Tide

Tide is a business financial platform based in London. It began as a mobile business current account and now adds administration tools on top. ClearBank provides the accounts and they are covered by the FSCS. Tide itself is FCA-regulated but is not a bank. Customers get a sort code account, a card, payment links, Tap to Pay card acceptance and transaction categorisation. Optional modules add Tide Accounting, with invoicing and quotes, receipt capture, real-time reconciliation, cash flow and profit reports, Making Tax Digital VAT filing to HMRC, tax estimates and accountant access. The Max plan also includes payroll software. Tide suits sole traders, freelancers and small limited companies in the UK. It also runs a separate service in India. Pricing has four tiers. Lite is free with 5 transfers a month. Smart costs £12.49 a month, Pro £27.49 and Max £69.99. Higher tiers add more transfers, team cards, team access, extra accounts, better savings rates and bundled accounting. Tide Accounting can also be bought on its own, from £13.99 plus VAT a month for sole traders or £19.99 plus VAT for limited companies. Every plan can sync with outside accounting packages, including Xero, QuickBooks, Sage, FreeAgent, KashFlow, Clear Books and Reckon One. The main limitation is that reviewers often report accounts being frozen or paused without warning, and support can then be slow. There are no overdrafts or credit cards, and the accounting tools are basic compared with full ledger software.