We compared ACH and card fees across eight invoicing tools and priced a $5,000 invoice on each.
Highlights
Every $0 ACH listing comes with a condition: you bank with Rho or Square, or you pay $299 a month for Mercury Pro.
Elsewhere, ACH costs 0.8% to 1% per payment, and some tools cap it at $5 or $10.
Card fees are similar across tools. A $5,000 card payment costs $145.30 to $165.30 among those that publish their rates.
These fees are current as of October 7, 2026, and they may change.
Short answer: if your customers pay by ACH, Rho Invoicing is among the lowest-cost options of the eight tools below. It charges $0 per invoice, $0 per month, and $0 on domestic ACH, wire, and check payments into your Rho account.
Two others list $0 on ACH, each with a condition. Square lists it when the money lands in Square Checking, and Mercury lists it only on its $299 per month Pro plan.
Card payments on Rho cost 2.9% + $0.30, paid by the business sending the invoice. Card fees are similar across the tools that publish them, so the real savings are on ACH.
Invoicing fee comparison
These fees are current as of October 7, 2026. Each figure comes from the provider's published pricing pages. Fees change, so check before you decide. "Not listed" means the provider did not publish that figure on the pages we checked.
Tool | Invoicing cost | ACH / bank payment fee | Card payment fee |
|---|---|---|---|
Rho | $0 per invoice, $0 per month, included with a Rho account | $0 on domestic ACH, wire, and check | 2.9% + $0.30, paid by the business |
Mercury | Unlimited invoices on the free plan; recurring invoices and ACH debit invoicing need Plus ($29.90/mo) | $1 per ACH debit invoice on Plus, $0 on Pro ($299/mo). Mercury also lists ACH, wire, and check payments into your account as free | 2.9% + $0.30 (Stripe processing) |
Square | $0 on the Free plan | 1%, $1 minimum ($10 cap on Plus and Premium); $0 when deposited into Square Checking | 3.3% + $0.30 on Free; 2.9% + $0.30 on Plus and Premium |
Stripe Invoicing | 0.4% per paid invoice (Starter), 0.5% (Plus) | 0.8%, $5 cap, plus the per-invoice fee | 2.9% + $0.30, plus the per-invoice fee |
Wave | $0 on Starter; Pro is $19/mo | 1%, $1 minimum | 2.9% + $0.60 (3.4% + $0.60 for Amex) |
PayPal | No per-invoice fee listed; optional invoice subscription at $14.99/mo | 1%, $10 cap (Pay by Bank) | 2.99% + $0.49 (3.49% + $0.49 for PayPal and Venmo) |
QuickBooks | Free plan limited to 2 invoices per month; unlimited invoices on paid plans | Varies by plan; not listed | Varies by plan; not listed |
Zoho Invoice | $0, up to 500 invoices per year | Varies by payment gateway; not listed | Varies by payment gateway; not listed |
Here is what that looks like on a real invoice.
What a $5,000 invoice costs
These totals count processing fees only, using the rates above. Monthly plan fees are not included, and Stripe's per-invoice fee is shown separately.
Tool | Paid by ACH | Paid by card |
|---|---|---|
Rho | $0 | $145.30 |
Mercury | $1.00 (Plus) or $0 (Pro) | $145.30 |
Square (Free plan) | $50.00 | $165.30 |
Square (Plus plan) | $10.00 | $145.30 |
Stripe Invoicing (Starter) | $25.00 ($5.00 ACH + $20.00 invoice fee) | $165.30 ($145.30 + $20.00 invoice fee) |
Wave | $50.00 | $145.60 |
PayPal | $10.00 | $149.99 |
QuickBooks | Not listed | Not listed |
Zoho Invoice | Not listed | Not listed |
The takeaway: on ACH, tools with published rates run from $0 to $50 on a $5,000 invoice. On card, they land within $20 of each other, from $145.30 to $165.30.
Which one should you use?
If you already bank with Rho, send your invoices from Rho. ACH, wire, and check payments into your account cost nothing, and so do recurring invoices.
If you bank somewhere else, look at the caps. Stripe and PayPal cap ACH at $5 and $10 per payment, and Square caps it at $10 on its paid plans. Wave and Square's Free plan list 1% with no cap, so large invoices cost more there.
If you use QuickBooks or Zoho Invoice, ask about ACH pricing before you commit. Neither lists its rate.
Whichever you choose, offer both ACH and card on every invoice and steer larger invoices toward ACH. Card fees grow with the invoice, and ACH fees mostly do not.
Care more about features than fees? Read our comparison of the best invoicing tools for startups.
How Rho Invoicing works
Create the invoice with the client, line items, and payment terms.
Email it from Rho. Customers pay through a payment portal and do not need a Rho account.
Payments by ACH, domestic wire, international wire, check, credit or debit card, or Google Pay land in your Rho checking account.
Incoming payments match to the invoice automatically. Recurring invoices are included at no extra cost.
Start sending invoices with no per-invoice fee
Rho Invoicing is included with every Rho account, with no per-invoice fee and no monthly fee. Open an account to send your first invoice and get paid by domestic ACH at $0.
FAQs
Rho Invoicing is among the lowest-cost options for ACH: $0 per invoice, $0 per month, and $0 on domestic ACH, wire, and check payments into a Rho account. Square also lists $0 on ACH deposited into Square Checking, and Mercury lists ACH debit invoicing at $0 on its Pro plan. Fees were collected from each provider's published pricing as of October 7, 2026, and may change.
Yes. Card payments cost 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction, paid by the business sending the invoice, in USD only. Card payments are available to eligible customers and subject to Stripe verification and approval. Domestic ACH, wire, and check payments into Rho stay $0.
No. Customers pay through a payment portal on the invoice and do not need a Rho account. They can pay by ACH, domestic wire, international wire, check, credit or debit card, or Google Pay.
Yes. Recurring invoices are included at no extra cost, with no per-invoice fee and no monthly fee for Rho customers. Set one up once and it goes out on the schedule you choose.
Among the tools compared, Stripe charges 0.8% capped at $5, Wave charges 1% with a $1 minimum, Square charges 1% with a $1 minimum, and PayPal charges 1% capped at $10. Mercury lists $1 per ACH debit invoice on Plus and $0 on Pro. QuickBooks and Zoho Invoice did not list ACH rates on the pages checked. Figures are as of October 7, 2026 and may change.