Melio Review for 2024

Running a small business requires some serious coordination and organization. You have to manage your finances, inventory, orders, and customers. This can be a lot to keep track of, especially if you’re doing it all yourself.

When the time comes to pay your suppliers or receive payments, things can get even more complicated. This is where Melio comes in.

Melio is a free, B2B payment management platform designed specifically for small to medium-sized US businesses. It offers a simple and convenient way to pay and receive payments, as well as track and manage your finances.

Melio Overview

Established in 2018, Melio is an easy-to-use business payment solution headquartered in New York. It helps businesses pay bills and invoices as well as manage their cash flow.

Melio can be used by any business that needs to streamline its payment processes, such as logistics, wine and spirits, food and beverage, retail, and much more. Even though Melio works with US businesses only, it allows payments to vendors worldwide.

Melio is trusted by big names, such as Silicon Valley Bank, J.P. Morgan, Evolve, Diners Club International, and more. It is accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and boasts an A+ rating.

It integrates with popular accounting software and offers a range of features to streamline your payment processes and make the most of your working capital.

How Much Does Melio Cost?

Melio is one of the rare bill payment platforms that has no subscription fees which is helpful for business owners on a tight budget. They also don’t require newly registered users to sign any contracts.

While ACH to ACH bank transfers are free, other transactions carry a fee. For instance, you are charged a 2.9% transaction fee when paying by debit or credit card.

That said, Melio offers a transparent and simple pricing structure with no hidden fees.

Businesses that need to send international payments in USD will pay a flat fee of $20 per transaction. When shipping an expedited check via FedEx, the price will be $20, too.

Last but not least, Melio permits businesses to send and receive same-day bank transfers. A fee of 1% of the transaction value will apply.

Getting Started With Melio

Once you decide to start your Melio journey, you’ll be up and running in just a couple of minutes. The set-up process is intuitive and swift, and you’ll be required to create an account with either your business email address or your Intuit account, provided that you have one.

Then, you’ll be asked about your company’s details, such as your business name, address, phone number, and your first and last name. 

Once the company reviews and approves the information you provided, you’ll be able to start using the platform and all of its features. You’ll be ready to start adding vendors and suppliers right away.

During your first official payment, you’ll need to enter additional business legal information such as your tax ID type and number. 

Making B2B payments is a breeze: With Melio, you’ll be able to pay and get paid in just a few clicks.

What makes Melio so organized and intuitive is its centralized dashboard, which allows users to keep track of all the payments in one place.

Plus, the company offers an accountant dashboard, too, that lets you keep track of approvals, invoices, and payment requests. You’ll be able to easily switch between companies, add clients and team members, and manage your clients’ accounts.

Melio Services

Melio offers a wide range of features that are designed to streamline your payment processes and help you make the most of your working capital. It offers both the Business and Accountants sections. Below, we’ll take an in-depth look at some of the platform’s most notable features.

Paying and Getting Paid

With the online bill-pay service, you’ll be able to pay any invoice via ACH bank transfer, paper check, credit or debit card—even if the vendor doesn’t have a Melio account.

Most customers find it exceptional that if your payee doesn’t accept credit cards, you can still use one to pay but the money will be sent via bank transfer, check, or single-use virtual card. 

Melio encourages using credit cards for paying business bills as you’ll earn cash back rewards, airplane miles, tickets, and meals, get early-pay discounts, and even defer payment without interest. Plus, paying by credit card increases business cash flow.

If you have suppliers outside the US, you can still pay them via bank transfer in USD currency, as the company reviews and approves international payments.

Finally, you can get automatic reconciliation that’ll help you keep track of who you’ve paid, when, and how much.

Easy Bill Capture

With the Easy Bill Capture feature, importing bills has never been easier. You can add them manually, upload a bill file, or automatically sync them via QuickBooks from any device you’re using.

Melio’s AI technology will automatically read the bill, break down all the relevant information, and schedule the payment for you.

Integrations

Melio offers automatic two-way sync with QuickBooks Online, FreshBooks, and Business Central, while Xero integration is planned to launch in the near future.

The integration feature is designed to save you time by eliminating manual data entry and thus reducing human error.

Team Management

Next on the list of features are the robust team management tools that let you add and manage your employees, control their access to the platform, and assign specific tasks, all from a centralized, multiuser dashboard. You can also set up purchase order approvals and view all activity by an employee or by a company. 

In addition, you can create custom roles for each employee, specifying what they can and can’t do on the platform. This will help you avoid bottlenecks and share responsibilities with your team members.

Melio vs. FinancePal

FinancePal’s primary focus is on bookkeeping and accounting, which means that its invoicing and payment features are not as robust as those of Melio.

However, FinancePal offers a mobile app for iOS and Android devices, which can be useful for managing your finances on the go.

There isn’t currently a dedicated app - but the company is building one as we speak.

When it comes to pricing, Melio is unbeatable as it costs nothing to use the platform. FinancePal, on the other hand, charges a custom quote depending on the services you need.

FinancePal boasts experienced tax professionals who can help you fill out your taxes without errors, whereas Melio offers help filling out 1099 forms for your contractors come tax season.

In conclusion, Melio is the better option for businesses that need a robust invoicing and payments solution, as it offers more features and is more affordable than FinancePal. However, if you’re primarily concerned with bookkeeping and accounting, FinancePal may be a better option for you.

Melio Customer Support

The Melio support team offers email and phone assistance, as well as a comprehensive FAQ section where you can find answers to common questions. The company has an active blog to help you stay up-to-date on the latest news and tips.

If you have an account, you can reach out to the customer agents via live chat Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST, but it is closed on federal holidays. You can also reach out for help via email and get an answer within 24 hours.