Revolut vs Mettle Business: Which Is Better?

Which Is Better for UK businesses choosing between free PRA-licensed UK banking with FreeAgent and multi-currency fintech with team card programmes?

If you run a UK-only business and want the cleanest free PRA-licensed banking with FreeAgent included, choose Mettle. We rate Mettle as the cheapest route to a full-featured MTD setup for sole traders.

If you need 25+ multi-currency wallets, team cards with spend controls, or API access for programmatic payments, choose Revolut Business. We rate Revolut Grow at £30/month as the entry point for international invoicing.

When you’re a sole trader with simple UK invoicing and want everything free, Mettle is structurally cheaper than Revolut Basic at £10/month.

If your structure is a partnership, LLP, charity or limited company with 3+ owners, Mettle excludes you. Revolut Business accepts broader structures including LLPs.

Revolut vs Mettle Fees and Charges

You pay nothing for Mettle on the monthly fee, nothing on UK Faster Payments in or out, and FreeAgent accounting software comes bundled free provided you make at least one transaction per month.

You pay £10/month for Revolut Basic with up to 10 local transfers and 1 international transfer included. Above the allowance, international transfers cost £5 each.

Choose Revolut Grow at £30/month for 5 free international transfers and higher FX allowances. The cost catch is the £25 monthly fee against Mettle’s £0.

On cash deposits, neither account offers free UK cash channels. Mettle doesn’t support cash deposits at all. Revolut routes cash via partner channels with limits and fees.

You won’t pay ATM fees at Mettle in the UK. Revolut Business ATM withdrawals carry plan-specific limits and fees above the allowance — confirm against the published Revolut Business tariff.

For card spending overseas, Revolut charges interbank FX within plan allowance. Mettle’s overseas card fee follows NatWest’s published debit card tariff — confirm rates with Mettle.

For high-volume FX above £10,000/month, pair either account with Wise Business at mid-market from 0.33%. Neither Revolut nor Mettle beats Wise on sustained currency volume.

Revolut vs Mettle Features and Tools

You should weigh feature depth carefully. Revolut Business ships team cards with per-employee spend controls, expense capture, crypto access on paid tiers, and a published developer API.

You get FreeAgent included free with Mettle — saves up to £150/year. We rate this as the cleanest MTD-compliant setup for UK sole traders, particularly with NatWest’s ownership of FreeAgent giving deep integration.

When your team needs spend controls across 5-50 employees, Revolut Business has the deeper per-employee card programme. Mettle doesn’t support multi-user team card programmes at the same depth.

If you bill UK clients regularly, Mettle’s built-in invoicing inside FreeAgent integrates tightly with the account. Revolut Business has no equivalent native invoicing across plan tiers.

For payment infrastructure, Revolut offers a published API for programmatic supplier payments, batch processing and ledger sync. Mettle doesn’t offer a public business API.

You get crypto access at Revolut Business on paid tiers — no equivalent at Mettle. For businesses requiring crypto rails, Revolut is the only option in this matchup.

Revolut vs Mettle International Payments

If you invoice in foreign currency, Revolut Business wins outright. You hold 25+ currency wallets at near-interbank rates within plan allowance.

You can’t hold foreign currency at Mettle natively — it’s a GBP-only account. International payments route through NatWest’s standard SWIFT/FX infrastructure with NatWest fees.

When you convert £50,000 EUR a month at Revolut Grow, the free allowance covers it; above the cap, FX steps to 0.4-0.6%. At Mettle, international conversion follows NatWest’s high-street card-and-FX tariff.

For receiving foreign currency, Revolut Business provides local multi-currency wallets across 25+ currencies. Mettle has no native multi-currency support.

You should weigh the FSCS protection identically at both providers — both PRA-licensed banks with direct FSCS to £120,000. There’s no protection-level differentiation here.

For sustained cross-border FX, pair either account with Wise Business. Wise mid-market FX from 0.33% beats both Revolut and Mettle on currency conversion volume.

Revolut vs Mettle Customer Reviews and Reputation

You should weigh user base depth here. Revolut Business serves 13+ million UK customers across personal and business accounts. Mettle serves a smaller dedicated sole-trader and small-Ltd customer base.

You hear Mettle reviews skew toward the genuinely free model, the FreeAgent integration, and the NatWest-backed PRA banking licence. Complaints lean on the restrictive eligibility (sole traders + Ltd with 2 owners max).

You hear Revolut Business complaints cluster around compliance freezes during onboarding — common fintech pattern where flagged transactions hold accounts for 24-72 hours.

When your bookkeeper urgently needs a supplier paid on Friday afternoon, both providers’ Faster Payments rails clear in seconds. The operational reliability is comparable.

Support model splits sharply. Revolut offers 24/7 in-app chat to business customers. Mettle offers in-app and email support during business hours, plus phone for verification.

Revolut vs Mettle for Free GBP Banking with FreeAgent vs Multi-Currency Wallets and Team Cards

For free PRA-licensed UK banking with FreeAgent included, Mettle wins outright. We rate Mettle as the cleanest cheapest route to FSCS-protected MTD-compliant sole-trader banking.

For 25+ multi-currency wallets, team card programmes and API access, Revolut Business wins. The plan-tiered pricing pays for itself fast at meaningful cross-border or team-spend volumes.

When you’re a partnership, LLP, charity or Ltd with 3+ owners, Mettle excludes you. Revolut Business accepts these structures (subject to compliance).

You can’t hold foreign currency at Mettle. If you receive in EUR, USD or any non-GBP currency, Revolut Business is the only choice in this matchup.

Downsides of Revolut and Mettle

You can’t open Mettle as a partnership, LLP, charity, CIC or limited company with more than 2 owners. Mettle accepts sole traders and Ltd with 1-2 owners only.

You won’t find multi-currency wallets at Mettle — it’s GBP-only. For any non-GBP invoicing, Mettle isn’t the right account.

You won’t find team card programmes, API access or crypto rails at Mettle. Mettle’s positioning is simple free GBP banking, not a full fintech platform.

You face plan-tier transaction allowances at Revolut. Basic includes only 1 international transfer per month; you’ll hit £5 per transfer fast on cross-border-heavy businesses.

You face maximum balance caps at Revolut: £500k Grow, £1m Scale, £2m Enterprise. Mettle’s balance cap is also £1m. For larger operating cash, multi-account setup is required.

You should weigh compliance hold risk at Revolut — flagged transactions can lock accounts for 24-72 hours. Known fintech pattern.

Alternatives to Revolut and Mettle

You don’t have to choose between Revolut and Mettle alone. We compared several adjacent UK business accounts that solve specific problems better than either.

If you need free PRA-licensed banking with overdraft access and broader eligibility (LLPs accepted), choose Starling Business. We rate Starling as the strongest free FSCS-protected challenger.

If you need full PRA bank with cashback and interest on deposits, choose Allica Business Rewards. Up to 1.5% cashback and 4.08% AER for £50k+ deposit businesses.

If you need mid-market FX from 0.33%, choose Wise Business. We rate Wise as the cheapest cross-border option for UK SMEs.

If you need 38 multi-currency IBANs with vertical industry support, choose Equals Money. FCA EMI rather than FSCS bank, but broader currency depth than Revolut.

Final Verdict: Revolut or Mettle?

Choose Mettle if you’re a UK sole trader or small Ltd with 1-2 owners and want free PRA-licensed banking with FreeAgent included. We rate Mettle as the cleanest free FSCS-protected setup for the smallest UK businesses.

Choose Revolut Business if you need 25+ multi-currency wallets, team card programmes, API access, or you operate as an LLP, partnership, or larger limited company. We rate Revolut Grow at £30/month as the value pick.

When your business is GBP-only and structurally simple, Mettle wins on cost. When you need international or team-spend features, Revolut wins on capability.

You should pair either account with Wise Business if you sustain £10,000+/month in FX. Wise mid-market from 0.33% beats both on currency volume.

Frequently Asked Questions