Countingup vs Tide: Comparison for UK Businesses

In need of a new business account? There are far more options available these days, so you don’t necessarily have to go to a traditional bank. Digital-only banking services are rocketing in popularity right now, with around half of UK SMEs preferring to use fintechs for business banking.¹ This demand has led to the emergence of many new challenger banks and digital solutions.

Two popular options for UK companies right now are CountingUp and Tide. But what do they have to offer, and how do they compare? Read on for a full CountingUp vs. Tide business account review , comparing everything from fees and features to security.

We’ll also show you an alternative - Wise Business, which lets you effortlessly manage your business finances across 40+ currencies, including GBP, USD and EUR.

💡 Learn more about Wise Business

CountingUp vs Tide - comparison overview

Let’s kick things off with a head-to-head comparison of CountingUp and Tide, based on the features and services on offer with both business account providers:

Tide business bank account

The Tide business bank account is a current account available on one of four plans - Free, Smart, Pro and Max. Each comes with a monthly fee (except for the Free plan) but offers more perks, reduced fees and increased limits in return for the higher costs.

While it varies depending on the plan, features of Tide business accounts include:

• Tide business cards
• Expenses cards for team members
• Create, send and manage invoices
• Linked Instant Saver account - from 2% AER variable, with boosted interest for an introductory period²
• Integrate with accounting software - any that uses Open Banking
• Fully app-based banking.
• Tide Card Reader for in-person payments (optional)
• Payment links
• International payments in EUR via SEPA, or in USD via ACH
• Team access (read only on Free plan)
• Access to business finance (if eligible)
• 24/7 support in the app
• Paid add-ons available - including Tide Accounting and Tide Payroll

Tide business account fees

So how much does it cost to use Tide? Take a look below for an example of charges with the Free plan (which has no monthly fee):

With paid plans like the Pro and Max account, fees for things like UK transfers are waived - and you get up to 3 free expenses cards included.² So it could be worth weighing up whether the monthly fee works out as better value for your company.

Is Tide protected by FSCS?

Yes, Tide has protection up to £120,000 under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). It isn’t a bank, but uses partner ClearBank to provide its bank accounts.²

It is authorised in the UK as an electronic money services provider by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

CountingUp business account

The CountingUp business account is aimed at small businesses, startups and the self-employed. It’s an app-only account available in three paid plan tiers, based on monthly deposits. The idea is that the more your business earns, the more you pay each month - yet the features and services remain the same.

Features of the CountingUp business account include the following:

• Contactless Mastercard debit card
• Access to the CountingUp mobile banking app (this is an app-only account)
• Automated categorisation of transactions
• Instant spending and payment notifications
• Receipt capture
• Invoicing and billing, with invoices and payments matched automatically
• Built-in accounting tools
• Profit and loss reporting
• Tax estimates
• Accountant access
• International payments (through CurrencyFair partnership)
• Post Office and PayPoint cash deposits
• UK-based customer support

CountingUp business account fees

The CountingUp business account does come with some fees, starting with a monthly fee based on your total deposits into the account each month. But there are other fees too, for things like payments, Direct Debits, ATM withdrawals and cash deposits.

Let’s take a look:⁴

Is CountingUp safe?

Yes, CountingUp is safe to use for managing your business finances.

Some accounts are provided by Griffin Bank, which means that eligible deposits have FSCS protection up to £120,000.⁷ Others are provided by a company called Prepay Technologies Limited (PPS), which is authorised to provide electronic money services in the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Funds in these accounts are protected by a process known as safeguarding, which is where customer money is held separately from CountingUp’s own finances, with a trusted bank.⁷

To find out which applies to you, you’ll need to check your sort code. There’s more info here.

The company undergoes regular audits to make sure that its safeguarding processes meet the required standards. CountingUp also has a number of security measures in place to protect your money, data and account. This includes multi-factor authentication to safeguard account access, and 3D Secure on card payments. It also has extensive fraud awareness advice and security tips available on its website.

Wise Business account - alternative for CountingUp and Tide

Of course, CountingUp and Tide aren’t the only digital solutions out there for managing business funds. If you need to deal in foreign currencies or are scaling internationally, you could be better off with the Wise Business account. And, it's also a great tool for everyday ingoing and outgoing payment management too - you can send bulk payments to up to 1,000 users at once and enable multi team access for your employees.

Whether it’s paying contractors and suppliers overseas, or accepting global customer payments digitally and through PSPs like Stripe, Wise has low cost solutions to help.Wise Business accounts can hold and exchange 40+ currencies and send payments to 140+ countries.

Upgrade to Wise Business Advanced for a one-time fee of £50 (Advanced plan) or for free (Essential plan) and you’ll unlock extra features, including access to local account details to get paid in 8+ currencies like a local, with no FX conversion fees. Use your Wise account to get paid in a selection of major foreign currencies by customers and clients, through marketplaces - and via PSPs.

Whenever you need to send, spend or exchange foreign currencies, you’ll benefit from the mid-market exchange rate, with low, transparent fees.

Wise Business account fees

So that you can compare with other providers, here are the main fees you need to know about with the Wise Business account:

Open Wise Business account

It’s quick and easy to open a Wise Business account, with a fully digital application, verification and on-boarding process. Check out the requirements here. Best of all, you can open an account for free right away.

Get started with Wise Business 🚀

Here's everything you need to know. With Wise Business, you can:

• 🌍 Send money to 70+ countries and pay overseas invoices at the mid-market exchange rate with low, transparent fees and no hidden exchange rate markups (product availability varies by region)
• 📥 Receive payments in 24 currencies and counting
• 💵 Get local account details for 8+ currencies, including USD and EUR, to let your customers pay in a currency they know and trust - convenience for them and peace of mind for you
• 💰 Hold money in 40+ currencies
• 🔁 Convert currencies anytime at the mid-market exchange rate with low, transparent fees
• ⚡ Use the batch payments tool to create and send up to 1,000 payments in a single transfer
• 👥 Run payroll and make international payments for up to 1,000 employees all over the world - including paying suppliers using local payment methods like ACH, SEPA, and Faster Payments
• 💳 Get business debit cards with 0.5% cashback for you and your team to keep track of team expenses and spend all over the world, with real-time visibility and categorisation. See full cashback terms and conditions
• 🏢 Manage cash in 55+ currencies across international offices from a single business account and move money between business accounts in seconds (exact speeds can vary depending on individual circumstances and may not be the same for all transactions)
• 🧾 Connect and sync every business transaction to your favourite accounting software, including Xero, Quickbooks, and more
• 🔐 Create your own payment approvals process to manage your team better with customised access for different team members, roles and permissions
• 📑 Create custom professional invoices and schedule invoice payments for future dates
• 📈 Earn variable returns on GBP, USD and EUR with Wise Interest (Growth not guaranteed. Your balance will go down in the event of a government default or interest rates going negative.)
• 🔗 Create payment links and QR codes to get paid easily (Card payment acceptance for new Wise Business customers is currently unavailable. Payment methods subject to eligibility and availability.)
• ⚙️ Automate payouts with the Wise API (comes with 24/7 customer support, a sandbox account to test integrations, API tokens, and clear documents on how to implement and make the most of our API)

Make the wise choice when selecting a business account for your domestic and global needs.

Be Smart, Get Wise.

Register for Wise Business ✍️

After reading this, you should have a better idea of how CountingUp and Tide stack up against each other. We’ve looked at all the things that matter to most small business owners, including fees, features and security.

Armed with this info, you’re all set to compare providers (as well as exploring what else is out there) and choose the right banking solution for your business.

Sources used:

Sources last checked on date: 19-Aug-2026