NatWest launched Mettle in 2018 and it’s quickly become known for its lack of monthly account fees and accountancy software integration.
Tide, on the other hand, was founded in 2015 to provide mobile banking services to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The provider is focused on supporting women in business and removing 100% of its carbon emissions.
We compare Tide’s free account with the Mettle account so that you can see how they compare for your business. Tide also offers paid options if you wish to upgrade your account, while you can choose to pay £4 a month for Mettle+ and get access to invoicing tools.
You won’t have branch access with either Mettle or Tide as both accounts are digital only. The Mettle account comes with a smart black Mastercard debit card, while Tide’s Mastercard is bright blue. Neither account offers interest on your account balance when you’re in credit, but Tide offers a linked savings account and Mettle’s account includes savings pots that also pay interest.
However, while Mettle uses NatWest’s banking licence to offer FSCS protection, Tide isn’t actually a bank. It’s a business financial platform registered with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as an electronic money institution. This means you won’t have FSCS protection, but your funds must be held in a separate account at a UK bank so that if Tide were to cease trading, the money would be ring-fenced.
It’s worth noting that if you open Tide’s linked business savings account, this does offer FSCS protection as it’s provided by ClearBank.
Both the Mettle and Tide business accounts let you freeze and unfreeze your card within the app, pay in cash at Post Office branches or PayPoint locations, and offer accountancy software integrations. But that’s where the similarities end.
Unlike Mettle, Tide also lets you pay in cheques via the app, apply for additional cards for your employees, and send money overseas.
Winner: Tide is the winner here as its account features are superior to Mettle’s.
Round 2: Account costs
Monthly account charge
Free
Free
Fee for cash deposits
Free (at Post Offices or PayPoints)
£2.50 for deposits up to £500, 0.50% for deposits over £500 (at Post Offices), 3% (at PayPoints)
There are no monthly account fees with either Mettle or Tide. However, while Mettle also lets you deposit cash for free at any Post Office or PayPoint location, you’ll pay a fee with Tide.
Tide charges £2.50 for every deposit at the Post Office up to £500 and 0.5% for anything over that. You can deposit up to £25,000 a month or £300,000 a year, depending on the branch transaction limits. If you deposit cash at a PayPoint, you’ll pay a 3% fee and you can deposit £10 to £500 a day. If you deposit a cheque, you’ll pay 70p per cheque, plus a 20p transaction fee.
Mettle won’t charge you anything for payments in or out of your account, including direct debits. But Tide charges 20p for each transaction, which could end up being costly if you make a lot of payments.
Winner: Mettle wins here as it’s the cheaper account.
There are no fees for spending on your Tide or Mettle card in the UK and you can use contactless payments. The contactless limit for both is the UK standard of £100.
However, while Mettle won’t charge you for ATM withdrawals either, Tide charges £1 per withdrawal.
Winner: Mettle as it offers fee-free cash withdrawals.
If you use your Mettle card when you’re overseas on business, you won’t be charged a foreign transaction fee on your spending, and there are no cash withdrawal fees either.
By comparison, the Tide card charges a foreign transaction fee of 1.75% each time you spend, and if you withdraw cash on your card, you’ll be charged this fee plus the usual cash withdrawal charge of £1. That means if you withdrew £500, you’d pay £9.75 in total (£8.75 + £1).
Winner: Mettle wins this category too as it’s the cheaper option.
It’s similarly quick and easy to sign up to either account via the Mettle or Tide app and no credit check is required. You’ll need to provide a form of ID (such as a passport or driving licence) and both providers may ask you for evidence that your business is trading (such as your business website or social media profiles, invoices, bank statements, or an HMRC registration).
Once you’ve completed your application, your card should be sent out in the post. This is free of charge with both providers and you can expect your card to arrive within 5 working days. Both providers also offer unlimited free replacement cards if you lose yours.
Winner: Tie. The account opening process and card delivery is pretty much identical.
For those looking to switch an existing business bank account, only Tide is signed up to the Current Account Switch Service. If you want to switch to Mettle, you must do this manually.
Tide offers in-app and email customer support, as well as a 24/7 emergency assistance with its Fraud Rapid Response team.
However, while Mettle also offers customer support through the in-app chat, email and over the phone, you can only contact Mettle Monday to Friday between 8am and 8pm and Saturday and Sunday between 9am and 5pm.
Winner: Tide wins this one as it’s signed up to the Current Account Switch Service and offers 24/7 assistance.
Round 7: Customer reviews
On review site Trustpilot, Mettle scored 4.6 out of 5 from more than 4,500 reviews (February 2025). Customers commented on the easy-to-use app and handy accountancy tools. However, a few said the customer service wasn’t great.
Tide, on the other hand, scored 3.9 out of 5 from more than 22,800 reviews (February 2025). While some reviewers said the application process was quick and easy and the customer service team were professional and helpful, others said they had problems accessing their account.
Winner: Mettle.
Overall winner: Is Mettle better than Tide?
Both the Mettle and Tide business accounts have a lot to offer, but if we had to pick just one, it would probably be Mettle as it wins out in a higher number of rounds than Tide does (4-2).
Mettle is certainly the cheaper account, with no monthly account charges or transaction fees, plus you can also spend overseas for free. Your money will also be covered by the FSCS.
However, Tide is the superior account if your business needs to carry out international transfers or provide additional cards to employees, plus it offers 24/7 customer support.
We show offers we can track - that's not every product on the market...yet. Unless we've said otherwise, products are in no particular order. The terms "best", "top", "cheap" (and variations of these) aren't ratings, though we always explain what's great about a product when we highlight it. This is subject to our terms of use. When you make major financial decisions, consider getting independent financial advice. Always consider your own circumstances when you compare products so you get what's right for you. Most of the data in Finder's comparison tables has the source: Moneyfacts Group PLC. In other cases, Finder has sourced data directly from providers.
Rachel Wait is a freelance journalist and has been writing about personal finance for more than a decade, covering everything from insurance to mortgages. She has written for a range of personal finance websites and national newspapers, including The Observer, The Mail on Sunday, The Sun and the Evening Standard. Rachel is a keen baker in her spare time. See full bio
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