ComparisonLast checked 8 November 2026

Mettle vs Zempler Bank

A free business account from NatWest for sole traders and small limited companies, with invoicing and FreeAgent accounting included. A UK bank business account, formerly Cashplus, with a £0 plan, Post Office cash deposits and paid plans that remove card FX fees and add cashback. We also show Incard, our pick for businesses whose main costs go on cards.

By the editorial team. How we make money.

Where Incard beats both

You spend thousands a month on cards, especially on advertising, software or travel
You want a euro account, which Mettle or Zempler Bank don't list
You want a US dollar account, which Mettle or Zempler Bank don't list
You want accounts for LLPs, which Mettle or Zempler Bank don't list
You're comfortable with safeguarding instead of FSCS cover

cashback a year on Incard's £0 Free plan from £5,000 a month of eligible ads, software and travel spend. Simple arithmetic, not a forecast.

£600

Apply for Incard on incard.co

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What a year of card spending earns you

Incard Free against Mettle's cheapest plan, at your monthly spend on ads, software and travel.

Monthly card spend on ads, software and travel£5,000

£600 a year better off with Incard

Incard Free: £600 cashback, £0 fees
Mettle's cheapest plan: no cashback, £0 fees

Simple arithmetic, not a forecast: 1% on eligible ads, software and travel spend at merchants on Incard's eligible brand list, and each plan's published monthly fee. Other fees, such as FX and ATM charges, aren't included. Mettle's cheapest plan: No fee for maintaining the account.

Mettle suits you if

You want a free account from NatWest with FSCS cover
You want invoicing and FreeAgent accounting included
You're a sole trader, or a company with one or two owners

Zempler Bank suits you if

You pay in cash at the Post Office
You want FSCS cover on a £0 plan
You want to take contactless card payments on your phone
You'd pay £9 or £19 a month to drop card FX fees and earn cashback

At a glance

**Table notes:** correct as of 8 November 2026, from each provider's own pages listed under Sources. “Not listed” means the provider's pages we checked don't say.
	Mettle	Zempler Bank	Incard
Type and protection	Bank · FSCS cover	Bank · FSCS cover	E-money · safeguarded, no FSCS
Who can open one	UK sole traders and UK limited companies	UK sole traders and UK limited companies	UK sole traders, UK limited companies, LLPs, Swiss GmbHs and AGs and Swiss sole traders
Cheapest plan	No fee for maintaining the account	Business Go: £0 a month	Free: £0 a month
Plans (monthly)	No account fee; Mettle+ £4 a month	Business Go £0, Business Extra £9, Business Pro £19	Free £0, Grow £49, Plus from £199
Card cashback	Not listed	Up to 0.5% on Extra, up to 1% on Pro, tiered by monthly spend, max £1,000 a month	Free: 1% on ads, software and travel, 0.5% on other eligible spend. Higher on Grow and Plus. Uncapped
Card payments in other currencies	Not listed	2.99% on Go; no fee on Extra and Pro	1.8% on Free, 1.5% on Grow and Plus
Domestic transfers	Not listed	3 free on Go, 20 on Extra, 500 on Pro, then 35p	100 included on Free, 250 on Grow, then £0.30 each
International transfers	Inbound over £10: £4 plus 1.5% if converted to GBP	EUR to SEPA countries and USD to the US, fee shown in app; up to £22 per payment in	3 included on Grow; otherwise from £5 (SHA) or £20 (OUR)
ATM withdrawals	£1 per withdrawal	£2 UK, £3 abroad on Go; free on Extra and Pro	2% in the UK, 2.5% abroad
Cash deposits	£2.75 per Post Office deposit	Post Office: 0.55%, £4 minimum, up to £6,000 a day	Not listed
Currencies you can hold	Not listed	Not listed	GBP, EUR and USD, with IBANs
Accepting card payments	Not listed	Tap to Pay in the app through Stripe; no Zempler fee, Stripe fees apply	Not listed

Where they differ

Based on what each provider lists on its own pages. If a feature isn't listed, check with the provider before you rule it out.

Only Zempler Bank lists card payments from customers.
Only Incard lists a euro account, a US dollar account, accounts for LLPs, accounts for Swiss GmbHs and AGs and accounts for Swiss sole traders.

What each one is, and who can open one

Mettle

The Mettle bank account is provided by National Westminster Bank plc (FRN 121878), trading as Mettle. Eligible deposits are protected up to £120,000 by the FSCS. Some older Mettle e-money accounts, provided by PrePay Technologies (FRN 900010), are safeguarded instead and not FSCS-protected.

Who can open one: Sole traders and limited companies with up to two owners, of whom only one can access the account. One account per person. Full Mettle profile.

Zempler Bank

Zempler Bank Limited (company number 04947027), authorised by the PRA and regulated by the FCA and PRA (FRN 671140). Eligible deposits are protected up to a total of £120,000 by the FSCS.

Who can open one: UK residents aged 18 or over with a UK-based business: sole traders not registered at Companies House, active limited companies limited by shares (at least one UK-resident director, 4 or fewer PSCs, no multiple corporate PSCs), partnerships and charities. Companies limited by guarantee or with corporate shareholders pay a £100 fee. Some industries aren't accepted. Full Zempler Bank profile.

Incard

Incard Ltd is authorised by the FCA as an electronic money institution (firm reference number 1027309). It is not a bank. Safeguarded: Incard keeps customer funds separate from its own money, in accounts with authorised credit institutions, and doesn't lend or invest them. Funds are not protected by the FSCS.

Who can open one: UK limited companies and LLPs, UK sole traders and freelancers registered with their local authority, and Swiss GmbH, AG and sole-trader businesses. EEA onboarding is paused until an expected restart in 2027. Public sector bodies, cooperatives, charities, foundations and trusts aren't accepted, and a long list of industries is restricted. Full Incard profile.

Our e-money vs bank account guide explains what safeguarding and FSCS cover mean if a provider fails.

When Incard isn't the answer

Incard isn't the right account if

Your business is registered outside the UK and Switzerland. EEA onboarding is paused until an expected restart in 2027
You're a charity, cooperative, foundation, trust or public body, or work in one of Incard's restricted industries