The Baselane vs. Relay Shootout
Written by: Rob Abasolo
Baselane and Relay both let you open a business bank account for $0 a month, and both run on the exact same underlying bank, Thread Bank. This comparison goes straight to each company's own site, not review pages, to see what's really different once you look past the no-cost entry point.
Who Wins
Baselane wins for a short-term rental host specifically. It's built for real estate only, short-term rentals included by name, and it generates real tax documents, Schedule E reports and cost segregation, that Relay doesn't offer at any price.
Relay only takes the win in one case: You want the strongest general small-business bank account and don't need real-estate-specific tax features. Relay's savings rate tops out higher (3.00% vs. Baselane's 2.63%), and it allows far more debit cards per account. But real estate is just 1 of 9 verticals Relay serves, with no dedicated page for short-term rentals anywhere on its site.
Outside of that one case, Baselane is the better call for exactly what Host Camp readers need it for.
What Each One Charges You
Both platforms cost nothing to open, no minimum balance, no monthly fee at the base tier. Where they diverge is the paid upgrade. Baselane Smart runs $20 a month and unlocks cost segregation, 2-day rent deposits, and AI auto-tagging. Relay's paid tiers are steeper, $30 for Grow, $90 for Scale (normally $120), and buy you higher APY, more automation, and no-cost same-day ACH at the top tier.
Baselane charges $15 for a wire transfer (waived above a $50,000 balance) and $15 for a checkbook. Relay doesn't publish flat per-transaction fees the same way, its Starter and Grow plans charge for same-day ACH and wires, and only Scale removes that cost.
Both accounts carry the same FDIC protection regardless of which you pick: up to $3M in coverage through the same Thread Bank sweep program. That part's a wash, not a reason to choose either one.
Where the Real Gap Is: Taxes
This is the part that decides it for a host. Baselane's Core tier already generates an accountant tax package and Schedule E reports at no extra cost. Cost segregation, tracking accelerated depreciation on specific property components, is a Smart-tier feature.
Relay has no equivalent anywhere in its lineup. It syncs cleanly to QuickBooks and Xero, so the bookkeeping is solid, but generating your tax documents is left entirely to whichever accounting software or CPA you're already using.
If you've read our breakdown of the 2026 STR tax loophole and what qualifies for it, this is the same mechanism. Baselane hands you the paperwork automatically. Relay hands you clean data you still have to turn into paperwork yourself.
Either way, the deduction itself still comes down to whether you pass material participation. Track your own hours with the TrueBooks CPA Material Participation Worksheet, regardless of which bank you pick.
Relay's Whole Account Structure Is Built Around Profit First
This is worth understanding on its own. Profit First is a real, named budgeting method from the book by Mike Michalowicz. It's built around splitting income into separate accounts the moment it lands, profit, owner pay, taxes, operating expenses, instead of paying bills first and hoping there's profit left over.
Relay's entire account structure is designed around this system by default: Dedicated Income, Owner Pay, Operating Expenses, Tax, and Profit accounts, with automated percentage-based transfers moving money between them as it clears. If you specifically want to run your STR business on this method, Relay supports it directly. Baselane doesn't.
Baselane's account structure is organized by property and entity instead, built around knowing what each individual listing earns and costs, not around a budgeting philosophy. Neither approach is wrong, they're solving different problems: Relay organizes how money gets allocated, Baselane organizes which property money came from.
Who Each One Is Built For
Baselane's own site names 4 property types by name: Multi-property investors, short-term rental investors, mid-term rental investors, and long-term rental investors. It's also the official banking platform of BiggerPockets, a real, named partnership with the largest real estate investing community online.
Relay's "Solutions" page lists real estate investors alongside auto repair shops, HVAC businesses, agencies, and general contractors, 9 verticals total, each treated equally. Relay is a well-regarded small-business bank, Forbes Fintech 50, Deloitte Technology Fast 500, real industry recognition, but none of that recognition is specific to real estate, let alone short-term rentals.
The Debit Card Gap Worth Knowing
If you're running a team, cleaners, co-hosts, a property manager, this one matters. Baselane issues exactly 1 physical debit card per checking account, plus up to 10 virtual cards. Relay allows up to 50 debit cards per cardholder per account. If you need to hand out several physical cards to people who touch your properties, Relay's structure supports that. Baselane's doesn't.
Financing, and One Integration Worth Knowing About
Both offer a path to borrowing beyond basic banking. Baselane connects you to hand-selected lenders for DSCR loans (debt-service coverage ratio loans), fix-and-flip bridge financing, and HELOCs through a partnership with Figure. Relay offers term loans funded in 1 to 2 business days through its own lending partners. Neither is a direct lender. Both act as a connection point to outside financing.
One integration gap worth knowing if it applies to you: Relay syncs directly with Gusto, a payroll platform, for running payroll. Baselane doesn't offer an equivalent. If you have employees on payroll rather than contractors you pay ad hoc, that's a genuine, specific reason Relay might fit your setup better, even within an STR business.
Both companies are also currently running a $10,000 sweepstakes for depositing rental income, confirmed directly on Baselane's own pricing page. A $500+ Airbnb or Vrbo deposit qualifies. This is a promotion, not a permanent feature, and terms can change or expire.
If you're still not sure which setup fits your situation, that's exactly the kind of thing worth talking through.
CHECK BASELANE HERE→
