The short answer, tool by tool:
- Xero: ACH bill pay is free, but the subscription went up in October 2025 and again in October 2026. Getting paid by ACH still costs 1% up to $9 a payment.
- Melio: The free plan stops at 5 ACH payments a month, then charges $0.50 each.
- Nickel: ACH is free both ways on a $0 plan, with no monthly cap and QuickBooks sync included.
Xero bought Melio in October 2025, so the bill pay inside Xero is now Melio. Melio still sells its own plans to businesses on QuickBooks.
Xero vs. Melio at a glance
| Factor | Xero | Melio | Nickel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly plan | $27, $59 or $97 | $0, $25, $55 or $80 | $0, $45 or $375 |
| Pay bills by standard ACH | Free (5 bills on Early) | 5 free a month on Go, then $0.50 | Free, no monthly cap |
| Get paid by ACH | 1% up to $9 | Free | Free |
| Faster ACH | 1% up to $75 | 1% up to $75 | Free with Nickel Balance |
| Get paid by card | 2.9% + 30¢ | 2.9%, you or your customer | 2.9%, you or your customer |
| Mailed check | $1.50 | $1.50 | $2 |
| International payment to a vendor | $20 (USD) | $20 (USD) | $25 wire (USD) |
| Users | No per-user fees | 1, extras $10 a month from Core | 3 on Core |
| Accounting sync | Built in | Unlimited from $25, Desktop from $55 | QuickBooks at $0, Xero coming soon |
Bottom line
- Xero wins if your books already live in Xero and you mostly pay bills. Standard ACH bill pay is free on every plan, though the $27 Early plan lists only 5 bills.
- Melio wins if you're on QuickBooks and pay fewer than 5 bills a month by ACH. The Go plan costs $0.
- Nickel wins if you're on QuickBooks and you both pay bills and get paid by ACH. Both directions are free on the $0 Core plan.
Xero made bill pay free, then raised its prices
Xero agreed to buy Melio in June 2025 and closed the deal on October 15, 2025, for US$2.5 billion. The plan was to build Melio into Xero and keep selling it on its own, and that's what happened. Melio co-founder Matan Bar is now CEO of Xero US. As of March 2026, Xero's online bill payments are powered by Melio. Back in August 2025, we covered what the deal could mean for Melio users.
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| June 24, 2025 | Xero agrees to buy Melio for US$2.5 billion upfront |
| By October 1, 2025 | Xero's US prices rise: Early $20 to $25, Growing $47 to $55, Established $80 to $90 |
| October 15, 2025 | The deal closes |
| March 2026 | Xero launches bill pay powered by Melio, at $0.50 per ACH bill payment |
| June 2026 | Standard ACH bill pay in Xero becomes free |
| October 1, 2026 | Xero's US prices rise again: Early $27, Growing $59, Established $97, and the multi-organization discount starts phasing out |
Free bill pay came with a price tag of its own. When standard ACH bill pay went free in June 2026, Matan Bar wrote: "Pay as many bills as you want via standard ACH with no extra cost, included in your existing Xero plan." Less than 4 months later, Xero raised its subscription prices for the second time since agreeing to buy Melio. Since June 2025, Early has gone up 35%, Growing 26% and Established 21%. You don't pay per bill anymore. You pay for it every month instead.
The fine print on Xero's fee page tells the same story:
- Standard ACH is free on Early, Growing and Established and takes 3 business days. If you need it faster, same-day ACH and instant transfers cost 1% up to $75.
- The $27 Early plan lists "5 bills" and 20 invoices on Xero's pricing page. More vendor bills than that means Growing, at $59.
- "Melio may convert ACH transfers to single-use-virtual-card payments in some circumstances (at no additional cost)." It costs you nothing, but your supplier pays their usual card processing fee to accept it.
- "Payment fees are not eligible for subscription discounts or offers and are subject to change." The price has already changed once. ACH bill pay in Xero cost $0.50 a payment as recently as March 2026, and the same page says it can change again.
Getting paid in Xero still costs 1%
Free bill pay only covers money going out. When a customer pays one of your Xero invoices online, the payment runs through Stripe. Xero's Stripe fee page lists ACH direct debit at 1% capped at $9 per transaction. Bank transfers cost 0.5% with a $5 cap, and US cards cost 2.9% + 30¢. Stripe takes its fee out of each payment.
$9 sounds small until it lands on every invoice. Get paid by ACH on 10 invoices of $900 or more in a month, and that's $90 in fees (10 × $9).
Melio stops at 5 free ACH a month
Most QuickBooks users meet Melio through its standalone plans. Here's what they include, from Melio's pricing page:
| Melio plan | Price a month | Free ACH a month | Extra users |
|---|---|---|---|
| Go | $0 | 5 | None (1 user) |
| Core | $25 | 20 | $10 each |
| Boost | $55 | 50 | $10 each |
| Unlimited | $80 | Unlimited | Included |
Past the allowance, Melio's page says "a $0.50 charge will be applied to each payment." Go also stops at 10 QuickBooks or Xero syncs. Unlimited QuickBooks Online sync starts at Core, and QuickBooks Desktop sync starts at Boost.
Getting paid is where Melio beats Xero. When a customer pays your Melio invoice from their bank account, it costs you nothing on any plan. Melio's plans also now come with a 6-month free Xero subscription.
The 5-payment cap goes back to Melio's 2024 repricing. We covered why that change sent businesses looking elsewhere and compared 10 Melio alternatives in separate posts.
Nickel sends and receives ACH for $0
Nickel Core costs $0 a month and includes:
- ACH: unlimited and free both ways, for paying vendors and getting paid by customers, with no monthly cap.
- The basics: unlimited invoices, bill pay, QuickBooks Online and Desktop sync, and 3 users.
- Limits: $25,000 per transaction. Plus raises that to $1M for $35 a month billed annually, or $45 monthly.
Nickel isn't cheaper on every line, and it's worth knowing where:
- Mailed checks: $2, against $1.50 at Xero and Melio.
- International payments (USD to USD): $25, against their $20.
- Xero sync: coming soon. Talk to our team about timing.
The real cost of one ordinary month
Here's one month for a business that pays 30 vendor bills and collects 30 customer invoices of $5,000 each, all by ACH. The prices are list prices, billed monthly.
- Xero Growing: The $59 plan covers the 30 bills. Each customer payment hits the $9 cap, so the 30 cost $270 (30 × $9). That's $329 a month, or $3,948 a year. Early wouldn't work here, since it lists 20 invoices and 5 bills.
- Melio Core: The $25 plan includes 20 free bills. The other 10 cost $5 (10 × $0.50), and getting paid is free. That's $30 a month, or $360 a year.
- Nickel Core: The plan, the bills and getting paid are all $0.
| Cost | Xero Growing | Melio Core | Nickel Core |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plan | $59 | $25 | $0 |
| 30 bills paid by ACH | $0 | $5 | $0 |
| 30 invoices paid by ACH | $270 | $0 | $0 |
| Per month | $329 | $30 | $0 |
| Per year | $3,948 | $360 | $0 |
One caveat cuts in Xero's favor. Xero's $59 includes your accounting software. Melio and Nickel run alongside QuickBooks, which you pay for separately. On payment fees alone, it's $270 a month in Xero, $5 plus a $25 plan on Melio, and $0 on Nickel.
Nickel Core has no monthly fee and no contract. Start for free, then connect QuickBooks.
When each one is the right pick
- You're on Xero and mostly pay bills. Stay put. Standard ACH bill pay is free on your plan, up to 5 bills a month on Early.
- You're on Xero and customers pay you by ACH. Watch the fee on each payment: 1% up to $9. Nickel's Xero sync is coming soon, so check the timing before you move collections.
- You're on QuickBooks and pay fewer than 5 bills a month. Melio's Go plan covers you for $0 with 1 user.
- You're on QuickBooks, and you pay bills and get paid. This is where Nickel fits. ACH is free both ways with no monthly cap. Core includes 3 users plus QuickBooks Online and Desktop sync. On Melio, Desktop sync starts at $55 a month.
FAQs
Is ACH free in Xero?
For paying bills, yes. Standard ACH bill payments are free on Xero's Early, Growing and Established plans and arrive in 3 business days. Same-day ACH costs 1% up to $75. Getting paid by ACH still costs 1% up to $9. The Early plan lists 5 bills.
Does Xero charge to receive ACH payments?
Yes. Online invoice payments in Xero run through Stripe. ACH direct debit costs 1% with a $9 cap, and bank transfer costs 0.5% with a $5 cap. Stripe takes its fee out of the payment.
Does Melio have a free plan?
Yes. Melio Go is $0 for 1 user and includes 5 free ACH payments a month. Each one after that costs $0.50, and Go stops at 10 QuickBooks or Xero syncs. Getting paid by bank transfer is free on every Melio plan.
Is Melio owned by Xero?
Yes. Xero agreed to buy Melio in June 2025 and closed the deal on October 15, 2025. Melio now runs the bill payments inside Xero, and Melio co-founder Matan Bar is CEO of Xero US. Melio still sells standalone plans to businesses on QuickBooks and other accounting software.
Does Nickel work with Xero?
Not yet. Nickel syncs with QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop today, and Xero sync is coming soon. If your books are in Xero, talk to our team about timing before you switch.
Skip the headline and read the fee schedule
"Free ACH" means something different at each company. In Xero, paying vendors is free, but getting paid costs 1% (up to $9). The subscription also went up in October 2025 and again in October 2026. In Melio, you get 5 free payments a month, then pay $0.50 each. In Nickel, ACH is free both ways on a $0 plan, with no monthly cap.
Full plan details are on our pricing page, and Nickel vs. Melio has the feature-by-feature version. If you're comparing more tools, our guide to Melio alternatives covers 10 of them.
