Tide and Revolut both offer branchless business accounts. But which account is the best for you? Below, we examine the various features of these 2 mobile-only business accounts so you can find out.
On the face of it, the Tide and Revolut business accounts appear fairly similar. Both are digital-only business accounts, and neither offer an overdraft or pay interest on in-credit balances. What’s more, you can spend on your card (blue for Tide, black for Revolut) overseas for free.
Neither Tide nor Revolut has a UK banking licence. However, the key difference is that while money held in a Revolut business account is not protected under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), Tide’s accounts are provided by ClearBank, which means they are covered by the FSCS up to £85,000 per person.
That said, Revolut is authorised to operate in the UK as an electronic money institution and is required to safeguard its customers’ funds in ring-fenced accounts at licenced UK banks. So your money will still be safe even if Revolut went bust.
Neither provider has branches, but you can pay in cash deposits with Tide at Post Office counters or PayPoint locations (fees apply).
Tide lets you pay cash into the account and scan cheques in the app. Revolut doesn’t accept either.
You can make international payments with both, though Revolut has a bit more choice in that area. Depending on the Revolut plan you choose, you may have a set number of fee-free international transfers each month.
Both accounts let you add extra cards for employees, freeze and unfreeze your cards via the app and provide accountancy software integrations, connecting to Xero, QuickBooks and Sage to make it easier to manage your business finances.
Winner: Tide. Being able to deposit cash and cheques make it the clear winner.
Round 2: Account costs
Monthly account charge
Free
£10
Fee for cash deposits
£2.50 for deposits up to £500, 0.50% for deposits over £500 (at Post Offices), 3% (at PayPoints)
Tide offers business accounts with no monthly fee, while Revolut has 4 paid plans to choose from. Revolut doesn’t accept cash deposits. With Tide, you’ll pay a 0.5% fee at Post Office counters and 3% at PayPoints.
Revolut doesn’t charge for electronic transfers or direct debit payments, while Tide charges 20p a time.
Based on the current fees, if you make under 50 transactions a month it would be cheaper to use the Tide account.
You can use your Tide or Revolut card to make transactions overseas. Tide charges a flat fee and Revolut has a monthly limit. Cash withdrawals incur a fee with both providers, which is £1 for Tide and 2% for Revolut.
Winner: Tie, because neither offers unlimited fee-free overseas spending.
It’s quick and easy to sign up for a business account with either Tide or Revolut through their respective apps. No credit checks are carried out, but you will need to provide proof of ID and take a selfie video.
With Revolut, you’ll need to provide a few personal details, such as your name, address and date of birth, plus some details about your business. This includes your company’s registered name, incorporation number and trading name. You will also need to provide details of what your business does and where.
The process is pretty similar with Tide – again, you’ll need to provide some personal details as well as the name of your company and the industry you work in.
You can sign up for an account with either provider in a matter of minutes, and your card will arrive within a few days. What’s more, if you need to register as a limited company, Tide will help you do this at the same time as opening your account and even pay the incorporation fee on your behalf.
Winner: Tide – it’s close, but Tide wins for helping businesses register as a limited company at the same time.
Account holders can message both customer service teams through the respective apps. It’s also possible to email Tide at hello@tide.co and Revolut at support@revolut.com. Revolut offers an automated telephone line if you need to block your card, while you can email Tide to ask for a call back if you want to speak to someone directly.
What’s more, if you already have a business account with another bank, you can use the Current Account Switch Service (CASS) to move to Tide. To do this, you’ll need to download the Tide app and then tap “Accounts”. Tap “Switch your bank account to Tide” and then “Next”. Follow the instructions and wait for 7 days until your switch is completed.
Revolut doesn’t take part in the CASS scheme, so you won’t be able to use this process to switch your business account.
Winner: Tide because it’s signed up to the CASS scheme and offers the option of a call back from the customer service team.
Round 7: Customer reviews
On Trustpilot, Tide has a score 3.9 out of 5 from over 23,000 reviews. Revolut has a score of 4.4 out of 5 from around 186,000 reviews. We checked these scores in March 2025.
Customers were happy about Tide overall, but some reviews said customer service could be improved.
Reviews praised Revolut for its ease of use, though some users complained about their accounts or transactions being frozen while they were under review.
Winner: Revolut has a higher score and from a significantly larger sample of reviews.
Overall winner: Tide
Both the Revolut and Tide business accounts have a lot to offer, and choosing between them isn’t easy. Ultimately, it could depend on the type of business you run and what you want from your business account.
However, Tide’s account has no monthly fee and allows cash and cheque deposits, which makes it a better offer for a basic business account. You’re able to upgrade with either to get more features and inclusions, so you can choose what you need and take it from there.
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Matthew Boyle is a banking and mortgages publisher at Finder. He has a 7-year history of publishing helpful guides to assist consumers in making better decisions. In his spare time, you will find him walking in the Norfolk countryside admiring the local wildlife. See full bio
Matthew's expertise
Matthew has written 282 Finder guides across topics including:
Helping first-time buyers apply for a mortgage
Comparing bank accounts and highlighting useful features
Jason is a writer and editor. He worked as a senior subeditor for Finder for 5 years and in that time became familiar with a wide range of financial products and services. Before that, he worked for Australian Associated Press. He has a BA from Macquarie University in Australia. Jason loves to help other people find new ways to save money. See full bio
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