Comparison
Tide vs Mercury
A side-by-side look at Tide and Mercury — 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.
Mercury
Banking built for startups.
Mercury is a tech-forward business bank for startups, offering checking, savings, treasury, debit cards and the IO charge card with up to 1.5% cashback.
Side-by-side
| Spec | Tide | Mercury |
|---|---|---|
| Tagline | The business banking platform for UK SMEs. | Banking built for startups. |
| Headquarters | London, UK | San Francisco, USA |
| Founded | 2015 | 2017 |
| Regions | UK | US |
| Card type | Mastercard debit + credit | Debit + IO Credit |
| Pricing | Free Tide; Plus £12.50/mo; Pro £18.99. | Banking free; Mercury IO requires $25k+ avg balance. |
| Rewards | Cashback on Tide Cashback Card. | 1.5% cashback on Mercury IO. |
| Best for | UK SMEs, Sole traders | US-incorporated startups, VC-backed companies, Remote founders |
| Integrations | Xero, QuickBooks, FreeAgent, Sage | QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite |
Tide: pros & cons
- Strong UK distribution
- UK-only
Mercury: pros & cons
- Best banking UX for startups
- No monthly fees
- Strong treasury product
- US incorporation required
- Not a traditional bank — partner bank model