Where to Find Free ACH Payment Processing for Small Businesses in 2025

Are you tired of paying unnecessary fees just to process ACH payments for your small business? You're not alone. This comprehensive overview will compare and show you which payment providers offer free ACH payment processing for small businesses in 2025.

The Problem with ACH Fees

While ACH payments are much cheaper than credit cards (2.5-3%) or wire transfers ($25-50), they aren't always free. Many payment processors charge anywhere from 0.5% to 1% per transaction, with some adding monthly subscription fees on top.

For a small business processing $50,000 monthly in ACH transfers with a 1% fee, that's $500 in monthly fees or $6,000 annually — money that should be staying in your business. (see the math)

Why Are You Paying for ACH Transfers?

The median internal cost of an ACH payment is only about $0.29. This reveals an uncomfortable truth: when a payment processor charges 1% on a $10,000 transfer ($100 fee), they're marking up the actual cost by over 34,000%.

The Best Free ACH Solutions Compared

Why Nickel Is The Clear Winner for Free ACH

1. No Transaction Limits or Hidden Fees

Nickel stands out by offering truly unlimited free ACH transfers with no hidden fees. Unlike Melio, which recently limited its free plan to just 5 ACH payments per month, Nickel never caps your free transfers.

With Nickel, you can send or receive single payments up to $1M without any transaction fees. This is particularly valuable for businesses with large invoices or high transaction volumes.

2. No Monthly Subscription Required

While competitors like Melio now charge $25-$55 monthly to increase your free ACH limit, Nickel provides unlimited free ACH without requiring any subscription fees.

3. Complete Payment Solution

Nickel isn't just about free ACH — it's a comprehensive payment platform that allows you to:

• Accept multiple payment methods: ACH, credit cards (2.9%), and checks
• Pay vendors easily: Free ACH or checks to any business or individual
• Track payment status: Know exactly where your money is and when it will arrive
• Streamline approvals: Set up custom approval workflows for multi-user businesses

4. Seamless QuickBooks Integration

Nickel synchronizes natively with QuickBooks Online, automatically reconciling your invoices and payments. This eliminates the manual work often required with bank-direct ACH solutions.

5. No Plaid Requirement

Unlike some providers that force users to connect bank accounts via Plaid, Nickel allows you to initiate ACH by simply entering routing and account numbers, making it easier for customers of banks not supported by Plaid.

The Problems with Alternative Solutions

Melio: Limited Free Transfers

In September 2024, Melio dramatically changed its pricing structure, severely limiting its once-unlimited free ACH transfers:

• Free plan: Only 5 free ACH payments monthly
• Core plan ($25/month): 20 free ACH payments monthly
• Boost plan ($55/month): 50 free ACH payments monthly

For a business processing 100 ACH transactions monthly, that's an extra $37.50-$45 in monthly fees that you didn't have to pay before.

Forwardly: "Free" with Conditions

Forwardly advertises "free same-day ACH transfers," but its default mode is "Instant ACH," which incurs a 1% fee on every transaction. According to analysis, they only waive fees when instant transfer isn't available (i.e., when a customer's bank doesn't support real-time payments). (comparison details)

QuickBooks Payments: Convenient but Costly

QuickBooks charges a 1% fee on each ACH payment with no cap for new accounts as of March 2025.  For a $20,000 client payment, that's $200 in fees; for $50,000, it's $500 — just for accepting money through bank transfers. (cost example)

Traditional Banks: Manual Process

Using your bank's free ACH transfers requires manually reconciling payments with invoices in your accounting system. This creates extra work and increases the chance of errors, potentially negating any cost savings from avoiding fees. (workaround limitations)

Real Business Impact

Consider a small manufacturing company processing $100,000 monthly in client payments via ACH:

That's potentially $60,000 in savings over five years just by switching to free ACH processing with Nickel.

How to Get Started with Free ACH Processing

1. Create a free account - takes less than 5 minutes
2. Connect your bank account
3. Start sending and receiving unlimited free ACH payments
4. Integrate with QuickBooks (optional) for seamless accounting

Conclusion: Stop Paying for ACH Transfers

There's simply no reason to continue paying transaction fees for ACH payments. By switching to a provider that offers truly unlimited free ACH transfers, your small business can save thousands annually while providing a professional payment experience.

Whether you're currently using QuickBooks Payments, Melio, Forwardly, or another fee-charging service, making the switch to free ACH processing is one of the easiest ways to immediately improve your bottom line.

Get started with unlimited free ACH →