Provider directory

Every UK business account provider

One page per provider, covering all tiers, the full published tariff, the application process end to end, who gets declined, and exactly which legal entity holds your money.

17 providers · 28 account tiersRegulatory status checked 4 August 2026

Read the shield before the price

Every provider page opens with the same three facts: which company you are actually contracting with, whether it holds a UK banking licence, and what happens to your money if it fails.

FSCS protectedLicensed bank

Check your entityVaries by account

Safeguarded onlyE-money institution

High street banks

Branch access, cash handling, overdrafts and lending. All hold full UK banking licences.

BarclaysFSCSStart-up · Business · Business £400k+12 months free, then a monthly fee and per-£100 cash charges. HSBCFSCSKinetic · Small Business · Business BankingKinetic is app-first; the full account keeps branch and lending access. NatWestFSCSBusiness Current · Foundation · MettleFree FreeAgent across the range, and it owns Mettle outright. LloydsFSCSBusiness Current Account · Bank of ScotlandTwo cash tariffs — machine and counter — and the gap is wide. SantanderFSCSBusiness Current Account tiersPriced by activity band rather than a single headline fee. Virgin MoneyFSCSM Account · Business Current · Choice · Client25 months free banking, the longest on the high street. Co-operative BankFSCSBusiness DirectplusNo monthly fee, but a percentage cash charge that punishes retail.

Digital banks

App-first providers that hold their own UK banking licence, so deposits carry statutory FSCS protection.

StarlingFSCSBusiness · Accounting Essentials · Accounting PlusThe benchmark free account. Cash via Post Office, overdraft on application. MonzoFSCSBusiness Lite · Pro · TeamBest app in the market; integrations sit behind the paid tier. MettleFSCSSingle free tier · NatWest GroupFree FreeAgent included. No cheques, no overdraft, no international. Zempler BankFSCSGo · Extra · Pro · formerly CashplusAccepts applicants other banks decline. A stepping stone, not a destination. Allica BankFSCSBusiness Rewards AccountAimed at established SMEs: interest on balances plus cashback. Revolut BusinessCheck entityBasic · Grow · Scale · EnterpriseBank licence granted March 2026, but migration is still in progress.

E-money providers

Authorised and regulated by the FCA, but not banks. Money is safeguarded in segregated accounts rather than covered by the FSCS. We cap these at 3.5 out of 5, however good the product is.

TideCheck sort codeFree · Plus · Pro · CashbackNewer accounts run through ClearBank and are FSCS-eligible. Legacy ones aren't. ANNA MoneySafeguardedPay As You Go · Business · Big BusinessBest-in-class tax tooling for self-filing sole traders. Wise BusinessSafeguardedOne-off setup fee, no monthlyBuilt for cross-currency work, not for UK-only banking. AirwallexSafeguardedTiered by volumeMulti-currency operations for scaling companies.

What "provider" means on this site

The brand on the app is not always the firm holding your money. Tide is not a bank; ClearBank is. Mettle is a trading name of National Westminster Bank plc. ANNA's card is issued by a separate authorised e-money institution.

Every provider page names the legal entity, its FCA firm reference number, and the date we last checked it against the Financial Services Register. If we can't verify it, we say so rather than guessing.