Starling vs Revolut Business Account: Which Is Better in 2026?
Starling is free and accepts sole traders — Revolut starts at £10/month and doesn’t accept sole traders. Revolut wins on multi-currency tools and FX rates for incorporated businesses.
- Free permanently — no monthly fee, no UK transfer fees, no minimum balance.
- Accepts sole traders, LTDs, and LLPs — sole traders can’t use Revolut Business.
- CASS member for guaranteed 7-day switching; cash deposits via Post Office.
Compare Starling and Revolut Business Accounts at a Glance
Your choice here turns on entity type and payment volume — not just cost. Two things changed since most guides were last updated: Revolut now holds a full UK banking licence, and its free plan is gone.
Revolut deposits are now FSCS-protected at £120,000 — matching Starling. The entry point is £10/month (Basic), with no free tier for incorporated businesses. We verified both fee schedules from primary sources in May 2026.
All Cards at a Glance
Compare key features side by side — tap any row for the full review.
| Provider | Monthly Fee | Best For | Integrations | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Digital businesses wanting free banking, fast onboarding, and low-cost international payments | Xero, QuickBooks, FreeAgent; Sage via Open Banking | View Deal → |
 | £10/month (Basic) — no free plan for incorporated businesses | Incorporated businesses with high international payment or multi-currency requirements | Xero, QuickBooks, FreeAgent; Sage via Open Banking | View Deal → |
Fees verified from starlingbank.com and business.revolut.com, May 2026.
Starling vs Revolut Business Account: The Core Trade-Off in 2026
Choose Starling if you want a free account, need to deposit cash, are a sole trader, or want CASS switching. Choose Revolut if you run a limited company, send regular international payments, or need 25+ currencies — and if £10/month is worth it.
Your entity type determines whether Revolut Business is even an option. Sole traders can’t use it — Revolut Pro is the personal-app alternative.
Worth paying £120/year for Revolut’s FX tools? If you send more than two SWIFT payments a month, the interbank rate within the £1,000/month allowance typically offsets the fee. That’s the deal for businesses with high cross-border volume.
Starling charges £5.50 plus 0.4% FX margin on every international transfer — no volume threshold, no tier. Revolut Basic includes no free SWIFT transfers: £5 fixed per payment, plus interbank FX within the £1,000/month allowance.
Best value at Revolut comes at high cross-border volume. The £10/month fee pays for itself above roughly two SWIFT transfers a month when you’re within the FX allowance. We confirmed Revolut’s pricing from business.revolut.com in May 2026.
| Your situation | Better fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Sole trader | Starling | Revolut Business doesn’t accept sole traders (Revolut Pro is a separate personal product) |
| Free business account | Starling | Starling is free; Revolut starts at £10/month (no free plan for incorporated businesses) |
| Cash deposits needed | Starling | Starling via Post Office (0.7%, min £3); Revolut has no cash deposit facility |
| High SWIFT/international volume | Revolut | Revolut interbank FX within £1,000/month allowance; 25+ currencies held natively |
| Multi-currency at scale | Revolut | Revolut holds 25+ currencies; Starling USD sub-account closed to new applicants April 2026 |
| CASS guaranteed switching | Starling | Starling is a CASS member; Revolut isn’t |
| Team expense cards at scale | Revolut | 200 virtual cards per user on all Revolut plans; Starling offers team cards but fewer virtual options |
What Starling and Revolut Business Accounts Actually Cost
Your UK domestic banking is free at Starling: no charges for faster payments, BACS, standing orders, direct debits, or card purchases. No monthly fee.
If you send more than 10 UK transfers a month at Revolut, the overage applies: £0.20 per additional transfer. At 50 transfers a month you’re paying £10 subscription plus £8 overage. Starling covers all 50 at no extra cost.
If your business exchanges currency regularly, Revolut’s interbank rate within the £1,000/month allowance on Basic beats Starling’s 0.4% margin. We confirmed both FX rates from primary sources in May 2026.
Above £1,000 exchanged in a month, Revolut charges 0.6% — close to Starling’s flat 0.4%. For businesses that stay within the allowance, Revolut is cheaper. Above it, the gap closes.
The catch is Revolut’s 1% weekend surcharge. It applies to all currency conversions on Saturdays and Sundays, even within the monthly free allowance. If your business pays overseas suppliers at weekends, that’s a cost Starling doesn’t charge.
SWIFT transfers cost £5 per payment at Revolut Basic (no free SWIFT included) and £5.50 plus 0.4% FX margin at Starling. The fixed fees are similar; the difference is Starling’s margin is consistent and doesn’t shift with allowance position or day of week.
| Cost item | Starling | Revolut Basic |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee | Free | £10/month |
| UK faster payment (outgoing) | Free | 10 free/month; £0.20 after |
| UK faster payment (incoming) | Free | Free |
| SWIFT international transfer | £5.50 + 0.4% FX margin | £5 fixed + FX rate (interbank within allowance) |
| FX margin (weekday, in-allowance) | 0.4% over mid-market | Interbank rate (no markup) |
| FX margin (weekend) | 0.4% over mid-market | 1% surcharge on all conversions |
| FX above monthly allowance | 0.4% (no threshold) | 0.6% above £1,000/month |
| Cash deposit | 0.7%, min £3 (Post Office) | Not available |
| Euro account | £2/month sub-account | Included (hold in EUR natively) |
| USD account | Closed to new applicants (April 2026) | Included (hold in USD natively) |
Revolut Business Banking Licence and FSCS Protection in 2026
If you previously chose Starling over Revolut on deposit-protection grounds, that calculation has changed. Revolut Bank UK Ltd received a full UK banking licence — PRA restrictions lifted March 2026. Eligible deposits are now FSCS-protected up to £120,000.
Your deposits get the same £120,000 FSCS protection at both banks now. The e-money safeguarding distinction that previously favoured Starling no longer applies to new Revolut Bank UK accounts. We confirmed FSCS eligibility for both from the FSCS register in May 2026.
Your FSCS cover at Revolut depends on which entity your account sits under. Existing accounts opened under the old e-money licence are migrating to the banking entity in stages through 2026. If you receive large client payments, confirm the entity before relying on FSCS cover for significant balances.
Check your Revolut account to confirm it’s on Revolut Bank UK Ltd rather than the old e-money entity. We confirmed the banking licence grant from the PRA register in May 2026.
Your £120,000 limit works differently by entity type. For limited companies, the business has its own limit separate from directors’ personal deposits at the same institution. For sole traders at Starling, personal and business deposits aggregate against a single £120,000 threshold.
App, Integrations, and Day-to-Day Account Management
If your accountant uses Xero, QuickBooks, or FreeAgent, both banks connect directly — transactions feed automatically without manual exports. We confirmed both integration lists from published documentation in May 2026.
Your accountant reconciling month-end transactions finds both Xero feeds already live — no export needed, no chasing for statements. That’s the operational difference a live feed makes.
If you rely on the mobile app daily, Revolut rates strongly: 4.9/5 on iOS App Store as of early 2026, with consistent praise for clean interface and multi-currency switching. Revolut Business holds 4.5/5 on Trustpilot.
You need to know the compliance-freeze risk at both banks: automated holds with limited human escalation appear in negative reviews at both Revolut and Starling, though more frequently at Revolut for high-turnover businesses.
Choose Starling if Trustpilot review volume matters to your decision: 4.1/5 from over 46,000 reviews, with consistent praise for real-time notifications and accounting sync reliability.
If you receive payments in multiple currencies, Revolut’s 25+ native currency wallets remove the conversion cost on receipt. Your euros land in a euro balance; USD in a USD balance. Starling’s Euro sub-account costs £2/month; the USD sub-account closed to new applicants in April 2026.
If you manage team expenses at scale, Revolut offers 200 virtual cards per user with per-card spending limits — useful for SaaS subscriptions, contractor payments, and department budgets. Starling supports team access with spend controls but doesn’t match that virtual card volume.
Cash Deposits, Account Switching, and Sole Trader Eligibility
Your cash-depositing options are zero at Revolut. There’s no Post Office route, no branch, and no third-party cash-in service. Revolut Business is a cashless product.
If your business takes cash, Starling is your only real option: Revolut has no deposit facility at all. The sole trader banking Friday’s takings finds nothing at Revolut — no counter, no Post Office option, nothing.
Your cash deposit option at Starling comes at 0.7% per transaction via Post Office, though the £300 daily limit can force multiple trips for higher-volume cash days.
Choose Starling if you need CASS guaranteed switching for your next move. The 7-day guarantee covers automatic payment redirection and account closure. We confirmed CASS membership status from the Pay.UK register in May 2026.
You notify each payer individually when you switch to Revolut, and close the old account yourself. That means switching accounts to Revolut is a fully manual process with no CASS protection.
CASS membership matters when you’re planning to switch banks. The guarantee protects you against missed payments during the switch period. Without it, the responsibility for redirecting each standing order and direct debit sits with you.
Need a business account as a sole trader? Revolut Business isn’t available to you — it only accepts limited companies, LLPs, and partnerships. Revolut Pro is the alternative via the personal app, but it’s a different product with different features, limits, and pricing.
Who Should Choose the Starling Business Account Over Revolut
Sole traders should choose Starling — Revolut Business isn’t available to you. Your only Revolut option is Revolut Pro via the personal app, which is a different product with different terms.
If your business operates entirely within the UK and sends no international payments, there’s no case for paying £10/month at Revolut. Starling covers all UK domestic transactions at zero cost. Over a year, the saving against Revolut Basic is £120 — before any transfer overage.
If you send overseas invoices regularly, Starling’s flat 0.4% FX margin is simpler than Revolut’s allowance-and-overage model for businesses sending one or two cross-border payments a month.
Your only cash deposit option between these two is Starling: Revolut has no deposit facility at all.
If you need CASS switching when you move from your current provider, choose Starling. The 7-day guarantee handles payment redirection automatically. Revolut doesn’t participate in CASS.
Who Should Choose Revolut Business Over Starling
Revolut is the stronger choice if you run a limited company with significant cross-border transaction volume. The interbank FX rate within the £1,000/month allowance is best-in-class, and holding 25+ currencies natively removes conversion costs on incoming foreign-currency receipts.
If you receive invoices from overseas suppliers in euros or dollars, Revolut holds those balances in the original currency — conversion happens only when you choose to exchange. Your accounts team checking a Friday afternoon payment sees the euro balance intact, not already converted.
If you manage team expenses at scale, Revolut’s 200 virtual cards per user give you fine-grained control over SaaS subscriptions, contractor payments, and department budgets — each with its own card and per-card spending limit.
The banking licence resolved the regulatory gap: new Revolut Bank UK accounts carry full FSCS protection at £120,000. If you previously ruled Revolut out on those grounds, the comparison is now worth revisiting.
Revolut’s soft credit check makes the application lower-friction if your business credit profile is thin or mixed. Starling also doesn’t run a hard credit check for the basic transactional account.
How We Compared Starling and Revolut Business Accounts
We researched this comparison on 19 May 2026 using Gemini Deep Research with targeted questions focused on current fee schedules, product terms, regulatory status, FX pricing, CASS membership, cash handling, and customer sentiment.
Primary sources consulted include business.revolut.com, starlingbank.com, the PRA register, the FCA register, the FSCS register, and Trustpilot review profiles. We did not use comparison site data or affiliate aggregator summaries as the basis for any product claim.
We identified three findings that differ from what most comparison guides currently publish: Revolut now holds a full UK banking licence (not e-money); Revolut has no free plan for incorporated businesses (£10/month minimum); and Starling USD sub-accounts closed to new applicants April 2026.
We ranked Starling as the top pick for most UK businesses because it’s free, accepts sole traders, is a CASS member, and supports cash deposits — advantages that apply to the majority of small businesses regardless of banking volume.
Revolut is the stronger choice for incorporated businesses with high cross-border payment volume where the £10/month fee is offset by FX savings. Neither account is universally superior — the right choice depends on how your business actually operates.
Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you open an account through one, we may earn a commission at no cost to you. This doesn’t affect our rankings. See our editorial policy for full details.
Starling vs Revolut Business Account FAQs
Is Revolut Business free in 2026?
No. Revolut removed its free plan for incorporated businesses. The entry-level Revolut Business plan is Basic, which costs £10/month. Higher tiers — Grow, Scale, and Enterprise — cost more. Revolut Pro (a separate product for sole traders via the personal Revolut app) has different pricing. We confirmed the absence of a free business plan from business.revolut.com in May 2026.
Can a sole trader open a Revolut Business account?
No. Revolut Business accepts limited companies, LLPs, and partnerships only. Sole traders aren’t eligible for Revolut Business. Revolut offers a separate product called Revolut Pro for sole traders, accessed through the personal Revolut app and with different features, limits, and pricing from the business product. If you’re a sole trader, Starling Business is the relevant comparison here.
Is Revolut Business now FSCS protected?
Yes, for accounts on the banking entity. Revolut Bank UK Ltd received a full UK banking licence from the PRA, with all remaining restrictions lifted in March 2026. Eligible deposits in Revolut Bank UK accounts are now protected by FSCS up to £120,000. Existing accounts opened under Revolut’s e-money licence are being migrated to the banking entity in stages. We confirmed the banking licence status from the PRA register in May 2026.
Does Revolut Business charge a weekend FX fee?
Yes. Revolut applies a 1% surcharge on all currency conversions made on Saturdays and Sundays. This applies even if you’re within your monthly FX allowance. Starling doesn’t apply a weekend surcharge — its 0.4% margin over the mid-market rate applies consistently on all days. If your business converts currency or makes international payments at weekends, factor this into your cost comparison.
Can I deposit cash with Revolut Business?
No. Revolut Business has no cash deposit facility. There’s no Post Office route, no branch network, and no third-party cash-in service. Revolut Business is a cashless product. Starling accepts cash deposits via Post Office at 0.7% (minimum £3, daily limit £300 per deposit). If your business handles any physical cash, Revolut Business can’t serve that requirement.
Is Revolut Business a CASS member?
No. Revolut isn’t a member of the Current Account Switch Service (CASS). Switching to Revolut is a manual process: you notify payees and payers individually and close your old account yourself. Starling is a CASS member, so switching to Starling triggers the 7-day guaranteed switch with automatic payment redirection and closure of your old account. We confirmed CASS membership status from the Pay.UK register in May 2026.
Which is better for international payments: Starling or Revolut?
For high-volume multi-currency businesses, Revolut is stronger: interbank FX rate within the £1,000/month allowance on Basic, native holding of 25+ currencies, and no automatic conversion on incoming foreign-currency receipts. For lower-frequency international payments, Starling’s flat 0.4% margin and £5.50 fixed fee is simpler and often comparable. Watch Revolut’s 1% weekend surcharge and £5 fixed fee per SWIFT transfer.
Explore More Business Bank Account Comparisons
You can compare other account combinations or explore broader guides below.
- Best business bank accounts — full comparison of UK providers
- Starling Bank business account review — full independent review
- Revolut Business account review — full independent review
- Best business accounts for international payments — FX rates and multi-currency compared
- Best free business bank accounts — all zero-cost options compared
- Best business accounts for sole traders — who accepts sole traders and on what terms
- FSCS protection vs e-money safeguarding — what the difference means for your deposits