Comparison
Tide vs Airwallex
A side-by-side look at Tide and Airwallex — pricing, regions, integrations, pros and cons. Use the recommender if you'd rather have an AI pick for you.
Tide
The business banking platform for UK SMEs.
Tide is the UK's leading SME business bank, with 600k+ members, offering accounts, cards, invoicing and credit.
Airwallex
The global financial platform for modern business.
Airwallex provides multi-currency accounts, global cards, FX, bill pay and embedded finance — letting companies operate like locals in 60+ countries.
Side-by-side
| Spec | Tide | Airwallex |
|---|---|---|
| Tagline | The business banking platform for UK SMEs. | The global financial platform for modern business. |
| Headquarters | London, UK | Melbourne, Australia |
| Founded | 2015 | 2015 |
| Regions | UK | Global, APAC, EU, UK, US |
| Card type | Mastercard debit + credit | Visa charge / debit (market dependent) |
| Pricing | Free Tide; Plus £12.50/mo; Pro £18.99. | Free base account; cards free; FX from 0.4%. |
| Rewards | Cashback on Tide Cashback Card. | Cashback on eligible spend (market dependent). |
| Best for | UK SMEs, Sole traders | Cross-border businesses, Marketplaces, Global SaaS |
| Integrations | Xero, QuickBooks, FreeAgent, Sage | Xero, NetSuite, QuickBooks |
Tide: pros & cons
- Strong UK distribution
- UK-only
Airwallex: pros & cons
- Best-in-class FX
- True global coverage
- Powerful APIs
- Onboarding can be slow
- Spend management is lighter than dedicated tools