Tide Business Account Review [2025]: Features & Fees

Tide is a fast, mobile-friendly business account for UK startups, best for basic needs but limited for growing or international businesses.

Tide is a digital business account designed for UK-based freelancers, sole traders, and limited companies. It’s fast to open, easy to use, and appeals to business owners who want a simple way to manage money from their phone. The free plan lowers the barrier to entry, and Tide’s paid tiers give you room to upgrade as your needs grow.

What works well here seems to be the balance between accessibility and structure. You don’t need to visit a branch or complete a lengthy process to open an account, and Tide gives you the flexibility to try a higher-tier plan with its 3-month trial. For many early-stage businesses, that kind of simplicity is exactly what they need.

But the lower tiers come with trade-offs. You’ll start paying per transfer, per card, and for many of the tools you may eventually rely on as your business grows. Startups with simple, domestic needs will find Tide a practical and affordable option. But for businesses that expect to send international payments or issue multiple cards, costs can escalate quickly, especially without upgrading to a higher plan. If multi-currency support and more advanced features matter from the start, other providers may offer better value.

Key Highlights

• Fast, fully online account setup
• Four pricing tiers, including a free plan
• Invoicing, credit score tracking, and access to business savings accounts and loans
• Xero, QuickBooks, and Safe integrations with built-in accounting tools on Pro and Max plans
• SEPA payment support via IBAN
• Additional UK company registration services 

Tide offers a value-packed business current account for UK freelancers and small business owners who want a simple, app-based setup. It covers the essentials— payments, ATM access, Direct Debits, and a business card—and adds handy perks like invoicing, credit score tracking and access to business loans with select plans. There are four account tiers, including a free option.

The real value kicks in with the Pro and Max plans. That’s where you unlock built-in Tide accounting tools, automated tax tools, a legal helpline, and higher interest rates on savings (up to 4.38% AER). Moreover, the Max plan functions as a cashback account, offering 0.5% back on everyday business spending, which can help offset the monthly fee if your business has higher transaction volumes.

While you can connect your account to external tools like Xero, QuickBooks, and Sage on any plan, the Pro and Max tiers include extra features designed for businesses that need more control over their finances. 

Another feature worth noting is that you can receive international payments in euros. Each Tide account has an IBAN for SEPA payments and a BIC for SWIFT. That said, all incoming EUR payments are automatically converted to GBP—Tide doesn’t let you hold euros.

You can also deposit cheques into your Tide account digitally using the Tide app, which is a convenient feature compared to competitors that may not support this.

If you’re after a simple, mobile-first account with room to grow, Tide gets a lot right. Just be ready to pay if you want the whole experience.

Tide offers a strong feature set for freelancers and small businesses in the UK. It covers all essential functions and adds useful tools like sending and receiving international payments, credit score tracking, and accounting integrations. The more advanced features—such as tax automation and higher interest rates—are only available on the higher-tier plans. While the lack of multi-currency support is a limitation, Tide remains a well-designed option for businesses operating primarily in pounds.

Tide advertises a “free to open” business account. While the Free account has no monthly subscription, it operates on a pay-as-you-go model, meaning you’ll pay per transaction, including basic transfers to and from other bank accounts.

If you're considering a paid plan, Tide currently offers a 3-month free trial, giving you time to test features like free transfers, team access, and lower FX fees before committing.

Here’s a comparison of key fees across the four plans:

Tide charges a £1 fee for ATM withdrawals across all plans. There’s also a 3% charge to deposit cash at a PayPoint, and a 0.5% charge (minimum £2.50) for cash deposits at the Post Office, applicable to all plans.

Expense cards cost £5/month each on the Free plan, while Smart and Pro plans include one and two free cards, respectively. Foreign currency transactions made with these cards are subject to a 1.75% FX fee on the Free plan, but Smart, Pro, and Max users enjoy 0% FX fees. This setup gives higher-tier users better value for managing team spending and international purchases.

If you already use third-party accounting software like Xero or QuickBooks, you can integrate it with any plan. If you prefer Tide’s own accounting tool, pricing starts at £9.99 + VAT/month for Free and Smart plans. Pro users get it included, while Max users also get access to Admin Extra, an enhanced feature set for managing invoices and bills.

Tide’s pricing is transparent, and I think the free plan is a decent entry point—but it’s important to understand that “free” still comes with usage-based fees. The pay-as-you-go model on the Free and Smart plans can add up quickly if you’re making frequent transfers or using multiple expense cards. That said, the tiered structure gives you flexibility to scale as your business grows, and the Pro and Max plans start to feel more cost-effective once you factor in the included tools and zero-fee transactions. It’s not the cheapest option overall, but it’s fair, especially if you’re clear about what you’ll use.

Similar to other digital business banking service providers, Tide offers an in-app messenger service as a primary way to contact customer support. You can also email hello@tide.co for general queries or call 020 3893 2915 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays (GMT) for questions about the application process. 

All plans include basic chat support. The Smart and Pro plans offer prioritised chat and phone access, along with access to a legal helpline for general business-related legal questions. The Max plan includes all of that, plus a dedicated account manager and priority callbacks on weekends.

In cases of fraud, scams, or lost cards, you can contact the Fraud Rapid Response team 24/7 by calling 159 if you are in the UK. This service is available for customers of all Tide account plans.

Tide provides satisfactory customer support, especially with its dedicated fraud response team. Its multiple support channels, including in-app chat, email, and phone support, eliminate the need for time-consuming visits to physical bank branches.

You can apply for a Tide business account online through the Tide website or by downloading the app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. In this section, we’ll look at the eligibility criteria and steps to apply.

Eligibility Criteria and What You’ll Need

To open a Tide business account as a limited company, your company must be registered with Companies House, and the account holder must be a director of that company.

For sole traders, freelancers, or self-employed individuals, you must be registered with HMRC and provide proof of a UK residential address. You must be over 18 years old to apply for a Tide account.

Businesses funded by regular donations are not eligible to open a Tide business account. Tide also does not provide business accounts for businesses in some high-risk industries, such as Cryptocurrencies and real estate investments. 

To apply, you’ll need to provide a valid form of ID, either a passport, a UK or international driving licence, or a national ID card. These are used to verify your identity during the application process. In some cases, Tide may request additional documents, such as business details, depending on your business type and industry.

How to Apply

The application process to open a business account is completely online. It can be completed on the Tide app or Tide website, but you will need to verify your identity on a mobile phone. The account approval typically takes 48 hours.

Tide offers a convenient business account opening process, especially for UK-based businesses and sole traders. Its digital application process and quick approval time are significant strengths. Additionally, the efficient mobile phone identification verification adds to its appeal. Although there are restrictions for certain industries, these are reasonable, given the nature of those businesses. Overall, the speed and simplicity of the process make Tide a great choice for eligible businesses.

• Trustpilot: 3.9/5 (based on 24,122 reviews)
  Tide generally earns positive feedback on Trustpilot, especially for its fast setup, easy-to-navigate app interface, and affordability. Many users also appreciate the company registration service, which allows you to register a limited company and open a business account in one go. However, some reviews mention delays in support responses and occasional account access issues, particularly during onboarding or compliance reviews.
• Apple App Store Rating: 4.8/5 (based on 74,479 reviews)
  The Tide app performs very well on iOS, with users praising the app’s clean interface, reliability, and ease of use. It’s clearly optimised for Apple devices, making it a strong choice for business owners who prefer to manage finances on iPhones or iPads.
• Google Play Store Rating: 3.6/5 (based on 21,156 reviews)
  The Android experience appears to be less consistent. While many users are satisfied, there are more reports of technical issues, slower performance, and login problems compared to the iOS version. Support quality is also mentioned more critically in Google Play reviews.

Overall, Tide receives strong feedback for its quick setup, user-friendly interface, and added services like company registration. iOS users report a smoother experience, with the app rated highly for reliability and ease of use. Android users, however, report more technical issues and support frustrations. Customer support remains a recurring concern across platforms, but overall sentiment is largely positive.

If you're planning to expand your business globally, especially into Asian markets, whether for sourcing, sales, or regional operations, you’ll likely need more than just a GBP account. A multi-currency business account can make cross-border payments smoother and help you manage business finances more effectively.

That’s where Statrys can support you in your next step. The Statrys Business Account lets you hold and manage funds in 11 major currencies, including GBP, EUR, USD, HKD, JPY, and SGD. It integrates with Xero, comes with a dedicated account manager, and has no transaction limits and no monthly fee—only an inactive account fee if unused.