Business Bank Accounts
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1 min read
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While the order, sequence, or placement of some products and services may be influenced in certain cases by these commercial arrangements, these do not affect our impartial evaluations of the products or services we review on our site. Our assessments are based on factors such as fees, customer service, and product features.

When we refer to a product as the ‘best’ this reflects our assessment according to specific criteria. These evaluations are intended solely for educational purposes and should not be considered financial advice or a recommendation. We encourage you to assess your specific needs and explore multiple options before making any financial decisions.

Whether you’re a fledgling start-up or an established business looking to switch business bank accounts, use our comparison tool to make the right choice for your UK-based company.

>>Read our main page on the best business bank accounts

Monthly Fee

£0

Bank Transfers

20p

Card Purchases

£0

Overdraft

No

FSCS Protection

Yes
Our Rating

Accessibility

Access your Tide account via the web or the mobile app

Eligibility Criteria

– You must be at least 18 years old.
– You must have a valid UK phone number.
– You must have a device that can access the UK Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
– You must be either the director of an active company registered with UK Companies House or a sole trader/freelancer registered with HMRC.
– Charities/trusts and other high-risk industries are not eligible.
– Businesses operating from outside the UK are excluded.

Revolut Business Basic Account

Monthly Fee

£0

Bank Transfers

20p Tooltip
5 Free per month

Card Purchases

£0

Overdraft

No

FSCS Protection

No
Our Rating

Accessibility

Access your Revolut account via the web or mobile app

Eligibility Criteria

– You must be at least 18 years old.
– Your business must have a physical presence in the UK, EEA or Switzerland.
– You must be a private limited company, public limited company, Limited Liability partnership or partnership.
– Charities/trusts and other high-risk organisations are not eligible.
– Businesses operating from outside the supported countries are excluded.

Monthly Fee

£0

Bank Transfers

30p Tooltip
3 free per month

Card Purchases

£0

Overdraft

Yes

FSCS Protection

No
Our Rating

Accessibility

Access your Zempler Bank account via the web or the mobile app

Eligibility Criteria

– You must be at least 18 years old and have a UK residential address.
– You must be a sole trader, director of a limited company, a charity or a partnership based in the UK.
– Sole traders cannot be registered at UK Companies House. Limited companies must have no more than 4 PSCs registered with Companies House.
– High-risk organisations are not eligible.
– Businesses operating from outside the UK are excluded.

ANNA Money Pay as You Go Account

Monthly Fee

£0

Bank Transfers

20p

Card Purchases

£0

Overdraft

No

FSCS Protection

No
Our Rating

App Access

Access your ANNA Money account via the web or the mobile app

Eligibility Criteria

– You must be at least 18 years old.
– You must be a sole trader, a director of a limited company (and listed on Companies House) or a partner in a Limited Liability Partnership (LLP).
– You must have a UK residential address.
– Charities/trusts and other high-risk businesses are not eligible.
– Businesses not based in the UK are excluded.

Card One Money Business Account

Monthly Fee

£12.50

Bank Transfers

£0

Card Purchases

£0

Overdraft

No

FSCS Protection

No
Trustpilot Score
898 Reviews, average rating of 4.5/5

Accessibility

Access your Card One Money account via the web and mobile app

Eligibility Criteria

– You must be at least 18 years of age.
– You must reside within the UK.
– Your business must be registered within the UK.
– Businesses operating outside the UK are excluded.
– Companies that are listed as directors are not eligible.

Wise Business Account

Monthly Fee

£0

Bank Transfers

Variable

Card Purchases

Variable

Overdraft

No

FSCS Protection

No
Trustpilot Score
231,710 Reviews, average rating of 4.3/5

Accessibility

Access your Wise account via the web or mobile app

Eligibility Criteria

– You must be 18 years of age or older.
– Almost all businesses are eligible, but you must provide proof of address for the account representative.
– Your business must operate within the supported countries.
– High-risk companies and charities/trusts operating outside certain countries are not eligible.

Monthly Fee

£3

Bank Transfers

30p

Card Purchases

£0

Overdraft

No

FSCS Protection

No
Trustpilot Score
2,551 Reviews, average rating of 4.2/5

App Access

You can access your Countingup account via the web or the mobile app

Eligibility Criteria

– You must be at least 18 years old.
– You must be either a sole trader or the director of a limited company.
– You must be a UK resident.
– Other business types are not eligible.
– Businesses operating outside the UK are excluded.

FSCS Protection: No, Countingup is not FSCS protected.

Trustpilot Score: 2,342 Reviews with an average rating of 4.4/5.

Airwallex Business Account

Monthly Fee

£0

Bank Transfers

£0

Card Purchases

£0

Overdraft

No

FSCS Protection

No
Our Rating

Accessibility

Access your Airwallex account via the web and mobile app

Eligibility Criteria

– You must be over 18 years old
– You must be a business operating within one of the supported countries/regions
– Your business must be registered and have a physical address.
– Charities and other high-risk organisations are not eligible

HSBC Kinetic Current Account

Monthly Fee

£6.50 Tooltip
Free for 12 Months (Refers to the monthly account maintenance fee only).

Bank Transfers

£0 Tooltip
Direct Debits & Internal Transfers: Free; CHAPS: £20 to another HSBC Group bank account, £30 to a non-HSBC Group bank account via by phone or in-branch banking.

Card Purchases

£0 Tooltip
Applies to the UK only. Non-Sterling Transaction fee – 2.99% of the sterling amount of the transaction, minimum £3. Cash Fee – 2.99% of the amount advanced, minimum £3.

Overdraft

Yes Tooltip
Overdrafts from HSBC are not offered by default and are available to eligible businesses only.

FSCS Protection

Yes Tooltip
HSBC UK Bank plc is protected by FSCS.
Our Rating

Accessibility

Access your HSBC account via their mobile app, phone, or in branch.

Eligibility Criteria

– You must be at least 18 years of age and reside within the UK.
– You must be a sole trader or the sole director of a limited company operating within the UK.
– You must have an annual income of no more than £6.5m.
– Businesses operating from outside of the UK, within the Isle of Mann or the Channel Islands, are not eligible.
– *Get a £100 Amazon.co.uk gift card when you open an HSBC Kinetic Current Account and make 10 qualifying transactions.

Cynergy Bank Business Current Account

Monthly Fee

£25 Tooltip
Free for 12 months

Bank Transfers

£0 Tooltip
100 per month limit

Card Purchases

£0 Tooltip
100 per month limit

Overdraft

Yes

FSCS Protection

No
Our Rating

Accessibility

Access your Cynergy account via the web

Eligibility Criteria

– The business must be based in the UK and registered with Companies House if required.
– Eligible entities include sole traders, partnerships, limited liability partnerships, and limited companies.
– Businesses may have up to 10 named individuals, including partners, directors, and shareholders. Shareholders who own 10% or more of the business must be included.
– Charities or trusts are not eligible.
– Businesses not based in the UK are excluded.

Metro Bank Business Bank Account

Monthly Fee

£0

Bank Transfers

30p Tooltip
30 Free per month

Card Purchases

30p Tooltip
30 Free per month

Overdraft

Yes

FSCS Protection

No
Our Rating

Accessibility

Access your Metro Bank account via the web or the mobile app

Eligibility Criteria

– You must be over 18 years’ old.
– Your business must not exceed £2mil for this account.
– You must be one of the following: sole trader, limited company, limited guarantee, or limited liability partnership.
– Charities or trusts are not eligible.
– Businesses not based in the UK are excluded.

Mettle Business Bank Account

Monthly Fee

£0

Bank Transfers

£0

Card Purchases

£0

Overdraft

No

FSCS Protection

Yes
Our Rating

Accessibility

Access your Mettle account via the web or mobile app

Eligibility Criteria

– You must be a UK resident and at least 18 years of age.
– You must be a sole trader or a limited company with a maximum of two owners.
– You must have a main account balance not exceeding £1m.
– You must have a UK phone number.
– You must have an iOS device running iOS 13 or later or an Android device running Android 7.0 or later.
– You must pay tax and only be a tax resident in the UK.
– Businesses operating from outside the UK are excluded.
– PLCs, charities and high-risk organisations are not eligible.

Monzo Business Lite Account

Monthly Fee

£0

Bank Transfers

£0 Tooltip
Taking payments by Easy Bank Transfer are free until 2025.

Card Purchases

£0

Overdraft

Yes Tooltip
Eligible sole traders can apply for an overdraft of up to £2,000 with representative EAR of 39.0% (variable). Limited companies are not eligible.

FSCS Protection

Yes
Our Rating

Accessibility

Access your Monzo account via the web or mobile app

Eligibility Criteria

– You must be at least 16 years of age.
– You must be a sole trader or the director of a limited company registered with Companies House, you must be based in the UK.
– You must be a tax resident in the UK only.
– LLPs, PLCs, charities and high-risk organisations are not eligible.
– Businesses operating from outside the UK are excluded.

NatWest Business Bank Account

Monthly Fee

£0

Bank Transfers

£0 Tooltip
Free banking on everyday transactions for 2 years when you switch your business current account to NatWest using the Current Account Switch Service.

Card Purchases

£0 Tooltip
Free banking on everyday transactions for 2 years when you switch your business current account to NatWest using the Current Account Switch Service.

Overdraft

Yes Tooltip
You can borrow up to £50,000 unsecured, subject to approval.

FSCS Protection

Yes
Our Rating

Accessibility

Access your NatWest account via the web, mobile app or telephone

Eligibility Criteria

– You must be aged 18+.
– At least one person on the application must be a UK resident.
– You must be a sole trader or the owner/director of your company.
– Your business has an annual turnover of either more than £1 million or below £1 million but has been trading for over a year.
– Your business must be registered for tax purposes in the UK.
– You haven’t been declared bankrupt or received a County Court Judgment or Court Decree.
– Businesses operating from outside the UK are excluded.
– High-risk organisations are not eligible.

Starling Bank Business Current Account

Monthly Fee

£0

Bank Transfers

£0

Card Purchases

£0

Overdraft

Yes Tooltip
Eligible customers can apply for an overdraft between £1,000 and £50,000.

FSCS Protection

Yes
Our Rating

Accessibility

Access your Starling Bank account via the web or mobile app

Eligibility Criteria

– All directors with access to the account must be at least 16 years old and UK residents.
– All Persons of Significant Control must be UK residents and natural persons.
– You must be either a sole trader or the director of a limited company or LLP registered with Companies House.
– The business must not be a holding company, dissolved, or in liquidation.
– Businesses operating from outside the UK are excluded.
– Charities/trusts and high-risk businesses are not eligible.

Virgin Money M Account for Business

Monthly Fee

£6.50 Tooltip
Free for 25 months for new businesses and new Virgin Money customers when you open an account or use the Current Account Switch Service.

Bank Transfers

£0 Tooltip
BACS, standing orders and direct debits are free. CHAPS are £17.50 through Business Internet Banking or £25.00 through stores and telephone banking.

Card Purchases

£0 Tooltip
Free for purchases in GBP, Euro, Swedish Krona and Romanian Leu. Purchases in other currencies incur a fee of 2.75% the transaction value, with a minimum amount of £1.50.

Overdraft

Yes Tooltip
Subject to eligibility and status. Interest rate negotiable.

FSCS Protection

Yes
Our Rating

Accessibility

Access your Virgin Money account via the web, mobile app or telephone

Eligibility Criteria

– You must be 18 years old.
– You must be the owner/director of your business, which must be based and operate in the UK (except the Channel Islands, Isle of Man, and NI).
– At least one business owner needs to be a UK resident.
– You must have a maximum annual turnover of no more than £1 million to apply for an M Account or no more than £6.5 million for the Business Current or Choice Accounts.
– You must not be currently bankrupt.
– You must not have ever been disqualified as a company director.
– Businesses operating from the Channel Islands, Isle of Mann, NI or outside the UK are excluded.
– Charities, those holding clients’ money and high-risk organisations are not eligible.

Why Compare Business Bank Accounts with Business Expert?

When starting or running a small business, choosing the right business bank account is crucial but can be overwhelming. There are many options to consider from traditional banks, online banks, and fintech companies. This is where using a comparison service like Business Expert can be extremely helpful.

Here are some key reasons why comparing business bank accounts on Business Expert is beneficial:

  • Saves You Time: Instead of spending hours researching different business accounts on multiple bank websites, you can simply enter your business details on Business Expert and instantly see a list of recommended accounts based on your needs. This streamlined approach saves you significant research time.
  • Comprehensive Options: Business Expert provides extensive coverage, comparing business accounts from over 30 top banks and fintechs. This includes the major high street banks as well as specialist business account providers. You get a complete overview in one place.

  • Tailored Recommendations: The smart comparison tool asks you questions about your business to deliver personalized recommendations suited to your specific requirements, size and sector. This prevents you from becoming overwhelmed with irrelevant options.

  • Detailed Account Information: Business Expert provides in-depth details on each account’s features, fees, interest rates, and small print. You can easily compare costs, benefits and policies across providers to make an informed decision.

  • User Reviews: Real customer reviews on Business Expert provide transparent feedback on service quality and experience with various providers. This helps you select an account from a reputable bank that matches your needs.

  • Quick & Easy Account Opening: Once you’ve chosen an account, Business Expert allows you to complete the application seamlessly online and start the account opening process rapidly.

Using Business Expert to compare and open a business bank account simplifies the entire process while ensuring you make the right choice for your company’s banking needs.

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