General information only, not financial advice. Grow & Guard is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority to give advice. It is not a personal recommendation. Check details with the provider and consider independent advice before making financial decisions.
Quick answer
- Choose Tide if most of your business is in the UK and you want a free plan with Making Tax Digital tools.
- Choose Revolut Business if you regularly pay or get paid in other currencies and will use its exchange and transfer allowances.
Side by side
| Tide | Revolut Business | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry plan | Lite: free | Basic: £10 a month (on the plans page we checked) |
| Next plans | Smart £12.49, Pro £27.49, Max £69.99 a month | Grow from £30, Scale from £90 a month; Enterprise custom |
| Card spending abroad | 2.75% FX fee on Lite; 0% on paid plans | Exchange at interbank rates within a monthly allowance; 0.6% above it, 1% outside market hours |
| Bank transfers | Lite includes 5 a month, Smart 30, Pro and Max unlimited (Tide's plan table) | Allowance by plan; £0.20 per local transfer and £5 per international transfer outside it |
| Cash and cheques | Cash and cheque deposits available | Check Revolut's help pages |
| Protection | Accounts powered by ClearBank; eligible deposits FSCS-protected up to £120,000 | Check Revolut's terms for your account type |
| Making Tax Digital | Free MTD tools on all plans | Check with Revolut |
| Taking payments | Payment links and Tap to Pay | Payment links, Tap to Pay, card acceptance from 0.8% + 2p |
Where Tide wins
- Cost for UK-only businesses: a free plan that covers the basics, with paid plans starting lower than Revolut's.
- Tax admin: free Making Tax Digital tools on every plan, which matters now that MTD for Income Tax applies to sole traders over the income thresholds.
- Cash handling: cash and cheque deposits are part of the plan table.
- Clear protection statement: Tide says its accounts are powered by ClearBank with FSCS protection for eligible deposits.
Where Revolut Business wins
- Currencies: exchange at interbank rates within your monthly allowance and hold multiple currencies.
- International transfers: allowances for no-fee international transfers on each plan.
- Payments ecosystem: card acceptance, payment links and point-of-sale options in one app.
- Scaling up: higher plans add bigger allowances and team features for growing companies.
Our take
For a typical UK sole trader, such as a tradesperson, consultant or local service business, Tide's free Lite plan or low-cost Smart plan covers more of what you need for less. Revolut Business earns its monthly fee when you deal in other currencies often. Some businesses use both: a UK account for day-to-day banking and Revolut or Wise for international payments. For more options, including Starling and Monzo, see our comparison of the best business bank accounts for sole traders.
How we compared
We compared plans and fees published on each provider's UK website on 1 November 2026. We have not opened these accounts for this comparison. This is general information, not financial advice. See how we review.
Sources we checked
All checked on 1 November 2026. Prices and features change, so confirm on the provider's site before you buy.