Mettle business bank account review
- Account fee
- £0
- Interest (AER)
- 0% AER
Our verdict
Mettle is a spin-off venture from parent bank NatWest - find out more about what this business bank account has to offer small businesses.
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 FreeAgent and Xero. Time will tell if it's successful enough to take on similar business account offerings from the likes of challenger bank 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 use our guide to compare other business bank accounts on the market. You can also read our review of NatWest's own business accounts here.
Pros
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Quick and easy application
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Freeze your card if you lose it
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Free, with useful features
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Backed by the Natwest group
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Sleek easy to use app
Cons
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Overdrafts are unavailable
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Daily payment limit of £10,000
Mettle is the first standalone business banking app to be offered by one of the UK’s high street banks, in this case NatWest. Following a pilot phase, Mettle launched in November 2019, and is looking to rival the mobile app-based business accounts already offered by challenger banks. It stands out for its lack of monthly fees, free card use abroad and accounting software integrations. It has also been recommended as one of our best business bank accounts.
What is Mettle?
Mettle is a standalone business bank account offered by (but separate to) its parent company, high street bank NatWest. It has been featured in our best business bank accounts guide, with a standout mention for accounting software integrations. These include FreeAgent, Xero or QuickBooks.
This digital business account can be seen as a response to the challenger banks which have changed the face of banking in the last few years – reeling in customers by letting them open and manage app-based business bank accounts through their mobile phones, as well as offering great exchange rates for people who travel frequently. Mettle can also be accessed via the web.
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.
How does Mettle work?
Mettle offers its users a number of features, including:
- Fast application. Mettle will let customers open a business bank account in a matter of minutes.
- Invoicing. You can create and send customised invoices on the go. The app will let you know when you’ve been paid or if you need to chase.
- Reporting. You’re able to categorise business transactions and manage your expenses. You can then export your data and share it with your accountant.
- Accounting. Mettle can connect to accounting packages like FreeAgent, Xero and QuickBooks.
- Payments. You can schedule payments on the go and manage recurring payments directly from the app.
- Money pots. Set money aside from your main account into a “money pot”, where you can ringfence funds for future outgoings like corporation tax or VAT.
- No card fees abroad. There are no fees for using your card abroad and each transaction uses the exchange rates set by Mastercard.
- Freeze or unfreeze your card. You can lock your card in the app if you think you’ve lost it, then just unlock it if the card shows up.
What does the Mettle app look like?
How to open a Mettle account
These are the steps to open a Mettle account:
- Download the Mettle app from the App Store or Google Play Store.
- Complete the application – Mettle will ask questions about you and your business.
- Verify your ID and provide a business document.
- Once approved, you’ll get an account number and sort code to get started.
Mettle’s fees and features
 | |
| Product Name | Mettle by NatWest - Mobile business bank account Account |
| FSCS protected | |
| Account fee | Free |
| 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 |
Doing business overseas with Mettle
| |
| Product Name | Mettle by NatWest - Mobile business bank account Account |
| Overseas transaction charge | Unable to make international payments |
| Overseas ATM charge | N/A |
| International transfer charge | Use exchange rates set by Mastercard |
Compare the fees of popular business bank accounts
Mettle fees, limits and pricing
- Mettle is free to join – you won’t be charged to download the app or to open an account.
- Mettle is free to use – there are no charges for transactions or for using any of the account’s features.
- There is a maximum account balance of £1.1 million for sole traders and limited companies (£1 million in main account, up to £100k in Money Pots).
- There is a maximum payment out of the account limit of £10,000 per day.
Mettle customer reviews
In our independent 2024 Customer Satisfaction survey, 90% of Mettle customers said they would recommend the brand to a friend. Users highlighed its helpful staff and ease of use.
One customer commented: “Very helpful staff always ready to assist and help with any issues.”
However, another customer highlighted its limitations: “They have been very good as a business bank. There are no charges for my business account. The only limitations are the fact that I can only take payments in the form of online bank transfers, but that suits our company as we only charge our clients via invoice and for quite large amounts each time. We don’t have many invoices each month. We have not had any problems with using Mettle. Their communications have been very clear and easy to understand.”
Mettle has an average rating of 4.9 out of 5 from over 25,000 reviews on the App Store. Over on Google Play, Mettle has a rating of 4.8 out of 5 from more than 7,000 ratings on the Google Play Store (updated February 2024).
Is Mettle safe?
Mettle has now transitioned from an e-money account to a business bank account. This means that it is covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) even though it is separate from NatWest. The FSCS protects money you’ve deposited in a bank up to £85,000 if it goes bust.
Customer service information for Mettle
| Email support | |
|---|---|
| Telephone support | |
| In-app or live chat | |
| Contact form | |
| Branch support |
Digital-only business accounts have become more popular in the last few years – it’s not the case that you have to visit your local high street bank to open a business account any more. Our comprehensive business banking section will also help you explore the business accounts which are currently available in the UK.”
Frequently asked questions
Banking scores
Finder scores, in blue, are based on our expert analysis. We also show reviews from users, where we've received more than 10, with a score in yellow. We gather more reviews from customers every year in Finder's customer satisfaction survey.
To find out more, read our full methodology.
