Pleo vs Tide Comparison
Compare Pleo vs Tide features, pricing, and more.
Last updated: November 2026
Pleo
6.8/10
Pleo is a European spend management platform that gives small and mid-sized businesses company cards, receipt capture, reimbursements and supplier invoice payments.
Tide
6.4/10
Tide is a UK app-based business current account for sole traders and small firms, with optional built-in invoicing, accounting, VAT filing and payroll.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 6.8/10 | 6.4/10 |
| Scalability | 6/10 | 4/10 |
| Analytics | 6/10 | 5/10 |
| Compliance | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Integration | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Security | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Support | 5/10 | 4/10 |
| Cost | 6/10 | 8/10 |
| Customization | 6/10 | 4/10 |
| Ease of Use | 9/10 | 8/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Cheapest paid plan | £8/user/mo Start | £12/mo Smart |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | £80/mo Start | Free Lite |
| Features | ||
| Payroll | ||
| Corporate Cards | ||
| Expense Management | ||
| Accountant Access | Not listed | |
| Accounts Payable | Not listed | |
| Bank Reconciliation | Not listed | |
| Budgeting and Forecasting | Not listed | |
| Financial Reporting | Not listed | |
| General Ledger | Not listed | |
| Invoicing | Not listed | |
| Multi-currency | Not listed | |
| Online Payments | Not listed | |
| Tax Compliance | Not listed | |
Pleo vs Tide cost by team size
Tide costs less at every team size we checked.
| Team size | Pleo | Tide |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | £8/moStart | FreeLite |
| 5 users | £40/moStart | FreeLite |
| 10 users | £80/moStart | FreeLite |
| 25 users | £200/moStart | FreeLite |
| 50 users | £400/moStart | FreeLite |
The plan that fits each team size, billed monthly, before add-ons and usage charges. Each cost opens that tool's pricing calculator for the team size.
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose Pleo
- Higher Scalability score (6/10 vs 4/10)
- Higher Customization score (6/10 vs 4/10)
- Better fit for enterprise (4/10 vs 2/10)
Why choose Tide
- Has a free plan (Pleo does not)
- Lower estimated cost for 10 users: Free vs £80/mo
- Higher Cost score (8/10 vs 6/10)
- Includes Payroll, which Pleo lacks
Pros & Cons
Pleo
Pros
- G2 reviewers praise the card and receipt-capture app as easy for employees to use, and Pleo holds a 4.7 rating across roughly 1,400 G2 reviews.
- Per-user list prices are published, starting at £8 per user per month.
- Native accounting integrations cover Xero, QuickBooks, NetSuite, FreeAgent, Xledger and Twinfield.
- SAML SSO is included even on the entry Start plan.
- The UK entity is authorised by the FCA, and cards are issued under a Mastercard licence.
Cons
- Build and Optimise are billed yearly and require at least three users.
- Transaction charges such as FX fees of up to 2 percent and per-payment fees add to the subscription cost.
- Live chat support is only included on Optimise, and Trustpilot reviewers complain about slow support.
- Some reviewers report weak coverage and support in the US.
- It is not an accounting system and has no general ledger, customer invoicing or payroll.
Tide
Pros
- A free Lite plan includes a sort code account, card, payment links and Tap to Pay with no monthly fee.
- MTD VAT returns can be filed to HMRC directly from the app.
- Every plan syncs with major UK accounting packages, including Xero, QuickBooks, Sage and FreeAgent.
- Deposits are FSCS-protected through ClearBank, up to £120,000.
- Limited companies can be registered cheaply during sign-up.
Cons
- Reviewers frequently report accounts frozen or paused without explanation.
- Support responses can take days, according to user reviews.
- There are no overdrafts or business credit cards.
- Plans cap the number of team cards and users, at most 5 users on Max.
- The accounting tools lack a full general ledger and multi-entity features.
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
Pleo scores higher on our Finance Software criteria: 6.8/10 against 6.4/10 for Tide. The largest gap is in Cost: 6/10 for Pleo and 8/10 for Tide.
Tide costs less for 10 users: free on its Lite plan, against about £80/mo on its Start plan for Pleo, billed monthly.
Tide has a free plan; Pleo does not list one.
Pleo is the better fit for enterprise: we rate it 4/10 for them, against 2/10 for Tide.
Tide has Payroll, which Pleo lacks.
