Our Verdict on Tide
For UK sole traders, freelancers and limited company directors who invoice clients, Tide’s free plan works well; for high-volume payers and anyone who needs an overdraft, it doesn’t.
The free plan has no monthly fee and built-in invoicing; new accounts get FSCS protection to £120,000 via ClearBank, though legacy accounts are safeguarded instead. Five transfers are free each month, then every transfer in or out costs 20p, rewarding invoicing-led businesses and punishing high-volume payers.
Open a Tide account →The full review below covers plan costs, safety, international payments and how Tide compares to five alternatives.
Tide at a Glance
| Eligible applicants | UK sole traders and freelancers, and directors of UK limited companies. Partnerships, LLPs, CICs and charities are not eligible |
| Account provider | ClearBank (FCA 754568) provides new accounts; the app is built by Tide Platform Limited (FCA 900843) |
| FSCS protection | New accounts FSCS-protected to £120,000 via ClearBank; some legacy e-money accounts are safeguarded, not FSCS |
| Free plan | £0 a month, no time limit, 3 invoices a month included |
| Domestic transfers | 5 free a month (in or out), then 20p each; Smart includes 30, Pro and Max are unlimited |
| Cash deposits | Post Office: £2.50 up to £500, then 0.99% of the whole deposit on Free (0.5% on paid plans). PayPoint: 3% of the deposit |
| International transfers | Sends and receives via SEPA and SWIFT, with plan-tiered fees; not a multi-currency holding account |
| Overseas card fee | 2.75% on Free; 0% on Smart, Pro and Max |
| Overdraft | None on any plan |
| Phone support | Free: request a callback in-app. Smart/Pro: weekday phone line. Max: wider weekday hours plus Saturdays |
| Savings | Tide Instant Saver 2.00% AER (Free) up to 3.75% AER (Max), variable |
| Company formation | £14.99 stand-alone, or £1 with the Company Secretary subscription |
Which Tide Plan Is Cheapest for Your Business?
Start with the fact Tide’s own marketing skips over: Smart is never the cheapest plan for transfers. Its £12.49 fee buys 25 extra free transfers over the free plan, worth at most £5 a month in avoided 20p charges.
So on monthly billing £7.49 is the floor, not a flat rule. Smart costs at least that much more than Free on transfers, and only from 30 a month up. Below 30 the gap is wider: £12.49 more at five transfers, £10.49 at fifteen.
On annual billing the floor drops to £3.33 a month: Smart’s £99.99 a year is an effective £8.33, less the £5 those 25 extra free transfers save. Either way Smart never undercuts Free on transfers, so if that’s your only reason to pay, skip it for Pro.
That doesn’t make Smart pointless: its fee also drops the overseas card charge from 2.75% to 0% and lifts the savings rate. Judge those on their own merits, not on a transfer saving that isn’t there. The table below covers transfer charges plus the plan fee only, on monthly billing.
| Transfers a Month | Free | Smart | Pro | Max |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | £0.00 | £12.49 | £27.49 | £69.99 |
| 15 | £2.00 | £12.49 | £27.49 | £69.99 |
| 30 | £5.00 | £12.49 | £27.49 | £69.99 |
| 50 | £9.00 | £16.49 | £27.49 | £69.99 |
| 100 | £19.00 | £26.49 | £27.49 | £69.99 |
| 143 | £27.60 | £35.09 | £27.49 | £69.99 |
| 200 | £39.00 | £46.49 | £27.49 | £69.99 |
| Business Expert calculation from Tide’s published plan fees and transfer allowances (https://www.tide.co/pricing/), 22 July 2026. Figures cover transfer charges and the monthly plan fee only; paid plans also add 0% overseas card use and higher savings rates. Prices verified at tide.co.uk. | ||||
On monthly billing, the free plan stays cheapest right up to 142 transfers a month (£27.40), and Pro’s flat £27.49 overtakes it at 143 (£27.60).
Pay Pro annually at £219.99 and that’s an effective £18.33 a month, dropping the crossover to about 97 transfers: Free costs £18.20 at 96 transfers and £18.40 at 97. Never mix the two billing bases in your head; check which one you’re signing up for.
On cashback alone, Max sets a high bar. It costs £559.92 a year against Pro’s £219.99, a £339.93 premium to earn back.
At 0.5% cashback you’d need £67,986 of eligible card spend a year, roughly £5,666 a month, just to break even on the fee. On the cashback maths alone, Pro is the cheaper tier below that.
That said, the sum ignores Max’s other extras, unlimited invoicing and wider support hours, so a business billing a lot of clients might still value Max below the threshold.
Cashback eligibility and exclusions haven’t been independently confirmed, so verify current terms at tide.co.uk before relying on this threshold.
Take a consultant making about 15 transfers a month: Free costs £2.00 in transfer charges against £12.49 on Smart, so Free wins comfortably, though watch the three-invoice-a-month cap if you bill more clients than that.
Now take a busier trades business running 140 to 150 transfers a month: Free tips over £27.49 around the 143 mark, so Pro’s unlimited transfers become the calmer choice.
Who Tide Is Best For
Tide suits you if your business runs on invoicing and you want that flow in one place. You raise an invoice, send it, and watch the app flip it from sent to paid.
When the payment lands, it matches back to the invoice on its own, so month-end reconciliation shrinks to minutes rather than an evening.
The Sage connection is the part that genuinely sets Tide apart. If your accountant works in Sage, Tide feeds it through a live bank connection, which most free challengers simply don’t offer. Xero, QuickBooks and FreeAgent are supported too, through Open Banking, on the free plan.
The economics back it up at low volume. A consultant making around 15 transfers a month pays about £2 in transfer charges on a plan that costs nothing to hold.
That is Tide at its best: no monthly subscription, invoicing built in, and the admin that usually eats a Friday afternoon largely handled for you.
It stops suiting you the moment payment volume climbs or you need credit. Past roughly 143 transfers a month the free plan costs more than Pro, and Tide has no overdraft on any plan. If either of those is you, read the next section before you apply.
Who Should Avoid Tide
| Profile | Why Tide isn’t the fit |
|---|---|
| Partnerships and LLPs | Tide only takes sole traders, freelancers and limited company directors; partnerships and LLPs can’t open an account. Zempler is one alternative that accepts those structures |
| High-volume payers | The free plan gives five transfers a month, then 20p each way; past about 143 a month you’re better off on Pro’s unlimited £27.49 tier, and Smart never beats Free on transfer cost |
| Cash-heavy businesses | Post Office deposits cost £2.50 up to £500, then 0.99% of the whole deposit on Free (0.5% on paid plans); PayPoint is a flat 3%. On regular takings that adds up fast |
| Businesses wanting an overdraft | There’s no overdraft on any plan, so the account won’t stretch if your balance runs low. Tide’s business loans are a separate application, not a safety net on the account |
| Businesses that need to hold foreign currency | Tide sends and receives international payments, but it doesn’t hold balances in other currencies; incoming money converts straight to GBP. Wise or Revolut suit multi-currency trading better |
| Anyone reliant on time-sensitive payments | Account restrictions during compliance checks are a recurring theme in negative reviews. It’s an industry-wide pattern, but disruptive if a check freezes your account on a payday |
| Based on Tide’s published pricing (https://www.tide.co/pricing/) and our reading of customer reviews, 22 July 2026. | |
What We Tested
We opened a Tide free-plan account through the app and used it for the everyday jobs a small business actually does. This is what we did, and just as importantly, what we didn’t, so you can weigh the evidence rather than take a marketing line on trust.
| What | Detail |
|---|---|
| Plan used | Free plan, opened and run through the iOS and Android app and the web dashboard |
| Checked | 22 July 2026, against Tide’s live pricing, savings, safety and help-centre pages |
| Onboarding | Completed the photo-ID and selfie verification flow and account setup |
| Invoicing | Created, sent and tracked an invoice, and watched an incoming payment match back to it automatically |
| Expense handling | Categorised transactions and attached a receipt photo to a payment |
| Savings | Opened and checked the Tide Instant Saver pot and its stated rate |
| Not tested first-hand | A Post Office or PayPoint cash deposit, a phone-support or callback interaction, and an outbound international payment. Those figures come from Tide’s published terms, not from us running the transaction |
| Test log, 22 July 2026. | |
We buy or open the products we review and work from the provider’s own pricing and terms for anything we didn’t transact ourselves.
Where a fee or rate appears below without a matching line in the test log, it’s Tide’s stated figure, verified against tide.co.uk on 22 July 2026, not a number we generated by making the payment.
Tide Fees and Plans Compared
The free plan costs nothing and has no time limit. The paid tiers are £12.49 (Smart), £27.49 (Pro), and £69.99 (Max) a month, each with a cheaper pay-annually option.
You’re rarely paying for the fee alone: it’s the extra free transfers, the 0% overseas card rate and the higher savings rate bundled together.
| Plan | Monthly Fee | Annual Option | Free Transfers | Free Invoices | Overseas Card FX | Savings AER | Cashback |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | £0 | Not applicable | 5/month, then 20p each | 3/month | 2.75% | 2.00% | None |
| Smart | £12.49 | £99.99/yr | 30/month, then 20p each | 3/month | 0% | 2.50% | None |
| Pro | £27.49 | £219.99/yr | Unlimited | 3/month | 0% | 3.00% | None |
| Max | £69.99 | £559.92/yr | Unlimited | Unlimited | 0% | Up to 3.75% | 0.5% on eligible card spend |
| Plan prices and inclusions verified from Tide’s published pricing page (https://www.tide.co/pricing/), 22 July 2026. Savings rates are variable and carry an introductory rate up to 4.00% AER for the first 4 months; cashback eligibility and exclusions aren’t independently confirmed. Confirm current figures at tide.co.uk before applying. | |||||||
The transfer charge is the number that decides Tide for most people. Five transfers a month are free, then it’s 20p each, charged on money coming in as well as going out.
There’s no warning prompt; you just notice the balance moving faster than the payment total. Fifty transfers cost about £9, a hundred about £19.
Idle cash needn’t sit there earning nothing. The Tide Instant Saver pays 2.00% AER on the free plan, rising to up to 3.75% AER on Max, all variable, with a higher introductory rate, up to 4.00% AER, for the first 4 months.
Because the pot is held with ClearBank too, it’s FSCS-protected, though it shares the same £120,000 ceiling as your current account.
Payments, Cash Deposits and International Transfers
Queue at the Post Office on a Saturday to bank the week’s takings, and the fee is already decided before you reach the counter, so get the formula right first.
A Post Office deposit is a flat £2.50 up to £500. Go over £500 and the fee becomes a percentage of the whole deposit, not just the amount above £500: 0.99% on Free, 0.5% on any paid plan.
PayPoint is a flat 3% of the deposit at every level.
So a £400 Post Office deposit costs £2.50. A £600 deposit on the free plan costs 0.99% of the full £600, which is £5.94, not 0.99% of the £100 excess.
ATM withdrawals are £1 each. A cheque paid in through the app costs 90p, and mobile cheque deposit needs a newer ClearBank-provided account; legacy PrePay Technologies accounts can’t do it.
| Transaction | Fee |
|---|---|
| ATM withdrawal | £1 per withdrawal, all plans |
| Cash deposit (Post Office, up to £500) | £2.50 flat, all plans |
| Cash deposit (Post Office, over £500) | 0.99% of the whole deposit (Free); 0.5% (Smart, Pro, Max) |
| Cash deposit (PayPoint) | 3% of the deposit, all plans |
| Cheque deposit (in app) | 90p per cheque; needs a ClearBank-provided account |
| Fees verified from Tide’s published help centre (https://www.tide.co/support/joining/what-is-tide/how-much-does-tide-cost/), 22 July 2026. Confirm current figures at tide.co.uk before relying on these facilities. | |
Now the fact the old version of this page got wrong: Tide does support international payments, both sending and receiving. What it isn’t is a multi-currency holding account like Wise or Revolut.
It won’t sit on a euro or dollar balance for you; incoming foreign payments convert to GBP automatically. If holding and spending in other currencies is central to how you trade, Tide is the wrong shape, and a dedicated FX account will serve you better.
| Route | Free | Smart | Pro | Max |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEPA (EUR) | £1 + 1.50% FX markup | £0.50 + 1.25% | No fixed fee + 0.75% | No fixed fee + 0.50% |
| SWIFT (30+ currencies) | £10 + 1.50% markup | £7.50 + 1.25% | £5 + 0.75% | £3 + 0.50% |
| International payment fees verified from Tide’s help centre (https://www.tide.co/help-centre/send-and-receive-eur-with-your-tide-account/, https://www.tide.co/help-centre/how-to-receive-international-payments/) and pricing pages, 22 July 2026. Percentage fees apply on top of the flat amounts shown. Confirm current figures at tide.co.uk before relying on these facilities. | ||||
Is Tide Safe? FSCS, ClearBank and Account Checks Explained
Two regulated firms sit behind the account. Tide Platform Limited (FCA 900843) builds the app and runs the service; ClearBank (FCA 754568), a fully licensed UK bank, now provides new accounts and holds your money.
That’s the arrangement that gives eligible deposits in a new account FSCS protection up to £120,000, the same statutory cover a high-street bank gives.
There’s a catch for longer-standing customers. Some members still hold legacy e-money accounts powered by PrePay Technologies, from before the ClearBank switch. Those are safeguarded, which rings your money off if the provider fails, but safeguarding is not FSCS.
If you’re not sure which you hold, your account’s sort code settles it: 04-06-05 is a ClearBank-provided account (FSCS-eligible), while 23-69-72 is a legacy PrePay Technologies e-money account (safeguarded, not FSCS). Check yours in the app before you assume you’re covered.
One ceiling applies even on fully protected accounts. The £120,000 limit covers everything you hold with ClearBank combined, so a current account and a Tide Instant Saver share it rather than each getting their own allowance.
We confirmed this against tide.co.uk and the FCA register on 22 July 2026.
On account checks: like every regulated account, Tide can freeze or review an account for compliance reasons, and restrictions during those reviews come up repeatedly in negative reviews.
It’s an industry-wide pattern rather than a Tide-specific flaw, but worth knowing if a paused account at the wrong moment would mean a missed payroll or supplier run.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Who holds your money? | ClearBank (FCA 754568), a fully licensed UK bank, provides new accounts |
| Is a new account FSCS-protected? | Yes, eligible deposits are protected up to £120,000 |
| What about older accounts? | Legacy PrePay Technologies e-money accounts are safeguarded, not FSCS-covered |
| Does the limit include savings? | Yes, the £120,000 covers all ClearBank-backed balances combined, including a Tide Instant Saver |
| Is Tide itself a bank? | No; Tide is the brand and app (FCA 900843), and ClearBank is the bank behind new accounts |
| Verified from tide.co.uk and the FCA register, 22 July 2026. | |
Invoicing, Accounting and Team Tools
Invoicing is the tool most people come to Tide for, so know the limit up front: Free, Smart and Pro include three invoices a month, and only Max makes invoicing unlimited.
Within that allowance the flow is genuinely tidy: you create and send an invoice in the app, track its status, and when the client pays, the payment matches back to the invoice automatically.
On accounting, the Sage bank feed is the standout, and the reason a Sage-using accountant will nudge you toward Tide. It runs on a live Open Banking connection on the free plan, not a manual CSV export.
Xero, QuickBooks and FreeAgent are supported the same way. We confirmed all four integrations on 22 July 2026.
Keep these free bank feeds separate from Tide’s paid accounting add-ons. Tide Accounting (from £13.99 plus VAT a month) and the Xero Connector (£6.99 plus VAT a month) are standalone subscriptions, not part of any account plan, and cost extra whichever tier you’re on.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Invoicing allowance | 3 invoices a month on Free, Smart and Pro; unlimited on Max |
| Payment matching | Incoming payments match back to the invoice automatically |
| Accounting integrations | Sage via a direct live bank feed, plus Xero, QuickBooks and FreeAgent through Open Banking, all on the free plan |
| Expense capture | Photograph a receipt and attach it to the transaction; stored for year-end |
| Team and expense cards | £5 per card a month |
| Access | iOS and Android app, plus a web dashboard for desktop-first teams |
| Feature detail verified from Tide’s published product pages, 22 July 2026. | |
Customer Support and Account Reviews
Support tiers differ by plan, and the free-plan picture is better than Tide’s critics suggest. Free has no direct phone number, but you can request a callback through in-app chat during the same hours the paid phone lines run, so “no phone support” overstates it.
Smart and Pro get a direct line on weekdays; Max widens the hours and adds weekend cover.
| Channel | Availability |
|---|---|
| In-app chat and email | All plans |
| Callback request (Free) | Requested in-app, during paid-plan phone hours |
| Phone line (Smart and Pro) | Weekdays 9am to 6pm, excluding bank holidays |
| Phone line (Max) | Weekdays 7am to 7pm, Saturdays 9am to 1pm, priority callback Sundays |
| Support hours verified from Tide’s help centre, 22 July 2026. | |
Tide holds a 4.4 out of 5 Trustpilot rating from more than 36,000 reviews, which we last read in July 2026. The positives are consistent: quick setup, a clean app, and invoicing that works without friction.
We read the reviews rather than lifting the headline score, and the daily-use praise lines up with what we found testing the app.
The complaints cluster too, around support response times and account restrictions during compliance checks. Treat this as a pattern in the review anecdotes, not a measured failure rate; we have no verified incidence figure, and the same theme dogs most app-based business accounts.
But if a frozen account would stop a payday, weigh it before you move your main banking across.
Tide vs Starling, Monzo, Revolut, Wise and ANNA
| Alternative | Choose It Over Tide If | Choose Tide If |
|---|---|---|
| Starling | You send a lot of transfers or need an overdraft; UK domestic transfers are free at any volume and it holds a full banking licence | Your accountant uses Sage or you want invoicing built into the app |
| Monzo | You want a clean mobile-first app and don’t need invoicing, Sage or cash deposits | You need built-in invoicing, a Sage feed, or regular cash deposits |
| Revolut | You trade in multiple currencies and want to hold foreign-currency balances at strong rates | Your business is UK-focused and invoicing-led |
| Wise | You make regular international payments and want a true multi-currency account that holds balances | You want a UK business current account with invoicing rather than an FX-first account |
| ANNA | You want VAT and tax admin automated inside the account | You want free invoicing plus a direct Sage feed rather than tax automation |
| Comparison based on each provider’s published features, verified July 2026. Confirm current pricing and eligibility on each provider’s site before applying. | ||
How to Open a Tide Business Account
Application is app-first and quick. You download the app, upload photo ID and take a selfie, with no branch visit.
Most straightforward applications complete within a few hours to one business day; cases needing extra checks can take longer. Run the checklist below first, so you’re not caught out after opening.
- Download the Tide app on iOS or Android.
- Choose your business type: sole trader or freelancer, or a UK limited company.
- Verify your identity with photo ID and a selfie.
- Enter your company number if you’re a limited company, or use Tide’s formation service to register with Companies House at the same time.
- Wait for approval, usually within a few hours, then start using the account and Mastercard debit card.
- Eligibility: you’re a UK sole trader, freelancer, or the director of a UK limited company. Partnerships and LLPs aren’t accepted; Zempler is one alternative that takes them.
- Documents: photo ID and a selfie ready, plus a company number if you’re a limited company.
- Payment volume: you’ve counted your monthly transfers, since Free covers only five and Smart 30 before Pro’s unlimited tier makes more sense.
- Cash and FX needs: you’ve factored in the Post Office and PayPoint cash-deposit fees and the 2.75% free-plan overseas card fee, if either applies.
- Overall fit: you don’t need an overdraft or an account that holds foreign-currency balances.
Tide Company Formation and Savings
- Tide bundles a Companies House registration into the sign-up flow, handy if you haven’t incorporated yet, but the real price isn’t £0.
- Stand-alone formation is £14.99 (Tide frames this as reduced from £100, so treat it as a promotional rate), or £1 if you subscribe to Tide’s Company Secretary service, which then costs £12.50 plus VAT a month.
- You can use your own UK address as the registered office at no charge. A virtual office address, if you need one, is a separate paid service at £22.99 a month or £190 a year, not a free add-on.
- If you already have an accountant or formation agent, compare their price first. Confirm current formation pricing at tide.co.uk before committing.
- Standard rates: 2.00% AER on Free, 2.50% on Smart, 3.00% on Pro, and up to 3.75% AER on Max, all variable.
- New savers get an introductory rate up to 4.00% AER for the first 4 months.
- Because it’s held with ClearBank, the balance is FSCS-protected, but it shares the £120,000 limit with your current account rather than adding to it.
- For the full breakdown, see our Tide business savings review.
FAQs
Can sole traders and freelancers open a Tide account?
Yes. Sole traders and freelancers are core eligible types, alongside directors of UK limited companies. Partnerships and LLPs are not eligible, so if you trade through one of those, look at an alternative like Zempler. As a sole trader you get all free-plan features, including invoicing, expense categorisation, and the full accounting-integration suite. We confirmed the eligibility rules against Tide’s website on 22 July 2026.
Does Tide support international payments?
Yes, both sending and receiving. SEPA euro payments start at £1 plus a 1.50% FX markup on the free plan, falling to a 0.50% markup on Max; SWIFT payments start at £10 plus 1.50% and drop to £3 plus 0.50% on Max. What Tide isn’t is a multi-currency holding account: it won’t keep a euro or dollar balance for you, and incoming foreign payments convert to GBP. For multi-currency trading, Wise or Revolut fit better.
Is Tide FSCS protected?
If you open an account today, yes. New accounts are provided by ClearBank (FCA reference 754568), a fully licensed UK bank, so eligible deposits are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme up to £120,000. Some longer-standing members still hold legacy PrePay Technologies e-money accounts, which are safeguarded but not FSCS-covered; check in the app if you’re unsure. The £120,000 limit covers all your ClearBank balances combined, including a Tide Instant Saver. We confirmed these details from tide.co.uk and the FCA register on 22 July 2026.
Does Tide have a phone support line?
It depends on your plan. Free-plan customers don’t get a direct number, but can request a callback through in-app chat during the same hours the paid phone lines run. Smart and Pro include a phone line on weekdays, 9am to 6pm; Max runs 7am to 7pm on weekdays plus Saturday mornings, with a priority callback on Sundays. In-app chat and email are available on every plan. Hours confirmed from Tide’s help centre, 22 July 2026.
How much does Tide cost to use?
The free plan has no monthly fee. You get five free transfers a month, then 20p each, charged on incoming payments as well as outgoing ones. ATM withdrawals are £1. Post Office cash deposits are £2.50 up to £500, then a percentage of the whole deposit above that; PayPoint is 3%. Paid plans are £12.49 (Smart), £27.49 (Pro), and £69.99 (Max) a month. See the plan-cost section above for which tier is cheapest at your transfer volume.
Is Smart cheaper than the free plan if I make more transfers?
No, not on transfer charges. Smart’s £12.49 fee buys 25 extra free transfers, worth at most £5 a month, so on monthly billing it costs at least £7.49 a month more than Free on transfers, and more than that below 30 transfers a month. On annual billing that minimum premium is £3.33 a month. Either way Smart never undercuts Free on transfers; its value is 0% overseas card use and a higher savings rate. If transfer count is your only concern, stay on Free until about 143 transfers a month, then move to Pro.
How much does a cash deposit cost with Tide?
At the Post Office, a flat £2.50 for deposits up to £500. Above £500, it’s a percentage of the entire deposit, not just the amount over £500: 0.99% on the free plan and 0.5% on paid plans. So a £600 free-plan deposit costs £5.94, not a fee on the £100 excess. PayPoint charges a flat 3% at any amount. If you handle cash regularly, those fees mount up.
Does Tide offer a business overdraft?
No. There’s no overdraft on any Tide plan, so the account won’t stretch if your balance runs low. If an overdraft is a must, Starling offers one subject to eligibility and credit assessment. Tide does offer business loans, but those are a separate product and application, not a current-account overdraft. Confirm current lending options at tide.co.uk before deciding on the basis of credit access.
How much does Tide company formation cost?
It’s £14.99 as a stand-alone service (a promotional price Tide frames as reduced from £100), or £1 if you add the Company Secretary subscription, which then costs £12.50 plus VAT a month. You can use your own UK address as the registered office for free; a virtual office address is a separate paid extra at £22.99 a month or £190 a year. It is not a free service. Confirm current pricing at tide.co.uk.
What savings rate does the Tide Instant Saver pay?
It rises with your plan: 2.00% AER on Free, 2.50% on Smart, 3.00% on Pro, and up to 3.75% AER on Max, all variable. New savers get an introductory rate up to 4.00% AER for the first 4 months. The pot is FSCS-protected through ClearBank but shares the £120,000 limit with your current account. See our Tide business savings review for the full picture.
Is Tide better than Starling?
It depends how you pay. Tide is stronger if you invoice clients and your accountant uses Sage, thanks to built-in invoicing and a direct Sage feed. Starling is stronger if you send a lot of transfers or need credit: UK domestic transfers are free at any volume, and it offers an overdraft subject to eligibility. Both give FSCS protection to £120,000. Roughly, once you’re past about 143 transfers a month without invoicing, Starling’s free transfers win.
Which Tide plan is best?
The free plan suits invoicing-led businesses with low transfer volumes and three or fewer invoices a month. Smart (£12.49) adds 0% overseas card use and a better savings rate, but never beats Free on transfer cost. Pro (£27.49) is the first plan with unlimited transfers and makes sense past about 143 transfers a month. Max (£69.99) only pays off on heavy card cashback. Count your transfers before you pick.
How we reviewed Tide
What we tested. We opened a Tide free-plan account and used the app for the everyday jobs: raising and matching an invoice, categorising payments, capturing a receipt, and checking the Instant Saver pot.
We weighed pricing, terms, features, and eligibility, though cost and safety carry the most weight in our verdict. The full test log, including what we did not transact first-hand, is in the What We Tested section above.
Data sources. Tide’s pricing, savings, safety-and-security, company-formation, and help-centre pages were checked directly on 22 July 2026.
We re-verified plan prices, transfer and FX fees, cash-deposit mechanics, international-payment charges, savings rates, support hours, eligibility, and deposit protection.
The FCA register was cross-checked for the ClearBank (754568) and Tide Platform (900843) authorisations. The Trustpilot figure reflects our July 2026 reading.
Evidence key. Every claim on this page falls into one of four types: an official Tide fact (verified against tide.co.uk on the date shown); a Business Expert calculation (the plan-cost and break-even figures, computed from Tide’s published prices and allowances).
Or it’s a customer-review theme (a pattern in public reviews, treated as anecdotal, not a measured rate); or an editorial judgement (our read on who the account suits).
Where we couldn’t verify a figure, we’ve left it out.
Material change log (22 July 2026). Eligibility corrected to sole traders, freelancers and UK limited company directors only (partnerships and LLPs removed).
International payments corrected: Tide sends and receives, with SEPA/SWIFT fees added; the old “no international payments” framing removed.
International-payment fees re-checked plan by plan against Tide’s own send-and-receive pages. An earlier version had the SEPA and SWIFT figures shifted one plan column out of line, so the Smart, Pro and Max fees were each misstated; corrected here on independent re-verification.
Free-plan phone support corrected to a callback request via in-app chat. Company formation corrected from “free” to £14.99 stand-alone or £1 with a Company Secretary subscription. Max savings rate corrected from 3.25% to up to 3.75% AER.
Post Office cash-deposit fee corrected: the percentage applies to the whole deposit over £500, not the excess. Removed the false Smart-vs-Free break-even claim; Smart is always £7.49 a month dearer than Free on transfers.
Removed unverified “500,000 primary accounts”, “most widely used”, “no VAT”, and “no credit check” claims, and an unverifiable service-survey citation.
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