What is the best business banking app in the UK?

There's no single best app for every business — Starling Bank Business is our top overall pick for its free account and unlimited transfers, Anna Money suits new traders wanting free invoicing tools, and Tide is popular for fast account opening. See the full comparison table for fees, features and who each provider suits.

Are digital business bank accounts safe?

The providers on this page are UK-regulated banks or e-money institutions. Full banks (e.g. Starling, Monzo) offer FSCS protection up to £120,000; e-money institutions safeguard funds differently rather than through FSCS — check each provider's own terms for the specifics that apply to your account.

Home / Business Banking

Updated for 2026

Compare mobile-first business accounts and open banking tools

Mobile-first business current accounts, plus the open banking infrastructure behind instant bank-to-bank payments.

This comparison covers the digital business banking apps and platforms UK sole traders and small businesses actually shortlist — app-first accounts you can open in minutes, alongside the open banking infrastructure some also run on behind the scenes. Each is scored on the same criteria: monthly fees, transfer allowances, features and support.

Pricing checked: 30 July 2026 See our WMP Score methodology.

Business accounts

Mobile business banking

🏆

Best overall

Starling Bank — genuinely free business account with unlimited free UK transfers and no catches.

💷

Best value

Anna Money's free tier gives strong invoicing tools with no monthly fee for new traders.

⭐

Best for ease of use

Tide — fast account opening and built-in invoicing, popular with sole traders and freelancers.

Provider	Best for	Monthly fee	Est. annual cost	WMP score	Action
Starling Bank Business	No monthly fee & unlimited free transfers	Free	£0	★★★★★4.7/5	See Starling Business offers (opens in a new tab)
View full Starling details Transfers Unlimited free UK Faster Payments and BACS, no per-payment charge Features Accounting software integrations, team cards Pricing checked 30 July 2026 — cross-checked third-party UK sources
Wise Business	International trading & multi-currency	£50 one-off setup, no monthly fee	£0/yr (£50 one-off)	★★★★★4.7/5	See Wise Business offers (opens in a new tab)
View full Wise Business details Currencies Hold, convert and send in 22 currencies; FX from 0.33% at the mid-market rate, volume discount above £20,000/month sent Features Invoicing, payment links, batch payments (up to 1,000 payees at once), team permissions, interest on GBP/EUR/USD balances, accounting software sync Eligibility Sole traders, limited companies, LLPs and partnerships; non-UK-resident directors/UBOs accepted for a UK-incorporated company Support 24/7 via phone, email or chat Best fit note Weakest fit for a UK-only business with no FX needs — the £50 setup fee buys multi-currency features a domestic-only business wouldn't use Pricing checked 30 July 2026 — wise.com/gb/business, wise.com/gb/pricing/business
Mettle	Free account with built-in FreeAgent accounting	Free (Mettle+ £4/mo optional)	£0	★★★★☆4.0/5	See Mettle offers (opens in a new tab)
View full Mettle details Owned by NatWest Included Free FreeAgent accounting software (worth ~£150+/year), Tax Pot and Scheduled Saver tools, 0% non-sterling card spend (per secondary sources) Important limitation No international bank transfers/SWIFT/CHAPS support — a genuine gap versus Wise Business or Revolut Eligibility Sole traders and limited companies with up to two owners (only one gets account access); UK tax-resident owners; FSCS protected up to £120,000 Pricing checked 30 July 2026 — mettle.co.uk (fees/tariff page not published; card/FX detail cross-checked via secondary sources)
Anna Money	Invoicing & expense tracking for new traders	Free (Pay As You Go)	£0	★★★★☆4.1/5	See Anna Money offers (opens in a new tab)
View full Anna Money details Strengths Strong invoicing and expense tools Weaker area Cash handling reported as a weaker point vs. competitors Pricing checked 30 July 2026 — cross-checked third-party UK sources
Tide	Fast-opening account with built-in invoicing	Free, or £12.49-£69.99/mo (Smart/Pro/Max)	£0	★★★★☆4.1/5	See Tide offers (opens in a new tab)
View full Tide details Free tier caveat No monthly fee, but charges apply on bank transfers, non-sterling card transactions, and cash withdrawals/deposits Paid tiers Smart £12.49/mo, Pro ~£24.99-27.49/mo, Max £69.99/mo — unlock more free transfers and features Pricing checked 30 July 2026 — cross-checked third-party UK sources
Monzo Business	Simple, app-first banking for small teams	Free (Lite), £9/mo (Pro), £25/mo (Team)	£0	★★★★☆4.2/5	See Monzo Business offers (opens in a new tab)
View full Monzo Business details Free tier No monthly fee, no domestic transfer fees, FSCS protection up to £120,000, expense "pots" Paid tiers Pro (£9/mo) and Team (£25/mo) unlock multi-user access, invoicing and budgeting tools Pricing checked 30 July 2026 — cross-checked third-party UK sources
Zempler Bank	No credit check & overdraft available	Go £0/mo, Extra £9/mo, Pro £19/mo	£0	★★★★☆4.1/5	See Zempler Bank offers (opens in a new tab)
View full Zempler Bank details Rebrand note Formerly Cashplus Bank — cashplus.com now redirects to zemplerbank.com; use the current name in any new copy Card/FX fees Foreign transaction fee 2.99% (Go), fee-free abroad (Extra/Pro); domestic transfers free up to a monthly cap then 35p each Features Business overdraft up to £10,000; Pro tier adds dedicated account management, up to 1% cashback, unlimited ATM withdrawals Eligibility Sole traders, limited companies, partnerships and charities; no credit check or trading history required to open (per independent reviews, not primary-sourced) Pricing checked 30 July 2026 — zemplerbank.com/business/current-account/pricing
Countingup	Built-in bookkeeping & HMRC VAT filing	£3-£18/mo by deposit volume (3-month free trial)	£36	★★★★☆4.0/5	See Countingup offers (opens in a new tab)
View full Countingup details Tiers £3/mo (deposits £0-£750), £9/mo (£750.01-£7,500), £18/mo (unlimited) — after a 3-month free trial Features Real-time tax estimate, automatic receipt/expense categorisation, free VAT filing direct to HMRC, invoicing with payment links Eligibility Sole trader or limited company (max two directors, all UK-resident); 18+, UK resident Support limitation 9am-5pm Monday-Friday only — no weekend support, a recurring criticism in independent reviews Pricing checked 30 July 2026 — countingup.com/pricing
Revolut Business	Growing businesses needing multi-currency	£10/mo (Basic), £35/mo (Grow), £125/mo (Scale)	£120	★★★★☆4.0/5	See Revolut Business offers (opens in a new tab)
View full Revolut Business details Discount Up to 28% off if you pay annually on Grow/Scale/Enterprise Features Strong multi-currency accounts and FX tools, expense cards for staff Pricing checked 30 July 2026 — revolut.com/business (official fee pages)
Revolut Pro	Freelancers wanting premium perks	£65/mo + VAT per person	£780	★★★☆☆3.6/5	See Revolut Pro offers (opens in a new tab)
View full Revolut Pro details Correction from earlier research Revolut Pro is priced at £65/month + VAT per person — a premium tier justified by bundled perks/benefits (reported at £4,000+/year in value), not a low-cost entry option for solo freelancers as sometimes assumed. Compare carefully against Anna Money or Tide's free tiers if budget is the main concern Pricing checked 30 July 2026 — cross-checked third-party UK sources
Coconut	Sole trader tax & Self Assessment filing	£12.99/mo (flagship MTD Filing plan)	£156	★★★☆☆3.3/5	See Coconut offers (opens in a new tab)
View full Coconut details Important — not a full bank account Coconut is a tax/bookkeeping and Making Tax Digital (MTD) filing app that connects to a bank account, not a standalone business current account like the other providers on this page — don't mistake it for a like-for-like alternative Plans MTD Bridging £49.99/year; MTD Filing £12.99/mo or £129.99/year (flagship); +Self Assessment £129.99/year; Full bundle £159.99/year. 14-day free trial, no card required Eligibility — limited scope Designed specifically for sole traders, landlords and CIS subcontractors; limited-company support is basic and doesn't cover Corporation Tax or statutory accounts Card/FX fees Not publicly disclosed — Coconut isn't a card-focused product Pricing checked 30 July 2026 — getcoconut.com/pricing
Memo Bank	SMEs wanting relationship banking	Not publicly disclosed	Not disclosed	★★☆☆☆2.5/5	Get a Memo Bank quote (opens in a new tab)
View full Memo Bank details Data availability Limited public UK pricing information found during research — contact directly for current terms Pricing checked 30 July 2026 — no detailed public UK pricing found

Open banking & A2A

Open banking & account-to-account payments

Provider	Best for	Pricing	WMP score	Action
GoCardless	Recurring/subscription payment collection	1% + 20p, capped at £4/transaction (Standard plan)	★★★★☆4.1/5	See GoCardless pricing (opens in a new tab)
View full GoCardless details UK Bacs Direct Debit 1% per transaction, capped at £2 No setup fee or monthly minimum Confirmed on Standard plan Pricing checked 30 July 2026 — support.gocardless.com pricing article
Ecospend	UK-native, government-grade open banking	Not publicly disclosed	★★★☆☆3.2/5	Get a Ecospend quote (opens in a new tab)
View full Ecospend details Ownership Acquired by Trustly (completed May 2022, FCA-approved Jan 2023) — now trades as "Ecospend, a Trustly Company," not simply renamed to Trustly UK credibility 80+ UK bank connections via proprietary technology, no third-party aggregator dependency; the open banking provider behind HMRC tax payments since March 2021 — the one open banking provider on this page needing no "is it available in the UK" caveat Pricing Enterprise/quote-only — not published; site emphasises cost savings vs. card interchange rather than its own fee schedule Pricing checked 30 July 2026 — ecospend.com
TrueLayer	Instant bank-to-bank payments at scale	Not publicly disclosed	★★☆☆☆2.5/5	Get a TrueLayer quote (opens in a new tab)
View full TrueLayer details Market context UK pay-by-bank typically costs 0.1-0.5% or a flat 5-30p industry-wide — much cheaper than card schemes (1.5-3.5%), though TrueLayer's own rate isn't publicly published Pricing checked 30 July 2026 — no public rate card found
Plaid	Bank data connectivity for apps	Not publicly disclosed	★★☆☆☆2.5/5	Get a Plaid quote (opens in a new tab)
View full Plaid details Pricing model Typically volume/usage-based, quoted individually Pricing checked 30 July 2026 — no public UK rate card found
Volt	Real-time account-to-account payments	Not publicly disclosed	★★☆☆☆2.4/5	Get a Volt quote (opens in a new tab)
View full Volt details Positioning Global reach for pay-by-bank/A2A payments at merchant scale Pricing checked 30 July 2026 — no public rate card found
Token.io	Open banking payment infrastructure	Not publicly disclosed	★★☆☆☆2.3/5	Get a Token.io quote (opens in a new tab)
View full Token.io details Pricing model Enterprise/partner-led, quoted individually Pricing checked 30 July 2026 — no public UK rate card found

This page is a comparison tool, not financial advice — nothing here is a recommendation tailored to your circumstances, and account fees, eligibility and features vary and change over time, so always confirm current terms directly with the provider before opening an account. See our Terms & Conditions. We may earn a commission when you sign up through a link on this page, at no extra cost to you. See our Affiliate Disclosure and Editorial Policy.

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