Best Business

Mettle Business Banking

About Mettle

Editorial Team
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Mettle is an online account, by NatWest, expertly designed for sole traders, limited companies and small businesses with up to two traders. Mettle was created with a mission: to provide small business owners the resources to focus on their business with free and easy banking.

See our full Mettle business account review and see how they compare with other UK business bank account providers.

Mettle pros & cons

Pros of Mettle

  • Comes with no monthly fees
  • Free UK transactions & ATM withdrawals
  • Part of a trusted & regulated bank, NatWest
  • Accounting saving of £150+ per year
  • Quick & easy application
  • Offers savings pots with 1.46% AER
  • Friendly customer support

Cons of Mettle

  • No branches, not even with NatWest
  • Maximum balance limit of £1 million
  • Only 1 director can access the account
  • Does not support cheque deposits

Mettle business bank account

Mettle offers one business bank account, that comes with no fees.

You can earn interest on your money with a Mettle Savings Pot at a rate of 1.46% AER variable. Start saving from £10 up to £1 million.

The Mettle business account is completely free as you can see in this summary:

Account nameMettle Business Account
Application feeFree
Monthly feeFree
Bank transfersFree
Card purchasesFree
ATM withdrawalsFree
Cash depositsFree
Interest (AER)1.46%

Eligibility

To be eligible for a Mettle business account you must:

  • Be a sole trader or limited company
  • Be a UK resident (all owners must be UK residents, if applicable)
  • Be a UK-based business
  • Be 18 or over
  • Have an Android or iOS device
  • Have a UK phone number
  • Not exceed a balance of £100k (£50k for sole traders)

There are also some business activities/types are currently not supported, such as charities.

Opening an account

Here's how to open a Mettle business account:

  1. Download Mettle's app from the App Store or Google Play
  2. Complete their digital application - Mettle will confirm your eligibility
  3. Verify your ID - you'll need to upload a picture ID and a video of yourself
  4. Once approved (usually same day), you can start banking

Mettle vs other digital banks

Here's a summary of how the Mettle business account compares to other digital business bank account providers:

MettleStarlingTideANNA Money
FSCS ProtectedYesYesYes (with ClearBank)No
Free AccountYesYesYesYes
Free UK TransfersYesYesNo (20p)No (20p)
International TransfersYesYesNoYes
Free ATM WithdrawalsYesYesNo (£1)No (£1)
Cash DepositsYesYes (£3 min. fee)Yes (£2.50 min. fee)Yes (1% fee)
Free InvoicingYesNo (£7 per month)YesYes
Connect Accounting SoftwareYesYesYesYes

Mettle reviews

Mettle users score them an excellent 4.6 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot, based on over 4,100 reviews, with 82% rating them 5-stars.

Mettle's App Store app has an incredible 4.9-star average from over 31,800 ratings.

While their Google Play app gets 4.8 stars out of 5 from over 11,300 ratings.

Information correct as of 12th September 2024.

Our verdict on Mettle

Mettle is completely free making it extremely competitive and especially useful for sole traders and new businesses aiming to keep costs as low as possible without the need of sacrificing any features, since Mettle offers the same standard features as most high street banks.

Frequently asked questions

It's not uncommon to have questions when looking in to business banking, especially for the first time. These are some of the most relevant questions for Mettle:

Yes, Mettle don't charge any fees and are completely free.

Mettle is online-only so you'll need a smartphone or other device with internet access to login and manage your business finances.

Yes, you can top up your account for free at Post Office or PayPoint branches.

No, Mettle is not a bank but they offer FSCS protected business accounts, provided by NatWest trading as Mettle.

Yes, Mettle is part of the NatWest Banking Group. However, Mettle customers can't use NatWest, RBS or Ulster Bank branches for their Mettle business account.

Mettle is as safe as any regulated bank as their business accounts are covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), meaning eligible deposits up to £85,000 are protected should Mettle go bust.