The most visible business bank accounts, October 2026

October 2026 · 15 questions asked in English, worldwide · ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Google AI Mode · 60 answers read

Leader

Relay

58Heralded Score, range 46–72

Most cited source

nerdwallet.com

28citations

From Google AI Mode, Google AI Overviews and ChatGPT

Where engines disagree most

Wise Business

1/4engines put it in their top three

Top three on Google AI Mode, not on Gemini, Google AI Overviews and ChatGPT

Brands

Search is not measured for this board yet, so it ranks on AI answers.

Rank Brand Rank change Heralded Score All AI Score trend Mentioned Recommended By engine Mentioned by Change
1 Relay CA New entry 58 , range 46–72 58#1
58
  • : score 58 · #1
55% 36% First reading
2 Mercury US New entry 50 , range 41–65 50#2
50
  • : score 50 · #2
54% 22% First reading
3 Novo US New entry 33 , range 17–43 33#3
33
  • : score 33 · #3
24% 10% First reading
4 Wise Business GB New entry 31 , range 10–39 31#4
31
  • : score 31 · #4
22% 5% First reading
5 Bank of America US New entry 28 , range 8–38 28#5
28
  • : score 28 · #5
17% 7% First reading
6 Brex US New entry 12 , range 5–34 12#6
12
  • : score 12 · #6
14% 2% First reading
7 Found US New entry 10 , range 4–34 10#7
10
  • : score 10 · #7
10% 4% First reading
8 Airwallex AU New entry 10 , range 4–34 10#8
10
  • : score 10 · #8
12% 2% First reading
9 American Express Business Checking US New entry 8 , range 3–33 8#9
8
  • : score 8 · #9
7% 6% First reading
10 Axos Bank US New entry 5 , range 1–29 5#10
5
  • : score 5 · #10
5% 2% First reading

“=” marks brands whose score ranges overlap, so the test cannot separate them. Every brand named in at least three answers is ranked. AI gives each brand’s score and rank from the engines’ answers; Search is not measured for this board yet. By engine has one dot per engine (ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Google AI Mode), darker the more often it names the brand.

Most cited sources

Rank Source Type Cited in Engines Pages cited Brands its pages mention
11 business.com Review site 5.0% 2 of 4 1 Not read
12 connectpay.com Vendor site 5.0% 1 of 4 3 Not read
13 experian.com Vendor site 5.0% 2 of 4 2 Not read
14 facebook.com Social 5.0% 2 of 4 3 Not read
15 bancoli.com Vendor site 1.7% 1 of 4 2 Not read
16 betterbusinessadvice.com Consultancy 3.3% 1 of 4 2 Not read
17 citi.com Vendor site 3.3% 1 of 4 1 Not read
18 collective.com Vendor site 3.3% 1 of 4 1 8
19 finder.com Review site 1.7% 1 of 4 2 Not read
20 freelancepick.com Review site 1.7% 1 of 4 2 Not read

Questions asked

QuestionLanguageMost recommended
What is the best business bank account for a small company? English Bank of America, Mercury and Relay, tied
Online business banking for startups English Mercury, Relay and Rho, tied
How can a new company open a business bank account online? English Mercury and Relay, tied
How do I separate my business and personal finances as a freelancer? English Mercury, Novo and Relay, tied
Traditional bank vs. online business account for small businesses English Relay
Business account with multiple currencies vs. a local business account for exporters English Airwallex and Wise Business, tied
Alternatives to a traditional bank for a small business account English Relay
Alternatives to using a personal account for business payments English Novo and Relay, tied
I'm a freelancer starting my company. Which business account should I open? English Relay
I run a small e-commerce business and need a business account with cards for my team. English Relay

Each engine's top three

Method

Each leaderboard ranks brands on two sides. AI is how ChatGPT, Gemini, Google AI Overviews and Google AI Mode answer the board's buyer questions. Search is Google's top 10 results for the keywords behind those questions. All combines the two, where Search is measured.

For the AI side, each month Heralded asks every engine the same buyer questions, twice each, and reads every answer. An answer counts 0 for a brand it leaves out, 50 for a brand it names and 100 for a brand it recommends, and the Heralded Score is built from those. A brand named in at least three answers gets a score and a place.

How the leaderboards are measured