Top Alternatives to Revolut Business for UK SMEs

For many UK SMEs and startups, Revolut Business has been compelling: multicurrency support, slick digital onboarding, and team-cards baked in one platform. But as companies scale or require more traditional banking services, some of the trade-offs become apparent.

What Revolut Business does well

• It offers cross-border payments, multi-currency wallets and global card access in one app-first experience.
• Onboarding is fast and mobile-centric, ideal for digital-native teams.
• It provides integrations and features geared for international commerce and head-office velocity.

Where it can fall short

• Fee structures can become complex as volumes grow or FX usage increases. (Revolut Business Pricing)
• While it handles many digital banking needs, it may lack full breadth of banking features (branch/cheque/cash services, complex lending, heavy domestic infrastructure).
• As your financial operations expand, you may find yourself needing a “next level” bank or specialist provider.
• Some digital-only accounts may present more risk or less mature protections compared with long-established banks. (FCA on Digital-Only Banks)

In short: if your business is highly global, digital, and still in growth mode, Revolut Business might check many boxes. But if you need deep domestic banking, higher volumes, full service credit/lending or branch-based support — it may be time to explore alternatives.

Top Alternatives to Revolut Business for UK Businesses

Below we introduce some strong alternative business accounts, spanning challenger banks, fintech‐centric business accounts and even more traditional banking options. We’ll consider the key pros & cons of each.

1. Challenger / Fintech-Business Accounts

Starling Bank Business – A UK-based fully-licensed bank offering a digital business current account. It features zero monthly fee for many smaller companies, full UK banking licence status, strong app and integration support. A great fit if you want a “real bank” with digital ease. Some limitations: less emphasis on multi-currency/FX than some fintechs, fewer branch-based services for cash/cheque deposit.

Wise Business (formerly TransferWise Business) – Especially strong for multi-currency and international payments. Transparent fee model, good for businesses dealing with overseas suppliers/clients. But it may lack some “bank account” features like overdraft/loan, and some domestic banking services compared with full current-account banks.

Other digital challengers like Tide or Monzo Business (depending on eligibility) may offer simpler business-accounting-first services for smaller SMEs.

2. More Traditional Banking Alternatives

For companies that need deep domestic support, lending, branch access, cheque/cash services or heavier volumes, traditional banks still hold strong value. Features include: strong reputation/regulation, full suite of services (current account, overdraft, term loans, international desk), branch availability, long-standing risk infrastructure. The trade-off: onboarding may be slower, digital UX may be less slick, fees higher, and multi-currency or global payment features may lag behind fintech challengers.

Examples include major UK lenders like Lloyds Bank, NatWest, and Barclays.

Challenger vs Traditional Banks – A Side-by-Side View

Final Thoughts

If you’re searching for Revolut Business account alternatives, the good news is: you have strong options depending on your needs. Revolut remains compelling for digital-native, globally-oriented SMEs. But if your business is shifting towards heavier domestic banking needs, higher volumes, or more complex services, it may be time to evaluate challengers like Starling or Wise — or consider the full muscle of a traditional bank.

The key is: align your business banking choice with how you operate now and how you’ll scale. Don’t pick a provider just because it’s trendy — pick the one that supports your liquidity, currency flows, growth pace and banking complexity today and tomorrow.

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