Melio Review

flag Streamline your workflow
  • The simplest way to pay vendors & contractors

  • 2-way automated sync with Xero & QuickBooks

  • Manage all business payments in one place

  • Hold on to cash up to 45 days & earn rewards

Pros & Cons

  • No monthly fees. ACH bank transfers are free.
  • Pay multiple bills in one go, schedule in advance, set recurring payments
  • Payment flexibility—pay by card, ACH bank transfer, or instantly
  • Only integrates with Xero and Quickbooks
  • No phone support—only live chat and email support
  • Only 85 countries are available for international payments

Plans & Pricing

Melio offers 3 different plans Go, Core & Boost which can be paid monthly or annually. When paid annually Melio offers savings of 25% off the monthly subscription price. Here’s a quick pricing & plan breakdown:

Melio Go – $0/mo limited to one user

Here are all the features included in the Go package

  • Send 5 free ACH transfers/month
  • 10 free syncs with QuickBooks Online & Xero
  • Multiple payment methods: Pay by card or bank—send check, ACH, or instant transfer
  • Easy bill adding: Upload, scan, or import bills
  • Dedicated email for auto bill capture
  • Global payments in USD or local currencies
  • Recurring & partial payments
  • Instant payments
  • Free mobile app (iOS & Android)
  • Get paid: Accept payments via custom links

Melio Core – $18.50/mo + $8/mo per user

The features included everything in Go, plus:

  • Send 20 free ACH transfers/month
  • Unlimited 2-way auto-sync with QuickBooks Online & Xero
  • Batch-pay multiple bills at once
  • Combine payments into one transaction
  • Roles, permissions, and user management
  • Automated approval workflows
  • W-9 collection & auto 1099 sync
  • Automatic capturing of bill line items
  • Priority support

Melio Boost – $40.50/mo + $8/mo per user

The features included everything in Core, plus:

  • Send 50 free ACH transfers/month
  • 2-day delivery for all ACH transfers
  • Advanced, custom multi-user workflows
  • 2-way auto-sync with QuickBooks Desktop
  • Advanced bill attributes (classes & locations)
  • Premium customer support

Accountants can use Melio to manage their clients’ business payments and set up approval workflows. Businesses can use Melio to improve their own payment process and manage every business bill from one platform.

Go Plan
$0/mo
Core Plan
$18.50/mo
Boost Plan
$40.50/mo

Overview

While paying your bills on time is crucial for maintaining good relationships with suppliers and vendors, staying on top of payments can also help you maximize your cash flow. Ideally, you want to extend your payment terms as much as possible without going past the due date. There are many payment management software options available, but Melio stands out for its simplicity and affordability.

Melio is a free online solution for managing payments. Fees apply for credit card payments and instant payments. Melio helps businesses streamline payment processes and leverage credit cards to pay more vendors. Learn more about Melio in our review below.

Rating

  • "Price"
    10 /10
  • "Features"
    8 /10
  • "Ease of Use"
    9 /10
  • "Help and Support"
    8 /10

Features and Functionality

Credit Card Payments

Credit cards allow you to extend your cash flow and have more cash on hand for when you need it. But not all vendors accept credit cards as a method of payment. Melio lets you pay vendors with a credit card, even where cards aren’t accepted. Pay with your card on Melio, then your vendor receives the funds by ACH bank transfer or paper check. All you pay is a 2.9% processing fee. If you’re earning cashback rewards, that will help offset the fee. Melio supports American Express, Visa (except Visa consumer credit cards), Mastercard, and Discover.

Payment Scheduling and Management

Managing business payments can be a balancing act between maximizing cash flow and keeping supplier relationships strong. While late payments have obvious downsides, paying too early can also hurt your business. Early payments tie up cash that could be used for investments or other opportunities.

This is where Melio’s scheduling feature comes in handy. Schedule multiple payments in advance by simply choosing your desired payment date. Melio will then automatically debit your account when the due date arrives, send the funds to your supplier/vendor, and notify you of the expected delivery date. In short, Melio lets you automate numerous scheduled payments, ensuring timely deliveries while giving you complete control over the timing.

Permissions and Roles

As your business expands, delegating payment management becomes essential to free up your time for your business. Melio simplifies this process with its user permissions and roles. You can easily invite team members to the platform and assign them specific roles and permissions related to payment schedules. This system allows you to maintain control over every transaction with a clear approval workflow.

Accountant Client Management

Melio was built for all business owners, including accountants. Accountants can manage bill payment information for all their clients inside Melio Payments. The accountant can switch seamlessly between each client, so there’s no need to “back out” to the dashboard every time.

Real-Time Payments

Send your vendor an instant payment with Melio so they receive funds directly to their bank account, immediately (for a 1.5% fee).

Pay over time

Improve your cash flow with Melio’s Pay over time option. You get to choose from different repayment options—Net 30 or up to 12 monthly installments. Plans already include a fixed fee.

Features with Every Melio Account

  • Your first 5 checks every month are completely free
  • Unlimited users: Businesses can invite unlimited users to their accounts, enhancing collaboration and payment management.
  • Accounting software sync: Beyond QuickBooks Online, Melio also syncs with Xero, offering broader compatibility with accounting software.
  • Approval workflows: Users can set up roles, permissions, and approval amounts to maintain control over transactions.
  • Easy bill capture: Simplifies the process of adding bills to the platform.
  • Payment tracking & updates: Offers real-time updates on payment status, ensuring transparency.
  • Data & form export: Allows for easy export of data and forms for record-keeping.
  • Bills management: Provides tools for efficient management of bills.
  • Custom payment requests: Users can customize them to suit their business needs.

Additional Benefits

  • Cash flow control + more rewards: Encourages using credit cards for business bills to enjoy rewards and improve cash flow.
  • Keep vendors happy: Fast payment options like instant transfer, same-day bank transfer, or fast check help avoid late payments.
  • More ways to send payments: Melio supports a variety of payment methods to accommodate different business needs.

Ease of Use

Melio Payments is quite easy to use. Signing up takes only seconds, and it doesn’t take much longer to add details for your vendors. After that, you’ll notice that the interface is simple to navigate. It’s easy to find everything you need on the platform and perform all the functions it offers. You can also download the Melio mobile app to make and track payments easily and on the go.

Add-ons and Integrations

Melio integrates with Quickbooks Online and Xero. Your data syncs both ways, keeping your books fresh and up to date. Melio also integrates seamlessly with Gmail and Amazon Business so you can automatically import your bills into Melio and pay them all at once in a few clicks.

 

Add-ons and Integrations

Melio Payments integrates with Quickbooks Online. This integration syncs your payment data with your accounting records, keeping your books fresh and up to date. Unfortunately, Melio Payments doesn’t appear to integrate with any other business software solutions at this time. They may change that in the future.

Customer support

Live chat support

Melio offers support via live chat which you can access directly from the platform.

Email
You can contact Melio support via email at support@meliopayments.com if you have any questions.

FAQ and Help Center
Melio has a FAQ page with some general questions and answers and an in-depth Help center with answers to more specific questions.

Blog
Melio’s blog covers various topics related to bookkeeping, payment processing, and small business success.

  • Live Online Chat
    Use the messenger pop-up box in the Support tab in your Melio dashboard to contact a live chat agent.
  • Email
    You can contact Melio support via email at support@meliopayments.com if you have any questions.
  • FAQ
    Melio has a FAQ page with some general questions and answers, as well as a more extensive library of FAQs with in-depth answers to more specific questions.
  • Blog
    Melio’s blog covers various topics pertaining to bookkeeping, payment processing, and small business.

Final Word

Melio Payments focuses on one thing — payment management — and does it quite well. Everything’s free except for the reasonably priced credit card processing fee. Even then, your cashback rewards and tax write-offs can recover some of those costs. Sure, it could use some more integrations, and it would be nice if it supported payments outside the US, but these are only minor drawbacks for most small businesses. Overall, if you’re looking for a simple payment management solution that’s easy on the budget, Melio Payments is the way to go.

Disclosure
This website is an informative comparison site that aims to offer its users find helpful information regarding the products and offers that will be suitable for their needs. We are able to maintain a free, high-quality service by receiving advertising fees from the brands and service providers we review on this website (though we may also review brands we are not engaged with). These advertising fees, combined with our criteria and methodology, such as the conversion rates, our team of reviewer's finding and subjective experience and product popularity, impact the placement and position of the brands within the comparison table. In the event rating or scoring are assigned by us, they are based on the position in the comparison table, or according to other formula in the event specifically detailed by us. See our How we Rate page and Terms of Use for information. The reviews, rating and scoring are provided “as-is” without guaranties or warranties regarding the information contained in our website, which shall not be considered as endorsement. We make the best efforts to keep the information up-to-date, however, an offer’s terms might change at any time. We do not compare or include all service providers, brands and offers available in the market.
Bradley-Schnitzer
Bradley Schnitzer
author

Bradley Schnitzer helps businesses gain loyal customers through informative content pieces and persuasive copy. He is passionate about personal finance and helping budding freelancers further their careers.

We make the best effort to present up-to-date information; however, the terms of each offer can be revised according to the service provider’s discretion. The above shall not be considered as an expert or professional advice for any matter.

Leave a Reply

Contact Us

Our goal is to provide answers to all of your questions so you can make a confident purchasing decision. We welcome your feedback, so please email us at service@top5networks.com with suggestions and questions. We’d love to hear from you!

Your information will be handled as detailed in our Privacy Policy