
Relay vs Found Business Checking Account
Relay and Found both offer two types of business checking accounts. Neither account has monthly maintenance fees and minimum balance requirements.
Collaboration Tools
By letting you provide team members, including accountants and bookkeepers, access to your account, Relay gives you the ability to divide business banking responsibilities across your team. You can customize each member’s level of account access to ensure that your money and banking data stay protected.
Additionally, Relay lets you issue up to 50 physical or virtual debit cards. You can also customize spending limits and rules to make sure each card will be used responsibly. On the other hand, Found lacks collaboration tools.
Reserve Accounts
Through Relay, you can create up to 20 checking accounts under a single ID (10 if you are a sole proprietor). Meanwhile, Found gives you one main account and one subaccount for taxes.
Bookkeeping Tools
Relay categorizes and provides detailed transaction data automatically for all card purchases. It syncs your data with QuickBooks Online or Xero to help you reconcile transactions with ease.
Found also offers automatic expense categorization. It uses your account data to create expense, income, profit, and loss reports.
Tax Preparation
Relay does not offer tax preparation assistance. Meanwhile, through Found, you can use the following tax preparation features:
- Set aside a percentage of your income into a dedicated tax bucket automatically
- Generate real-time estimates of how much you owe in tax
- Track tax write-offs
- Auto-fill your Schedule C Form
Invoicing
Relay does not offer invoicing tools, whereas with Found, you can create and send an unlimited number of invoices. The platform accepts a wide range of payment options, including Cash App, Zelle, PayPal, Venmo, credit card, debit card, and direct deposit. Found will also notify you when your invoices are viewed or paid, and it sends payment reminders to your clients automatically.
Premium Versions
Both Relay and Found offer premium subscription services that add useful features to their standard platform. Relay’s premium service is called Relay Pro. It costs $30 per month and provides the following benefits:
- Fee-free outgoing wires
- Same-day ACH
- Automatic bill imports from QuickBooks and Xero
- One-click reconciliation for paid bills in QuickBooks and Xero
- Automated, multistep bill approval rules
- Consolidated payments to a vendor into one transaction
- Singular dashboard for reviewing, paying, and approving bills
This service is best for businesses needing more robust accounting integrations. Additionally, if you send wire transfers frequently, upgrading to Relay Pro can help you save.
On the other hand, Found’s premium service is called Found Plus. It has a $14.99 monthly fee and offers the following features:
- Priority customer service
- Unlimited category rules
- Custom bookkeeping categories and transaction tags
- Photo receipt capture
- APY of 1.50% on balances up to $20,000
- Pay taxes directly through Found
- Export bookkeeping data
This is ideal for businesses requiring more streamlined bookkeeping features. It is also useful for those wanting to earn interest on small balances.
Relay vs Found User Reviews
Trustpilot Rating | 4.3 out of 5 | 4.6 out of 5 |
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Relay has a Trustpilot1 rating of 4.3 stars, based on 700-plus reviews, whereas Found has a Trustpilot2 rating of 4.6 stars, based on 100-plus reviews. Both received praise for their unique features: Relay for its collaboration tools and Found for its tax preparation and bookkeeping assistance services. Found users, in particular, like that the platform was intuitive and easy to navigate.
Many of Relay’s negative reviews came from unsuccessful applicants who said that they were uncomfortable with the amount of information Relay was requesting and that they did not trust the company with their data. Other complaints centered on the provider’s check-clearing times. Many customers disliked the long hold time for check deposits and money transfers.
Meanwhile, Found received very few negative reviews, save for a handful of customers who complained about a lack of support for cash and mobile check deposits.
Once you’ve selected a provider, refer to our guide on how to open a business bank account for application preparation tips.
Bottom Line
The choice between Relay and Found is a matter of team size. If you lead a team of two or more people, Relay is the better choice. By letting you create up to 20 checking accounts and issue up to 50 debit cards, Relay helps large teams manage the same accounts with ease. Meanwhile, freelancers, self-employed individuals, and solopreneurs are best suited to Found. Its bookkeeping and tax preparation features help individuals save time on day-to-day business paperwork.
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