Our verdict on company formation services
For a simple company, file direct with Companies House for £100. You probably don’t need a paid service.
The paid routes earn their place when you want something bundled. A bank-led provider like Tide registers the company and opens a business account, often covering the fee. A formation agent adds privacy, a service address, or non-UK support. An accountant is for complex ownership or tax. Match the route to what you actually need, not to a headline that hides the £100 fee.
Form your company with Tide →Everything below explains the rates and trade-offs in full.
Best UK Company Formation Services at a Glance
Here’s every route on one screen. The £100 Companies House fee applies whichever you pick; the paid services differ in what they bundle around it.
| Route | Typical cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Companies House direct | £100 | A simple company at the lowest cost |
| Bank provider (Tide, ANNA, Zempler, Countingup) | £0 to £19, fee often refunded | Formation plus a business account together |
| Formation agent | Roughly £12 to £100+ | Privacy, a service address, non-UK founders |
| Accountant | Higher | Complex ownership or tax setup |
| Verified against provider sites and GOV.UK, 6 July 2026. Offers change; re-check before you apply. | ||
Do You Actually Need a Company Formation Service?
For most one-person companies, no. You spend about fifteen minutes at GOV.UK on a Monday morning, and the company is usually registered by the next day. At £100, that’s the benchmark everything else is measured against.
You’d reach for a service when you want the extras: a business account set up in the same flow, a registered office that keeps your home address private, or help with a more complicated setup. If none of those apply, we’d file it ourselves.
Company Formation Routes Compared
The four routes, side by side, with what to watch on each.
| Route | What you get | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Companies House direct | Official filing, lowest cost | No privacy or banking bundle |
| Bank provider | Formation plus a business account | The refund is conditional on account activity |
| Formation agent | Registered office, service address, support | Headline prices may exclude the fee or renew |
| Accountant | Advice and a bespoke setup | Overkill for a simple one-person company |
| Verified against provider sites and GOV.UK, 6 July 2026. Offers change; re-check before you apply. | ||
Best Company Formation Services and Routes
Here’s each route in turn, starting with the free benchmark. The four bank providers in the panel above are the ones we’d shortlist if you want formation and an account together.
Companies House Direct
The benchmark. When you file it yourself, you work through the form on a Friday afternoon and the confirmation lands the next morning. Corporation Tax registration sits in the same flow. No bundle, no upsell, nothing to cancel later.
For a simple company it’s the cheapest route, and the one we’d default to. Our register a company guide walks the steps.
Tide
Tide is our top pick if you want formation and banking together. It registers your company from £0 with a free registered office address, and opens a free business account in the same flow.
So your certificate and account arrive together. The account is where Tide makes its money, which is why the formation is effectively free.
ANNA
ANNA forms your company in-app from £19 (free on a paid support plan) and pairs it with a £0/mo pay-as-you-go account with built-in invoicing and tax tools. The small upfront fee is still well below the £100 direct fee, and the tax automation is the draw.
Zempler
Zempler registers your limited company and refunds the £100 fee when you open a free £0/mo Business Go account and deposit £100 within 30 days.
It’s the one FSCS-protected bank in the group, so your deposits are covered like a high-street bank, which some founders prefer.
Countingup
Countingup is an authorised Companies House provider that reimburses the £100 fee when you open an account and spend £100 within 30 days.
The account is free for three months, then from £3/mo. Its selling point is accounting built into the app, for founders who want banking and bookkeeping in one place.
Formation Agents
Dedicated formation agents (the likes of 1st Formations and Rapid Formations) sell packages from around £12 to £100+, bundling a registered office, a service address, and support.
They’re worth it mainly for privacy and non-UK founders. Read the package: the low headline often leans on renewals or add-ons you may not need.
Watch the renewal especially. At renewal a year on, the invoice lands in your inbox for the registered office, often well above the first-year teaser.
Accountants
An accountant is the priciest route and overkill for a simple company. But if your ownership or tax is genuinely complicated, having the person who’ll run your books set it up from day one can save trouble later.
When you hire an accountant later to run your books and payroll, a clean setup from day one saves them unpicking it. For most owner-managers that’s a later cost, not a formation one.
Companies House Direct vs Formation Services
Worth being clear-eyed here. Companies House lists agents that can file electronically, but it doesn’t endorse them or stand behind their work. No service is legally required: you can always file direct for £100.
So use a service because you want what it bundles, not because you think you have to.
The test is simple: if the extras (a bank account, a private address, expert help) are worth more than the admin of doing it yourself, use one. If not, file direct.
How to Choose a Company Formation Service
Pick by what you actually need, not by the headline price.
- Cheapest and simplest: file direct with Companies House for £100.
- Formation plus a business account: a bank provider like Tide, ANNA, Zempler or Countingup.
- Privacy for a home-based founder: an agent with a registered-office or service address.
- Non-UK founder needing a UK address: a formation agent that provides one.
- Complex ownership, shares or tax: an accountant.
Company Formation Service Costs Compared
The real cost of each route, with the conditions that make a ‘free’ offer free. The £100 government fee is the same everywhere; what differs is what you pay around it.
| Route | Formation cost | Account / add-on |
|---|---|---|
| Companies House direct | £100 | None |
| Tide | From £0 (fee covered) | Free business account |
| ANNA | From £19 (free on a paid plan) | £0/mo pay-as-you-go account |
| Zempler | £100 refunded on activity | £0/mo Business Go account, FSCS |
| Countingup | £100 refunded on activity | Free 3 months, then from £3/mo |
| Formation agent | Roughly £12 to £100+ | Registered office £30 to £100 a year |
| Verified against provider sites and GOV.UK, 6 July 2026. Offers change; re-check before you apply. | ||
The bank refunds are genuinely worth it, but they’re conditional. When you pay the deposit in, usually £100 within 30 days of opening the account, the refund comes back a few weeks later.
Miss that window and you’ve simply paid the fee up front, so check the current offer before you rely on it.
What to Check Before You Register
Whichever route you take, have these ready and read before you commit.
- Registered office: is it an appropriate address, and does the service keep your home private?
- SIC code: pick the closest fit from the official list (you can give up to four).
- Shareholders and shares: usually a handful of ordinary £1 shares split between owners.
- Articles of association: the standard model articles are fine for most companies.
- Bank account tie-in: is the bundled account one you’d actually use, and what does it cost after any free period?
- Renewal fees: does a cheap headline package renew at a higher price next year?
- Bundled extras: domains and ad vouchers are nice, but not a reason to choose an agent.
Best UK Company Formation Services Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest way to register a company?
Filing directly with Companies House at GOV.UK for £100 is the cheapest route for a simple company. Some bank providers effectively make it free by refunding the fee when you open and use their account, but the government fee itself is always £100.
Do I need a company formation service?
No. You can register directly with Companies House yourself. A service is worth it only if you want the extras it bundles, such as a business account, a private registered address, or help with a complex setup.
Which is the best company formation provider?
It depends on what you need. For formation plus a free business account we’d look at Tide first; ANNA adds strong tax tools, Zempler is an FSCS-protected bank, and Countingup builds in accounting. For a simple company with no bundle, file direct.
Are ‘free’ company formation offers really free?
Usually the fee is refunded rather than waived. You pay the £100 up front and get it back once you meet the provider’s condition, typically opening the account and depositing or spending £100 within 30 days. Read the exact terms.
Does Companies House recommend a formation agent?
No. Companies House lists agents that can file electronically but does not endorse them or accept responsibility for their service. Choose an agent for the extras you want, not because one is required.
How We Chose the Best Company Formation Services
What this covers. The routes to register a UK limited company: filing direct with Companies House, bank-led providers, formation agents and accountants, and when each is worth it.
What we checked. The £100 direct fee was verified against GOV.UK, and the Tide, ANNA, Zempler and Countingup offers against their own sites, on 6 July 2026. Provider offers are commercially volatile, so check the current terms on each provider’s site before you apply.
How we ranked. Honest-broker first: the £100 direct route is the benchmark, and a paid service only ranks above it for a reader who wants what it bundles. We name the exact conditions rather than a blanket ‘free’.