No minimum balance is useful for a new business because revenue is often uneven. You can keep the account open while you wait on customers, deposits, invoices, or a launch date.
The tradeoff is that providers may charge for specific actions instead of charging a monthly maintenance fee. You still need to compare the fee schedule against how your company actually uses money.
This is not financial advice. Review current account agreements, fee schedules, eligibility rules, and deposit insurance disclosures before opening an account.
What to verify before applying
Confirm whether there is a minimum opening deposit, minimum daily balance, monthly maintenance fee, inactivity fee, and minimum balance to earn interest. Those terms sound similar, but they are different.
Also verify whether the free debit card is physical, virtual, or both. For online services, virtual cards can be useful immediately, while a physical card is still helpful for local purchases and deposits that require card access.
No minimum balance does not mean no limits
Some accounts limit cash deposits, charge for outgoing wires, charge for same-day transfers, or reserve advanced controls for paid plans. If your business is mostly invoices and ACH, this may not matter. If you move money often, it matters a lot.
If you need multiple cards, user roles, vendor-specific accounts, or envelope budgeting, compare subaccounts and team permissions before comparing interest rates.
A practical short list
Novo, Bluevine, Relay, and Mercury are commonly considered by online-first small businesses because each publishes a no-monthly-fee or no-minimum-balance story for core business banking. The details are not identical, so use them as a comparison set rather than as interchangeable options.
If you deposit cash often, include a local bank or credit union in the comparison. A slightly higher monthly fee can be cheaper than repeated cash-deposit friction.
Third-party services
Services that support this workflow
Novo no-fee checking
Publishes no monthly maintenance fees, no minimum balance, and debit-card access for business checking.
Novo has affiliate and referral programs.Bluevine fee schedule
Publishes no monthly fee and no minimum deposit for the Standard plan, with specific fees for selected transactions.
Bluevine has partner programs; accountant-focused rewards were verified.Relay business banking fees
Publishes no monthly fee for Relay Standard and no minimum balance requirement for the account.
Relay has affiliate and partner programs.Mercury FAQ
Publishes no minimum balance or required monthly fees for core accounts, with paid plans for advanced workflows.
Mercury has partnerships and referral programs.Monetization check
Affiliate, referral, or partner program status
Novo
Affiliate program foundNovo publishes affiliate program information and customer referral terms.
Program sourceRelay
Affiliate program foundRelay publishes an affiliate program application for eligible partners.
Program sourceMercury
Partnership and referral programs foundMercury publishes partner and referral programs, including incentives subject to eligibility terms.
Program sourceProgram details can change. Review each provider's current terms before applying or replacing these editorial links with affiliate links.