Our Picks
A ChatGPT research pass on this exact query settled on Mettle, Starling, Monzo, Tide, Virgin Money and Wise. We tested all six against our own corrected data, then added Zempler, ANNA and the Revolut split only where the numbers earned them a genuine scenario win.
Tide takes Best Overall for its built-in invoicing and the widest accounting integrations of any account here. Starling is the one to switch to if you want that same invoicing for free, with no transfer fees at any volume.
Best Overall
Tide is our overall pick because it keeps invoicing, expense categorisation and receipt scanning in the same account. Its advantage over the other free options is the breadth of its accounting connections.
Xero, QuickBooks, FreeAgent and Sage all connect directly. That makes Tide the safer choice when you want the bank feed to fit the software your accountant already uses, rather than changing the accounting setup around the account.
The catch: the free plan caps invoicing at 3 a month and gives you only 5 free transfers before charging 20p each.
Invoice often or move a lot of money and you’ll want Tide Smart (£12.49/month, 30 free transfers), or Starling below, which matches Tide’s invoicing for free and never charges to transfer.
Open a Tide accountBest for Zero Fees at Any Volume
Starling is the one to pick when cost matters more than software breadth. Its sole trader account bundles free invoicing with free Accounting Essentials, a built-in, HMRC-recognised Making Tax Digital tool.
There’s no monthly fee and no UK transfer fee, however many invoices or payments you send. That gives Starling an advantage over accounts whose free allowances become more expensive as your workload grows.
Where it falls short: there’s no branch access, and fewer accounting integrations than Tide, with no Sage feed.
The free invoicing and Accounting Essentials are confirmed on the sole trader product specifically, so check the limited company account for feature parity before assuming it matches exactly.
Open Starling’s free sole trader accountBest for Straightforward Free Banking
Mettle stays completely free at any transfer volume, with native invoicing (customisable invoices, automatic payment matching) and a bundled FreeAgent subscription, worth roughly £150 a year, at no extra cost.
One thing to weigh: FreeAgent stays free only if you transact at least once a month from the Mettle account, and converting quotes into invoices needs the optional Mettle+ upgrade (£4/month).
Only one owner can access the account, even on a two-owner limited company, so a co-founder is locked out of the day-to-day banking. Mettle also isn’t a Current Account Switch Service participant, so any switch is a manual slog.
Get FreeAgent free with MettleBest App and Tax Automation
Monzo’s Pro plan costs £9/month and adds a tax pot that automatically sets aside a percentage of every payment, plus Xero and QuickBooks integrations. Those tools, rather than the app’s appearance alone, are what make it useful for freelancers preparing for tax.
The snag: the free Lite plan doesn’t include the tax pot or the accounting integrations. Those are Pro-only, so this is a £9/month pick, not a free one.
See Monzo’s Pro tax toolsBest for Limited Company Contractors
Revolut Business (from £10/month) is the account to weigh if you’re incorporated and need multi-currency wallets, team expense cards, or FX inside a monthly allowance: £1,000/month at interbank rate on the Basic plan, then a 0.6% markup.
Where it loses ground: Starling and Tide serve limited company contractors free, invoicing and integrations included, so Revolut Business only earns its subscription if you genuinely need multi-currency accounts or team cards.
Whether UK sole traders can open it is unresolved: Revolut’s Help Centre says no, its Business Terms say yes, and it has not reconciled them. Revolut Pro is where it points unincorporated individuals.
Get £100 bonus with Revolut BusinessBest for International Clients
Wise gives freelancers billing overseas clients the most transparent FX pricing here: the mid-market rate with fees from 0.24% (the rate varies by currency), shown upfront before you confirm, plus local account details in 10+ countries. It’s open to sole traders without the ambiguity that hangs over Revolut Business.
The limitation: Wise isn’t a full UK business current account. There’s no overdraft, and your money is safeguarded rather than covered by the FSCS, so it works better as an international payments account than as your only place to bank. Team cards are available, at £3 each after the first.
Pair Wise with a free UK current account if you want its currency tools without giving up ordinary business banking. The second account adds another login, but it keeps your domestic banking and international payments on products designed for each job.
Send international invoices with WiseBest for Cashback, Cash and Cheques
Virgin Money’s M Account is the only one here that combines unlimited 0.25% cashback on debit card spend, in-app cheque scanning, branch access, and no charge for Direct Debits, standing orders or payments in, all with no monthly fee.
What holds it back: it’s only open to businesses with turnover under £1m, its digital tools and integrations lag the fintechs, and international SWIFT transfers cost £17.50 each.
If you never handle cheques or cash and don’t care about branches, Starling or Mettle are the cheaper defaults.
6 months of Xero free with Virgin MoneyBest for Card Payments and Side-Hustle Invoicing
Revolut Pro is a fee-free profile inside the personal Revolut app for sole traders, freelancers and side-hustlers who aren’t registered in the business registry.
We confirmed it comes with its own IBAN and debit card, native invoicing and payment links, no incoming-transfer fee, and cashback tiered to your personal Revolut plan (up to 1%, plus boosters).
The trade-off: card and payment-acceptance fees apply despite the £0 subscription, 1.5%-2.8% depending on method, and it’s not open to limited companies.
It’s not a Current Account Switch Service participant either, and Revolut stays silent on the Pro product page about whether your balance is protected. Read your in-app terms before you park any real money there.
Set up Revolut Pro for freeFreelancer Business Bank Accounts Compared
Your legal structure is the first filter because several accounts exclude particular business types. The cards also distinguish bank accounts from e-money accounts and profiles inside personal apps, which affects protection and how far the product can replace a normal current account.
Starling Bank Business Current Account
Tide Free Business Account
Mettle Business Bank Account
Monzo Business Lite Account
Zempler Bank Business Go Account
ANNA Business Account (Free plan)
Revolut Pro
Revolut Business Basic Account
Virgin Money M Account for Business
Wise Business Account
What These Accounts Really Cost
A £0 monthly subscription does not guarantee free banking. Incoming-payment commission, transfer charges, foreign exchange and cash handling can cost more than the account fee, so the cheapest option depends on how clients pay you and what you do with the money afterwards.
Incoming-Payment Charges
ANNA is the one we rank worst on the published charges. Its Free plan takes 0.95% commission on incoming payments above the first £1,000 each month, though outgoing transfers are unlimited and free.
A freelancer taking £5,000 in client payments a month hands over £38 in commission, after the first £1,000 comes free. None of the other nine accounts here charge you a penny to receive a payment.
ANNA’s Grow plan (£12.90/month + VAT) removes the incoming-payment commission entirely, provided your transfers in and out stay within its 15 free a month.
We worked the breakeven from the 0.95% rate: the Free plan’s commission matches Grow’s price, including VAT, at about £2,630 of monthly incoming payments. Above that, the flat monthly fee costs less, so run the sum on your own typical receipts before picking the Free plan on the strength of its £0 headline.
Transfer and FX Costs
| Provider | UK transfers | FX / international | Apply |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starling | Free | 0.4% conversion + £5.50 delivery per SWIFT payment | View Deal → |
| Tide Free | 5 free/mo, then 20p | 2.75% on overseas card use (0% on paid plans) | View Deal → |
| Mettle | Free | Mastercard rate, standard fees | View Deal → |
| Monzo Lite | Free | 1% on incoming FX, capped £1,000/transaction | View Deal → |
| Zempler | 3 free/mo, then 35p | Standard fees | View Deal → |
| ANNA Free | Unlimited free outgoing; 0.95% on incoming above £1,000/mo | 1% conversion | View Deal → |
| Revolut Pro | No fee on incoming transfers | Card/payment-link fees only (1.5%-2.8%) | View Deal → |
| Revolut Business (Basic) | Free within allowance | Interbank rate to £1,000/mo, then 0.6% | View Deal → |
| Virgin Money | No charge for Direct Debits and payments in; no Faster Payments charge listed | £17.50 per SWIFT transfer | View Deal → |
| Wise | From 0.24%, varies by currency | Mid-market rate, no markup | View Deal → |
| Verified 5 October 2026. | |||
For pure UK invoicing, Starling, Mettle, and Revolut Pro carry no transfer cost. For genuine international billing, Wise’s mid-market rate is the cheapest we found; Starling’s 0.4% is a reasonable single-account alternative if you’d rather not run a second app.
Cash and Cheque Handling
Most digital-only accounts here don’t take cheques at all. Virgin Money is the exception, with in-app cheque scanning and branch counters alongside its free everyday account.
That matters if a client or agency still pays you by cheque. Cash is priced differently again, and not one of them is free: Starling takes 0.7% or £3, whichever is higher, Tide £2.50 up to £500 and then 0.99% on its free plan, and Zempler 0.55% with a £4 minimum. For a freelancer banking the odd cash job, the minimum charge matters more than the percentage.
Cost at Real Freelancer Volumes
The scenarios below use the fee figures verified above. Where a cost depends on the value of payments received rather than just the count, we’ve used an illustrative revenue figure, stated explicitly, rather than claiming it as a typical freelancer’s income.
| Scenario | Cheapest fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Low-volume UK freelancer 5 incoming payments, 10 outgoing transfers/month | Starling or Mettle, £0 | Starling and Mettle stay free; Tide costs £2/month and Zempler £4.20 at these volumes. |
| Invoice-heavy consultant 20 incoming, 40 outgoing transfers, 20 invoices/month | Starling or Mettle, £0 (Mettle +£4 if you need quote conversion) | Starling and Mettle stay free; 60 transfers push Tide onto Smart at £12.49/month. |
| International freelancer £5,000 received in a foreign currency, 10 UK transfers | Wise, from about £12 on the FX alone | Wise’s fees start at 0.24%, below Starling’s 0.4% and ANNA’s 1%. |
| Cash- or cheque-taking freelancer two £500 cash deposits, 20 transfers/month | Virgin Money | Only Virgin Money scans cheques in-app; two £500 cash deposits cost £10.90 monthly. |
| MTD sole trader over the £50,000 qualifying-income threshold | Starling, £0 | Starling includes a free, native, HMRC-recognised MTD for Income Tax tool. |
| Limited-company contractor one monthly client payment, salary/dividend/admin payments | Starling or Tide, £0 (Revolut Business from £10/month if you need multi-currency or team cards) | Starling and Tide serve limited companies free, with invoicing and accountant integrations. |
| Verified 5 October 2026. | ||
At the low-volume row, 15 total transfers leave Tide at £2 a month (10 × 20p after 5 free) and Zempler at £4.20 (12 × 35p after 3 free), while Starling and Mettle charge nothing at any count. The invoice-heavy scenario reaches 60 transfers a month, putting Tide onto Smart at £12.49 a month to secure enough free transfers and stay under its invoicing cap; Starling and Mettle’s free native invoicing has no such cap.
For international work, Wise’s fees start at 0.24% on the mid-market rate, below Starling’s 0.4% and ANNA’s 1%; ANNA also charges £5 per SWIFT payment on paid plans, while Revolut Business adds a £10 monthly subscription and 0.6% above its £1,000 allowance.
Virgin Money is the only account here with in-app cheque scanning. Under the M Account for Business tariff correct as at 19 December 2025, two £500 cash deposits cost £10.90 a month: 90p per £100 paid in at a branch or the Post Office, plus 95p per counter credit. ANNA, Tide and Monzo also list free Making Tax Digital (MTD) filing, and Starling builds its own MTD tool in. In the limited-company row, Revolut Business only earns its fee when you specifically need multi-currency or team-card features.
When a Paid Plan Beats Free
Tide Smart (£12.49/month, 30 free transfers) starts to beat Tide Free once you clear roughly 68 transfers a month at 20p each.
Monzo Pro (£9/month) is only worth it if you actually use its tax pot and accounting integrations, features the free Lite plan doesn’t include at all.
And as we found above, ANNA’s Grow plan overtakes the Free plan once your monthly incoming payments pass roughly £2,630.
Eligibility and Account Requirements
Sole traders are not legally required to keep a separate business account, while a limited company must keep its banking apart from the director’s personal money. Providers also set different eligibility rules for each structure, so incorporation changes both your legal position and your shortlist.
| Legal form | Position |
|---|---|
| Sole trader / side hustle | No separate account is legally required, but personal-account terms may ban business use. |
| Limited company | A limited company is separate legally; its banking must stay apart from the director’s personal banking. |
| Verified 5 October 2026. | |
A sole trader can use a personal account for business transactions if its terms allow it, although mixing personal and business money makes self-assessment and record-keeping harder. For the full legal-structure explanation, see our accounts for sole traders guide.
Sole Traders and Side Hustles
Starling, Tide, Mettle, Monzo, Zempler and ANNA all accept sole traders on day one of self-employment, no trading history required.
Revolut Pro is built specifically for people not registered in the business registry, freelancers, sole traders and side-hustlers, inside the personal Revolut app.
Revolut Business is the one unresolved case here. Its Help Centre lists sole traders under unsupported business types, while its Business Terms, effective 28 April 2026, include new sole traders. We read both and found no definitive answer, so check what the sign-up flow shows you. Revolut Pro is where Revolut points unincorporated individuals.
Limited Company Contractors
Starling, Tide, Monzo, Zempler, ANNA, Virgin Money (turnover under £1m) and Revolut Business all accept newly incorporated limited companies with zero trading history.
Mettle is restricted to companies with up to two owners, and only one owner can access the account, so it fits a single-director contractor Personal Service Company (PSC) but not a co-founded limited company.
We’d confirm feature parity (invoicing, Accounting Essentials) on Starling’s limited company product rather than assuming it matches the sole trader account exactly.
Partnerships
Partnerships have a much shorter shortlist than sole traders or limited companies. ANNA, Virgin Money and Revolut Business accept partnerships and LLPs, Zempler and Wise accept partnerships, and Starling accepts LLPs but not general partnerships; Tide, Monzo, Mettle and Revolut Pro do not support these structures on the relevant accounts.
Credit Checks and Application Criteria
Starling, Tide, Mettle, Monzo, Zempler, ANNA and both Revolut products use identity verification or soft checks rather than a hard credit search on freelancer applications.
If you have County Court Judgments (CCJs) or defaults, these digital accounts are the practical route. Virgin Money, as a mainstream bank, applies standard underwriting instead, which is the practical difference: a thin or poor credit file is far more likely to stop you there than at any of the digital accounts above.
Business Bank Account Features That Matter Most
Freelancing is admin time you’re not billing for. These are the features that remove steps from your invoicing and tax workflow, weighted by how much they actually save you.
Accounting Integrations
Starling and Tide both connect free to Xero, QuickBooks and FreeAgent, but Tide also adds Sage. If your accountant already works in Sage, that difference settles the choice without requiring another connector or a change of software.
Monzo connects to Xero and QuickBooks, but only on the paid Pro plan. Mettle integrates via a free (conditional) FreeAgent subscription. Zempler leans on its own built-in tools rather than third-party connectors.
ANNA covers Xero and QuickBooks with no Sage feed. Revolut Business and Wise both connect to Xero, QuickBooks and FreeAgent.
Virgin Money offers Xero, free for 6 months on signup, plus Sage and QuickBooks. Revolut Pro has no accounting integrations at all.
Invoicing Tools
Starling and Tide both include free native invoicing, though Tide caps the free plan at 3 a month.
Mettle includes native invoicing with automatic payment matching; converting a quote into an invoice needs the optional Mettle+ upgrade (£4/month). Zempler has built-in invoicing on its free tier.
ANNA includes instant invoicing on every plan, from Free upward.
Revolut Pro and Revolut Business both include native invoicing and payment links. Monzo and Virgin Money leave invoicing to your accounting software.
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax
Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax phases in by qualifying income: over £50,000 from 6 April 2026, over £30,000 from 6 April 2027, and over £20,000 from 6 April 2028. Once you’re in scope, you keep digital records and send quarterly updates to HMRC through compatible software.
Starling builds a native, HMRC-recognised MTD tool in for free, Accounting Essentials. Zempler markets built-in MTD tools on its free tier.
Mettle covers it through bundled FreeAgent, conditional on monthly account activity. Tide says its HMRC-recognised tool sends your quarterly updates for free, and Monzo lists Making Tax Digital software on every plan, Lite included. Virgin Money relies on third-party integrations, Xero, QuickBooks or Sage, rather than a native MTD tool. ANNA includes MTD for Income Tax filing free on every plan. Neither Revolut product nor Wise offers an MTD tool.
Interest and Overdrafts
Starling is not currently accepting applications for business overdrafts or loans. Monzo advertises sole trader overdrafts up to £3,000 and business loans up to £25,000, both subject to eligibility.
Zempler offers an overdraft up to £10,000, available at application for limited companies, or after three months for sole traders.
Its free Business Go tier pays no interest on the current account balance. Interest sits on the paid Business Pro plan’s savings pot (0.5%) instead, correcting an earlier claim on this page.
Virgin Money offers an overdraft subject to eligibility. Tide, Mettle, ANNA, Wise and both Revolut products don’t offer overdrafts.
App and Day-to-Day Banking
All the digital-first providers offer in-app chat, instant card freeze, and push notifications on every transaction. We rate Starling and Tide the most polished for daily use. Virgin Money adds branch access most of the others don’t have, at the cost of a less refined app.
How to Choose the Right Freelancer Business Bank Account
How clients pay you is the quickest way to narrow the shortlist. Payment frequency, overseas billing and the amount of tax or invoicing admin you want inside the account then decide which of the remaining options fits.
Choose by Client Mix and Payment Method
UK clients paying by invoice: Starling, Mettle or Tide. Clients paying by card or in person: Revolut Pro or Zempler’s free in-app Tap to Pay. Clients billing in USD, EUR or other foreign currency: Wise, or Starling’s 0.4% FX if you’d rather not run a second account.
Choose by Invoice and Transaction Volume
Under roughly 30 transfers a month, any of the free accounts work. Above that, Starling and Mettle stay free at any volume, while Tide’s 20p-per-transfer fee keeps adding up. Tide Smart (£12.49/month) never claws that back on transfer fees alone, so at higher volume the free accounts win.
Choose by Tax Prep Approach
Want the MTD tool built into your bank, free: Starling. Your accountant runs FreeAgent: Mettle or Starling. Want a tax pot that automatically sets money aside: Monzo Pro. Your accountant runs Sage: Tide or Virgin Money, the two accounts here that list a Sage connection.
Choose by Legal Structure and Accountant’s Software
Sole trader or side hustle wanting invoicing plus card acceptance: Starling, Mettle or Revolut Pro. Limited company keeping it simple: Starling or Tide, both free.
Limited company needing multi-currency wallets or team expense cards: Revolut Business is worth its £10/month. Otherwise, it’s an unnecessary subscription.
How to Switch Freelancer Business Bank Accounts
Switch when your account starts charging for ordinary payment volumes, no longer connects to your accountant’s software or leaves too much tax work outside the banking app. Those problems create a reason to move; a slightly tidier interface on its own usually does not.
Which Providers Support the Current Account Switch Service
| Provider | Business CASS support | Apply |
|---|---|---|
| Starling | Yes | View Deal → |
| Monzo | Yes | View Deal → |
| Tide | Yes (via ClearBank) | View Deal → |
| Zempler | Yes | View Deal → |
| Mettle | No, manual migration | View Deal → |
| ANNA | No, manual migration | View Deal → |
| Revolut (Pro and Business) | No, only listed for personal accounts on the CASS directory | View Deal → |
| Virgin Money | Yes | View Deal → |
| Verified 5 October 2026. | ||
Checked against currentaccountswitch.co.uk, 7 October 2026. Wise is not a full current account and isn’t a typical CASS switching target.
When to Switch Mid-Tax-Year
Avoid switching in the three months before self-assessment if you can. Mid-January is the worst time; reconciling two partial-year exports costs you or your accountant the equivalent of a day’s billable time. April to July, at the start of the new tax year, is the cleanest window.
How to Avoid Disruption
Keep the old account open for at least 60 days after switching. HMRC direct debits and some SaaS billing occasionally miss the Current Account Switch Service (CASS) redirection.
Reconcile both accounts for the first month so any payment that didn’t redirect shows up before it becomes an overdue bill. The switch service doesn’t reliably catch every payment type, and card-acquirer payouts such as Stripe are a known gap.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do freelancers need a separate business bank account?
Not legally, if you’re a sole trader. HMRC doesn’t require sole traders to hold a separate business account, and you can use a personal account for business transactions, though the account’s own terms may prohibit business use. A limited company is a separate legal entity and its banking must be kept apart from the director’s personal finances. Even for sole traders, mixing accounts makes self-assessment harder, and free options (Starling, Mettle, Tide) remove the cost argument for keeping them separate.
What is the difference between Revolut Pro and Revolut Business?
Revolut Pro is a fee-free profile inside the personal Revolut app, built for freelancers, sole traders and side-hustlers who aren’t registered in the business registry: its own IBAN, debit card, invoicing and payment acceptance, with no incoming-transfer fee (card and payment-link fees still apply). Revolut Business starts at £10/month and is for incorporated companies, LLPs and partnerships, with multi-currency accounts, team expense cards and an FX allowance. Whether a UK sole trader can open Revolut Business is unresolved: its Help Centre lists sole traders as unsupported, its Business Terms (effective 28 April 2026) include new sole traders, and we found no definitive answer. Revolut Pro is the route Revolut points unincorporated individuals to.
Is ANNA’s Free plan really free?
The monthly fee is £0, but that headline hides a catch: the Free plan takes 0.95% commission on incoming payments above the first £1,000 each month (outgoing transfers are unlimited and free). On £5,000 of client payments in a month, that’s £38 gone in commission, after the first £1,000 comes free. ANNA’s Grow plan (£12.90/month + VAT) drops the commission entirely, and works out cheaper once your monthly incoming payments pass roughly £2,630, provided your transfers in and out stay within Grow’s 15 free a month.
Does Starling really include free invoicing now?
Yes. Starling’s sole trader account currently advertises free invoicing and free Accounting Essentials, a built-in, HMRC-recognised Making Tax Digital for Income Tax tool, along with free integrations to Xero, QuickBooks and FreeAgent. That’s a change from Starling leaving invoicing to third-party software; check the equivalent limited company product for feature parity before assuming it matches exactly.
When do freelancers have to use Making Tax Digital for Income Tax?
MTD for Income Tax phases in by qualifying income level. Sole traders and landlords over £50,000 must comply from 6 April 2026; over £30,000 from 6 April 2027; and over £20,000 from 6 April 2028. Once in scope, you keep digital records and send quarterly updates to HMRC using compatible software. Starling includes a native, HMRC-recognised tool for this free; other providers rely on bundled or integrated third-party accounting software.
Are these accounts FSCS protected?
Most are. Eligible deposits with Starling, Tide (new accounts via ClearBank), Monzo, Zempler, Virgin Money and Revolut Business (on its bank-entity accounts) are protected up to £120,000 per eligible person or entity, per UK-authorised firm. A sole trader’s personal and business balances with the same firm are combined for that limit; a limited company can be a separate eligible depositor. ANNA and Wise operate as e-money institutions, so their main account funds are safeguarded rather than FSCS-protected (ANNA’s separate Griffin savings account is FSCS protected). Revolut stays silent on Pro’s protection status on its product page, so check your in-app terms before you hold a real balance there.
Which account is cheapest for freelancers with international clients?
Wise is cheapest on FX cost: it uses the mid-market rate and charges fees from 0.33% + £0.30, shown upfront. It isn’t a full UK business current account, though: there’s no overdraft or FSCS protection, and team cards cost £3 each after the first. Starling’s 0.4% conversion rate is a reasonable single-account alternative if you don’t want to run Wise alongside your main account.
How we reviewed business bank accounts
Ranking criteria. We rank accounts on five factors: true monthly cost at realistic freelancer transaction volumes, eligibility by legal structure, invoicing and Making Tax Digital tooling, deposit protection, and ease of switching.
Cost and protection carry the heaviest weight because every freelancer needs to know what routine banking will cost and what happens to the balance if the provider fails. App preferences and extra tools matter, but they do not outweigh either question.
Data sources. Every provider’s pricing page, terms, and product docs were checked directly on 5 October 2026. No comparison sites, no press releases, no affiliate material. FCA register and the Current Account Switch Service directory cross-checked for regulatory and CASS status.
Update cadence. We re-verify every provider on this page at least monthly, and whenever one changes pricing, eligibility, or terms. The verification date at the top reflects the most recent full review. Some links on this page are affiliate links, see our editorial policy.