Compare business accounts
Nine business accounts cover almost every UK small business situation in 2026, and six of them charge no monthly fee. The table below puts them on one page with the numbers that actually differ: fees, cash deposit costs, and whether your money is FSCS-protected. Below it, the faster route: find your dealbreaker and let it choose for you.
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| Account | Monthly fee | Best for | Cash deposits | Where it meters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starling Bank | Free | Most limited companies | Post Office, 0.7% (min £3) | No usage limits |
| Mettle | Free | Free accounting included | Not supported | No usage limits |
| Monzo Business | Lite free | App-first, upgrade path | PayPoint or Post Office, £1 per deposit | Invoicing & Pots need £9 Pro |
| Tide | Free plan | Formation and perks | Post Office (min £2.50) or PayPoint (3%) | 5 transfers, 3 invoices/mo |
| Zempler Bank | Business Go free | No credit check | Post Office, 0.55% (min £4) | 3 payments/mo, then 35p |
| ANNA Money | Pay As You Go free | Admin automation | PayPoint or Post Office, from 0.95% | Per-transaction fees |
| Wise Business | No monthly fee | Cheap international payments | Not supported | FX from 0.33%; £50 setup |
| Revolut Business | From £10/month | Multi-currency operations | Not supported | Paid plans only (from £10) |
| Card One Money | £12.50/month | Second no-credit-check option | Post Office and bank giro | £12.50/mo minimum |
Choose by dealbreaker
Most account decisions are made by a single constraint. Find yours:
- You take cash. Zempler charges 0.55% (minimum £4), Starling 0.7% (minimum £3), Monzo a flat £1 with monthly caps. Mettle, Wise and Revolut take no cash at all. Full breakdown on the free accounts page.
- You hate bookkeeping. Mettle includes FreeAgent free. Nothing else on this table matches that on a free plan.
- Your credit file has scars. Zempler and Card One Money open with no credit check; Zempler is free and FSCS-protected, so start there.
- You bill in dollars or euros. Wise converts from 0.33% with no monthly fee; Revolut bundles multi-currency accounts from £10 a month. Keep a free UK bank account alongside either.
- You have not registered the company yet. Tide forms it for £14.99 including the £100 Companies House fee. The new business guide has the full sequence.
- Clients pay late. ANNA chases them automatically on a plan with no monthly fee.
- No dealbreaker? Then you are the person Starling was built for. Free, protected, no metering, best app. Done.
How this comparison works
Every figure comes from the provider's own published pricing, checked on the date stamped at the top of this page, not from a database bought three years ago. Accounts are ordered by fit for the widest range of businesses, never by commission, and providers that pay us nothing appear alongside ones that do. Where a provider is strong for one situation and weak for another, the situation pages linked throughout say so plainly. That is the entire method, and the about page spells it out.
Bank or e-money: the one distinction worth learning
Four of the nine are licensed banks: Starling, Monzo, Mettle (via NatWest) and Zempler. Deposits there are protected up to £120,000 per business per institution by the FSCS, the limit since December 2025. The rest are e-money institutions that safeguard your funds in segregated accounts: solid regulation, but not a compensation scheme, and payouts after a failure take longer. The practical rule costs nothing to follow: transact anywhere, but let reserves sleep at a bank.
Questions people actually ask
What is the best business account in the UK?
For most limited companies, Starling: free, FSCS-protected up to £120,000, with free invoicing and the strongest app. The honest answer depends on one dealbreaker though: cash, bookkeeping, credit history or currencies each point somewhere different, which is what this page maps.
How many UK business accounts have no monthly fee?
Six serious ones: Starling, Mettle, Monzo Lite, Tide's free plan, Zempler Business Go and ANNA Pay As You Go. Revolut, Card One Money and the traditional banks' standard tariffs all charge monthly.
Should I use a bank or an e-money account for my business?
A bank gives you FSCS protection up to £120,000 (Starling, Monzo, Mettle, Zempler). E-money accounts (Tide on PPS, ANNA, Wise, Revolut) safeguard funds instead. For everyday balances either works; park large sums at a bank.
Can I have more than one business account?
Yes, and many businesses should: a free bank account as the main home plus a specialist for the weak spot, such as Wise for currencies or ANNA for invoicing. Nothing stops a limited company or sole trader holding several.
How long does switching business accounts take?
Opening the new account typically takes a day with app-based providers. The Current Account Switch Service covers many business accounts and completes in 7 working days, moving payments and standing orders automatically.
Figures checked 4 July 2026; confirm details with the provider before applying. We may earn a commission through links on this page.