Mettle is the first standalone business banking app to be offered by one of the high street banks, NatWest Group. Following a pilot phase, Mettle saw its full launch in November 2019, and looks to rival the mobile app-based business accounts already offered by challenger banks.
Mettle is the first standalone business banking app to be offered by one of the high street banks, NatWest Group. It has been featured on our best business bank accounts guide with a standout mention for accounting software integrations.
NatWest’s new digital business account can be seen as a response to other challenger banks which have changed the face of banking in the last few years – reeling in customers by letting them open and manage bank accounts through their mobile phones as app based business banking, as well as offering great exchange rates for people who travel frequently.
Mettle lets business customers apply for an account in minutes, forecast business performance and create invoices. All of this is possible in its mobile app, which is designed to be easy to use, as well as free to use.
Mettle offers its users a number of features, including:
These are the steps to open a Mettle account:
 | |
| Product Name | Mettle by NatWest |
| Account fee | Free |
| FSCS protected | |
| UK ATM charge | Free |
| Account software integration | |
| Accounting integrations | FreeAgent, Xero |
| Requires credit check | Soft search with no impact on credit score |
| Credit check | |
| Credit check details | Soft search with no impact on credit score |
| Key benefits | Comes with a suite of free accounting software to integrate with |
| Overdraft | |
| Freeze card from app or online banking | |
| Interest rate | 0% |
| Current account switch guarantee |
| |
| Product Name | Mettle by NatWest |
| Overseas transaction charge | Unable to make international payments |
| Overseas ATM charge | N/A |
| International transfer charge | Use exchange rates set by Mastercard |
As a relative newcomer, Mettle doesn’t yet have the same volume of customer ratings as some other business banking brands – although the app does score well in initial reviews. It has an average rating of 4.8 out of 5 from 1,000 reviews on the App Store, and 4.6 out of 5 from 130 ratings on Google Play.
On Trustpilot, Mettle only has around 80 customer reviews, receiving a mark of 3.0 out of 5, and a rating of Average. Some users praised the app’s functionality, while others complained about issues with the account opening process.
In terms of the app, it has security processes in place to ensure the safety of your money. You can also freeze your card instantly in the app should you lose it.
Pros
Cons
Mettle is an interesting digital play by parent company NatWest. But as it’s separate from the high street bank itself, unfortunately you can’t visit a NatWest branch to discuss your Mettle account. However, a digital-only business account with Mettle is free to open and use, and it has strong mobile banking features. It also comes with a useful invoicing system and the ability to integrate with accounting software like Xero. Time will tell if it’s successful enough to take on similar business account offerings from the likes of challenger rivals Starling and Monzo.
Get started by visiting Mettle's website and sign up for an account. If you have read this review and decided that Mettle’s account is not for you, you can also compare other business bank accounts on the market.
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