Found vs Novo for solopreneurs in 2026

Verdict

Pick Found if you are a US sole proprietor or single-member LLC who invoices, still mixes client ACH with rent, and will actually use the in-app tax estimates instead of a shoebox. Pick Novo if you want simple $0 monthly checking in a business name and will keep books in Wave or QBO. Do not pick Found because a reel said it “does your taxes.” Do not pick Novo because you wanted twenty sub-accounts — that is Relay.

This is complementary to Is Found banking worth it and Is Novo banking worth it. Mistakes when picking business banking is the process. Best business banking for freelancers is the short list. Best business bank accounts for LLCs is the entity-shaped sibling. Neither vendor is a bank. Banking services are provided by partner banks. We are not the FDIC and not your accountant.

Two jobs

Found’s job is a self-employed operating account plus light books and tax set-asides in one app. Useful when you will open it weekly and will not hire a bookkeeper this year. Useless when you have two founders, a CPA who needs a real QBO file, cash deposits, or you will not pass eligibility. Paid tax-help or bookkeeping extras may appear on the live site — only buy them if you will use them. A bookkeeping add-on you ignore is a second Wave bill.

Novo’s job is plain $0 monthly business checking. Stripe and client ACH, a debit card, no branch tour. You are not forced into a paid software SKU to hold operating cash the way some Mercury workflows are packaged. Expedited ACH and certain extras can carry fees — confirm novo.co. Novo will not pretend to be your ledger. That honesty is why it wins people who already have Wave.

Mercury is the two-founder admin and published wires. Relay is envelopes (Starter $0, Grow around $30). Bluevine leads with yield. Chase is the branch if you bag cash. Appoint one operating account. Four fintechs and a Venmo is how Friday’s payroll gets raided. See banking mistakes if you are still mixing rent and invoices.

Public fees as of September 21, 2026

Found markets a $0 business banking app for self-employed operators. Paid extras: confirm found.com and the in-app fee schedule. Do not treat a blog “free forever” post as a contract.

Novo advertises no monthly fees on business checking. Some extras — expedited ACH, certain integrations — can carry fees. Confirm novo.co and the live fee schedule.

• Twelve months of advertised Found or Novo checking: $0 maintenance on the stories we reviewed — confirm in-app.
• Mercury standard checking: also $0; paid software from $35 if you need the extra workflows.
• Relay Starter: $0 with a cap on accounts and cards; Grow around $30.
• Wave Pro: $19/month or $190/year if you want invoicing on a real $0 ledger next to Novo, not inside Found.
• Chase Business Complete: monthly fee unless you hit the waiver. Confirm chase.com.

Who should pick which

• Self-employed, will use tax set-asides, no bookkeeper this year: Found.
• LLC, already on Wave or QBO, just need a named account: Novo.
• Two founders or wires as a habit: Mercury. See Is Mercury banking worth it.
• You will envelope tax, payroll, and operating: Relay.
• You deposit cash weekly: a branch. Not this fork.
• Ecommerce payouts and a seller stack: see Best business banking for ecommerce.

Skip-ifs

Skip Found if you have two owners or a bookkeeper who needs QBO. Skip Novo if you wanted books in the same app and will actually use them. Skip both if your industry is restricted — read eligibility before you apply. Skip opening a second account because the first one is “almost done.” Finish one application. Official URLs only. No invented affiliate IDs.