Our Verdict on Tide Business
If you invoice clients and your accountant works in Sage, Tide is the free business account we’d check first. There’s no monthly fee on the free plan, invoicing is built in, and the direct Sage feed sends your transactions to your accountant without a manual export.
New accounts are now FSCS-protected to £120,000 through ClearBank, which closes the gap that used to count against Tide. The catch is the transfer fee: five payments are free each month, then every transfer in or out costs 20p.
So it suits invoicing-led sole traders and early-stage companies, less so high-volume payers or anyone who needs an overdraft or regular payments abroad. Clean banking, but there’s a catch: little slack in the system.
Open a Tide account →Key Pros and Cons
- No monthly fee on the free plan
- New accounts FSCS-protected up to £120,000 via ClearBank
- Built-in invoicing included on the free plan: no separate subscription needed
- Direct Sage bank feed: the only major free challenger with this integration
- Xero, QuickBooks, and FreeAgent integrations via Open Banking
- Tide Instant Saver pays interest (2.00% free plan, up to 3.25% AER on Max)
- Open to sole traders, LTDs, LLPs, and standard partnerships
- Strong Trustpilot rating: 4.3/5 from 30,000+ reviews
- Only 5 free transfers a month on the free plan, then 20p on each transfer in or out
- 2.75% FX fee on overseas card use on the free plan (0% on paid plans)
- No overdraft facility on the current account
- Cash deposit fees apply via Post Office (from £2.50) and PayPoint (3%)
- No phone support on the free plan
- Some legacy e-money accounts are safeguarded, not FSCS-protected
- Limited outbound international payments vs specialist providers
Who Tide Is Best For
Tide suits you if your business revolves around 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. If your accountant works in Sage, that flow lands in their ledger automatically.
Picture a consultancy sending 15 invoices a month. After the five free transfers, those client payments cost about £2, and month-end reconciliation shrinks to minutes. That is Tide at its best.
It doesn’t suit you if you make frequent payments without invoicing. At 100 bank transfers a month the 20p charge reaches about £19, and Starling charges nothing per domestic transfer. Need an overdraft, or regular outbound international payments? Tide is the wrong fit.
For the alternatives, consider Monzo for a clean mobile app without Sage, ANNA for built-in tax automation, or Revolut for multi-currency FX. The three also-consider picks below map to those triggers.
Tide Account Eligibility and Application
Who Can Open a Tide Account
You can open a Tide account as a sole trader, limited company (LTD), limited liability partnership (LLP), or standard partnership. You must be UK-registered, and there’s no credit check on the free plan. That’s broader than challengers that restrict to sole traders and LTDs.
Two regulated firms sit behind the account. Tide Platform Limited (FCA 900843) builds the app; ClearBank (FCA 754568), a licensed UK bank, now provides new accounts and holds your money. So eligible deposits are FSCS-protected up to £120,000.
There’s a catch for older customers. Some longer-standing members still hold legacy e-money accounts powered by PrePay Technologies, which are safeguarded but not FSCS-covered. Safeguarding is not FSCS. If you’re unsure which you hold, check in the app.
One limit applies even on protected accounts. The £120,000 ceiling covers everything you hold with ClearBank combined, so a current account and a Tide Instant Saver share it. We confirmed this against tide.co.uk and the FCA register in June 2026.
What You Need to Apply
You apply through the Tide app with photo ID and a selfie. Limited companies also need a company number. There’s no branch visit and no credit check on the free plan, and most applications complete within a few hours.
Setting up a company at the same time? Tide’s formation service bundles account opening with a Companies House registration in one process, which is useful if you want the LTD and the account sorted together. Confirm current availability at tide.co.uk.
Tide Account Fees and Pricing
Monthly Fees and Plan Options
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, with no VAT. You’re rarely paying for the plan fee alone: it’s the extra free transfers, 0% FX, and a higher savings rate together.
| Plan | Monthly Fee | Key Inclusions |
|---|---|---|
| Free | £0 | 5 free transfers/month then 20p each way, invoicing, accounting integrations, 2.00% AER savings |
| Smart | £12.49 | 30 free transfers/month, 0% FX, 2.50% AER savings |
| Pro | £27.49 | Unlimited transfers, 0% FX, 3.00% AER savings |
| Max | £69.99 | Unlimited transfers, 0% FX, 0.5% card cashback, up to 3.25% AER savings |
Idle cash no longer sits there earning nothing. The Tide Instant Saver pays 2.00% AER on the free plan, rising to up to 3.25% AER on Max (variable, with a higher introductory rate). Because it’s held with ClearBank too, the balance is FSCS-protected.
We pushed the free plan to see where it breaks. Past roughly 60 to 65 transfers a month, the steady 20p drip costs more than the Smart fee. You don’t get a warning; you just notice your balance moving faster than expected.
Transaction Fees and Charges
The free plan gives you five free bank transfers a month; after that, every transfer costs 20p, charged on incoming payments as well as outgoing ones. So 50 transfers cost about £9, and 100 cost about £19.
ATM withdrawals are £1. Cash deposits cost £2.50 up to £500 at the Post Office (0.99% on the excess on the free plan, 0.5% on a paid plan), or a flat 3% via PayPoint. A cheque deposited in the app is 90p.
| Transaction | Fee (Free Plan) |
|---|---|
| Monthly account fee | £0 |
| Bank transfers (in or out) | 5 free/month, then 20p each |
| ATM withdrawal | £1 per withdrawal |
| Cash deposit (Post Office) | £2.50 up to £500, then 0.99% on the excess |
| Cash deposit (PayPoint) | 3% of the deposit |
| Cheque deposit (in app) | 90p per cheque |
| Overseas card spending | 2.75% FX fee (0% on paid plans) |
If your business handles cash regularly, those fees aren’t theoretical: they come off immediately.
Get Tide’s £100 cashback offer
Tide Features and Business Banking Tools
Invoicing and Expense Management
Tide’s invoicing sits directly in the app. You create an invoice, send it, and track it without switching tools, and when a payment arrives it links back to the invoice automatically. That removes a stack of small reconciliation steps.
Expense tracking is built in too. You photograph a receipt, attach it to the transaction, and it’s stored for later, so you’re not hunting through email folders at year-end. Team and expense cards cost £5 per card a month.
The app is the main interface, on iOS and Android, with a web dashboard if your team is desktop-first. If you run invoicing from a phone, sending an invoice and reconciling the payment happen in one session.
Integrations and Accounting Software
If your accountant uses Sage, this is Tide’s standout. It connects through a live bank feed, which sets it apart from Starling and most free challengers that lack a direct Sage connection.
Xero, QuickBooks, and FreeAgent are supported too, via Open Banking, on the free plan. If you’ve ever exported a CSV, found the columns don’t line up, and re-uploaded it twice, you’ll value a feed that just syncs. We confirmed these integrations in June 2026.
Tide Card Usage and Payments
Spending, Transfers and Limits
Your Mastercard debit card is included, and UK card purchases are free. Bank transfers cost 20p each after the monthly free allowance, on money coming in as well as going out. Direct debits and standing orders are supported.
There’s no overdraft on any plan. If your balance drops, that’s it: the account doesn’t stretch to meet you, so you manage within it. Tide offers separate business loans, but they aren’t a current-account overdraft.
Overseas Payments and FX Fees
Spend abroad on the free plan and you pay a 2.75% FX fee on overseas card payments and ATM withdrawals. On Smart, Pro, and Max that fee is 0%, which is the clearest reason to pay if you buy in other currencies.
For sending money abroad, Tide is limited: it can receive in a range of currencies via SWIFT, but it isn’t a multi-currency account. If foreign currency is central to your business, compare Wise or Airwallex before committing.
Tide Customer Reviews and Ratings
Tide holds a 4.3 out of 5 Trustpilot rating from more than 30,000 reviews (April 2026). We read the reviews directly. The positives are consistent: quick setup, a clean interface, and invoicing that works without friction.
The negatives are consistent too. Support response times and account restrictions during checks come up repeatedly. It’s an industry-wide pattern, but if your account is paused at the wrong moment, that’s a missed payment, not an abstraction.
On the free plan, support is in-app chat and email, with no phone line; priority support comes with the paid plans. If time-sensitive payments run through this account, weigh that before you switch.
FAQs
Is Tide FSCS protected?
Yes, if you open a Tide account today. 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. The exception is older customers: some longer-standing members still hold legacy e-money accounts powered by PrePay Technologies, which are safeguarded (ring-fenced if the provider fails) but not FSCS-covered. If you are not sure which you have, check in the Tide app. Note that the £120,000 limit covers everything you hold with ClearBank combined, including a Tide Instant Saver. We confirmed these details from tide.co.uk and the FCA register in June 2026.
Does Tide offer a business overdraft?
No. Tide doesn’t offer an overdraft facility on the current account. If you need a credit facility from your main business account, Starling offers an overdraft subject to eligibility and credit assessment. Tide does offer business loans as a separate product, but these aren’t a current account overdraft. Confirm current lending products at tide.co.uk before making a decision based on credit access.
What accounting software does Tide connect to?
Tide connects to Xero, QuickBooks, FreeAgent, and Sage through Open Banking. We confirmed the current integration list from the Open Banking directory in June 2026. All four use live bank feeds rather than manual CSV exports. For businesses whose accountants use Sage, Tide is the only major free challenger with a direct Sage bank feed. Starling, Monzo, and most other free accounts don’t offer a direct Sage connection.
Is Tide a real bank?
Tide is the brand and the app, not the bank. Tide Platform Limited is an FCA-authorised e-money and payments firm (reference 900843). However, the business current account it now provides is supplied by ClearBank, a fully licensed UK bank (FCA reference 754568), which holds your deposits. So while Tide itself is not a bank, your money in a new Tide account sits with one and is FSCS-protected up to £120,000, the same statutory cover a high-street bank gives. We confirmed Tide’s regulatory status from tide.co.uk and the FCA register in June 2026.
How long does it take to open a Tide account?
Most straightforward applications complete within a few hours to one business day. You apply through the Tide app using photo ID and a selfie for identity verification. More complex cases involving additional checks can take longer. Tide also offers a company formation service during onboarding that bundles account opening with a Companies House registration. We confirmed the digital application process from Tide’s website in June 2026.
Can sole traders open a Tide account?
Yes. Sole traders are one of the core eligible business types. LTDs, LLPs, and standard partnerships are also eligible. We confirmed the current eligibility list from Tide’s website in June 2026. As a sole trader, you can access all free plan features, including invoicing, expense categorisation, and the full accounting integration suite.
How much does it cost to use Tide?
The free plan has no monthly fee. You get five free bank transfers a month, then pay 20p on each transfer, charged on incoming payments as well as outgoing ones. ATM withdrawals cost £1 each. Cash deposits are £2.50 up to £500 at the Post Office (with a percentage fee above that) or 3% via PayPoint, and a cheque deposited in the app is 90p. Overseas card spending carries a 2.75% FX fee on the free plan. The paid plans cost £12.49 (Smart), £27.49 (Pro), and £69.99 (Max) a month with no VAT, and add more free transfers, 0% FX, and higher savings rates. We confirmed this fee structure from Tide’s published pricing in June 2026.
How we reviewed Tide
What we assessed. We evaluated Tide on pricing, contract terms, features, and eligibility. These are the factors that matter most to UK small businesses considering this provider.
Data sources. Tide’s pricing page, savings page, safety-and-security page, terms, and product docs were checked directly in June 2026, when we re-verified plan prices, transfer and FX fees, savings rates, and deposit protection.
No comparison sites, no press releases, no affiliate material. The FCA register was cross-checked for the ClearBank and Tide Platform authorisations. The Trustpilot figures cited reflect our April 2026 reading.
Update cadence. We re-verify this page regularly and whenever a provider changes pricing, eligibility, or terms. The verification date on the page reflects the most recent full review. Some links on this page are affiliate links, see our editorial policy.