Comparison
Best business savings accounts
A headline AER is not what you earn. A rate you can only reach by paying a subscription costs you the subscription, and money you cannot touch for 95 days is a different product entirely.
Our picks
Allica Bank
2.83% AER on a free account with instant access — around £833 a year on £25,000, the best net figure in our table. Established businesses only.
Monzo Business
1.30% AER on free Lite and Pro, rising to 3.25% on Team at £25 a month. That upgrade only pays for itself above roughly £15,400 of balance.
Tide
2.00% AER on the free plan — and at £25,000 it beats every one of Tide’s own paid tiers once the plan fee is counted.
Compared
Scores use our seven weighted criteria. Run your own figures on the true cost calculator.
| Account | Rate on free tier | Best rate | Cost to reach it | Access | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AlAllica Bank | 2.83% | 3.33% with boosts | None | Instant | 4.0 |
| TTide | 2.00% | 3.25% on Max | £839.88 for Max | Instant | 3.8 |
| MMettle by NatWest | 1.46% | 1.46% | None | Instant | 3.9 |
| MoMonzo Business | 1.30% | 3.25% on Team | £300 for Team | Instant | 4.3 |
| VVirgin Money | 3.50% | Same | None | Instant | 4.1 |
| RRevolut Business | None on Basic | 2.15% on Grow | £240 extra | Instant | 3.6 |
| AANNA Money | 1.00% | 3.04% on Big Business | Plan fee | Instant | 3.4 |
| CCo-operative Bank | 1.06% | 1.38% on Plus | Monthly fee | Instant | 3.3 |
| HHSBC Business | 1.21% | 1.31% above £1m | None | Instant or 30 day | 3.7 |
| HHSBC Business | 1.21% | 1.31% above £1m | None | Instant or 30 day | 3.7 |
| Barclays Business | 1.05% | 1.51% above £10m | None | Instant | 3.6 |
| NNatWest Business | 0.85% | 2.50% on 95-day notice | None | Instant or notice | 3.6 |
| SaSantander Business | 0.80% | 3.25% fixed bond | £10,000 minimum | Instant or fixed | 3.3 |
| LLloyds Business | 0.50% | 2.66% on notice | £10,000 minimum | Instant or notice | 3.5 |
| SStarling Business | None | None | — | — | 4.2 |
How much of Bank Rate do they pass on?
Every provider below earns Bank Rate on money it holds. This is how much of it reaches you, on the rate available without paying for a plan.
How we score interest
We calculate 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 quickly you can reach the money.
net = (rate × £25,000) − (extra annual plan cost) × access factor
Access factors: instant 1.00, notice 0.90, fixed term 0.82, non-deposit 0.70. A rate you cannot reach for 95 days is worth measurably less than one you can draw tomorrow.
Two providers that lose you money by upgrading
Tide. The free plan pays 2.00% and earns £500 on £25,000. Smart at £149.88 a year pays 2.50% and nets £475. Pro nets £420. Max, at £839.88 a year for 3.25%, nets minus £27. The highest advertised rate on Tide’s own chart is the worst outcome at this balance.
ANNA. Free Pay As You Go pays 1.00%. The Business plan pays 1.51%, which only beats free if the plan costs under about £10.60 a month. It does not.
The high street is where rates go to die
Every provider below is a licensed UK bank with identical FSCS protection. On a £25,000 instant access balance:
- Virgin Money 3.50% — £875 a year
- HSBC 1.21% — £302
- Co-operative Bank 1.06% — £265
- Barclays 1.05% — £262
- NatWest 0.85% — £213
- Santander 0.80% — £200
- Lloyds 0.50% — £125
That is a sevenfold difference between two high-street banks for the same money, the same access and the same protection. Virgin is the outlier; the rest cluster around 1%.
Rates also move without announcement. HSBC cut its instant access tiers on 10 March 2026, taking the bottom band from 1.33% to 1.21% — visible only because HSBC publishes old and new rates side by side in its summary box. Most providers do not.
Two presentational habits make this harder to see than it should be. Tiered rates: NatWest advertises “0.85% to 1.46%” and Barclays “1.05% to 1.51%”, but those upper figures begin at £1m and £10m respectively. Almost every small business earns the bottom number. Conditional rates: Santander’s Business Reward Saver pays 1.00% only in months where you make no withdrawals — a savings rate contingent on not using the savings.
If you want more without leaving your bank, notice accounts pay considerably better: NatWest 2.50% at 95 days, Lloyds up to 2.66%, Santander 3.25% on a fixed bond. All require you to give up access, and most require a £10,000 minimum.
The protection question
Chasing rate into an unprotected product is a poor trade on a business reserve. Wise advertises the highest headline here at 3.50% on GBP — but it is not a deposit. The money is invested in a fund, Wise states plainly that capital is at risk, and there is no FSCS cover.
Remember too that FSCS protection is £120,000 per authorised firm, not per account. Mettle shares a limit with NatWest, RBS and Ulster Bank. If your reserve is larger, spread it across genuinely separate institutions.
You do not have to save where you bank
Virgin Money’s Business Access Savings Account can be opened without holding its current account — unusual, since almost every rival ties the rate to the current account or a paid plan. If your bank pays nothing, that is a route to a better rate without switching your day-to-day banking.
Run your own figure on the true cost calculator, which nets interest against fees across every account we track.
Common questions
What is the best business savings rate in the UK?
On net return after any plan cost, Allica at 2.83% AER on a free account with instant access produces the best figure we model — around £833 a year on £25,000. Virgin Money advertises 3.55% but we have not verified it against its own site.
Does Starling pay interest on business accounts?
No. Starling pays nothing on business balances. Its Easy Saver and Fixed Saver are personal products requiring a Starling personal current account.
Is it worth upgrading a plan to get a better savings rate?
Often not. Tide Max costs £839.88 a year for 3.25% and leaves you worse off than Tide’s free plan at £25,000. Monzo Team costs £300 for 3.25% and only pays for itself above roughly £15,400 of balance. Always net the plan cost off the interest.
Are business savings accounts FSCS protected?
Those with licensed banks are, up to £120,000 per eligible depositor per authorised firm. Products from e-money firms are not, and fund-based products like Wise Business Interest are investments where capital is at risk.
Can I open a business savings account without switching bank?
Yes in some cases. Virgin Money’s Business Access Savings Account does not require you to hold its business current account, which is unusual — most rivals tie the rate to the current account or a paid plan.