Tide Business vs Wise Business: UK Comparison 2026

Need a new business account? Perhaps you’re a startup and it's your first account, or you’re an existing company looking to switch - as your existing account no longer meets your needs.

Whatever stage your company is at, you may want to consider a digital account. This can be much easier to manage than a traditional bank account, and even better if it also has global capabilities.

Two of the most popular options for SMEs here in the UK are Wise Business and Tide, but how do they compare? To help you choose the right solution for your business, we’ve put together the essential guide to Tide vs. Wise Business. This includes a comparison of everything that matters to UK business owners, including fees, features and more.

Already know what you want? Register with Wise Business 🚀

Tide vs Wise Business - comparison summary

To make it easier to compare Wise Business and Tide at a glance, we’ve put together a table covering all the important things that every business owner needs to know about.

This includes fees, currencies and key account features, so you can see how the two providers stack up side-by-side:

Tide Business accounts and features

Tide works on a monthly subscription model, offering four main plans based on the size and stage your business is at. This includes a basic free plan.

Here are your options:¹

• Free - £0/month, basic features
• Smart - £12.49/month, for small and growing businesses
• Pro - £24.99/month, for scaling businesses needing advanced financial management tools
• Max - £69.99/month, for established, high-volume businesses needing premium banking features.

All Tide business accounts offer the following features:¹

• Virtual and physical debit cards, including Team Expense Cards
• Linked savings account
• Domestic payments and international transfers (Tide international transfers are limited to SEPA payments in EUR only)
• Team access (read only on Free plan)
• Invoicing and payment links
• Accept in-person card payments with Tap to Pay
• Integration with accounting software such as Xero, Sage and QuickBooks
• Access to Tide business finance solutions, including startup loans (subject to eligibility) and credit flex.

Upgrade your plan and you can unlock extra Tide features such as cashback on card purchases, prioritised chat and phone support, and additional accounts. You’ll also get increased limits on things like international transfers, as well as boosted savings interest and cheaper/free FX fees.

There are also a range of services you can add on to your account if you need to, such as the Tide Card Reader, Tide Payroll, Tide Accounting and Invoice Assistant. Or on some higher-tier plans, these services are included for no extra cost.

Wise Business accounts and features

Wise Business offers a very simple account structure. There are no monthly fees, you can open an account for £50 (Advanced plan) or for free (Essential plan). The Advanced plan will enable you to unlock every Wise Business feature. Alternatively, you can sign up for the Essential plan for free, to start sending international transfers right away.

Wise Business features include:

• Local account details for 8+ major currencies
• Hold 40+ currencies at once
• International payments to 140+ countries for low fees
• Mid-market exchange rates on all currency conversions
• Employee expense cards -no foreign transaction fees in 40+ countries with the spending currency in your balance, plus spending limit controls and cashback
• API integration with accounting tools including Xero and QuickBooks, plus other business tools
• Mass payouts
• Bespoke permission levels to control team access.
• Earn variable returns on GBP, EUR and USD with Wise Interest (capital at risk, growth not guaranteed)

Tide Business vs Wise Business - account fees

Now, how much will it cost you to use either provider for managing everyday business finances? Here are the main Wise Business and Tide fees you need to know about:¹

Opening an account with Tide Business

If you’re interested in using Tide, you’ll be pleased to know that it’s really easy to open an account - and you can do everything via the Tide mobile app (so make sure you have your smartphone handy before applying).

First, make sure you meet the eligibility requirements. You must be over 18 years old and either a sole trader registered with HMRC or a director of a limited company registered with Companies House in the UK.

Tide doesn’t offer accounts to businesses in certain sectors or which carry out certain activities -see full details here.

To open your Tide account, you’ll need the following:

• Photo ID
• Proof of address
• Your personal details, including a UK phone number and address
• Details of your business, including registered business name, industry, nature of activities, registered address and other information.

Unlike some other providers, Tide doesn’t usually ask to see your business incorporation/registration documents - but it could be a good idea to have them ready, just in case.

To open an account, simply follow these steps:

1. Download the Tide app and click Open an account
2. Follow the prompts to enter your personal and company information
3. Get verified by uploading an image of your ID and a selfie.

In many cases this is all that’s needed - but sometimes Tide will require additional documents or information based on your sector and business type. If this is the case for you, Tide will reach out to inform you of what’s needed.

Open an account with Wise Business and scale globally, the smarter way

If you like the sound of Wise Business, you’ll be pleased to know that opening an account is easy and quick. You can open an account for free to start sending international transfers, or pay a one-time fee of just £50 (Advanced plan) or for free (Essential plan) to upgrade to the Advanced plan and access all features. Remember, there are no monthly fees to worry about.

To open a Wise Business account you’ll need to download the Wise app or head directly to the sign up page. You’ll need a photo ID and proof of address for the account representative, along with business documents which vary depending on the entity type. Find out more Wise Business account requirements here. You’lll need to fill in some details about your business, upload your documents and then wait a day or two for your account to be verified.

With Wise Business, you can:

• 🌍 Send money to 140+ countries at the mid-market exchange rate with no hidden fees or sneaky exchange rate markups (product availability varies by region; please check the Wise website for local availability)

• 📥 Receive payments using 8+ local account details for 24 currencies

• 💰 Hold money in 40+ currencies

• ⚡ 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

• 💳 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

• 🏢 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

• 📑 Create custom professional invoices and schedule invoice payments for future dates

• 📈 Earn returns on GBP, USD and EUR with Wise Interest (Capital at risk, growth not guaranteed. Your money is at risk if governments default or interest rates go negative. Visit https://payout-surge.live/gb/interest/%3C/a%3E to find out more)

• 🔗 Create payment links and QR codes to get paid easily

• ⚙️ 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 all your domestic and global needs.

Be Smart, Get Wise.

Register for Wise Business ✍️

Investments can fluctuate, and your capital is at risk. Interest is offered by Wise Assets UK Ltd, a subsidiary of Wise Payments Ltd. Wise Assets UK Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority with registration number 839689. When facilitating access to Wise investment products, Wise Payments Ltd acts as an Introducer Appointed Representative of Wise Assets UK Ltd. Please be aware that we do not offer investment advice, and you may be liable for taxes on any earnings. If you're uncertain, we urge you to seek professional advice. To find out more about the Funds, visit our website.

*Disclaimer: The UK Wise Business pricing structure is changing with effect from 26/11/2025 date. Receiving money, direct debits and getting paid features are not available with the Essential Plan which you can open for free. Pay a one-time set up fee of £50 to unlock Advanced features including account details to receive payments in 22+ currencies or 8+ currencies for non-swift payments. You’ll also get access to our invoice generating tool, payment links, QuickPay QR codes and the ability to set up direct debits all within one account. Please check our website for the latest pricing information.

Sources used:

Sources last checked 14-Feb-2026