Best company formation service UK, and how to actually pick one
There are dozens of company formation services in the UK, and honestly, most of them do the basic job perfectly well, get your company registered at Companies House correctly. The real differences show up in what comes bundled alongside it.
If you want formation and a business account in one step
Tide, ANNA, and Revolut will all form your company for free when you open an account with them, since a new banking customer is worth more to them than the small filing fee. This is genuinely the fastest route if you haven’t picked a bank yet either.
If you specifically want the cheapest possible route
Registering directly with Companies House yourself costs a small fixed filing fee and takes about ten minutes if you already know your details. No bundled extras, no account required, just the bare registration.
If you want a registered office address included
Some formation services bundle a registered office address (useful if you don’t want your home address on the public register), which independent registration through Companies House doesn’t include unless you arrange it separately.
The honest recommendation
Haven’t chosen a bank yet: pick a formation-plus-banking bundle and save yourself a step. Already banking somewhere and just need the company registered: go direct through Companies House, it’s cheaper and just as valid. There’s no formation service that makes your company “more official” than any other, they all end up on the same public register either way.
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.