Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Mercury VS StartEngine

Compare Mercury VS StartEngine and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Mercury logo Mercury

Mercury is banking* for startups

StartEngine logo StartEngine

StartEngine allows everyday people to invest and own shares in startups and early growth companies. The nation's leading equity crowdfunding platform, StartEngine is changing the way entrepreneurs raise capital.
  • Mercury Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-17

Mercury offers banking* for startups โ€” at any size or stage. With an intuitive product experience, founders can access free checking and savings accounts, debit and credit cards, domestic and international wire transfers, Treasury, venture debt, and more โ€” and manage their business with confidence. Mercury also offers vibrant community programs that provide founders with the connections, advice, and resources to help them build the next great companies. Launched in 2019, Mercury is trusted by more than 100,000 startups. To learn more, visit Mercury.com.

*Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. All banking services provided by Choice Financial Group and Evolve Bank & Trustยฎ; Members FDIC.

  • StartEngine Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-16

Mercury

$ Details
free
Platforms
Web iOS Android
Release Date
2019 April

StartEngine

Pricing URL
-
$ Details
-
Platforms
-
Release Date
-

Mercury features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    Mercury offers a user-friendly interface that simplifies banking for startups and small businesses, making it easy to manage accounts, transfer funds, and monitor transactions.
  • No Monthly Fees
    Mercury does not charge monthly fees or require minimum balances, which is beneficial for new businesses trying to manage their finances effectively.
  • Automated Bookkeeping
    Mercury provides integrated bookkeeping tools, facilitating accounting processes by automatically syncing transactions with popular accounting software like QuickBooks and Xero.
  • FDIC Insured
    Mercury accounts are FDIC-insured up to $250,000 through its partner banks, providing peace of mind regarding the safety of your deposits.
  • Multiple User Accounts
    The platform allows multiple user accounts with customizable permissions, making it easier for teams to collaborate on financial management securely.

Possible disadvantages of Mercury

  • Limited Physical Presence
    Mercury operates entirely online, which can be a drawback for businesses that prefer or require in-person banking services.
  • No Cash Deposits
    Mercury does not support cash deposits, which can be inconvenient for businesses that deal with a significant amount of cash transactions.
  • Limited Lending Options
    Mercury offers fewer lending products compared to traditional banks, which might be a limitation for businesses seeking comprehensive financing solutions.
  • Customer Service
    While often responsive, customer service is primarily conducted through online channels, which some users may find less satisfactory compared to face-to-face interactions.
  • No International Wire Transfers
    Mercury does not support international wire transfers, which can be a significant limitation for businesses operating globally.

StartEngine features and specs

  • Access to Capital
    StartEngine allows entrepreneurs to access funds from a large pool of potential investors, which can be difficult to secure through traditional funding methods or venture capital.
  • Democratized Investment
    It democratizes investment opportunities by enabling everyday investors to participate in equity crowdfunding, rather than being restricted to accredited investors.
  • Marketing and Exposure
    By listing on StartEngine, companies can gain significant exposure and marketing benefits, increasing public awareness of their brand and products.
  • Diverse Investor Base
    Companies have the opportunity to build a diverse investor base, which can enhance product loyalty and brand advocacy.
  • Regulation A+ and Regulation CF
    StartEngine provides pathways to raise capital under Regulation A+ and Regulation CF, allowing companies to choose the route that best fits their financial and compliance needs.

Possible disadvantages of StartEngine

  • Regulatory Compliance
    Companies must comply with strict regulatory requirements which can be costly and time-consuming, particularly for small businesses lacking resources.
  • Dilution of Ownership
    Equity crowdfunding through StartEngine results in the dilution of company ownership, which may not be desirable for founders who wish to retain control.
  • Platform Fees
    StartEngine charges fees for listing and successfully raising funds, which can reduce the net capital available to the business.
  • Public Disclosure
    Companies are required to publicly disclose financial and business information, potentially sharing sensitive data with competitors.
  • Investor Management
    Having a large number of small investors can complicate shareholder management and communication.

Analysis of Mercury

Overall verdict

  • Mercury is generally considered a good option for startups and tech companies that want a hassle-free banking solution with modern digital tools. It is particularly beneficial for those seeking an online-focused bank with no hidden fees.

Why this product is good

  • Mercury is an online bank that is designed specifically for startups and tech companies. They offer a range of features that cater to the needs of small businesses, such as seamless integration with accounting software, no monthly fees, and no minimum balance requirements. Additionally, Mercury provides a user-friendly digital interface, allowing entrepreneurs to manage their finances with ease. Their customer service is often praised for being responsive and helpful.

Recommended for

  • Startups
  • Tech companies
  • Small businesses looking for digital banking solutions
  • Entrepreneurs wanting a no-fee account

Mercury videos

Mercury Movie Review - Prabhu Deva, Karthik Subburaj - Tamil Talkies

More videos:

  • Review - Mercury review by Prashanth
  • Review - Mercury 150 Four Stroke Review Performance Reliability One Year Later - Florida Sport Fishing TV

StartEngine videos

StartEngine Review and Overview of Equity Crowdfunding Platform

More videos:

  • Demo - StartEngine - Platform Demo and Walkthrough 2019

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Mercury and StartEngine)
Online Payments
100 100%
0% 0
Crowdfunding
0 0%
100% 100
Money Transfer
100 100%
0% 0
Startups
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Mercury and StartEngine

Mercury Reviews

  1. Veeresh G T
    ยท Founder at Vepapu ยท
    The best for Non-Residents

    The best in the market for helping US non-residents get a checking bank account for their US companies. Mercury's secure experience takes founders to another level in their global journey.

    ๐Ÿ Competitors: Vepapu
    ๐Ÿ‘ Pros:    Free pricing|Place for non-residents

StartEngine Reviews

We have no reviews of StartEngine yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Mercury should be more popular than StartEngine. It has been mentiond 36 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Mercury mentions (36)

  • Sonos CEO Patrick Spence steps down after app update debacle
    Interestingly, Mercury [0] is VC-backed, and their backend is entirely Haskell. In an interview [1], their CTO mentions that itโ€™s actually quite easy to hire for Haskell, as the demand is much lower than the supply, and, as he slyly puts it, โ€œinterest in Haskell acts as a decent proxy for baseline developer quality.โ€ So while the pool is larger for JS/TS and Python, that may not always be beneficial. [0]:... - Source: Hacker News / 9 months ago
  • Haskell vs. Ada vs. C++ vs. an Experiment in Software Prototyping Productivity [pdf]
    I work on one of the largest Haskell codebases in the world that I know of (https://mercury.com/). We're in the ballpark of 1.5 million lines of proprietary code built and deployed as effectively a single executable, and of course if you included open source libraries and stuff that we have built or depend on, it would be larger. I can't really speak to your problem domain, but I feel like we do a lot with what we... - Source: Hacker News / 10 months ago
  • Privacy/secruity experience with RBFCU? (Randolph Brooks Credit Union)
    Not just a fintech front for a privacy dis-respecting bank (like Mercury business banking for example). Source: almost 2 years ago
  • The Meaning of Monad in MonadTrans
    Mercury (https://mercury.com/) uses Haskell extensively for pretty much all of its backend systems. Itโ€™s a great general purpose language. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago
  • Wise or Payoneer?
    He claims it's totally legal https://mercury.com/. Source: over 2 years ago
View more

StartEngine mentions (7)

  • ModChat - What's on your mind?
    In any case, my question is whether there is someplace on Reddit we can report this. This isn't the first time we've encountered this situation. While our subreddit is pretty new, we've been attacked in the comments section of two other websites (startengine.com and wefunder.com ), and in both cases the organization running the site was able to investigate and determine there were multiple accounts (probably... Source: over 2 years ago
  • ๐Ÿคฃ๐Ÿคฃ๐Ÿคฃ
    I'm a very disappointed startengine.com investor. KO is a paid spokesperson for Startengine. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • Itโ€™s a game for these sadists.
    Everyone can do it. A self-directed Roth IRA can be purchased for about $400. It can own any kind of investment including startup shares. I'm thinking about moving the shares I purchased on startengine.com into a self-directed IRA. Source: almost 4 years ago
  • Itโ€™s a game for these sadists.
    There are all kinds of startup shares for sale on startengine.com. I invested in 3 companies on startengine.com. Source: almost 4 years ago
  • But wait I thought tokenomics was just a gimmick and SafeMoon had 0 utility.. FUDers going to have a real tough time with that now
    Kevin O'leary has been into some cool stuff recently. Dabbling in crypto, and he has been leading the charge on things like startengine.com where people can invest in startups, and a lot of other solid industries set to grow. Source: over 4 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Mercury and StartEngine, you can also consider the following products

Brex - The first corporate card for startups

Republic - Where everyone can invest in startups & tokens

Stripe - Online payment processing for internet businesses. Stripe is a suite of payment APIs that powers commerce for online businesses of all sizes. Use Stripeโ€™s payment platform to accept and process payments online for easy-to-use commerce solutions.

EquityZen - Invest in Proven Tech Companies

Ramp - Grow more. Waste less. Enterprise corporate cards built from the ground up to save your company money: issue unlimited cards and eliminate overspend with our advanced savings reports and 1.5% cash back on everything.

Wefunder - The law changed. Invest $100+ in startups you love.