Starling vs Wise Business: Complete Comparison (2026)
An in-depth comparison of Starling and Wise Business to help you choose the right tool for your business.
Last updated: November 2026
Starling
6.6/10
A UK digital bank business account with built-in invoicing, bookkeeping, and Making Tax Digital tax tools for sole traders and small limited companies.
Wise Business
6.3/10
Wise Business is a multi-currency business account for sending, receiving, holding and converting money internationally, with team cards, batch payments and invoicing.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 6.6/10 | 6.3/10 |
| Scalability | 3/10 | 6/10 |
| Analytics | 4/10 | 3/10 |
| Compliance | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Integration | 6/10 | 6/10 |
| Security | 8/10 | 7/10 |
| Support | 7/10 | 5/10 |
| Cost | 9/10 | 8/10 |
| Customization | 3/10 | 4/10 |
| Ease of Use | 8/10 | 8/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | £7/mo Accounting Plus | Contact for pricing |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Free Business Account + Accounting Essentials | Free Wise Business (US) |
| Features | ||
| Invoicing | ||
| Online Payments | ||
| Accountant Access | Not listed | |
| Bank Reconciliation | Not listed | |
| Corporate Cards | Not listed | |
| Expense Management | Not listed | |
| Financial Reporting | Not listed | |
| General Ledger | Not listed | |
| Multi-currency | Not listed | |
| Payroll | Not listed | |
| Tax Compliance | Not listed | |
Starling vs Wise Business cost by team size
| Team size | Starling | Wise Business |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | FreeBusiness Account + Accounting Essentials | FreeWise Business (US) |
| 5 users | FreeBusiness Account + Accounting Essentials | FreeWise Business (US) |
| 10 users | FreeBusiness Account + Accounting Essentials | FreeWise Business (US) |
| 25 users | FreeBusiness Account + Accounting Essentials | FreeWise Business (US) |
| 50 users | FreeBusiness Account + Accounting Essentials | FreeWise Business (US) |
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 Starling
- Has a free plan (Wise Business does not)
- Higher Support score (7/10 vs 5/10)
- Higher Analytics score (4/10 vs 3/10)
Why choose Wise Business
- Higher Scalability score (6/10 vs 3/10)
- Higher Customization score (4/10 vs 3/10)
- Better fit for enterprise (4/10 vs 2/10)
- Better fit for startups (8/10 vs 6/10)
Pros & Cons
Starling
Pros
- The business account has no monthly fee, and UK transfers, invoicing, and up to five expense cards are free.
- The free Essentials tier includes MTD for Income Tax submissions, which helps sole traders and landlords facing the April 2026 rules.
- VAT returns can be filed to HMRC from inside the banking app for £7 a month until April 2027.
- Bank feeds connect to Xero, QuickBooks, and FreeAgent.
- UK-based support is available 24/7 in the app, and Finder ranked it highly for customer satisfaction in 2026.
Cons
- It is not a full accounting system: there is no general ledger, payroll, or multi-entity support.
- Accountants only get view-only access.
- Only GBP and EUR accounts are available, and new USD account applications are paused.
- Eligibility is strict: directors and people with significant control must be UK residents.
- Overdrafts and loans are not available to new business customers, and there are no branches.
Wise Business
Pros
- Conversions use the mid-market rate with fees from 0.23%, often cheaper than banks for international payments.
- There is no monthly fee, only a one-time setup fee of 31 USD in the US.
- Batch payments can pay up to 1,000 recipients in one action, which helps companies paying contractors abroad.
- Local receiving details in 22 currencies let foreign clients pay domestically.
- Team cards come with custom spending permissions.
Cons
- It is not an accounting system and has no ledger, payroll or financial statements.
- Wise is not a bank: it offers no loans, and balances are safeguarded rather than deposit-insured by default.
- Users report delayed or frozen transactions and support that can be slow or hard to reach.
- Incoming SWIFT payments in USD, GBP and EUR carry per-payment fees.
- Feature availability, including cards, varies by country.
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
Starling scores higher on our Finance Software criteria: 6.6/10 against 6.3/10 for Wise Business. The largest gap is in Scalability: 3/10 for Starling and 6/10 for Wise Business.
Starling has a free plan; Wise Business does not list one.
Wise Business is the better fit for enterprise: we rate it 4/10 for them, against 2/10 for Starling.
