Page updated 14 August 2026
30 accounts across 18 providers. We price every tier, check every fee against the published tariff, and score service on the independent survey banks are legally required to publish.
The top three from the ranking below, and what each one actually wins on.
Or jump to a narrower shortlist: sole traders, freelancers, limited companies, start-ups, free accounts, cash deposits, business savings, Making Tax Digital, bad credit, international or online-only.
Pick what describes you and the ranking below filters to accounts that actually work for it.
Tap one or more. Tap again to clear.
Best overall · ranked first in the CMA survey
First in the UK for both overall business service quality and online and mobile banking, in the independent survey banks are required to publish. The catch is cost: accounting integrations sit behind Pro at £9 a month, and there is no overdraft.
Best free account · sole traders and small limited companies
Free with no feature paywall, third in the independent CMA service survey, and one of very few digital accounts that will actually lend to you. The one real gap: it pays no interest at all on business balances, so keep any reserve elsewhere.
Longest free banking · start-ups and switchers
25 months of free day-to-day banking for switchers and start-ups, more than twice what the rest of the high street offers, and an M Account that can cost nothing indefinitely under £1m turnover. Its savings account is also the only one here you can open without holding the current account.
Best rates · established and mid-market companies
2.35% AER on easy access from £1 — better than every high-street bank — rising to 3.65% on notice and 4.25% fixed, but only above £50,000. Below that threshold the notice accounts pay literally nothing. No charges on any payment type including CHAPS, and a named Business Partner. No cash, no cheques, and you need turnover above £1m or £50,000 to deposit.
Best for established SMEs · pays interest on balances
The best net interest of any account here, and it costs nothing to hold: a competitive rate on the free account, plus cashback and a relationship manager. Too small to appear in the CMA survey, and eligibility is narrow.
Best free account · freelancers and one-director companies
Second for service in the CMA survey and permanently free, with a FreeAgent subscription included. Its feature range is the narrowest here though — no cheques, no international payments, no overdraft.
Best invoicing tools · but read the sort code first
Fifth for overall service in the CMA survey, with the strongest invoicing on a free plan and 2.00% savings on that free plan — which beats every paid Tide tier at £25,000 once the fee is counted. Newer accounts run through ClearBank and are FSCS-eligible; legacy ones are not.
Best for genuine international banking
Two quite different products under one brand. Kinetic is app-first and narrow; Business Banking is the full high-street package. Choosing the wrong one costs you.
Best high-street range · branches, lending and free FreeAgent
A broad full-service account with free FreeAgent across the range and joint fourth in the CMA survey for online and mobile banking. Ask first whether Mettle covers you, since it is the same bank for nothing.
Best for cash handling · branches and lending
The strongest traditional option if you need a counter, a relationship manager or a lending conversation. Service scores sit outside the CMA published top five, and year two costs real money.
Best multi-currency tooling · no free tier
The widest feature range of any account here and a licensed UK bank since March 2026. But it is not covered by the independent survey, there is no free plan, and migration to the bank entity is still rolling out.
Cheap cash at a paying-in machine
A conventional high-street account with one unusual feature: two different cash deposit prices, and the gap between them is wide enough to change your annual cost.
Best tax tools · sole traders filing their own returns
The best live tax estimate and receipt handling in the market, and well reviewed on public platforms. But it is an e-money provider, the everyday balance is safeguarded rather than FSCS-protected, and it is not in the independent survey.
Capped at 3.5 — no FSCS cover on the everyday balance.
Read review Visit siteCheapest cross-border transfers
Among the cheapest ways to move money between currencies, and a poor choice as your only UK business account.
Flat fee, no unpaid item charges
Priced by activity band rather than a single headline fee, which makes it harder to compare — and occasionally better value than it first looks.
Free banking with an ethical policy
One of the few high-street banks offering business banking with no monthly account fee — paired with the market’s most expensive cash handling and a published ethical policy that genuinely constrains who it will bank.
Best for poor credit · formerly Cashplus
Accepts applicants the mainstream banks decline, and fifth in the CMA survey for relationship management. A licensed bank, so your balance is FSCS-protected — but fees are higher and the tooling is thin.
Multi-currency for exporters
Built for companies that have outgrown a simple business account and operate across borders at volume. Not a first account, and not FSCS-protected.
Try removing one — very few accounts handle cash and multi-currency and branch access. That trade-off is usually the real decision.
All figures illustrative until verified against each provider's published tariff. See how we rate.
Why we rank this way
Several popular providers are electronic money institutions, not banks. They're FCA-authorised and your money is held separately from theirs — but if the firm fails, you recover it through an administration process rather than an FSCS payout. Our rule: no account without FSCS protection on its everyday balance scores above 3.5 out of 5, however good the app is.
Statutory cover up to £120,000 per eligible depositor, per institution. Starling, Monzo, Mettle, Barclays, HSBC, NatWest, Lloyds, Santander, Co-op, Zempler, Allica.
Revolut gained its full UK banking licence in March 2026 but migration is phased. Tide's newer accounts run through ClearBank and are FSCS-eligible; legacy ones aren't.
Funds held in segregated accounts at partner banks. Contractual protection, no statutory guarantee, slower recovery. ANNA, Wise Business, Airwallex.
Grouped by regulatory status first, because that's the filter that should matter most. Within each group, cheapest first.
| Provider & tier | Monthly | Cash in | Transfers | Accounting | Branch | Protection |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Licensed UK banks — FSCS protected | ||||||
| SStarling — BusinessFree tier, no feature paywall | £0 | 0.7%, min £3 | Free | Xero, QuickBooks, FreeAgent | ✕ | FSCS |
| SStarling — Accounting EssentialsMaking Tax Digital, bookkeeping | £0 | As above | Free | Built-in | ✕ | FSCS |
| SStarling — Accounting PlusAdds VAT recording and filing | £7 | As above | Free | Built-in | ✕ | FSCS |
| MMettle — BusinessSingle tier · NatWest Group | £0 | Post Office | Free | FreeAgent free, Xero, QuickBooks | ✕ | FSCS |
| MoMonzo — Business LiteNo accounting integrations | £0 | £1 per deposit | Free | MTD only | ✕ | FSCS |
| MoMonzo — Business ProInvoicing, tax pots, virtual cards | £9 | £1 per deposit | Free | Xero, QuickBooks, FreeAgent, Sage | ✕ | FSCS |
| MoMonzo — Business TeamMulti-user, expense cards, approvals | £25 | £1 per deposit | Free | As Pro | ✕ | FSCS |
| NNatWest — Business CurrentFree period for new businesses | Intro free, then tariff | Per £100 | Free allowance | FreeAgent free | ✓ | FSCS |
| NNatWest — Business BankingEstablished businesses, standard tariff | Tariff | Per £100 | Allowance then per item | FreeAgent free | ✓ | FSCS |
| Barclays — Start-upUnder £400k turnover | 12 mths free, then £8.50 | ~£1.20/£100 counter | Free electronic | Most major packages | ✓ | FSCS |
| Barclays — Business £400k+Mixed and e-payments plans | 12 mths free, then £8.50 | ~£1.20/£100 counter | Free electronic | Most major packages | ✓ | FSCS |
| LLloyds — Business CurrentAlso Bank of Scotland | 12 mths free, then ~£7–10 | £0.85/£100 machine · £1.50 counter | 100 free, then 20p | Business Finance Assistant | ✓ | FSCS |
| HHSBC — KineticApp-based, sole traders and single-director companies | Intro free, then monthly | Per £100 | Free electronic | Xero, QuickBooks, Sage | ✕ | FSCS |
| HHSBC — Small Business BankingFull service with branch access | Intro free, then monthly | Per £100 | Allowance then per item | Xero, QuickBooks, Sage | ✓ | FSCS |
| CCo-operative — Business DirectplusFrequent switching offers | £0 | 1.5% | Free | Open banking providers | ✕ | FSCS |
| SaSantander — Business CurrentFlat £9.99, 12 months free for switchers | £9.99 | £1.25/£100 | Allowance then per item | Major packages | ✓ | FSCS |
| VVirgin Money — M AccountStart-ups and switchers under £1m turnover | £0, criteria apply | Per £100 | Free online | Marketplace integrations | ✓ | FSCS |
| VVirgin Money — Business Current Account25 months free, then tariff | Free 25 mths, then tariff | Per £100 | Free in offer period | Marketplace integrations | ✓ | FSCS |
| VVirgin Money — Business ChoicePays base-rate-linked credit interest | Monthly fee | Per £100 | Per item | Marketplace integrations | ✓ | FSCS |
| OnOakNorth — Business AccountTurnover £1m+, or £50k+ to deposit | Not published | No cash | Free, incl. CHAPS | Xero, Sage, NetSuite | ✓ | FSCS |
| OnOakNorth — Easy Access, Notice & Fixed2.35% from £1 · 3.65% and 4.25% need £50k+ | £0 | — | — | Notice pays 0% under £50k | ✓ | FSCS |
| ZZempler — Go / Extra / ProFormerly Cashplus · accepts thin credit files | £0 to monthly | Per deposit | Per item on some tiers | Limited | ✕ | FSCS |
| AlAllica — Business RewardsEstablished SMEs · interest and cashback | £0, eligibility applies | Limited | Free | Major packages | ✕ | FSCS |
| Protection depends which entity holds your money | ||||||
| RRevolut Business — BasicBank licence March 2026 · migration phased | £10 | Not supported | Allowance then per item | Xero, QuickBooks, Sage | ✕ | Check entity |
| RRevolut Business — GrowTeam features, higher FX allowance | £30 | Not supported | Larger allowance | As Basic | ✕ | Check entity |
| RRevolut Business — Scale / EnterpriseHigh volume and multi-currency | £90 / custom | Not supported | Highest allowance | As Basic | ✕ | Check entity |
| TTide — FreeClearBank accounts FSCS-eligible; legacy ones aren't | £0 | 0.5%, min £2.50 | 5 free, then 20p | Xero, QuickBooks, Sage, FreeAgent | ✕ | Check sort code |
| TTide — Smart / Pro / Max£12.49 · £27.49 · £69.99 a month | £12.49–£69.99 | 0.5%, min £2.50 | Larger allowances | As Free | ✕ | Check sort code |
| E-money institutions — safeguarded, not FSCS protected | ||||||
| AANNA — Pay As You GoCard issued by an authorised e-money institution | £0 | Per deposit | 20 free, then per item | Xero, QuickBooks | ✕ | Safeguarded |
| AANNA — Business / Big BusinessHigher allowances and cashback | Monthly, by tier | Per deposit | Larger allowances | Xero, QuickBooks | ✕ | Safeguarded |
| WWise BusinessMulti-currency · one-off setup fee | £0 + one-off fee | Not supported | Per item | Xero, QuickBooks | ✕ | Safeguarded |
| AwAirwallexMulti-currency for scaling businesses | Tiered | Not supported | Allowance then per item | Xero, QuickBooks, NetSuite | ✕ | Safeguarded |
Every figure must be verified against the provider's current published tariff before publication. Where a fee shows as "tariff", the provider prices by activity band rather than a single headline rate — see the provider page.
One page per bank: all tiers, the full tariff, who actually holds your money, and who gets declined.
The matchups people actually agonise over — decided, not just described.
Eight deep dives scored on usefulness and rarity — from ANNA’s tax estimate to Monzo’s expense cards.
Browse → Three-wayMonzo wins on service and interest, Starling on credit and cheques, Revolut on currencies. Plus the protection question that is still live.
Read → Head-to-headMonzo is first in the UK for service and pays up to 3.25% on balances. Starling pays nothing — but it lends, and takes cheques.
Read → Head-to-headBoth built for sole traders, both e-money at root — but only one has a route to FSCS protection.
Read → Head-to-headThe two strongest free accounts. Mettle pays 1.46% and includes FreeAgent; Starling pays nothing but takes cheques and lends.
Read → High streetSimilar tariffs, different onboarding. Where each is genuinely faster to open.
Read → CategoryThe cash threshold at which a branch account stops being the expensive option and starts being the cheap one.
Read →Half the people searching for a business account are asking the wrong question first. These are the questions underneath it — starting with what a business bank account actually is and how to open one.
Enter your balance, payments and cash. It works out fees minus interest across 23 account tiers and names the cheapest.
Open the calculator → GuideThe legal position for limited companies, the small-print position for sole traders, and the honest answer for side hustles.
Read → Free toolMost declines are not about credit. This checks your Companies House record for the things that actually stop applications.
Run the check → Free toolProtection is £120,000 per firm, not per brand. Mettle shares with NatWest. Virgin Money shares with Nationwide.
Check your exposure → Data hubSavings rates net of cost, and a register of which legal entity actually holds your money. CSV downloads, free to reuse.
Browse → ComparisonMost banks say they are MTD ready. Only a handful actually give you the software — the rest just connect to what you already buy.
Compare → ComparisonYour phone is now a card terminal. Whether your bank or SumUp is cheaper turns entirely on your average sale — and the crossover is £80.
Compare → Start hereWhat it actually is, how it differs from a personal account, and what it will and will not do for you.
Read → GuideEvery line that moves your bill, including the interest you forgo. With worked examples.
Read → GuideWhere the tax crossover sits, what limited liability actually protects, and the admin you take on.
Read → GuideWhat each means in a failure, how long you wait for your money, and when the distinction stops being academic.
Read → GuideThe documents every provider asks for, and why "proof of address" means something different to a bank.
Read → GuideSIC codes, address mismatches, overseas directors — the causes that have nothing to do with your credit file.
Read → GuideWhat the Current Account Switch Service covers for businesses, what it doesn't, and the order to do things in.
Read →Every account scores out of five across seven weighted criteria. The weightings are published because a ranking you cannot interrogate is just an advert. Service quality and range of features together account for 39%, because an account you cannot get help with is not cheap at any price.
Costs come from published tariffs, with the version date recorded on every provider page.
Not our impression of the app. UK banks are legally required to publish independent service data under the CMA’s Retail Banking Order, surveyed by BVA BDRC (now part of Ipsos) and updated every six months. We combine it with public review platforms.
| CMA survey — overall service quality | 35% |
| CMA survey — online and mobile banking | 20% |
| CMA survey — relationship and account management | 15% |
| Trustpilot rating and volume | 18% |
| Smart Money People rating | 12% |
Around 1,200 customers per provider, 20,400 respondents in total, published August 2026. Five providers here — Revolut, ANNA, Wise, Airwallex and Allica — are below the survey threshold or are not banks, so their service score rests on review platforms alone. We say so on each of their pages.
A headline AER is not what you earn. A rate you can only reach by paying a monthly subscription costs you the subscription, and money you cannot touch for 95 days is not the same product as money you can draw tomorrow.
So we score the net yield: interest on a representative £25,000 reserve, minus the extra annual cost of the plan needed to unlock that rate, adjusted for how fast you can reach the money.
Worked example. 1.30% on a free account earns £325. 1.40% on a £10-a-month account earns £350 minus £120 in fees, so £230. The free account wins, and our scoring says so. Every provider page shows the free-tier rate separately so you can run your own balance.
Some links to providers earn a commission if you open an account. Those links are marked on every page, without exception. The plain-English version is on how this site works, alongside our terms and privacy policy.
Commission has no bearing on the ranking, the scores or what we are willing to say about a provider. Several accounts near the top of this page pay us nothing.
This site publishes journalism, not regulated financial advice, and does not take your circumstances into account. For advice on your business, speak to an accountant or an FCA-authorised adviser.
If you run a limited company: in practice, yes. The company is a separate legal person and its money isn't yours. Running it through a personal account creates a director's loan account tangle, costs you in accountancy fees, and looks bad if HMRC ever asks questions.
If you're a sole trader: no law compels you. But nearly every personal current account's terms and conditions prohibit business use, and banks enforce it — usually with two months' notice to leave, at the worst possible moment.
Sole trader is simpler: no Companies House filings, no separate accounts, profits are just your income. The catch is unlimited personal liability for business debts.
A limited company caps that liability and often becomes more tax-efficient somewhere in the £30,000–£40,000 profit range, though the crossover shifts with every Budget. You pay for it in admin, public filings, and the fact that a business account is no longer optional.
It's an accountant's question rather than a banker's, and a good one will save you more than they charge on this decision alone.
FSCS is a statutory guarantee. If a licensed bank fails, eligible deposits are compensated up to £120,000 per eligible depositor per institution, and payouts are typically fast.
Safeguarding is what e-money institutions do instead: your money sits in segregated accounts at partner banks, separate from the firm's own funds. If the firm fails you should get it back — but through an administration process, which is slower and less certain, with no statutory guarantee behind it.
For a small float it rarely matters. For a company holding a year of corporation tax, it matters a great deal.
Rarely because of a personal credit file. Far more often: your Companies House record doesn't match what you typed in, your SIC code sits on the provider's higher-risk list, your registered address is a formation agent's mailbox that can't be verified, a director or shareholder is overseas, or your description of the business doesn't explain where the money will come from.
Almost all of that is fixable before you apply.
Yes, and for many businesses it's the sensible answer. A licensed bank for the balance you can't afford to lose, plus an e-money account for the tooling, gets you both. Just keep the tax money on the protected side.
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