Tide Business Account Review (2025): Features and fees

Since launching in 2016, Tide has become a popular choice for businesses in the UK. They claim to serve over 10% of the UK’s SMEs with their digital-first account. Tide offers a host of financial products and services that make it easier to run a business.

In this article, we’re going to look at what their business account offers in more detail. Then, we’ll run through the pros, cons, and outstanding questions that you might have.

If all you need is a headline summary, then it’s this: Tide is a good option for businesses with fairly simple financial needs for those who only operate in the UK. The app is easy to use and there are some genuinely useful features, albeit many cost extra. Limitations may begin to creep in once you start to grow bigger – and especially if you do business internationally.

Now, let’s get into the details.

What is the Tide business account?

Tide’s business account is the company’s flagship product: A dedicated current account for small businesses in the UK. Users can send and receive GBP and EUR transfers, integrate with accounting software, and take payments online and in-person.

Tide doesn’t offer any personal accounts, it’s purely for business customers.

Is Tide a bank?

Tide is an e-Money institution, not a bank. It’s able to provide banking services through a partnership with ClearBank (a licensed bank in the UK).

Technically, your Tide business account is a ClearBank bank account. It might sound complicated, but it’s regulated and approved by the authorities.

Tide and ClearBank have a white-label agreement. It’s similar to the way businesses can build an online shop with Shopify, for example. Businesses like Tide build on top of ClearBank’s capabilities and regulatory approvals, attaching their own branding and customisations to make them unique.

Who can open a Tide business account?

Tide’s business account is free to open for sole traders and limited companies in the UK.

There are some business structures that Tide will not work with, including CICs/CIOs, PLCs, LLPs, partnerships, and trusts. They also refuse to work with 19 specified industries, including weapons, adult services, and crypto¹.

Requirements for opening a Tide business account

If you meet the eligibility criteria to apply for a Tide account, you’ll need to:

• Be at least 18 years old.

• Have a UK mobile phone number.

• Have a device that can access the App Store or Google Play store.

• Be registered with HMRC (sole traders) or Companies House (limited companies).

• Have proof of a valid address (sole traders: UK-only, directors can be overseas).

Key features of Tide business accounts in 2025

Quick to get started

Tide says your account could be “approved in minutes” after submitting your application. This isn’t a guarantee, but same-day approvals are more than possible with Tide.

Your business Mastercard will be sent out and arrive in a few days after approval.

The onboarding process is all in-app, with a fairly intuitive and straightforward UI.

Useful features for businesses

Being focused solely on business customers. Tide has developed some useful products and features that are included or optional extras with their business account.

All users can use:

• In-app invoice generator and management

• Built-in accounting functionality (including bookkeeping and tax calculations)

• Access to an interest-bearing instant access savings account

• Payment Links and checkouts (free from Tide, but have transaction fees)

Some of Tide’s paid-for features include:

• Phone support

• Legal helpline

• Cashback on card spend

• Invoice automation

• Rewards scheme

• Expense cards and virtual debit cards

• Additional team members with enhanced access

Cards and controls

Every Tide account comes with a Mastercard business debit card. If you pay for Tide’s ‘Max’ plan, you get 0.5% cashback on your debit card spend. This is the only plan that offers cashback.

Other cards you can get from Tide are:

• Expense cards – at a cost of £5+VAT per month, per expense card.

• Virtual cards – for free, advertised as being used for eCommerce and advertising payments

All of these cards can be managed through Tide’s app and reconciled using their expense management tools. Tide also provides its own payroll software.

The integrations you need

Your financial systems can get pretty crowded, pretty quickly. With Tide’s integrations, you don’t have to keep separate systems updated – you can let them harmonise themselves.

Tide integrates with most popular accounting tools, including:

• Xero

• Quickbooks

• FreeAgent

• Sage

• Coconut

• KashFlow

• ClearBooks

• Crunch

• Reckon

Tide business account pricing and fees

Tide’s base product is a free business account, however you can also get paid plans and add-ons on top of your free account.

Plans

You can choose one of four plans for your Tide account. The features listed in the comparison table below aren’t exhaustive, so do your own research before forming your final opinion.

Add-ons

Rather than buying a full monthly plan, you can choose to add certain features to your Tide account for a cost.

These include:

• Invoice Assistant – £5.99 + VAT per month: Giving you unlimited invoice generation and automation.

• Accounting – £9.99 + VAT per month: File VAT, prepare for Self Assessment, generate financial reports, and unlock bookkeeping.

• Admin Essentials – £12.99 + VAT per month: Everything in Accounting, plus unlimited invoice generation and automation.

• Accounting Extra – £19.99 + VAT per month: Everything in Accounting, plus user access for your accountant, up to three other bank account connections, profitability insights, and a dedicated Tide Tax Account.

• Admin Extra – £22.99 + VAT per month: All features listed.

Fees you can expect to pay

There’s no such thing as free banking – you have to pay one way or another.

On Tide’s free plan, you can expect to pay for:

• £1 per ATM withdrawal

• Cash deposits:

  • £2.50 minimum or 0.5% at the Post Office

  • 3% at a PayPoint

• £0.20 per transaction in and out

• 1.75% FX fees on foreign currency card payments

• £0.20 + 0.50% FX fee for transfers to foreign bank accounts

• £5 per expense card, per month

• £5.99 + VAT per month for unlimited invoices (otherwise, three per month for free)

This isn’t a complete list of Tide’s fee schedule and fees can change depending on your monthly plan. For more information, review Tide’s pricing page².

Pros and cons of the Tide business account

You should be getting a nice, clear picture of Tide’s business account by now. Check the pros and cons in the table below for a quick rundown of the essentials, as we see them.

Who should use a Tide business account in 2025?

That’s all we’ve got to share about Tide and its business account; the big question remaining is whether it’s the right choice for you.

Honestly, the answer is the same for so many questions in business: It depends!

Tide’s free business account does everything you need if you have a simple, low-transaction-volume business.

Businesses that suit Tide’s business account

A freelancer, sole trader, or micro-business will likely get everything they need in the free plan or, potentially, Tide’s Smart plan (costing £12.49 + VAT per month). However, similar products from other fintechs and banks are available for cheaper.

Businesses that might struggle with Tide’s business account

For businesses operating at a bigger scale (from high-volume small businesses and upwards), even Tide’s paid plans might not offer everything you need. As above, you can find similar products at lower prices elsewhere.

When it comes to all things international, Tide struggles to compete. Any kind of business with international operations will see issues stacking up quickly.

• No facility for holding or settling funds in currencies other than GBP

• Only accepts payments in GBP or EUR, with all settlement in GBP

• International transfers come with a 0.50% FX fee and £0.20 GBP charge

• FX rates vary depending on paid plans, but aren’t close to mid-market or interbank rates

• No international card issuance

• No international payment gateway

The real problem here is that supply chains are becoming increasingly global and more businesses trade internationally than many realise. 246,000 UK businesses imported goods and services in 2023, with 124,000 recording exports. These numbers aren’t perfectly accurate, as they don’t account for businesses with zero employees and rely on imperfect data.

Tide vs Airwallex business accounts

If you’ve got an eye on (or established roots in) international trade, then it’s time we brought Airwallex to your attention.

We’ve built the all-in-one financial platform for global businesses. When you open an Airwallex business account, you open up a world of opportunities. In one account, you get:

• Multi-currency accounts in 60+ countries with local bank details (including the UK), with like-for-like settlement in 14 currencies

• 180+ countries from which you can accept payments, 150+ countries to which you can make transfers

• Access interbank FX rates, for unbeatably affordable currency conversion

• Local currency payouts for affordable supplier, contractor, and payroll spend

• International company card issuance and controls 

• Low-cost payment acceptance, including invoicing, checkout, and payment links

Tide can be a great starting point for newer or smaller businesses. But, if you’ve got big aspirations or a global outlook, you may find yourself quickly pushing against the tide.

Instead, open an Airwallex business account now and set yourself up for success on the global stage.

Final verdict: Is Tide the right business account for you?

We can’t answer that for you. We can – and have – provided all the information publicly available about Tide’s business account. 

For relatively simple businesses, like low-volume sole traders or sole director businesses, Tide’s business account can be a great choice.

For businesses with more complex needs, Tide offers what you need, but you might want to compare the costs of other providers.

For businesses with any kind of international operations, Tide may not be best suited for what you need.

Sources

1. https://www.tide.co/support/joining/bank-account/who-can-open-a-tide-account/ 

2. https://www.tide.co/pricing/