Best free business bank account UK, no catches
“Free” business banking sometimes comes with an asterisk, a fee for cash deposits, a charge past a certain number of transfers, a paid tier required for the features you actually need. Here’s what’s genuinely free without much of a catch.
Starling
No monthly fee on the standard business account, and it’s a fully licensed bank with FSCS protection. The main cost most people hit is a small charge for cash deposits, which won’t matter if your business barely handles physical cash.
Mettle
Free, backed by NatWest, with built in bookkeeping and invoicing tools included at no extra cost. One of the cleanest genuinely free options currently available.
Tide and ANNA
Both offer solid free tiers, with paid plans layering on extras like priority support or advanced invoicing features. The free tier covers most solo founders and small teams perfectly well.
What to actually check before you commit
Read the specific line items that apply to how you work: cash handling fees if you take physical payments, transfer limits if you send a high volume of payments monthly, and FX charges if you deal in other currencies. For a typical digital-first small business, the free tiers above cost little to nothing in real use.
Some links here are referral links, if you sign up with a partner we may earn a fee at no cost to you. It never changes what we recommend or the order we list it, and where the free option is genuinely the best one, that’s what we’ll say. Details change, always check current terms on the provider’s own site. This is information, not financial advice.