What Is Melio?

Running a small business means juggling invoices, vendor questions, and payment due dates that always seem to arrive at once. Melio steps in as a digital command center for those headaches. The platform lets U.S. businesses pay any bill—by bank transfer, credit card, check, wire, even same-day ACH—and track everything from a single dashboard. Vendors do not need a Melio account; they receive funds the way they prefer and that simplicity has helped the product gain real traction among Main Street companies looking for enterprise-grade convenience without enterprise-grade complexity.

Melio’s bigger promise is healthier cashflow. By letting you put vendor bills on your credit card or spread them over monthly installments, the tool buys you time while still paying partners on schedule. Add in built-in accounts receivable, and you have a lightweight but surprisingly complete payables-and-receivables stack that can sit on top of your existing accounting software.

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Melio’s Main Features

Smart Bill Capture & Inbox

Forward an emailed invoice to a unique Melio address or upload a PDF and the system scans key data automatically. Bills land in a dedicated inbox ready for approval, which means less manual typing and fewer errors.

Flexible Payment Options

Send an ACH for fifty cents, mail a paper check (five are free each month on the entry plan), or use a card for a flat 2.9 percent. Need a rush? Same-day ACH, instant bank transfers, fast and overnight checks are available. For international suppliers, Melio supports payments in U.S. dollars or local currency, charged as a transparent flat or conversion fee.

Pay Over Time

When cashflow is tight, you can break a bill into Net 30 or up to 12 monthly installments. The vendor still gets paid up front; you repay Melio and its financing partner Credit Key in predictable slices, beginning 30 days after disbursement. Approval is a soft credit pull, so there is no impact on your personal score.

Accounting Integrations

Two-way sync with QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, and Xero keeps ledgers aligned without duplicate entry. Bills created in your books appear in Melio; payments scheduled in Melio post back as soon as they clear. Higher-tier plans unlock unlimited sync, while the free tier includes a limited number each month—enough for side-by-side testing.

Approval Workflows & Roles

Growing teams can invite additional users and set granular roles such as Viewer, Approver, or Admin. Core and Boost plans add vendor-based or amount-based approvals, gradual multi-step sign-off, and the ability to approve a batch of bills in one click.

Accounts Receivable & Payment Links

Turn the tables and get paid. Create branded invoices, share a payment link, and let customers settle by bank or card. ACH receipts are free; if a customer chooses a card, you decide whether to absorb or pass along the 2.9 percent card fee.

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Pricing—Simple but Tiered

Melio keeps subscription costs low and shifts most revenue to per-transaction fees. Three self-serve plans are live in 2025, each currently discounted 90 percent for the first three months:

• Go ($0 forever, single user) – 5 free ACH each month, basic bill capture, card payments, payment links, and limited accounting sync.

• Core ($25 a month, plus $10 per extra user) – 20 free ACH, unlimited sync with QuickBooks and Xero, batch payments, standard approval workflows, W-9 collection, and priority chat support.

• Boost ($55 a month, plus $10 per extra user) – 50 free ACH, QuickBooks Desktop sync, advanced user roles, custom multi-step approvals, premium phone support, and granular classes or locations for more detailed bookkeeping.

If you exhaust your free ACH allotment, additional transfers cost fifty cents. Paper checks beyond the monthly free quota are $1.50. Fast delivery options and wires have fixed or one-percent caps, clearly shown before you click Send. International ACH is a flat $20, while international card payments add 2.9 percent plus the same $20. No hidden markups appear later.

[cta text="Get 90% off subscription fees for your first 3 months."]

FAQ

Is Melio really free?

Yes and no. The Go plan has no monthly subscription, but certain actions—card payments, expedited options, or ACH transfers beyond your five-per-month allowance—carry small processing fees. If you stick to basic ACH inside the allowance, your cost is zero.

Can I pay vendors who don't take cards?

Absolutely. Charge the bill to your business credit card in Melio and choose "Check" or "Bank Transfer" as the vendor’s delivery method. Melio converts the payment and your vendor never sees your card details.

Does using Melio hurt my credit?

Normal payments have no credit impact. The Pay Over Time feature involves a soft pull when you apply, which does not affect your score. Repayments are drawn automatically, so staying current keeps your credit profile intact.

How secure are my payments on Melio?

Melio uses 256-bit encryption, tokenized card storage, and is PCI DSS compliant. Checks printed by Melio omit your bank details, reducing the risk of fraud compared with traditional paper checks.

Does Melio work outside the United States?

The platform is designed for U.S.-registered businesses. You can send international payments from the U.S., but both your Melio account and funding source must be domestic for now.

The Bottom Line

Melio delivers a streamlined, founder-friendly approach to paying—and getting paid—without forcing you into cumbersome ERP suites. The free Go tier means you can experiment with real bills before spending a dime, while Core and Boost add the controls an expanding finance team expects. Punch-card pricing keeps costs aligned with usage, and pay-over-time financing offers a quiet safety net when liquidity tightens.

If juggling vendor bills, credit cards, and accounting re-entry is siphoning hours from your week, Melio is worth a serious look. It is not the most feature-packed platform in the category, but for most small and midsize businesses, it strikes a rare balance between capability and approachability—letting you focus on growth instead of pushing paper.