Assessment
Starling is used by UK sole traders, limited companies, and consumers who want an app-based bank. It reports 6.2 million platform accounts, and 56% of its small business customers use it as their main account. A business account has no monthly fee, UK payments in and out cost nothing, and cash deposits at the Post Office cost 0.7% with a minimum of about $4. It is at the low-cost end of UK business banking, and its closest competitors are Tide, Countingup, ANNA Money, and Revolut.
The bank was founded in 2014 and is led by Group Chief Executive Raman Bhatia, who joined in 2024. For the year to March 2026 it reported revenue of about $1.19B and profit before tax of about $290M, its fifth profitable year, with customer deposits of about $17.0B. A second business, Engine by Starling, sells the same banking platform to other banks and reports about $94M of committed annual recurring revenue.
It fits a UK limited company or sole trader that wants one free, fully licensed account with built-in invoicing and tax tools. It is a weaker fit for a business with corporate shareholders, a charity or general partnership, or owners who live outside the UK, because the eligibility rules exclude them. Small business lending has also shrunk, with drawn SME loans down from about $590M to about $297M.
Rating by criterion
We score each of the eight criteria out of 100.
Sector criteria
The business account has no monthly fee, no charge on UK payments in or out, free ATM withdrawals, and payments to 34 countries. Cash deposits cost 0.7% with a minimum of about $4.
A business debit card, spending analytics, digital receipts, and Spaces for setting money aside for tax and overheads cover day-to-day spending. The page describes no corporate card suite or expense approvals.
Free invoicing, tax management, and built-in accounting come with the account. Starling bought the accounting platform Ember and launched a Making Tax Digital tool for sole traders and landlords within six months.
The account connects to Xero, QuickBooks, and FreeAgent and can show business accounts held at other banks. There is no public payments API described on the business page.
Vendor criteria
The product line runs from business and personal accounts to a Cash ISA, Easy Saver, and AI tools such as the Starling Assistant, and Engine by Starling now has four international bank clients.
Support runs 24 hours a day, and a business can apply on a phone. Eligibility is strict, and Starling reviews each business case by case.
The business account page and fee schedule publish what is free and what is charged, and the account has no monthly fee.
Starling says regulatory restrictions limited its ability to grow its UK customer base during the year. Only UK-resident individuals can own a company that applies, and general partnerships and charities are excluded.
Against its peers
These are the other companies in business banking and treasury, with their ratings.
User comments
We read the customer quote Starling publishes on its business page to see what buyers value, and set it against the main limit a buyer meets.
Where customer reviews couldn't be found, our analysts attempted to give a voice to buyer sentiment, drawing on real information from review sites, forums and product documentation.
Based on: Starling, FY26 annual results; Starling, business account page.
Fact file
| Legal entity | Starling Bank Limited, with Starling Group as the parent |
|---|---|
| Chief executive | Raman Bhatia, appointed March 2024 |
| FY26 revenue | $1.19B, year to March 31, 2026 |
| FY26 profit before tax | $290M |
| Customer deposits | $17.0B |
| Business account | No monthly fee, UK payments in and out free |
Source pages
- Starling home page: https://www.starlingbank.com/ (As of October 29, 2026)
- Starling FY26 results: https://www.starlingbank.com/news/starling-delivers-fifth-year-of-profitability-and-accelerates-global-growth-strategy/ (As of October 29, 2026)
- Starling business account: https://www.starlingbank.com/business-account/ (As of October 29, 2026)
- Starling appoints Raman Bhatia: https://www.starlingbank.com/news/starling-bank-appoints-raman-bhatia-as-group-ceo/ (As of October 29, 2026)
- Starling, 2021 funding round: https://www.starlingbank.com/news/starling-announces-272m-funding-round-march-2021/ (As of October 29, 2026)
- Goldman Sachs investment: https://www.starlingbank.com/news/goldman-sachs-invests-50m-in-starling-bank/ (As of October 29, 2026)
- Starling, 2022 internal fundraise: https://www.starlingbank.com/news/starling-announces-internal-fundraising/ (As of October 29, 2026)
- Trustpilot, Starling: https://www.trustpilot.com/review/starlingbank.com (As of October 29, 2026)
Competitive landscape
UK business accounts a small company would compare with Starling.
Starling Bank: 82
- Starling Bank82
- Revolut84
- Tide80
- ANNA Money80
- Countingup74
- Monzo BusinessNot reviewed
- MercuryNot reviewed
Comparisons
Key leadership
Raman Bhatia has led Starling as Group Chief Executive since 2024, after running the energy retailer OVO. Declan Ferguson is Group Chief Financial Officer and joined in 2017 as Head of Strategy.
How this review was created
This profile gives our own assessment of Starling Bank to companies selecting a Business banking & treasury provider. The Fintech Index receives nothing for featuring a firm, for sponsorship, or for advertising, and Starling Bank gave us no payment for the profile.
The rating equals the average of eight criteria, with every criterion running from 0 to 100. Four address buyer needs in this sector, and four address the company together with its commercial terms.
Ratings are our editorial judgment, made from public information: pricing and legal pages, product documentation, compliance disclosures, public reviews and filings. Fact-checking took place on October 29, 2026. Figures reported in pounds were converted to US dollars at the Federal Reserve H.10 rate of $1.3375 per pound on October 23, 2026.
Business account owner / Starling business account page / January 2026