1. Tide: The market leader for value
Tide has positioned itself as the most competitive company formation service currently available. While the direct cost to register with Companies House is £100, Tide offers a heavily subsidised rate by bundling the service with their business banking platform.
Price: £24.99 (includes the £100 Companies House fee).
Receive your certificate of incorporation within one business day, along with a free business bank account and integrated instant access savings account. Unlock Making Tax Digital tools, invoicing, bookkeeping and a competitive interest rate of up to 4% AER.
Still stuck on a business name? Use Tide’s free, AI-powered business name generator and get a list of ideas in seconds – they’re all checked against the Companies House register to make sure they’re available.
Get everything you need in one platform
Tide’s journey is seamless – once you’re registered, you can choose the add-ons that make sense for your business:
Keep your home address private and use a registered business address based in Central London. Work remotely? Tide scans and sends your mail to you, so you never miss important correspondence.
From identity verification to managing your company’s records, filing your confirmation statement with Tide is easy. Access everything you need in the app and stay compliant effortlessly.
The ultimate toolkit to build your professional brand and online presence – no coding required. Register your domain, host your website for speed and robust security, plus get three professional email addresses that link to your domain.
Tide’s payroll services are HMRC-recognised, making it easy to pay yourself and your team in minutes. No need for manual calculations – income tax, National Insurance, pensions and student loan contributions are all calculated accurately and filed automatically.
Wave goodbye to manual admin - streamline your business operations, get paid faster and prepare for tax season confidently. Access cash flow and profit insights, put aside money in a dedicated Tax Account and automate your bookkeeping activities.
2. ANNA Money
ANNA Money offers a sleek, “fintech-first” approach. They don't subsidise the government fee like Tide does, but they offer a £25 cashback incentive to soften the blow.
Price: £100 (matches the Companies House fee).
Key features
ANNA Money offers same-day company registration and a “pay-as-you-go” business account for your basic admin needs – invoicing, bookkeeping, taxes and expenses.
Virtual office address
Enhance your professional image with a London-based address for all of your mail – keeping your personal details protected. Similar to Tide, ANNA focuses on digital efficiency by scanning and uploading your official correspondence directly to your app inbox.
VAT registration
Register for VAT online and receive an HMRC-approved VAT certificate in the mail. ANNA automatically calculates your VAT liabilities from your transactions and allows you to file directly to HMRC from the app.
Confirmation statement filing
ANNA Money sends an in-app and email survey a month before your filing date. After a quick verification of your details, they submit your confirmation statement directly to Companies House.
ANNA +Taxes
Prepares your year-end accounts, automates Corporation Tax and PAYE calculations, and provides "smart tax pots" that automatically set aside money for HMRC every time you get paid.
3. 1st Formations
A major player in the industry, 1st Formations is a traditional agent that provides a high level of customer support but passes the full government fee on to the customer.
Price: £102.99 (includes £100 Companies House fee).
Key features
As a dedicated agent, 1st Formations excels at the core “company formation” services but lacks the integrated ecosystem found in fintech rivals. You receive your digital incorporation documents quickly, but unlike Tide – where your account is ready almost instantly – 1st Formations relies on referrals to external banks. This means your formation and your banking remain two separate tasks on your to-do list.
Confirmation statement filing
1st Formations waives their service fee for the first filing, charging only the £50 Companies House fee. After you complete a simple email questionnaire, they file your CS01 and handle updates to SIC codes, shareholders, and capital statements.
Registered office address
They provide three privacy levels using a prestigious Covent Garden address: Registered Office (for official government mail), Service Address (to hide directors' home addresses), and Business Address (for general trading and customer mail).
VAT registration
A VAT expert handles your entire application to HMRC. Once approved, 1st Formations ensures your VAT Certificate and Registration Number are sent to your principal place of business, saving you the hassle of the complex online forms.
Full company secretary
This professional service manages your company’s legal administrative duties. It includes up to 15 annual changes (like share transfers or director updates), maintenance of statutory registers, and expert guidance to keep your business in good standing.
4. Your Company Formations
Your Company Formations targets those looking for a quick digital. Your Company Formations offers high-speed processing and a no-frills digital setup with the added benefit of professional advice.
Price: £102.48 (includes £100 Companies House fee).
Key features
Your Company Formations offers one of the fastest turnaround times in the UK, typically securing approval within 3 working hours. Unlike Tide or ANNA Money, they are strictly a formation agent and don’t offer an integrated ecosystem of banking, tax, or bookkeeping tools.
Virtual office address
While Your Company Formations offers a 3-in-1 address package with daily physical mail forwarding, there are more streamlined, cost-effective alternatives on the market. Unlike traditional agents that often charge to handle every piece of "junk" mail, Tide’s service, for example, scans and emails official government mail while returning marketing clutter to the sender – keeping your inbox clean and your costs down.
VAT registration
A dedicated team manually prepares and submits your VAT application to HMRC. They ensure you receive your certificate and registration number directly, providing a high-touch alternative to automated digital forms.
Confirmation statement filing
For a fixed annual fee, Your Company Formations handles your mandatory annual snapshot (CS01) for Companies House. You simply verify your details via a quick questionnaire, and they ensure your company remains in good standing.
Companies House services
Unlike other company formation agents that offer a managed “full company secretary" bundle, Your Company Formations offers individual services as you need them. You can pay separately for Confirmation Statement filing, Share Transfers, or Director appointments, allowing you to only pay for the specific administrative changes your business actually makes.
5. Companies Made Simple
Companies Made Simple has incorporated over 1 million companies. They are a great choice for international founders or those looking for a one-stop shop that includes physical perks like London-based meeting rooms.
Price: £109.99 (includes £100 Companies House fee).
Key features
Company approval is often secured in just 3 working hours. Like 1st Formations, they are a pure formation agent. While they offer banking "cashback" deals, you won't get the built-in tax and bookkeeping tools.
Registered Office Address
Companies Made Simple offers a prestigious N1 London address with flexible mail-handling plans. However, Tide remains the more cost-effective and clutter-free choice.
VAT registration
Get access to a "VAT Registration Assistance" service where an expert reviews your application before submission to HMRC. This manual check helps prevent common errors that often lead to the 4-6 week delays seen with DIY applications.
Confirmation statement filing
Companies Made Simple’s system automatically pulls your existing data, so you only need to confirm if anything has changed, making it a "set and forget" solution for annual compliance. They offer two services: the usual confirmation statement filing service and an express service that guarantees your annual CS01 is submitted within 24 hours.
Full company secretary
Their secretarial service handles up to 10 company changes per year (such as changing a company name or appointing officers). It also includes the maintenance of your five statutory registers, ensuring you stay fully compliant with the Companies Act 2006 without needing to learn the legalities yourself.
Comparison summary at a glance
Feature | Tide | ANNA Money | 1st Formations | Your Company Formations | Companies Made Simple |
|---|
Incorporation cost (incl. £100 Companies House fee) | | | | | |
| | | | | |
Integrated bookkeeping, taxes and expense management | | | | | |
| Low-cost easy setup, fully integrated platform | Simplicity, all-in-one tax suite | Specialist support, meeting room hire in London | Fast, easy setup, trustworthy | Wide range of corporate services, express filing guarantees |
The verdict: Why Tide is one of the best company formation agents in the UK
When comparing company formation services, the data speaks for itself. Since the 2026 Companies House fee hike to £100, Tide is the only provider that significantly absorbs that cost for the user.
By choosing Tide, you aren't just saving over £75 on your initial setup – you’re gaining a fully integrated business ecosystem. While other agents charge high one-off fees for "extras," Tide includes essential banking, free MTD-ready tax tools, and bookkeeping software as standard.
Key winning features:
Unbeatable price: At £24.99, it’s 4 times cheaper than registering directly with Companies House
All-in-one integration: Your bank account and company formation happen in one seamless step
Compliance ready: Get free, HMRC-recognised Making Tax Digital tools and built-in bookkeeping from day one
How to start your business journey with Tide
Ready to launch?🚀 You can register your company with Tide in minutes:
Go to our company registration page.
Search for your desired company name to ensure it's available.
Enter your details and pay the £24.99 fee.
Once Companies House approves the application (usually within 24 hours), your business bank account will be ready to use.
Tide will be with you every step of the way, ensuring a seamless setup. Join over 1.5 million business owners today – it’s time to lead and do more of what you love.
