Baselane
Best for Small Hosts
Pick Baselane if you're a landlord-first operator who wants purpose-built rental banking with automated bookkeeping, rent collection, and a free-forever Core plan.
From $0/mo • No free trial
View alternativesAll tools/Mercury
Banking & FinanceUpdated 2026-04-25
Mercury
Business banking for STR LLCs — free checking with deep accounting sync
At a glance
Updated 2026-04-25Solid Option
Solid free LLC banking layer for U.S. STR operators — but not a property tool
Best for: U.S.-incorporated STR operators with 1–50 listings who want a free LLC checking account that pipes PMS payouts into QuickBooks/Xero/NetSuite
Pricing
From $0 • No free trial
What Mercury actually is
Mercury is a U.S. business banking and fintech platform used by STR operators as the banking layer behind their LLC — ingesting PMS payouts, paying vendors, and syncing transactions to QuickBooks, NetSuite, or Xero. It is not a property management tool and has no STR-specific features; operators pair it with a PMS for guest-facing workflows.
Core features
- Free business checking with no monthly fee or minimums
- Free domestic and international USD wire transfers
- Multi-bank FDIC sweep coverage up to $5M
- Direct sync with QuickBooks, NetSuite, and Xero
- Read/write API access on every account
- OAuth2-authenticated developer API
- Invoice with ACH debit on Plus/Pro tiers
- Card payments via Stripe at 2.9% + $0.30
Pros
- Free core checking with no monthly fee or minimums
- Free domestic and international USD wires plus up to $5M FDIC sweep coverage
- Native API and direct accounting sync to QuickBooks, NetSuite, and Xero
Cons
- Not a bank — account-closure complaints documented across third-party reviews
- Cannot accept cash deposits and ACH timing is reportedly slow
- U.S.-only with no STR-specific features (no PMS, calendar, or guest comms)
Best for
- U.S.-incorporated STR operators with 1–50 listings who want a free LLC checking account that pipes PMS payouts into QuickBooks/Xero/NetSuite
Not for
- Non-U.S. operators, hosts who collect cash on-site, or anyone wanting a single PMS+payments+banking stack
Is Mercury right for you?
Honest per-segment take. Click any card for the full breakdown.
1–5 listings
Small portfolios
If you operate 1–10 STR listings under a U.S. LLC, the free tier gives you a no-fee operating account that flows directly into your bookkeeping stack.
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5–20 listings
Mid-sized portfolios
Workable as the banking rail for 10–50 listings, especially once invoicing/bill-pay automation is worth the Plus tier.
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20–100 listings
Large portfolios
Mercury Pro at $299/mo can support 50–500 listings, but at this size operators usually want a chartered bank relationship as well.
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Airbnb primary
Airbnb-first hosts
Airbnb-first hosts can use Mercury to receive payouts via ACH and reconcile in QuickBooks/Xero, but Mercury is not Airbnb-aware.
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Vrbo primary
Vrbo-first hosts
Vrbo-first operators get the same generic ACH-and-accounting-sync benefits as Airbnb-first hosts, with no Vrbo-specific features.
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3+ channels
Multi-channel operators
Multi-channel operators benefit from one consolidated business account with accounting sync, but Mercury does not see channels — that work happens in your PMS.
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Related tools
Same category, different fits. Each pick has a direct comparison reason.
Brex
Solid Option
Pick Brex if you're an incorporated STR management company that wants corporate cards with no personal guarantee, per-user expense policies, and ERP-grade sync into NetSuite or Sage Intacct on top of your existing bank.
From $0 • No free trial
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