Best UK Company Formation Services (2026)

Best UK Company Formation Services at a Glance

There is no single winner, because the routes answer different questions. Each award below names the founder profile it fits and the decisive condition attached, so you can see the trade-off before you click through.

The statutory Companies House fee is £100 whichever route you use. Some providers absorb or reimburse it as part of a wider account or service relationship, and that reimbursement is where most of the misleading “free” and “from £0” claims live.

We award by founder profile, not by the lowest sticker. A £14.99 formation with a bank account you would not use is not the cheapest deal on offer; it is a bundled account for £14.99 that you did not want.

Read each row alongside its main restriction. We kept the decisive condition on the same line as the winner on purpose, so the trade-off is visible before you click through.

Do You Actually Need a Company Formation Service?

For a simple one-person company, no, you don’t. Filing direct at GOV.UK costs £100 and the incorporation usually completes within one working day.

A paid service is worth the tie-in only when you want one of four things bundled with the incorporation: a business account you would have opened anyway, a registered office that keeps your home off the register, ACSP identity verification handled in-app, or specialist help for a non-standard setup.

Some of those bundles are worth the tie-in and some are a headline price with the £100 filing fee bolted on at the till. We sort which is which in the rest of this page.

Company Formation Routes Compared

The amount leaving your account on the day is not the same as the amount you have committed to across two years, and neither tells you whether the provider can verify your identity for you. We separate all three per row so the reader does not have to reconcile them.

We checked ACSP status directly against the current Companies House consent list. “Not on the ACSP list” does not mean the provider is not legitimate; it means identity verification runs through GOV.UK rather than through the provider directly.

The dedicated-agent Basic packages look like the cheapest sticker at around £102 all-in, but they include very little. Read them as a base you build on.

Add a registered office, a director service address, VAT registration or PAYE registration only if you actually need them; each provider prices these separately. 1st Formations Digital is a useful reference package for a founder who wants a fuller agent-led setup without a subscription.

Best Company Formation Services and Routes

Below, each route sits alongside the decisive restriction that rules founders out, so you spot the mismatch before the CTA rather than after.

The four account-led formation providers in the panel above are the shortlist if you want formation and a business account together. The four dedicated agents below are the shortlist if you want an agent-led formation with room to add privacy, non-UK support or ongoing help.

Companies House Direct

Filing direct is the £100 benchmark every paid service on this page is measured against. It requires no account, no subscription and no renewal service.

You submit the Companies House form online and the incorporation usually completes within one working day; Corporation Tax registration can be requested in the same flow.

Nothing is bundled and no provider subscription or agent service renews. The annual confirmation statement is £50 online whichever route you took to form the company.

It is the default when you want a simple company with no strings. ANNA (£19) and Tide (£14.99 for a sole shareholder) undercut on cash price, but the point of direct is that you do not come away with an account you were not going to keep.

Our register a company guide walks the exact steps, and the identity verification guide covers the free GOV.UK route.

Tide

Tide is the cheapest cash price if you want a business account alongside the formation. It registers your company for £14.99 including the £100 Companies House fee, and opens a free Tide account in the same flow.

When the incorporation confirmation lands, your Tide business account is already open, usually within one working day of submission.

There is one important limit: the £14.99 route is for single-shareholder companies only. Tide’s cheaper £1 formation exists but it is not really a £1 formation. It is a Company Secretary subscription at £12.50 plus VAT for 11 months, with the £1 formation dropped on top as the hook.

The real minimum spend on that route is about £166 across the year, not £1. If you want the account, take Tide at £14.99; if you do not, file direct.

ANNA

ANNA forms your company in-app from £19 including the £100 filing fee and pairs it with a £0/mo pay-as-you-go account with built-in invoicing and tax tools.

The formation cost is well below the £100 direct fee and the tax automation is the real draw, especially if you want VAT and Corporation Tax filings handled inside the same app.

Treat the £19 formation cost as separate from the ongoing account, transaction and support-plan costs; the paid plans (up to around £24.99 plus VAT a month) are where ANNA earns its money.

For the full picture on ANNA’s packages, director limits and Companies House filing timing, see our ANNA company registration review.

ANNA Admin Limited is on the current Companies House ACSP consent list, so the identity verification for directors and PSCs can be handled inside the ANNA flow.

Zempler

Zempler refunds the £100 Companies House fee once you open a free £0/mo Business Go account and load £100 within 30 days. Effective cost £0, but you pay first and the reward lands after the account is approved.

Zempler is the only provider in this comparison that is itself a UK bank. Business Go deposits are protected by the FSCS up to the current limit, subject to eligibility. Tide, ANNA and Countingup use different banking or safeguarding arrangements, which should be checked separately.

When the account approval clears and your £100 has been loaded within the 30-day window, the reward is paid into the Business Go account. Check the current terms for timing.

Read the account approval terms and the reward wording before you rely on the £0 effective cost; if either condition slips you have paid the £100 up front.

Countingup

Countingup offers electronic company formation alongside its business account, and reimburses the £100 filing fee when you open the account and spend £100 on the card within the first 30 days. UK residents only, and account fees kick in after the introductory period.

The account is free for three months and then starts at £3/mo. Countingup’s selling point is accounting built into the app.

That fits a founder who wants banking and bookkeeping in one place rather than paying for separate software. If you would use another accountant, or accounting software you already have, the bundle is not the value; the £100 refund is.

1st Formations

Of the four dedicated agents on this page, 1st Formations is the one we would shortlist first for a founder who wants an agent-led setup without a subscription.

The published package range is the widest, the pricing is quoted all-in on the product page, and specialist packages exist for the awkward cases (privacy, non-UK founders, custom articles, multiple share classes). We have not yet run a full checkout test, so treat the shortlisting as provisional.

The Digital package is £102.99 including the £100 filing fee, and specialist packages add privacy addresses, non-UK founder support, custom articles or multiple share classes as you need them.

Renewals are where the first-year sticker stops telling the truth. The confirmation-statement service and any address services renew on their own cycles at agent list prices.

So a £102.99 first-year outlay is not a £102.99 ongoing outlay. Read the package page for what is included on the day and what starts renewing 12 months later.

1st Formations Limited is on the current Companies House ACSP consent list, so it can verify director and PSC identity as part of the formation.

Quality Company Formations

The lowest dedicated-agent service fee we saw on 5 August 2026: £1.99 for the Basic package plus the £100 filing fee, subject to VAT at checkout. Realistic all-in from about £101.99, which technically undercuts filing direct.

The catch: what the Basic package includes is essentially the formation and nothing else. Registered office and director service address are add-ons that renew separately, and their inclusion moves with the package tier you pick.

We rank Quality Formations as a candidate rather than a winner until the exact checkout total and the first renewal are verified on the day you buy. Quality Formations Limited is on the current Companies House ACSP consent list.

Rapid Formations

Rapid Formations sells packages from £2.99 plus the £100 filing fee upwards, so the Basic sits at around £102.99 all-in before VAT. Basic is promoted for dormant companies and for reserving a name, not for an active startup.

For an active company you would look at the All Inclusive tier and up, which is where the private-address and confirmation-statement inclusions arrive. Compare package-for-package against 1st Formations rather than picking on headline sticker.

Rapid Formations Limited is on the current Companies House ACSP consent list.

Your Company Formations

Your Company Formations sells the Digital package at £2.48 plus the £100 filing fee, subject to VAT at checkout, and pitches itself hard at non-UK founders via its International package.

If you are a non-UK resident who needs a UK registered office, service address and a banking introduction, this is the candidate to compare against 1st Formations Non-Residents.

One thing to watch: a banking introduction is not the same as a guaranteed UK business account. Overseas founders should read our non-resident business account guide before assuming an agent will land the account.

Your Company Formations Ltd is on the current Companies House ACSP consent list.

Formation Agents

Dedicated formation agents (the four above, plus the likes of Companies Made Simple) sell packages from around £102 all-in to £300+, bundling a registered office, a director service address and support.

They earn their fee for privacy, non-UK founder support and non-standard structures, and not much else that Companies House direct cannot do for £100.

Read the package rather than the sticker, especially the renewal. When the registered-office renewal invoice lands 12 months on, your agent charges the list price, often well above the first-year teaser. That is the moment we find many founders realise what the low headline was really funding.

Accountants

An accountant is the priciest route and overkill for a simple company. But if your ownership or tax is genuinely complicated (multiple shareholders on different share classes, corporate shareholders, or a group structure), a clean setup from day one saves trouble later.

For most owner-managers that is a later cost, not a formation one. Hire the accountant when you need them, not to file a form you can file yourself.

Companies House Direct vs Formation Services

Companies House keeps two lists: agents that can file electronically, and authorised corporate service providers (ACSPs) that can verify a founder’s identity. Being on either list is a compliance fact, not an endorsement.

The wording “approved by Companies House” that some agents lean on is agent copy, not government copy.

No service is legally required: filing direct for £100 remains open to everyone. An agent is worth paying for what it bundles around the filing, not for permission to file.

Direct is independent and simple; it is not always the lowest subsidised cash price. Use a service because you want what it bundles, not because you think one is required. We find that one test filters out most of the market noise on its own.

How to Choose a Company Formation Service

Six checks decide whether a service is worth paying for. Take them in order: if any one of them changes your answer, you have your route.

Check the true all-in price

Separate the service fee, VAT, the £100 government fee and any refund. A £1.99 headline is the service fee only; the amount that leaves your account on the day is closer to £102.

A refund is money you get back later, not money you never paid. Read the checkout total, not the ad.

Check eligibility and company structure

Confirm residency, shareholder count, share classes, corporate shareholders and specialist structures. Tide’s £14.99 route is single-shareholder only.

Some bank routes exclude non-UK residents. Not every agent supports a company limited by guarantee, a CIC or an LLP; if you need one, ask before you buy.

Check address privacy and renewal fees

Three addresses matter and they are not the same thing. The registered office is the public address on the register. The director service address is where Companies House writes to the directors. The business address is where you tell customers you trade from.

An agent that includes a registered office in year one often renews it at agent list price in year two; check the renewal on each address before you buy, not after.

Check ACSP status and identity verification

Identity verification is now compulsory for directors and people with significant control (PSCs). You can verify for free through GOV.UK, or through an authorised corporate service provider (ACSP) supervised for AML by a UK regulator.

The Companies House personal code belongs to the individual and is used across every company role they hold. The electronic-filing agent list is not the same as the ACSP list, and neither is an endorsement.

Check the business account or subscription tie-in

A low formation price is only cheap if the linked product is one you would use anyway. Tide’s £14.99 route needs a Tide account; Zempler and Countingup refund the fee only after account activity.

Tide’s £1 route commits you to the Company Secretary subscription for 11 months. If you would not choose the account or subscription on its merits, the discount is not the deal it looks.

Check what happens after formation

The company itself has continuing duties. A confirmation statement is due every 12 months (£50 online). Direct online incorporation can request Corporation Tax registration at the same time; whichever route you use, HMRC must be told within three months of the company starting business activity.

If your business will charge VAT from day one or run PAYE for staff from month one, check whether the formation service handles those HMRC registrations for you or leaves them on your list.

VAT registration, PAYE registration and PSC reporting depend on what you do. Ask what the provider handles for you, what they charge for it, and what remains on you.

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.

We rate the refunds real, but conditional. Miss the 30-day window and you have simply paid the fee up front, and the refund is not clawed back to you as an apology. Check the current offer wording on the provider’s site before you rely on it.

Worked example: simple single-shareholder company

A UK-resident founder registering a straightforward limited company: one director, one shareholder, standard articles, home address on the register and no immediate need for VAT or PAYE. Online incorporations usually complete within one working day.

On today’s terms, Tide costs £14.99 and opens the account; ANNA costs £19 and opens the account; Companies House direct costs £100 and opens nothing. Zempler and Countingup cost £100 on the day and refund it on activity.

If the account is one you would keep, Tide is the cheapest cash route. If you want the account and value FSCS protection on the balance you hold, Zempler is the only option in the group where that protection actually applies.

If you want no account, no subscription and nothing to cancel, file direct.

Worked example: founder needing address privacy

A UK-resident founder working from home who does not want the residential address on the public register. Two routes fit.

Direct filing plus a separately purchased registered office costs £100 for the formation, plus the address at the supplier’s list price. Check the supplier and the renewal figure before you commit; both vary.

An agent package that bundles a registered office (1st Formations Privacy or the equivalent) sits above the Digital sticker in year one and is simpler to keep in sync at renewal because both services renew on one bill.

Pick direct plus a standalone address if you want to keep the two suppliers separate. Pick the agent if you want the address, service address and mail handling renewed together on one bill.

Free Company Formation Offers Explained

“Free formation” on a bank-led provider almost never means the fee is waived. It means you pay the £100 up front and the provider refunds it if you do X within 30 days.

That is a conditional £0 effective cost, not a waived fee, and it is worth reading the difference before you rely on the ad copy.

The Tide and ANNA routes are true low all-in prices; the Zempler and Countingup routes are conditional refunds. We rate both as legitimate, but they are different products, and only the refunded pair needs the 30-day condition on your calendar. Miss it and the fee is gone, not held.

Best Company Formation Service for Non-UK Residents

Non-UK founders can register a UK limited company, but two things get harder: identity verification and opening a UK business bank account. A dedicated agent with a non-residents package handles the first and offers an introduction, not a guarantee, on the second.

None of the packages above guarantee a UK business bank account; they introduce you to a provider that may accept the application, which is a lower bar than most packaging suggests. Read our non-resident business account guide before you choose a formation package on the banking claim alone.

What to Check Before You Register

Whichever route you take, have these ready and read before you commit.

• Company name: run it through the Companies House name checker first.
• Registered office: an appropriate address in the correct UK jurisdiction; does the service keep your home private?
• Registered email address: now a compulsory field on incorporation and on the confirmation statement.
• Director details, and identity verification via the free GOV.UK route or an ACSP; Companies House personal code held by each director.
• Shareholders and shares: decide how many shares to issue, their nominal value and whether more than one share class is needed; check the provider supports multiple share classes if you need them.
• People with significant control (PSC) information for anyone holding over 25% of shares or voting rights.
• SIC code: pick the closest fit from the official list (you can give up to four).
• Articles of association: the standard model articles are fine for most companies; a bespoke setup needs an agent or accountant.
• Bank account tie-in: is the bundled account one you would 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?

Best UK Company Formation Services Frequently Asked Questions