Best Startup Bank Accounts in the UK (2026)
Tide bundles company formation with a free business account in one step. Revolut suits startups trading internationally from day one.
- Tide opens a free business account the day you form your company.
- No minimum trading history and no credit check to get started.
- Company formation, banking, and invoicing are all available from the same app.
Best Startup Business Bank Accounts at a Glance
We ranked eight accounts on what matters in year one: company formation, opening speed, eligibility for brand-new LTDs, and real cost at typical volumes.
Tide leads on formation and invoicing. Starling and Mettle stay free at any volume. Revolut wins if you trade internationally from day one.
HSBC Kinetic is the only traditional option with a clear lending relationship path — at the cost of £8/month from month 19.
All Cards at a Glance
Compare key features side by side — tap any row for the full review.
| Provider | Monthly Fee | Best For | Integrations | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Sole traders and SMEs wanting free banking with built-in invoicing | Xero, QuickBooks, FreeAgent, Sage | View Deal → |
 | Free (Basic plan) | Businesses with international payments or multi-currency needs | Xero, QuickBooks, FreeAgent | View Deal → |
 | Pay As You Go (from £0) | Sole traders wanting AI-powered tax and expense automation | Built-in tax tools | View Deal → |
 | Free | Businesses wanting to earn interest on their balance | Limited | View Deal → |
 | Free | Businesses wanting a full-featured free account with overdraft | Xero, QuickBooks, FreeAgent | View Deal → |
 | Free (Lite plan) | Small businesses wanting clean mobile banking with smart budgeting | Xero, QuickBooks, FreeAgent | View Deal → |
 | £8/month (free for 12 months) | Established businesses wanting high-street banking with branch access | Limited native; API available | View Deal → |
 | Free | Sole traders and small LTDs wanting genuinely free banking | FreeAgent (free included) | View Deal → |
Data verified against provider websites, April 2026. Fees and features may change.
Our Startup Business Bank Account Picks
Best Overall
Pick Tide if you want formation, invoicing, and accounting integrations in one place. The 20p-per-transfer fee stays reasonable below 50 payments a month. Above that, compare Tide Plus (£9.99/month) against Starling.
Visit TideBest for New Limited Companies
Tide accepts zero trading history and no filed accounts — your brand-new LTD gets the same terms as a five-year-old business. The Companies House link can be completed during the signup flow with no additional charge.
Visit TideBest for Sole Trader Founders
Starling is the cleanest sole-trader fit: permanently free, FSCS protected, with a usable invoicing-free current account. Tide is stronger if you want built-in invoicing but charges per transaction above 50/month.
Visit StarlingBest for Low Fees
Starling and Mettle have no transaction fees at all. Both are FSCS protected. Starling adds an overdraft subject to status. Mettle bundles a free FreeAgent subscription — useful in year one when every subscription matters.
Visit StarlingBest for Company Formation
Tide forms your company from £0 and opens the account the same day Companies House confirms. ANNA offers formation as a paid add-on bundled with AI tax calculations and invoicing.
Visit TideBest for Same-Day Opening
Revolut, Tide, Starling, and Monzo all open same day for newly incorporated LTDs. Revolut stands out for delivering a full multi-currency account within hours of application.
Visit RevolutBest for International Startups
Revolut wins if you invoice clients or pay suppliers overseas from day one. We compared FX markups live: near-interbank exchange rates mean you won’t pay 2.5–3% on every cross-border payment — material saving at startup cash-flow levels.
Visit RevolutBest for Pre-Revenue Startups
Mettle pairs zero monthly fee with a free FreeAgent subscription worth £14.50/month. We rate this the strongest bundle for a pre-revenue single-director LTD that needs bookkeeping software anyway.
Visit MettleProviders Compared
We assessed each provider on five criteria: formation, eligibility for new LTDs, year-one cost at real volumes, features that matter in the first twelve months, and genuine fit. Where an account doesn’t work for most startups, we’ve said so.
ANNA Money Pay As You Go Account
Zempler Bank Business Go Account
Starling Bank Business Current Account
HSBC Small Business Bank Account
Mettle Business Bank Account
What These Startup Business Bank Accounts Really Cost
Every account on this page has a £0 entry point — either permanently or during a startup free period. The differences show up in per-transaction charges, month-19 pricing, FX markups, and where cash handling is or isn’t free.
Transfer Fees
Starling, Monzo Business Lite, Zempler, and Mettle charge nothing for UK faster payments. Tide Free charges 20p per outgoing faster payment. HSBC Kinetic is free during the 18-month startup period then moves to a per-transaction schedule.
We modelled 50 outgoing payments/month: Tide Free £10, Starling £0, HSBC Kinetic £0 in year one then £8/month thereafter.
Cash Deposit Fees
Starling charges 0.7% at the Post Office with no monthly cap. Tide charges £1 per bag via PayPoint. HSBC Kinetic accepts cash free in branch during the startup period. Revolut, Monzo Business Lite, and ANNA don’t accept cash deposits at all.
FX and International Payment Costs
Revolut is the cheapest for outbound international payments: near-interbank rates with caps on free transfers and low markups beyond. Starling charges 0.4% on FX. Tide integrates Wise at around 0.5%. HSBC Kinetic charges £4 plus 2.99% on overseas payments.
If you invoice EU or US clients and convert often, the difference over year one can be material.
When a Paid Account Offers Better Value
Once you cross 50 outgoing payments a month, Tide Plus at £9.99 costs less than Tide Free. If you need a paid relationship manager or a visible lending path, HSBC Kinetic Small Business at £8/month from month 19 buys you both.
The crossover is sharp: above the volume threshold, paid tiers win on both price and feature breadth.
Eligibility and Account Requirements
Startup-friendly providers differ on trading history, director residency, and company structure. We confirmed the criteria directly with each provider in April 2026.
Sole Traders
Tide, Starling, Zempler, Monzo, Mettle, and ANNA accept sole traders on day one of self-employment. HSBC Kinetic is limited to limited companies in practice. Revolut accepts sole traders but with tighter KYC on first application.
Limited Companies
All eight accept newly incorporated LTDs with zero trading history. Mettle is restricted to single-director LTDs — a hard no for co-founded startups. HSBC Kinetic accepts multi-director LTDs but expects one director to be the primary banker.
Partnerships
Tide and Zempler accept partnerships and LLPs on the free tier. Starling accepts LLPs but not general partnerships. Revolut, Monzo, Mettle, ANNA, and HSBC Kinetic don’t support partnership structures on their startup offerings.
Credit Checks and Application Criteria
Tide, Starling, Revolut, Monzo, Zempler, Mettle, and ANNA use soft credit checks. HSBC Kinetic runs a hard search as part of its underwriting process. Non-UK directors should expect additional verification across every provider — identity confirmation, residence documents, and sometimes proof of UK business address.
Features That Matter Most
In year one, the features that save you time matter more than the ones that look impressive on a pricing page. We weighted invoicing, integrations, and overdraft access by how often you actually use them as a founder.
Accounting Integrations
Tide and Starling cover Xero, QuickBooks, and FreeAgent directly. Revolut and Monzo connect to Xero and QuickBooks. ANNA integrates with Xero and QuickBooks but has no Sage feed. HSBC Kinetic supports Xero and Sage.
If your accountant has picked a platform already, this often decides your shortlist before any other feature does. You can save yourself a renegotiation later by matching the integration to your bookkeeping stack on day one.
Invoicing Tools
Tide ships built-in invoicing with payment links and automatic reconciliation on the free tier. ANNA bundles AI invoice matching and tax forecasting as a paid add-on. Starling, Monzo, Revolut, Zempler, Mettle, and HSBC leave invoicing to your accounting software.
Interest and Overdrafts
Starling is the only digital startup account to include an overdraft facility subject to status. Zempler pays interest on balances. HSBC Kinetic offers a documented path to overdrafts and small business loans. Tide, Revolut, Monzo, Mettle, and ANNA offer no overdraft on startup pricing.
App and Day-to-Day Banking
All digital providers offer in-app chat, instant card freeze, and push notifications on every transaction. Tide and Starling have the most polished apps with the widest feature surface. HSBC Kinetic is usable but noticeably less refined than the digital-only competitors.
How to Choose the Right Startup Business Bank Account
The right startup account depends on four things: how many payments you send, whether cash is part of your business, what structure you trade under, and how much admin you want the bank to absorb for you.
Choose by Payment Volume
Under 30 UK payments a month: Tide Free is the cheapest and includes invoicing. 30–60 a month: Starling or Mettle are cheaper because Tide’s 20p fees accumulate. Above 60 a month: Starling, Mettle, or Tide Plus are the only cost-sensible options.
Choose by Cash Handling Needs
If any material part of your revenue comes in cash, your shortlist is Starling, Tide, Monzo, or HSBC Kinetic (during the free startup period). Revolut, Monzo Business Lite, Mettle, ANNA, and Zempler don’t accept cash at all.
Choose by Business Type
Solo founder with a single-director LTD: Mettle, Tide, or Starling. Co-founded LTD with multiple directors: Tide, Starling, HSBC, or Revolut (Mettle excludes). International founder or non-UK director: Revolut or Starling. Sole trader side-project: Tide or Starling. We ranked these based on the applications we’ve actually run end-to-end in April 2026.
Choose by Admin and Bookkeeping Needs
If you want formation plus banking in one flow, Tide or ANNA. If you want bookkeeping software bundled free, Mettle (with FreeAgent). If you want a clear lending relationship from day one, HSBC Kinetic. If you want to keep admin minimal, Starling.
Practical test: it’s the Sunday before your first trading week and you’re staring at three signup flows. Whichever one gets your debit card in your hand before Tuesday wins — that’s usually Tide or Starling.
How to Switch Startup Business Bank Accounts
Startups usually switch for one of three reasons: the free period ended, the account doesn’t fit the direction the business took, or a better product emerged. The Current Account Switch Service (CASS) handles the mechanics for providers that support it.
Which Providers Support CASS
Starling, Monzo, and HSBC Kinetic support full CASS transfers in and out. Tide, Mettle, Zempler, ANNA, and Revolut don’t participate in CASS: you migrate standing orders and direct debits manually.
For a startup with more than ten recurring payments (HMRC, payroll, SaaS subscriptions, suppliers), the difference is meaningful.
When to Switch from an Introductory Offer
HSBC Kinetic reverts to £8/month at month 19. Barclays and Lloyds end their startup free periods at month 13. Set a calendar reminder three months before your free period ends and review the cost-benefit before letting the switch happen by default.
How to Avoid Disruption
Keep the old account open for at least 60 days after the switch. HMRC direct debits and some SaaS billing occasionally miss the CASS redirection. A 60-day overlap catches these without service interruption.
Reconcile both accounts for the first month after switching. Any payment that did not redirect shows up in the reconciliation and can be chased before it becomes an overdue bill.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I open a startup bank account before my company is registered?
No. You need a Companies House registration number to open a business bank account for a limited company. Most digital banks accept the application on the same day your incorporation is confirmed by Companies House, which typically takes 24 hours for online filings. Tide, ANNA, and Zempler all facilitate company formation as part of their account-opening flow, so you can start the process before your company is formally registered and complete the account setup once confirmation arrives. If you’re a sole trader, you can open an account without incorporation at any point.
What happens when the free startup period ends?
For HSBC Kinetic, the free 18-month startup period ends and you move to the standard £8/month Kinetic Small Business account fee. HSBC should notify you before the transition, but it’s worth setting a reminder at the 15-month mark to review whether the account still fits your needs. Digital banks like Tide, Starling, and Monzo don’t operate startup-period pricing. You’re on the same plan from day one, with no fee change at any fixed point unless you upgrade voluntarily.
Do I need trading history or minimum revenue to apply?
No. Tide, Revolut, Starling, Monzo, ANNA, and Mettle all open accounts for newly incorporated companies with zero revenue, no filed accounts, and no trading history. Identity verification is the main gate, not financial history. HSBC Kinetic applies a creditworthiness assessment but still accepts many startups at incorporation. The exception on this page is Zempler, which may apply additional checks. Verify current eligibility at zempler.com before applying.
What documents do I need to open a startup business bank account?
For a limited company, you need your Companies House registration number, a valid government-issued photo ID (passport or driving licence) for each director, and the registered business address. Most digital banks verify ID via a selfie and document scan in the app. HSBC may request additional documentation including proof of business address. Non-UK directors should expect additional steps regardless of provider. Check the specific requirements at the provider’s website before starting the application.
Can I hold a startup account at a traditional bank and a digital bank at the same time?
Yes. There is no legal limit on the number of business bank accounts a company can hold. Many startups open a Tide or Starling account for day-to-day transactions and invoicing, and an HSBC or Barclays account to build a banking relationship for future lending. This also spreads your FSCS protection across multiple banking licences if your combined balances exceed £85,000. The practical consideration is admin: each account needs reconciling, so keep the setup simple in year one unless you have a clear reason for both.
Are startup bank accounts FSCS protected?
Not all of them. Starling, HSBC Kinetic, Mettle (via NatWest), and Zempler are FSCS protected up to £85,000 per banking licence. Tide, Revolut, Monzo Business Lite, and ANNA operate as e-money institutions: funds are safeguarded but not covered by FSCS. For cash reserves above £10,000, FSCS protection materially matters.
How We Reviewed Business Bank Accounts
Ranking criteria. We rank accounts on five factors: true monthly cost at realistic transaction volumes, eligibility by business type, accounting integrations and invoicing tools, deposit protection, and opening speed. Cost and protection carry the heaviest weight.
Data sources. Every provider’s pricing page, terms, and product docs were checked directly in April 2026. No comparison sites, no press releases, no affiliate material. FSCS protection is cross-checked against the FCA register.
Update cadence. We re-verify every provider on this page at least monthly, and whenever a provider changes pricing, eligibility, or protection. The verification date at the top reflects the most recent full review. Some links are affiliate links — see our editorial policy.