Accounting · Bill Pay / Accounts Payable
Melio Review
Free ACH bill-pay that syncs to your books — pay subs and suppliers, even check-only ones
Heads up
Documented pattern of sudden account freezes and held payments during automated compliance reviews, with email-only support for suspended accounts; BBB rates Melio F. Legitimate and Xero-owned, but do not make it the single point of failure for a time-critical vendor payment.
Quick verdict
Melio is best for Small US contractors (GC, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, landscaping) who pay subs and suppliers and want free ACH bill-pay that reconciles to QuickBooks or Xero — used with a backup for time-critical payments. Documented sudden account freezes / held payments during compliance reviews; weak support for suspended accounts (BBB rates it F); not full accounting; 2.9% card fee; best integrations gated behind the $80/mo plan.
Pricing
Go $0/mo (5 free ACH/mo) · Core ~$25/mo (+$10/user) · Boost ~$55/mo · Unlimited ~$80/mo (unlimited free ACH; required for QuickBooks Desktop + NetSuite sync). Fees: ACH $0.50, card 2.9%, mailed check $1.50, instant transfer 1%..
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About Melio
Melio isn't full accounting — it's accounts-payable / bill-pay that sits alongside your books and pays your vendors, subs, and suppliers. Its appeal for trades: free ACH bill payments on the entry plan, the ability to pay even check-only vendors (Melio mails the check), and the option to float a job by paying a supplier with a card (2.9%) even where cards aren't accepted — then it two-way syncs to QuickBooks or Xero so everything reconciles. Melio was acquired by Xero (~$2.5B, completed October 2025), so it's now a well-backed part of a major accounting vendor.
The honest caveat is reliability of access: Melio has a well-documented pattern of sudden account freezes and held payments during opaque compliance reviews, with weak support for suspended accounts, and BBB rates it F. It's a legitimate, large-scale, Xero-owned service — but because of the freeze risk, don't make it the single point of failure for a time-critical vendor payment without a backup. Used as intended (free ACH bill-pay that reconciles to your books), it's a genuinely useful, low-cost addition to a trades stack.
How it works
Enter or import a vendor bill, choose how to pay (free ACH, card to defer cash, or have Melio mail a paper check), and Melio delivers the payment by the vendor's preferred method — the vendor doesn't need a Melio account. Approval workflows let an owner sign off on payments an office manager queues. Everything two-way syncs to QuickBooks Online (Desktop and NetSuite on the Unlimited plan) and Xero so your books stay reconciled. It's outgoing AP plus payment-request links for AR — not a general ledger.
Pros & cons
What works
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Free ACH bill pay
Pay subcontractors and suppliers by ACH at $0 on the entry plan — a genuine cash cost saved versus card or wire fees.
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Pays check-only vendors
For suppliers that won't take electronic payment, Melio mails a paper check for you, so you manage everything from one place.
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Float a job on a card
Pay a supplier with a credit card (2.9%) even where cards aren't accepted, deferring cash outlay until the customer pays you.
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Two-way QuickBooks/Xero sync
Payments reconcile automatically against your books, eliminating double-entry — and Melio is now Xero-owned.
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Free base plan + approval workflows
A $0 entry tier plus owner/office-manager approval roles make it easy to adopt without new cost or losing control.
What doesn't
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Account freezes / payment holds
A well-documented pattern of sudden freezes and held payments during compliance reviews — risky if it's your only path for a time-critical payment.
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Weak support for suspended accounts
When an account is flagged, support is largely email-only and slow, which compounds the freeze problem.
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Not full accounting
Melio is AP/bill-pay only — you still need QuickBooks, Xero, or similar as your actual books.
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2.9% card fee on big invoices
Floating a large material invoice on a card costs 2.9%, which adds up fast on big-ticket purchases.
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Best sync gated behind Unlimited
QuickBooks Desktop and NetSuite sync require the ~$80/mo Unlimited plan, so the cheapest tiers miss those integrations.
Features & integrations
Key features
Integrations
Frequently asked
Is Melio accounting software?
No — Melio is accounts-payable / bill-pay, not a general ledger. It pays your vendors and subs (by ACH, check, card, or wire) and syncs those payments to QuickBooks or Xero, but you still need a real accounting tool as your books. Think of it as the bill-pay layer on top of your accounting.
How does Melio make bill-pay free?
The entry plan includes free ACH (bank-to-bank) payments — you pay $0 to send a sub or supplier money by ACH. Melio earns on card payments (2.9%), instant transfers (1%), mailed checks ($1.50), and paid monthly plans. For a contractor paying vendors by ACH and reconciling to QuickBooks, the core use is genuinely free.
Is Melio safe to rely on?
It's a legitimate, large-scale service now owned by Xero — but there's a well-documented pattern of sudden account freezes and held payments during compliance reviews, with slow support for flagged accounts (BBB rates it F). Use it for routine ACH bill-pay, but keep a backup payment method for time-critical vendor payments rather than relying on it as a single point of failure.
Can Melio pay a supplier who only takes checks?
Yes — that's one of its best features. You schedule the payment in Melio and it mails a paper check to the vendor on your behalf ($1.50), even though the vendor isn't a Melio user. You can pay every vendor from one place regardless of how each one wants to be paid.
Other accounting software
QuickBooks Online
The default small-business accounting platform — and what your FSM syncs to
Xero
Full-featured accounting with unlimited users and predictable pricing
FreshBooks
Invoicing-first accounting for solo and small service businesses
Wave
Free accounting and invoicing for very small and new businesses
QuickBooks Desktop / Enterprise
The deepest job costing in the QuickBooks line — where established contractors graduate
Sage (Sage 50 + Sage Accounting)
Real job costing and inventory in a desktop-grade package — plus a cheap cloud tier