Nickel vs. Melio
Melio is now part of Xero, and its free plan still stops at 5 ACH payments a month. Here's how the two compare on fees, limits, and support.
How does Melio work?
Melio is an accounts payable and receivable tool for small businesses. You upload or forward a bill, choose how to pay it (ACH bank transfer, card, or a mailed check), and Melio delivers the money however the vendor wants to receive it. On the receivable side, it sends payment requests your customers can settle by bank transfer or card.
Its free Go plan includes 5 ACH payments a month, then $0.50 each. Paid plans raise the allowance: Core ($25/month) includes 20, Boost ($55/month) includes 50, and Unlimited ($80/month) removes the cap. Every plan comes with one user (extra seats are $10/month each), and accounting sync, approval workflows, and phone support all start at paid tiers. Xero acquired Melio in 2025; it continues to run as a standalone product, with Xero sync built into Core and up.
How does Nickel work?
Nickel is a cashflow platform that puts AR and AP on one account. You send invoices and payment links, your customers pay by ACH, card, or check, and the money lands in your bank or in Nickel Balance. On the AP side you pay any business or 1099 contractor by ACH, card, wire, or check, with vendor onboarding and approval routing built in.
ACH is unlimited and free on every plan, including the $0 Core plan. It isn't a monthly allowance that runs out on the sixth payment. Core includes 3 users and a $25,000 per-transaction limit; Plus lifts that to $1M per transfer. QuickBooks Online and Desktop sync are included, and live chat and email support are available to every customer, not only paid tiers.
What changed after Xero acquired Melio?
Two things matter for a business deciding where to run its payments. First, the pricing that sent many customers looking elsewhere is still in place: Melio restructured its free plan in 2024 to cap ACH at 5 a month and move accounting sync behind paid tiers, and the Xero deal didn't reverse that. Second, Melio's owner is now an accounting platform that competes with QuickBooks. If your books live in QuickBooks Online or Desktop, that's worth weighing. Nickel's integrations are QuickBooks-first, and Xero sync is on our roadmap.
If you're evaluating more than one option, our guide to Melio alternatives covers ten tools side by side, and we also compare Nickel with Bill.com and Forwardly.
Is Nickel cheaper than Melio?
For most businesses, yes, and the gap is in ACH. A business sending 60 ACH payments a month pays $27.50 on Melio's Go plan, $45 on Core, or $60 on Boost. On Nickel it pays $0 on any plan. Melio's instant and same-day transfers cost 1% (capped at $75); instant transfers to and from Nickel Balance are free. Card payments are 2.9% on both. Melio is cheaper on one line: mailed checks are $1.50 versus $2 on Nickel.
Seats and sync close the rest of the gap. Nickel includes 3 users and unlimited QuickBooks sync at $0; on Melio, a second user is $10 a month and accounting sync starts at $25 a month. Full details are on our pricing page. Melio's are on melio.com/pricing, and every Melio figure on this page was checked against it on August 28, 2026.
Nickel vs. Melio, feature by feature.
Melio plan names and fees verified against melio.com/pricing on August 28, 2026. Nickel fees are current list prices.
Three* reasons customers choose Nickel over Melio
*There are a lot more than three
Truly unlimited free ACH payments. Send and receive ACH payments for free. No monthly caps or restrictions.
Transparency & live support. Nickel cares about your business running smoothly, so support is just a chat or email away.
Ease of use. Nickel's intuitive UI saves customers hours every week by making the most common tasks easy to access.
Rated above what you're using now.
Hundreds of 5-star G2 reviews from businesses that switched and never looked back.
“I can process my contractor payments in less than an hour, versus QB or my bank which took far longer.”
“I love how Nickel integrates seamlessly into our Airtable software.”
“What used to take an hour can now be done in less than 10 minutes.”
Nickel holds the highest overall rating at 4.9 out of 5.Read G2’s Best Payment Processing Software roundup
One platform for your cashflow.
Invoice Payments
Request upfront, deposits, and milestone payments on any invoice.
Payment Page
Launch payment page for any product or service with no code.
Auto Pay
Save bank or card details on file and auto charge customers without the wait.
Bill Pay
Pay any business or 1099 contractor globally with card, ACH, wire or check.
Vendor Onboarding
Collect and verify vendor bank, business and tax details with a secure link.
Integrations and API
Sync with Quickbooks Online, Desktop, CRMs and all major US banks.
Get started with Nickel. Sign up in minutes.
Try Nickel for free. No credit cards, no credit checks. Get started in 5 minutes.
Roll out in minutes. Connect your accounts and start paying and getting paid.
Enable Nickel Balance. Earn 2% on idle cash and send and receive payments instantly.
How do I switch from Melio to Nickel?
Sign up for Nickel, connect your QuickBooks account, and your customers, vendors, and invoices sync over. You can start sending payment links through Nickel the same day. There's no data migration to manage by hand because the QuickBooks integration pulls everything across. Most businesses are fully live within a day.
Is Nickel cheaper than Melio?
For most businesses, yes. Nickel ACH is unlimited and free on every plan, while Melio's free Go plan includes 5 ACH payments a month and charges $0.50 for each one after that. Card payments are 2.9% on both. Nickel includes 3 users and unlimited QuickBooks sync at $0; on Melio, extra users are $10 a month each and accounting sync starts at the $25-a-month Core plan. The one line where Melio is cheaper is mailed checks: $1.50 versus $2.
How long does it take to be fully live after switching?
Most businesses send their first payment or invoice on day 1. If you use QuickBooks, connecting the integration takes about 5 minutes and your records sync immediately. Vendor onboarding takes as long as it takes your vendors to fill out their secure link (usually a day or two). You don't have to wait for all vendors to be onboarded before you start using Nickel for everything else.
Does Nickel work with Xero?
Not yet. Nickel syncs with QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop today, and Xero sync is on the roadmap. If you run your books on Xero, talk to our team about timing before you switch.
What payment methods does Nickel support?
Nickel supports ACH bank transfers (free), credit and debit cards including Apple Pay and Google Pay (2.9%), mailed checks ($2), and real-time bank transfers through Nickel Balance. For paying vendors, Nickel also supports domestic wires and international wires via SWIFT to 135+ countries ($25). Your customers choose their preferred method when they open the payment link. Nickel doesn't currently offer in-person swipe or tap POS terminals. It's built for invoice-based and B2B payments.
Does Nickel require a merchant account?
No, Nickel doesn't require a separate merchant account. You sign up, verify your business, and start processing payments. There's no third-party merchant account provider to set up, no underwriting delay, and no separate fee structure to manage.
Does Nickel offer both accounts payable and accounts receivable?
Yes, Nickel handles both AR (invoicing, payment links, recurring invoices, autopay) and AP (bill pay, vendor onboarding, approval routing) on one platform. Both AR and AP are available on all plans; recurring invoices and autopay require Plus. Everything syncs to QuickBooks from one integration.
My payment platform has held large payments before. Will Nickel do the same?
We can't guarantee that Nickel will never hold a suspicious payment, but because our infrastructure is specifically designed for small businesses processing large payments, it's far less likely to happen. If it ever does, our support team is highly responsive and will reach out to you directly.
Ready to leave Melio behind?
See your ROI and savings using our calculator
Savings calculator →See a demo. See how Nickel can improve your cashflow in 30 minutes.
Talk to our experts →