Tide vs ANNA Money
The two admin-first challengers compared properly. Both bundle your bookkeeping chores into the bank app — but they meter "free" in opposite directions, and only one arrangement currently carries FSCS protection.
| Tide | ANNA Money | |
|---|---|---|
| Free-plan meter | Outgoing transfers: 5 free, then 20p | Incoming payments: 0.95% over £1,000/mo |
| Protection | FSCS via ClearBank — up to £120,000 | Safeguarding only — no FSCS |
| Paid tiers | ~£12.49–£69.99/mo | £12.90–£59.90/mo + VAT |
| Admin tooling | Invoicing, expense cards, formation, MTD tools | Live tax estimate, receipt AI, invoicing |
| Cash | Supported, fee-bearing (PayPoint/Post Office) | Rates not published |
| Support | Tiered; phone from Smart | 24/7 human support — standout |
Where Tide wins — and where ANNA Money wins
Tide
- FSCS protection through the ClearBank arrangement
- Broader platform: formation, savings, expense cards, richer tiers
- Free plan suits low-volume international-light users
ANNA Money
- The best tax-admin tooling in the category — live HMRC liability estimate
- Unlimited free outgoing transfers on the £0 plan
- Genuinely praised 24/7 support
Our verdict
If your pain is tax admin and your incoming volume is modest, ANNA's tooling is worth its quirks — just compute the 0.95% commission against your real turnover first. For everyone else, Tide is the safer platform: FSCS cover, broader features, and meters you can predict. The protection-model difference alone settles this for larger balances.
How we compare: assessments draw on vendor documentation, published pricing, product testing where noted, and our published methodology. Prices are indicative entry-level figures — confirm current plans with vendors. We may earn commission from links on this page; it never affects our verdicts.