Is it better to register your company through a bank?
Registering through a bank that bundles in free formation feels like an obviously good deal, and often it is, but it’s worth understanding what you’re actually trading to get there.
The genuine upside
You save the Companies House filing fee, and you get banking sorted in the same step, which is genuinely convenient if you haven’t picked an account yet. For a lot of first-time founders, this removes one entire task from an already long list.
What you’re implicitly committing to
You’re choosing your bank account at the same moment you’re choosing how to register your company, which means the decision is being made faster than it might deserve. If the bank’s account isn’t actually the best fit for how you want to operate, you’ve picked it partly for the free formation rather than on its own merits.
The alternative
Register directly with Companies House yourself, a genuinely quick process, then shop for a business account entirely on its own features without formation muddying the decision. This costs you the small filing fee but keeps the two decisions properly separate.
The honest recommendation
If you already know which bank you want, and it happens to offer free formation, brilliant, take it. If you’re not sure which bank suits you yet, register directly first and choose your account with a clear head afterward. Don’t let a free filing fee rush a decision you’ll be living with for years.
Some links here are referral links, if you sign up we may earn a fee at no cost to you, it never changes the order we list things in. Fees and terms change, always check Companies House and the provider’s own site for the current numbers. This is information, not legal advice.