Ranked recommendation
Mercury is the default primary for a Wyoming LLC. Relay fits for Profit First budgeting and multi-entity operations. Wise Business is the fallback for tightened-review country profiles. Combined approval across the three is approximately 99%.
For most non-resident founders, the right answer is Mercury first, Wise as backup, Relay if sub-account depth matters.
Provider snapshot
| Provider | Approval rate | Monthly fee | Sub-accounts | Stripe support | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | ~70% | $0 | Up to 10 | Native ACH, instant integration | Primary US bank |
| Relay | ~50% | $0 | Up to 20 | Native ACH | Profit First, multi-LLC |
| Wise Business | ~95% | $0 ($31 setup) | Multi-currency balances | Via US routing | Fallback, multi-currency |
| Brex | Revenue-qualified | $0 | Limited | Native ACH | Funded startups |
| Airwallex | ~80% | $0 | Multi-currency | Limited | Global teams, multi-currency |
Best by founder profile
| Profile | Primary | Secondary |
|---|---|---|
| SaaS founder, US-heavy revenue | Mercury | Relay |
| SaaS founder, EU-heavy revenue | Mercury + Wise | Relay |
| Agency or consulting | Relay (sub-accounts) | Mercury |
| E-commerce, Shopify | Mercury | Wise for supplier payments |
| Amazon FBA | Mercury | Payoneer for marketplace + Wise for suppliers |
| Freelancer, Upwork-heavy | Wise + Payoneer | Mercury |
| Multi-LLC operator | Relay (one login, multiple LLCs) | Mercury per LLC |
| Holding company / asset protection | Mercury Treasury | Relay sub-accounts |
Fees and recurring costs
| Cost | Mercury | Relay | Wise Business |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setup fee | $0 | $0 | $31 one-time |
| Monthly fee | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Minimum balance | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Domestic wire in | $0 | $0 | $0 (ACH equivalent) |
| International wire out | $0 | $0 | Varies by destination |
| Card spend abroad | Mid-market FX | Mid-market FX | 0.4-0.6% spread |
| Cash deposits | Not supported | Not supported | Not supported |
Application sequence
- Form Wyoming LLC ($397, 24 hours through WyomingLLC)
- Obtain EIN via IRS Form SS-4 by fax (8 to 10 business days)
- Apply to Mercury with prep packet (1 to 7 business days for approval)
- If Mercury rejects, apply to Relay (3 to 7 business days)
- If both reject, apply to Wise Business (same day to 3 days)
- Optionally open Wise alongside Mercury for multi-currency operations from day one
When to add a second bank
Open a second bank when one of these is true. You have a second LLC to consolidate under Relay. You bill EU or UK clients in their currency and want a Wise EUR or GBP balance. You earn from marketplaces (Upwork, Fiverr, Amazon) and want Payoneer for the native integration. You hold $50K+ idle and want Treasury yield via Mercury sweep.
There is no penalty for holding accounts at multiple providers. Each uses the same LLC and EIN. We help you sequence applications so a rejection at one does not bias the next.