Tide Logo
Tide Logo
Tide Logo
Tide Logo

COMPARE TIDE AND HSBC BUSINESS ACCOUNTS

Choose the best business bank account for your business

Curious which digital bank truly delivers for your business? Dive into our detailed comparison to see how Tide's smart features, transparent fees, and seamless setup stack up against HSBC. 

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Join over 2 million business owners today!

Serving over 15% of all SMEs in the UK, helping contractors, freelancers and scaling businesses get back to doing what they love.

Tide vs HSBC: Compare business bank account features

If you're looking to open an HSBC Business Account, it’s important to consider the pros and cons of their basic plan. Before you make your decision, let’s take a look at Tide’s free plan vs HSBC’s Kinetic Account to weigh up their features and costs.

 
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Tide (Free)
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HSBC

ACCOUNT SET-UP

Quick and easy

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100% online

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Card delivery

2-5 business days

Within 7 business days

Replacement cards

Free

Free

Free

Free

FEES AND CHARGES

Monthly fees

£0/month

£0/month

Free for 12 months, then £6.50/month

Transfer fees

5 free transfers/month

Free

Free

ATM withdrawals

£1

£1

0.60% of value

0.60% of value

Cash deposits at the Post Office

£2.50 minimum

£2.50 minimum

1.50% of value deposited

CHAPS outgoing payments

£15 per transaction

£17 per transaction

International transaction fees

1.50%

1.50%

2.75%

2.75%

KEY FEATURES AND BENEFITS

Business savings account

Up to 4% AER*

Up to 4% AER*

1.57% AER

1.57% AER

Company formation

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FSCS protection up to £120,000

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Business loans

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Accounting integrations

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Invoicing

3/month

3/month

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Payment links

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POS card machines

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Tap to Pay

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Team Expense Cards

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Virtual Cards

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Member perks + discounts

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CUSTOMER SUPPORT

In-app chat support

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Phone support

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Fraud hotline

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*Interest rates are tiered, with the top rate for balances between £1M and £10M. New Tide Members get these rates free for 4 months, after which your Tide plan’s rates apply. Savings account powered by ClearBank. Rates correct as of 26/05/2026.

Open a free business bank account online in minutes

Business banking with Tide is easy.

  1. Download the app

  2. Tell us about your business and verify your identity

  3. Your account is approved and ready to go in minutes - your card will arrive in a couple of days

Open a business account

Try a paid plan for free

Sign up for one of our paid plans today and get 1 month free*. Unlock more features to better manage your finances, like Expense Cards, free transfers and priority in-chat & phone support.

Security built in

Two-factor security

Easily freeze lost or stolen cards

Check recipient details with Confirmation of Payee

Open a Tide account and unlock our free business tools

Payment Links

Send Payment Links in seconds for easy online card transactions.

Auto-categorisation

We automatically tag your income and spending. Customise the labels to suit your company.

Virtual Cards

Take control of your business spending with our Virtual Cards – store them securely in the Tide app and activate them instantly.

Apple/Google Pay

Set up Apple and Google Pay to make every payment a breeze.

International Payments

Access your IBAN number in the Tide app to send and receive international payments in a few taps.

CSV exports and more

Export your transactions in multiple formats or share with your accountant.

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Do more than just banking at Tide

Tide is much more than a business bank account – discover our additional tools that make running a business seamless.

Tide Accounting

Stay compliant for free. File your tax returns with Tide’s HMRC-recognised, Making Tax Digital-ready tools.

Learn more

Business Savings

Earn up to 4% AER (variable) on your business savings

 Learn more

Tide Card Reader

In-person card payments without the fuss. Get unlimited mobile data and get paid anywhere.

 Learn more

Business Loans

Apply for finance to keep your business growing, without impacting your credit score.

 Learn more

Ready to switch to Tide?

Considering switching your business account provider? We’ll make the move effortless.

  • Wave manual admin goodbye and use the Current Account Switching Service to move your existing business account

  • Switching is completely free and only takes 7 working days from the date you choose to switch

  • All we need from you is your old bank details, the rest is handled automatically, securely and fuss-free

Switch to Tide

Matt HerdBeaucroft Watches

Everything became digital, and Tide just made it so easy. Everything was easy to set up. We didn't need tremendous amounts of paperwork or history to set up an account.

How we compare

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We understand businesses, it's all we do

Tide is built by business owners for business owners. That’s why we’re trusted by over 2 million sole traders, freelancers, and limited companies worldwide.

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Tide | Do what you love.
Tide Platform Limited (Tide) designs and operates the Tide website and app. Tide is not a bank. Tide is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) under the Electronic Money Regulations 2011 under firm reference number 900843 for the issuing of electronic money and the provision of payment initiation services and account information services under the Payment Services Regulations 2017. Tide is also authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in relation to its credit and insurance broking activities (firm reference 718743). Tide is incorporated and registered in England and Wales with company number 09595646 and registered office at 4th Floor The Featherstone Building, 66 City Road, London, EC1Y 2AL. Tide offers bank accounts powered by ClearBank® Ltd (ClearBank) (account sort code is 04-06-05). ClearBank is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority under registration number 754568. Eligible deposits with ClearBank are protected up to a total of £120,000 by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), the UK's deposit guarantee scheme. For further information visit Home. ClearBank Ltd is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority (Financial Services Register number: 754568). Registered Address: ClearBank, Level 27, The Broadgate Tower, 20 Primrose Street, London, United Kingdom, EC2A 2EW. Eligible deposits held in the Tide Business Current Account (powered by ClearBank) are covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (“FSCS”) subject to eligibility. All eligible deposits at the same bank are aggregated to determine the coverage level for each depositor up to £120,000, therefore if you have any other product/services with ClearBank these will be aggregated. To find out more and to check your eligibility please visit: About us . Some of Tide’s members also hold e-money accounts powered by PrePay Technologies Limited (PPT) (account sort code is 23-69-72). PPT is an electronic money institution authorised by the FCA under the Electronic Money Regulations 2011 under firm reference number 900010 for the issuing of electronic money. PPT holds an amount equivalent to the money in Tide current accounts in a safeguarding account which gives members protection against PPT’ insolvency. Tide Cards may be issued by both Tide and PPT, who are licensed by Mastercard International for the issuance of cards. The issuer of your Tide card will be identified on your monthly card statement. Tide Capital Limited is an appointed representative of P1 Investment Services Limited which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under firm reference number 752005 to carry out such regulated activities as are involved in the provision of Tide Investment Account. Seccl Custody Limited is the custodian of assets held in Tide Investment Account and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (firm reference number 793200) and registered in England and Wales under No. 10430958. Registered office 20 Manvers Street, Bath BA1 1JW. Tide, the Tide logo, the Swell, and Do Less Banking are trademarks and trade names of Tide Platform Limited, and may not be used or reproduced without the consent of the owner.