Best business bank accounts for sole traders and small firms in the UK (2026)
Four UK business accounts compared on monthly fees, transfer and cash charges, and whether your money is a protected bank deposit.
Quick answer
For a business paying in £4,000 and making 20 payments a month, Starling costs nothing on published fees. Tide's free plan allows five transfers, so the Smart plan at £12.49 fits. Countingup costs £16.59 including transfer fees. Mettle has no monthly fee, but its fee page does not list transfer charges, so it ranks after the fully priced accounts.
Key points
- At our reference profile, Starling costs £0, Tide Smart £12.49 and Countingup £16.59 a month.
- Tide's free plan includes five bank transfers a month and a 2.75% FX fee on card spending.
- Countingup charges by money paid in: £5, £12 or £20 a month, with three free transfers then 27p each.
- Cash at the Post Office costs 0.7% (minimum £3) at Starling and £2.75 a deposit at Mettle.
- Starling and Mettle's bank account are FSCS-protected deposits; some Tide and Mettle accounts are e-money, which the FSCS does not cover.
- FSCS deposit protection rose to £120,000 per person, per firm on 1 December 2025.
What you would pay
Set your own numbers. The list below is ranked with this same calculator at our reference profile: £4,000 paid in a month, 20 payments out and no cash deposits.
- Starling Business Business account£0.00
- Tide Smart£12.49
- Countingup Up to £7,500 in£16.59
- Mettle Mettle£0.00Transfer fees not published on the page read
Regular published prices only. Introductory offers and tax are left out. Figures are arithmetic on the provider’s own numbers, not a recommendation.
The list, in order
Order follows the published method on How we rank. Providers cannot pay for a position.
Starling Business
A single business account with no monthly fee, free UK transfers, free invoicing and built-in accounting tools.
Suits: sole traders and small companies that want a full bank with no fee. Watch for: cash paid in at the Post Office costs 0.7% with a £3 minimum.
- Monthly fee
- £0
- UK transfers
- Free
- Cash deposit
- 0.7%, min £3
- Abroad
- No Starling fee
Tide
Four plans from free to £69.99 a month. The free plan includes five bank transfers a month; Smart raises it to 30 and removes the FX fee.
Suits: sole traders who want accounting and invoicing tools in the account app. Watch for: the free plan's 2.75% card FX fee and its five-transfer allowance.
- Free plan
- £0, 5 transfers
- Smart
- £12.49, 30 transfers
- Pro
- £27.49, unlimited
- FX
- 2.75% on Free
Countingup
A business account with bookkeeping and VAT filing built in, priced by how much you pay in each month, after a three-month trial.
Suits: sole traders who want bookkeeping done in the account. Watch for: 3 free transfers a month, then 27p each, and a 3% fee on foreign card spending.
- Up to £750 in
- £5/mo
- Up to £7,500 in
- £12/mo
- Unlimited
- £20/mo
- Transfers
- 3 free, then 27p
Mettle
A free business account from NatWest with invoicing, tax pots and FreeAgent accounting included while you use the account each month.
Suits: sole traders who want free accounting software with the account. Watch for: cash paid in at the Post Office costs £2.75, and the fee page does not list transfer fees.
- Monthly fee
- £0
- Mettle+
- £4/mo
- Cash deposit
- £2.75 each
- FreeAgent
- Included
Figures read from each provider’s own page on 29 October 2026. Reference profile: £4,000 paid in a month, 20 payments out and no cash deposits. Unranked entries publish no price that fits it.
- Monzo Business and Revolut Business — their pricing pages could not be read on 29 Oct 2026. ANNA's page did not respond. To be confirmed by hand.
UK business accounts mostly start free. What separates them is how many transfers the free tier allows, what cash costs, and whether the money is a bank deposit protected by the FSCS or e-money that is not.
How the ranking works
We ranked accounts by monthly cost for a business paying in £4,000 a month and making 20 payments out, with no cash deposits, using fees read from each provider's own page on 29 October 2026. A plan whose limit the profile exceeds, with no published fee for going over, does not fit. An account with an unpublished fee ranks after every fully priced one. See how we rank.
| Account | Plan that fits | Month at our profile |
|---|---|---|
| Starling Business | Business account | £0 |
| Tide | Smart (30 transfers) | £12.49 |
| Countingup | Up to £7,500 paid in | £16.59 (£12 + 17 transfers × 27p) |
| Mettle | Free | £0 + transfer fees not on page |
Who holds the money
- Starling is a UK bank, FRN 730166.
- Countingup accounts are provided by Griffin Bank (FRN 970920), FSCS-protected up to £120,000, according to Countingup's pricing page.
- Tide is an e-money institution (FRN 900843). Its pricing page says accounts provided by ClearBank are FSCS-protected up to £120,000, while older e-money accounts are held with PrePay Technologies and safeguarded.
- Mettle's bank account is provided by NatWest (FRN 121878) and is FSCS-protected. Its fee page also describes an e-money account with PrePay Technologies and says "FSCS protection does not apply to electronic money institutions."
The FSCS says the limit rose to £120,000 per eligible person, per authorised firm, on 1 December 2025. Our guide to FDIC and FSCS protection explains safeguarding.
Transfers, FX and cash
Tide's free plan includes 5 bank transfers a month, Smart 30, and Pro and Max unlimited. Its free plan charges 2.75% on card spending in other currencies; the paid plans charge 0%. Countingup includes three transfers, then charges 27p each, and 3% on foreign card spending. Starling charges no fee on UK transfers and none from Starling abroad.
Accounting included
Mettle includes FreeAgent accounting while you use the account each month. Starling and Tide include invoicing and accounting tools. If you want separate software, see our UK accounting comparison.
Not yet included
Monzo Business, Revolut Business and ANNA could not be read on 29 October 2026. The US comparison covers dollar accounts, and the business account fee calculator works it out in pounds.
Keep reading
Best business bank accounts for small businesses in the US (2026)
Six business checking accounts compared on monthly fees, wire and cash charges, and which FDIC-insured bank actually holds the money.
Guide · US & UKFDIC vs FSCS: what protects a business account, and what e-money and fintech accounts lack
How deposit protection works for business accounts in the US and UK, and what changes when a fintech, partner bank or e-money institution sits in the middle.
Calculator · UK editionBusiness account fee calculator
The same calculator on its own page, in pounds.
Questions
Is my money FSCS-protected in a business account?
It depends on who holds it. Starling is a bank, so eligible deposits are FSCS-protected. Countingup accounts are provided by Griffin Bank and Tide’s newer accounts by ClearBank, both FSCS-protected. Some Tide and Mettle accounts are e-money accounts, and Mettle’s fee page says FSCS protection does not apply to e-money institutions.
Which UK business account is free?
Starling, Mettle and Tide’s Free plan charge no monthly fee. Tide Free limits you to five bank transfers a month and adds a 2.75% FX fee on card spending abroad. Countingup charges from £5 a month after a three-month trial, depending on how much you pay in each month.
How much does it cost to pay in cash?
Starling charges 0.7% of a Post Office cash deposit, with a £3 minimum, so £3 on anything up to about £428. Mettle charges £2.75 per Post Office deposit. Tide lists cash deposits as available on all plans but its pricing page did not show the fee. Countingup’s page did not mention cash deposits.
What is the difference between a bank account and an e-money account?
A bank holds your money as a deposit, which the FSCS protects up to £120,000 per person, per firm. An e-money institution must keep your money separate from its own, called safeguarding, but the FSCS does not cover it. Our guide on FDIC and FSCS protection explains the difference in more detail.
Why are Monzo Business and Revolut Business missing?
Their pricing pages could not be read when we checked on 29 October 2026: Monzo’s returned only a cookie notice and Revolut’s refused automated reads. Rather than use prices from elsewhere, we have left them out until the figures are confirmed by hand from their own pages.