Should you sign up for a Starling business bank account? We’ll compare the pros and cons of this popular account, so you can make the best decision for your business.
Starling Business Account Overview
Starling is a major UK challenger bank that has offered business accounts since 2018.
Their motto is ‘free, uncomplicated and quick,’ which tells you a bit about their offering. There’s no account set-up fee, and they don’t charge for withdrawing or paying in money. The mobile APP is well-designed and intuitive, and the account is open to limited companies, and sole traders.
Compare Starling with Tide: Which is best?
We have done a comparison between Starling and Tide for the bank accounts they offer.
Take a look at the two options and see which might be best for your business.
You can find this comparison by clicking here.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Fast account set-up
- No monthly fees or fees overseas
- Integrations with Quickbooks, Xero & FreeAgent
- Fully regulated and FSCS protected
- Phone and App based customer service 24/7
- Pay Cash in via Post Office
- Euro and Dollar accounts are available
Cons
- No overdraft facility
- No branches
- Charge for paying in money
- Can’t earn interest
- depositing cash comes with a fee
About Starling Business Banking
Starling Bank was founded by Welsh tech entrepreneur Anne Boden, with the intention of bringing a ‘smarter, fairer and more human’ bank to the marketplace. Formerly COO of Allied Irish Banks, the bank launched its beta in March 2017. It’s been hugely successful with now over two million accounts, including more than 300,000 small business accounts. A new customer joins Starling every 39 seconds.
Rates and Fees
| Account Name | Starling Business Account |
|---|---|
| Account Application Fee | Free |
| Account Charges | Free |
| Bank transfers | Free |
| Overseas card transaction fees | Free |
| FSCS protected | Yes |
| ATM Use (UK) | Free |
| Requires credit check | Yes |
| Overdraft | Yes |
| Interest (AER) | 0% AER |
Contact Number
You can contact Starling 24/7 via telephone, In-App or email.
Telephone – 0207 930 4450
Starling Business Bank Account Reviews and Ratings
Starling has generally excellent reviews and ratings. It won the Best British Bank award in the British Bank Awards for four consecutive years – 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.
Starting has over 30,000 reviews on Trustpilot with an average rating of ‘excellent’ and a 4.4-star average.
Smart Money People gives them a rating of 4.94/5, based on 4,986 reviews.
Starling is Which Magazines ‘Recommended Provider’ for Business accounts with a customer score of 85%.