Mettle review: is the Mettle business account right for you?

Mettle business account at a glance

Mettle review: plans and fees

Mettle keeps pricing simple. There is one Mettle business account with no fee to maintain it, plus an optional add-on called Mettle+.

Mettle doesn't say whether the £4 includes VAT, so check with Mettle if you want to reclaim it.

No monthly fee doesn't mean nothing costs money. These are the per-item charges for the Mettle business account:

The cash and card charges are fairly new. In May 2026 Mettle announced service fees for cash withdrawals and deposits and for replacement cards, and said card payments and bank transfers stay free of charge. It didn't give a start date, so check the current fee document.

Mettle runs a refer a friend scheme, and we may earn a referral reward. Disclosure

Features

For an account with no monthly fee, the Mettle business account comes with a strong set of tools for getting paid and keeping up with tax.

• Invoicing: create and send invoices, match payments automatically and chase late payers. Quotes need Mettle+.
• Tax tools: a running tax estimate, a Tax Pot, and automatic saving of a percentage of your income for tax.
• FreeAgent: included at no cost if you make at least one transaction a month from your Mettle business account. Otherwise FreeAgent's own fees apply.
• Pots and savings: pots for organising money, plus one savings pot.
• Card: a Mastercard debit card with Apple Pay and Google Pay, and the Mastercard Business Bonus programme.
• Prize draw: from October to December 2026, customers who opt in and keep their balance above £10,000 for the whole month enter a monthly draw for £10,000.

For this Mettle review, the savings detail worth knowing is that the Boosted savings pot pays 2.51% AER (variable) for six months: a 1.55% fixed bonus plus 0.95% AER variable. After that it drops to 0.95% AER. Check the current rate in the app.

Is the Mettle business account safe?

Your money is with a UK bank, not an e-money provider. Mettle says your account is provided by National Westminster Bank plc, which trades under the name Mettle. Eligible deposits are protected by the FSCS up to £120,000. If you're unsure how that differs from an e-money account, read our guide to bank vs e-money accounts.

One detail matters for this Mettle review: the £120,000 limit is shared across NatWest's brands. Money with National Westminster Bank plc, NatWest Premier, Ulster Bank, NatWest Boxed and Mettle by NatWest counts towards one limit. If your business already banks with NatWest, add your balances together.

• One older Mettle page still shows a lower protection figure. Mettle's FAQ and its FSCS information page both say £120,000.
• Mettle's website still mentions an older Mettle e-money account issued by Prepay Technologies Ltd, which is not FSCS-protected. If you've had Mettle for a long time, check which account you hold.

Cash and international payments

Cash. With a Mettle business account, you pay cash in at the Post Office for £2.75 a deposit, and taking cash out with your card costs £1.00 a time. One or two trips a month is manageable. Daily trips add up, so count them first. Mettle doesn't publish a Post Office deposit limit, so ask if you handle large amounts.

Money from abroad. The Mettle business account accepts payments in 30 currencies and converts them all to pounds. For any incoming payment over £10, you pay a £4 fixed fee, plus 1.5% if it arrives in a foreign currency.

Money to abroad. Mettle doesn't currently offer outbound international payments from the Mettle business account. If you pay overseas suppliers by transfer, you'll need another account.

Who it suits

The Mettle business account works well for some businesses and not at all for others. Here is how it fits common situations.

Opening an account

You open and run the Mettle business account on your phone. Mettle says an application normally takes about 10 minutes to submit. It doesn't publish how long the review takes, so allow time before any deadline that matters.

1. 1

   Check you're eligible

   18 or over, UK resident and UK tax resident only, not a US Person, with a UK phone number. Your business must be registered and trading in the UK.

2. 2

   Download the app

   You need iOS 16 or later, or Android 10 or later. There's no web or branch application.

3. 3

   Apply and verify

   Enter your details and verify your identity. For a limited company, the applicant must be a director and a PSC.

4. 4

   Start using it

   Once approved, order your card, set up your Tax Pot and connect FreeAgent if you want it.

Documents. To open a Mettle business account, Mettle's help pages refer to ID, proof of address and proof of trading. Have them ready and check in the app which ones Mettle asks for.

Daily application limit. Since July 2026 Mettle has had a temporary daily limit on new applications. It refreshes each day, so if applications are full, try again tomorrow.

Referrals. Under Mettle's Refer a Business terms, you can get £50 using a code from an existing Mettle customer. You enter it in the app via "Redeem a code" within 30 days and make one card payment. We don't publish a code here. Read Mettle's Refer a Business terms before you rely on the reward.

Limitations

These are the limits Mettle states itself. For some businesses they matter more than any fee in this Mettle review.

• Who can apply: no partnerships, LLPs, PLCs, unlimited companies, CICs, charities or trusts. Limited companies can have no more than two PSCs, all individuals.
• One user: only one owner can access the account, so a co-director or bookkeeper can't have a login.
• No credit and no outgoing international payments.
• No switching service: Mettle doesn't offer the Current Account Switch Service yet, though it plans to.
• Balance cap: your main account balance can be up to £1 million.
• Excluded sectors include gambling, crypto, adult services, alcohol and tobacco manufacturing, armaments, pharmaceuticals, freight shipping and money service businesses.
• One account per person.

Mettle vs Tide

Tide is our featured partner, so here's a fair comparison with the Mettle business account. Both have a plan with no monthly fee and both are run from an app.

The Mettle business account wins on bank-held money and UK transfers with no per-transfer charge. Tide offers a choice of plans, company registration and access to finance. Read our Tide review for the details.

If Tide fits better, new Tide members can use code STARTUP200 for up to £200 cashback: £75 after spending £100 on the Tide card within 30 days, plus £125 for paying £5,000 into a Tide Instant Saver within 7 days of opening and keeping it there for 30 days*. *T&Cs apply Our Tide promo code page explains the conditions.

Alternatives to consider

If the limits in this Mettle review rule Mettle out, compare business bank accounts side by side, or read these reviews:

• Starling review: a UK bank with one plan and no monthly fee, plus international payments.
• Monzo Business review: a UK bank with a £0 Lite plan and paid plans with team access.
• Also see ANNA, Zempler, Revolut Business and Wise Business.

Our featured partner Tide also has a sign-up offer: code STARTUP200 can earn new Tide members up to £200 cashback, so it is worth comparing with Mettle before you apply*. *T&Cs apply

Still keen after this Mettle review? You can apply for the Mettle business account in the app in about 10 minutes.

Mettle runs a refer a friend scheme, and we may earn a referral reward. Disclosure

Frequently asked questions

Sources

Every fact in this Mettle review comes from Mettle's own pages. All sources checked 25 October 2026.

• Mettle: homepage
• Mettle: fee information document
• Mettle: business bank account
• Mettle: eligibility
• Mettle: FSCS key information
• Mettle FAQ: is Mettle a bank?
• Mettle: international payments
• Mettle FAQ: service fees
• Mettle FAQ: Boosted savings pot rate
• Mettle FAQ: overdrafts
• Mettle: prize draw
• Mettle FAQ: daily application limit
• Mettle FAQ: switching
• Mettle FAQ: contacting support