Lili vs Relay Comparison 2026
Lili's free Core account pays up to 4.00 percent APY on savings, but its real differentiator, automatic tax set-aside, is on Pro at $15 a month rather than the free tier. Relay's free Starter account gives twenty checking accounts for envelope-style budgeting as its main feature, free from the start, though its own savings rate is only 0.91 percent APY, rising to just 3.00 percent even on its dearest $90 tier. The axis is which free feature actually matters: Relay's account-splitting is free immediately, and Lili's tax bucket costs $15 a month to add.
Business banking that puts the tax money aside
Business banking with twenty checking accounts
At a glance
- Lili starts cheaper, at $15.
- Both have a genuinely free tier.
Side by side
Lili | Relay | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $15 | From $30 |
| Pricing model | Free plan, paid tiers | Free plan, paid tiers |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Billing | Monthly or annual | Monthly or annual |
| Free trial (they differ) | 30 days | 14 days |
| API |
Lili
Business banking that puts the tax money aside
Lili is a business checking account for people who are the whole company. What separates it from a plain bank is the tax bucket: a share of what lands is held back automatically, and transactions are sorted into the categories a tax return actually asks for. Dearer plans fold in invoicing, bill pay and a set of books, which is where it starts competing with the accounting tools rather than the banks. Anybody already paying a bookkeeper should check what they would stop paying for.
Our note
The tax bucket is the reason to be here and it is on Pro rather than on the free plan, so treat Core as a bank account and Pro as the actual product. Compare the Smart tier against what you currently pay for bookkeeping rather than against the other banks, because that is the spend it is trying to replace.
Relay
Business banking with twenty checking accounts
Relay's difference is that it hands you twenty checking accounts rather than one, which is what makes envelope budgeting work on a business rather than on a spreadsheet beside it. Income splits on arrival: tax here, contractors there, what is left is yours. It also issues a stack of cards and connects to the usual bookkeeping tools. The free plan is a real account rather than a trial.
Why people weigh these two
- Relay instead of Lili
- Relay starts at $30, twice Lili's $15, and offers twenty checking accounts for splitting money by purpose, without the automatic tax withholding built into Lili.
- Lili instead of Relay
- Lili sets aside tax money as one dedicated feature rather than Relay's full twenty-account envelope system, on a free tier of its own.
Which one should you pick
Choose Lili if automatic tax set-aside and expense categories that match a tax return are the actual want, since that is specifically what Pro at $15 a month adds over the free Core account. The free Core account itself is a real bank account with savings up to 4.00 percent APY, well above what Relay pays even on its dearest tier.
Choose Relay if splitting income across many purpose-built accounts, tax here, contractors there, is the system you want to run, since twenty checking accounts and fifty cards are free on Starter from day one. Its own guidance says most creators should stay on that free tier, since the paid features are team approval workflows and a savings rate that only matters on a large balance.
Common questions
- Is the tax feature free on either one?
- Not on Lili: automatic tax set-aside is specifically a Pro feature at $15 a month, not on the free Core account. Relay does not offer an equivalent automatic tax bucket at any tier; its free plan instead gives twenty accounts to split income manually.
- Which one pays more interest on savings?
- Lili's free Core account pays up to 4.00 percent APY, higher than Relay's rate at any tier, including its dearest Scale plan at 3.00 percent APY. Relay's free Starter plan pays only 0.91 percent APY.
- How many checking accounts does each one offer?
- Relay offers twenty on its free Starter plan, rising to fifty on Scale at $90 a month. Lili's listing does not describe multiple checking accounts; it is built around one account with a tax bucket and expense categories.
- Which one is better for a business splitting income between tax, contractors and profit?
- Relay is built specifically for that, with twenty free accounts supporting an envelope or profit-first system. Lili instead automates a single tax set-aside percentage rather than letting you split income across many purpose-built accounts.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.