Which Is Better for sole traders and small businesses weighing built-in bookkeeping and tax estimates against no-credit-check banking with overdraft access?
Both accounts are now FSCS-protected to £120,000, so the decision no longer turns on protection class. Start with what problem you actually have. If your books live in a spreadsheet and you dread quarter-end, Countingup wins. If you’ve been declined elsewhere or you want no credit check and overdraft potential, Zempler wins. They still rarely overlap.
Zempler is the account you can actually get. No credit check is the whole pitch. A sole trader turned down by two high-street banks last spring can open Zempler the same afternoon and hold revenue under the £120,000 FSCS guarantee. Countingup is also FSCS-protected via Griffin, so the protection gap has closed. The credit-check and overdraft questions remain Zempler’s edge.
One caveat: we read Countingup’s eligibility page line by line and it doesn’t say whether a credit check runs. Treat access there as an open question, not a promise, if your credit history is thin.
Countingup is built for the sole trader who hates admin. It categorises every transaction, keeps a running tax estimate, files your VAT, and lets your accountant into the app for free. The 1.2% AER (Variable) on the tax pot means your tax reserve does not sit idle. For a freelance designer billing 15 invoices a month, that combination wipes out a separate bookkeeping software bill.
A quick way to whittle it down. If you already run Xero or QuickBooks with an accountant you trust, Countingup adds less. If your accounting is a shoebox of receipts and a January panic, Countingup does the categorising you would otherwise pay software and an evening to do.
Watch the eligibility gate, because it shuts some readers out cold. Countingup only takes sole traders and limited companies with up to two directors. Partnerships, charities, CICs, and trusts can’t open one at all. Zempler opens to sole traders, freelancers, contractors, and SMEs more broadly.
Zempler vs Countingup Fees and Charges
Zempler’s plans are flat and you pick one: Business Go at £0/month, Business Extra at £9, Business Pro at £19. The free payment allowance climbs with the plan: 3 a month on Go, 20 on Extra, 500 on Pro, then 35p each.
ATM withdrawals cost £2. We read all three off Zempler’s own tariff, July 2026.
Countingup Bank Account works differently: the subscription climbs with your deposit volume. £5/month up to £750, £12/month from £750.01 to £7,500, £20/month above that. Same features at every tier. Fee figures provided by Countingup, August 2026.
Countingup now gives you the first 3 UK bank transfers free per month, then 27p each, in and out. Both accounts offer 3 free payments as an entry-level allowance, though the per-transfer rate above that differs: Zempler 35p, Countingup 27p.
We ran the maths on a mid-sized month. Send 12 supplier payments and receive 5 client payments on Zempler Business Go: 9 chargeable outgoing at 35p = £3.15; incoming are free. On Countingup: 3 free transfers applied, 14 chargeable at 27p = £3.78 total. At that volume, Zempler’s Business Go edges it on transfer cost, but Countingup includes the bookkeeping that would otherwise be a separate subscription.
On cash, Countingup accepts Post Office cash deposits via any UK Post Office. Zempler takes Post Office cash at 0.55% (£4 minimum). Countingup’s ATM fee is £1 against Zempler’s £2.
On interest: Countingup earns 1.2% AER (Variable) on the tax pot balance. The rate tracks the Bank of England base rate. Zempler’s current account pays nothing; a 0.5% savings pot is only on Business Pro at £19/month. Countingup’s tax pot is the one that earns anything at entry level.
| Cost | Zempler | Countingup Bank Account |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee | £0 / £9 / £19 (flat plans) | £5 / £12 / £20 (scales with deposits) |
| Outgoing transfer | 3 free/month, then 35p | First 3 free/month, then 27p |
| Incoming transfer | Free | 27p after first 3 free (shared allowance) |
| ATM withdrawal | £2 | £1 |
| Cash deposit | 0.55% Post Office (£4 min) | Via Post Office |
| Interest | None on current account (0.5% savings pot on Business Pro only) | 1.2% AER (Variable) on tax pot |
| Built-in bookkeeping | No (Open Banking to Xero/QuickBooks/Sage) | Yes (every tier) |
| Overdraft | On application | None (third-party iwoca for LTDs) |
| Deposit protection | FSCS £120k (own bank licence) | FSCS £120k (via Griffin, updated August 2026) |
| Zempler fees verified from zemplerbank.com, July 2026. Countingup fees and product details provided by Countingup, August 2026. | ||
Zempler vs Countingup Features and Tools
This is where the two accounts stop resembling each other. Countingup is a bookkeeping tool with a bank account attached. Zempler is a bank account with banking fundamentals attached. Pick the problem you actually have.
Countingup builds the accounting into every tier:
- Automatic transaction categorisation, so the books tidy themselves as you trade.
- A real-time tax estimate that updates with every payment.
- Automatic tax-saving pots to hold back what you’ll owe.
- VAT return filing from the app, with reminders before the deadline.
- Receipt capture and invoicing, with Stripe-powered payment links so clients pay by card straight off the invoice.
The free accountant access is the quiet winner. Through the in-app Accountant Hub, your bookkeeper logs in at no extra cost and works from live data. If you pay someone to tidy the books each quarter, that alone can justify the subscription.
Zempler’s answer is banking, not bookkeeping. You can apply for an overdraft and get an instant decision, though approval isn’t automatic, and you can bank cash over a Post Office counter. Countingup has no built-in overdraft at all. On interest: Countingup earns 1.2% AER (Variable) on the tax pot; Zempler’s current account pays nothing (a 0.5% savings pot exists on Business Pro only at £19/month).
On accounting software, the split is clean. Zempler connects to Xero, QuickBooks, and Sage through Open Banking, feeding transactions into the tool you already run. Countingup replaces that tool rather than feeding it.
If your accountant lives in Sage, Zempler fits your setup. Countingup asks you to switch.
Countingup’s one credit route is a third-party iwoca Flexi-Loan, and only limited companies qualify. A sole trader gets no overdraft and no line of credit from Countingup. If working capital matters, Zempler’s overdraft-on-application is the closer thing to a buffer.
We read both providers’ own feature pages line by line in July 2026, down to the eligibility limits buried in Countingup’s iwoca partnership.
Zempler vs Countingup International Payments
Neither account is built for cross-border trading, so treat both as UK-domestic first. But in this matchup, Countingup has the more concrete international path.
Here’s what each one actually does with foreign money:
- Countingup has no IBAN and no native transfer. It routes outbound payments through CurrencyFair: a flat fee of roughly €3 plus an average FX margin around 0.53%, across 20-plus currencies to 150-plus countries. Stripe handles inbound foreign-currency payments online.
- Zempler we combed zemplerbank.com in July 2026 and still couldn’t pin outbound international transfers down, so verify it directly. Business Extra and Business Pro do waive the non-sterling card fee, so card spend abroad is fee-free on those paid tiers.
If you invoice a US client each month, Countingup’s CurrencyFair route is at least a defined, priced option you can plan around.
Countingup charges a 3% foreign currency fee on card spending, which stings if you buy from overseas suppliers on the card. Zempler’s free Business Go plan carries a non-sterling fee too; you only escape it by moving up to a paid tier.
If foreign payments are a regular part of your business, neither account is the answer on its own. We’d hold either as the UK account and pair it with a specialist like Wise or Revolut. Two accounts beats one account doing the job badly.
Zempler vs Countingup Customer Reviews and Reputation
Read the scores knowing both audiences are narrow. Countingup holds an Excellent rating on Trustpilot at 4.3 stars, confirmed August 2026 direct from Countingup. Smart Money People shows 4.7/5 from roughly 3,448 reviews (snapshot).
Its apps score well too: 4.7/5 on the App Store, 4.3/5 on Google Play. Treat those counts as a moment in time, not a fixed figure.
Zempler sits at around 4 stars on Trustpilot. The praise skews toward gratitude for access rather than delight with features. People rate it highly because it let them in, not because the app dazzled them. If that’s why you’re choosing it, the signal fits.
Countingup’s positive reviews cluster where you’d expect: the built-in bookkeeping and how fast you get set up. If you file your own VAT and dread it, the people raving about the tax tools are your crowd.
We read the complaint threads directly. Countingup users flag that support is email and in-app chat only, and that the transaction fees bite from day one through the free trial. Zempler users flag slow replies, though they can at least ring a UK team on weekdays and Saturdays.
Both serve smaller, more satisfied crowds than a Tide or a Starling, so the counts are thinner. Don’t over-index on the headline star rating. Spend ten minutes in the most recent reviews for whichever account you’re leaning toward before you move your trading money across.
Zempler vs Countingup for Built-In Bookkeeping and Tax Estimates
This is Countingup’s reason to exist, so give it a fair hearing. The bookkeeping isn’t a bolt-on or an integration. It’s the product.
Automatic categorisation, a live tax estimate, tax-saving pots, and VAT filing come bundled at every tier, from the £5 entry plan up. Same tools whether you pay £5 or £20.
Picture the practical difference. It’s the 7th, your VAT return is due, and Countingup already has the quarter categorised and the figure calculated; you file it from the app. A shoebox sole trader loses an evening to the same job. That gap is the pitch.
Standalone bookkeeping software runs £15 to £30 a month. If you pay for that already, or pay someone to categorise by hand, Countingup can pay its way. The real-time estimate also heads off the year-end shock where the bill dwarfs what you set aside.
Zempler has no equivalent layer, and doesn’t pretend to. Its Open Banking links push transactions into Xero, QuickBooks, or Sage, but the categorising and the filing still happen in that other tool, on that other subscription.
So the honest read is conditional. If you already run Xero or Sage with an accountant, Countingup’s bundle duplicates what you have and adds less. If your accounting is a running battle you keep losing, Countingup is the account that fights it for you.
Downsides of Zempler and Countingup
Countingup Bank Account’s main downside is the eligibility ceiling. It takes sole traders and limited companies with at most two directors. Partnerships, charities, CICs, and trusts can’t get a foot in the door, however clever the accounting tools are. FSCS protection is no longer a downside: it is now FSCS-protected via Griffin to £120,000.
The monthly fee is the other. The deposit-tiered structure means a growing business pays higher fees automatically, without opting into a new plan. Past £7,500/month in deposits, the fee hits £20/month. After the first 3 free transfers, every bank transfer costs 27p each way.
Zempler’s gaps are quieter but real. On Business Go, the 35p charge after your three free payments mounts up at volume: at 30 outgoing payments a month, that’s £9.45. Incoming payments are free, which is an advantage over Countingup where the 27p applies both ways after 3 free.
Zempler’s phone line keeps office hours, so a payment that stalls late on a Friday means a chat thread until Saturday morning.
We note that Zempler’s accounting is lighter. Its integrations run over Open Banking, which can drop out when the third-party authorisation lapses, and there’s no native bookkeeping, tax estimate, or tax pot interest. If you want the books handled for you, that’s the gap Countingup fills and Zempler leaves open.
Alternatives to Zempler and Countingup
Zempler and Countingup aren’t the only options, and if neither quite fits, these three are the ones we’d weigh next depending on your priorities:
- ANNA Money, an e-money business account with built-in invoicing, automatic VAT calculations, and AI receipt scanning. Pick this over Countingup if you want AI-driven tax tools specifically and you’re comfortable with e-money safeguarding rather than FSCS cover.
- Starling Business, PRA-licensed since 2018 and FSCS-protected, with zero domestic transfer fees and free FreeAgent for sole traders. Pick this if you want bookkeeping-adjacent tooling and FSCS protection in one account, without Zempler’s per-payment fee.
- Tide, an e-money account with native invoicing and a direct Sage feed. Pick this if invoicing and Sage integration matter more than the deposit-protection class, and you don’t need Countingup’s full tax-estimate layer.
Final Verdict: Zempler or Countingup?
Zempler wins for businesses that need no-credit-check banking access, overdraft potential, or free incoming transfers.
Countingup Bank Account wins for businesses that want their bookkeeping and tax estimates handled automatically. Both accounts are now FSCS-protected to £120,000, so protection class is no longer the tiebreaker. The decision splits on credit access and overdraft versus built-in accounting.
- You’ve been turned down elsewhere. No credit check to open, and CCJs, defaults, or a thin file don’t block you. Countingup makes no such promise, so for a previously declined business, Zempler is the safer bet on getting in.
- You want free incoming transfers. Zempler’s Business Go plan receives payments free. Countingup Bank Account charges 27p per incoming transfer after the first 3 free. If your business takes frequent small payments from clients, that adds up fast.
- You want overdraft potential. You can apply, subject to eligibility, where Countingup offers a sole trader nothing and a limited company only a third-party iwoca line.
Choose Countingup if your books are the problem. It does them for you, so you’re not paying for accounting software on top of a bank account. Categorisation, a real-time tax estimate, and VAT filing come in every tier. For a sole trader drowning in receipts, that’s the whole case.
Choose Countingup if you want your accountant inside the account. The free Accountant Hub lets your bookkeeper work from live data at no extra cost. For anyone paying for quarterly tidy-ups, that bundle can pay for itself before the banking even counts.
Or choose Countingup if you file your own VAT and value the tax tools. The £5 entry tier is affordable. The first 3 transfers per month are free; after that, 27p applies both ways. The account is now FSCS-protected up to £120,000 via Griffin.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Zempler FSCS-protected?
Yes. Zempler Bank (formerly Cashplus) holds a full UK banking licence and is PRA-regulated. Eligible deposits are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme up to £120,000 per eligible depositor, directly on Zempler’s own licence.
This is the statutory deposit guarantee, the same class of protection as a high-street bank. Countingup Bank Account is also now FSCS-protected to £120,000 via Griffin (updated August 2026), so both accounts carry the same protection class. We confirmed Zempler’s banking licence and FSCS status in July 2026.
Is Countingup FSCS-protected?
Yes, as of August 2026. Countingup Bank Account is now powered by Griffin, a fully authorised UK bank. Eligible deposits are FSCS-protected up to £120,000. This is a material change from the previous product, which was an e-money account safeguarded by PrePay Technologies Ltd (FCA FRN 900010).
The mandatory regulatory text from Countingup is: “Bank account powered by Griffin. T&Cs apply. Interest rate is variable and tracks BoE base rate. Eligible deposits FSCS protected up to £120,000.” We confirmed this directly from Countingup in August 2026.
Does Zempler run a credit check?
No. Zempler doesn’t run a credit check to open an account, and CCJs, previous defaults, or a thin credit file don’t block acceptance. That makes it useful for newly registered businesses, or those declined elsewhere, that still want FSCS-protected banking. We confirmed the no-credit-check entry from zemplerbank.com in July 2026. Verify current eligibility before you apply, as criteria can change.
Does either account pay interest on your balance?
Countingup Bank Account earns 1.2% AER (Variable) on the tax pot balance. The rate tracks the Bank of England base rate and is confirmed directly by Countingup in August 2026. Zempler’s current account pays nothing.
Zempler does offer a savings pot at 0.5%, but only on the Business Pro plan at £19 a month. That is £228 a year before you earn a penny, so on any balance a small business realistically holds, the fee swallows the return. We checked this against zemplerbank.com on 3 August 2026: the free Business Go and £9 Business Extra plans list no interest at all.
Countingup’s 1.2% on the tax pot beats Zempler at entry level. If you hold a real cash reserve beyond the tax pot, put it in a dedicated business savings account and keep the current account for working money.
What does Countingup’s built-in bookkeeping actually include?
Countingup bundles the accounting into every pricing tier. That means automatic transaction categorisation, a real-time tax estimate that updates as you trade, automatic tax-saving pots, VAT return filing with reminders, receipt capture, and invoicing with Stripe-powered payment links. It also gives your accountant or bookkeeper free access through the in-app Accountant Hub. Zempler has no equivalent layer: it connects to Xero, QuickBooks, or Sage via Open Banking rather than doing the bookkeeping itself.
Can both sole traders and limited companies use Countingup?
Yes, but with limits. Countingup takes sole traders and limited companies, though limited companies are capped at two directors. Partnerships, charities, CICs, CIOs, and trusts are not eligible at all. You also need to be 18 or over and UK-resident. Zempler is open more broadly to sole traders, freelancers, contractors, and SMEs, so if Countingup’s eligibility rules you out, Zempler may still take you.
What are the per-transaction fees on each account?
Zempler gives you 3 free outgoing payments a month on its free Business Go plan, then charges 35p each after that. Incoming payments are free on every plan. The allowance climbs with plan: 20 free on Extra, 500 on Pro. Countingup Bank Account gives you the first 3 UK bank transfers free per month (in and out combined), then charges 27p each after that, in and out. Both accounts now have a 3-transfer free entry allowance. Above that, Zempler’s 35p outgoing (incoming free) vs Countingup’s 27p both ways: the better deal depends on your payment mix. Zempler fee structure confirmed from zemplerbank.com July 2026. Countingup fee structure confirmed directly from Countingup August 2026.
How we reviewed Zempler vs Countingup
What we assessed. We compared Zempler and Countingup on pricing, fees, feature set, eligibility, regulatory status, and deposit protection, the factors that decide which account fits a UK sole trader or small limited company.
Data sources. Zempler’s pricing and product pages (verified July 2026). Countingup’s pricing, eligibility, and product pages, plus direct partner-provided product data confirming the move to a Griffin bank account with FSCS protection (verified August 2026). No comparison sites or aggregators. Where a claim couldn’t be confirmed from a primary source, we flagged it.
Update cadence. We re-verify every provider on this page at least monthly, 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.