Forming a UK limited company is completed via Companies House, but most founders use an agent to save time and avoid costly mistakes — especially once you factor in registered office addresses, ID verification, HMRC registrations, and ongoing filings.
One important change for 2026: Companies House increased the digital incorporation fee to £100 from 1 February 2026.
The market has also shifted significantly. Digital banks — including Tide and ANNA Money — now offer company formation as part of opening a business account, often at heavily subsidised prices. Understanding what these services include, and what they structurally cannot offer, is now one of the most important things to know before choosing where to register.
What to Look For When Comparing Formation Agents
Company types supported
Can they form LLPs, companies limited by guarantee, and charities — or only standard LTDs?
International founders
Do they support non-UK residents? Tide does not offer formation to overseas founders at all.
Multiple directors & shareholders
Can they handle co-founders and complex structures, or only single-director companies?
Human review before submission
Does a qualified person check your application before it reaches Companies House?
Ongoing services
Can they handle director changes, share transfers, and HMRC queries after formation — or does their service end at the certificate?
Reviews — what are they measuring?
Some providers have high scores from banking customers, not formation customers. These are different things.
Quick Rankings for 2026
- 1Mint Formations
Best all-round fit for founders who value responsive human support — especially international founders - 21st Formations
Strong all-rounder, deeper compliance extras — also operates as Rapid Formations (same company) - 3Quality Company Formations
Best for technical filings and complex company changes - 4Your Company Formations
Best for address services and high review volume - 5Companies Made Simple
Best for freelancers who want a straightforward, recognised brand - 6Online Filings
Best for confident self-service users - 7Tide
⚠ Single director/shareholder only, UK residents only — if you have a co-founder, Tide cannot form your company - 8ANNA Money
⚠ LTD only, UK residents only — banking platform with formation added - 91st Choice Formations
Best for simple, first-time setups - 10DNS Accountants
Best if you want an accountant-led model - 11Coddan
Best for niche use cases like ready-made companies
Mint Formations
Best for: international founders & human support
Mint is built around the reality that incorporation itself is rarely the hard part. The friction usually comes from identity checks, structure decisions, understanding what needs filing and when, and having someone answer questions quickly when something blocks progress.
Over 15 years and 40,000+ companies formed, we have seen every variation of these challenges — and built a team and process specifically designed to handle them.
What the reviews actually tell you
Mint’s 1,100+ reviews on Reviews.io — alongside 264+ on Google — are written specifically by founders describing their formation and ongoing support experience. The feedback most often highlights response times, clarity of communication, and support through complex setup issues, including identity verification and international formation.
Unlike some competitors whose review scores predominantly reflect their banking customers’ app experience, Mint’s reviews reflect real formation and post-formation support.
Mint vs Companies House direct
| Feature | ||
|---|---|---|
| Total cost | £100 | From £104.99 (£4.99 + £100 CH fee) |
| Home address kept private | ✗ | ✓ From Privacy package |
| Application checked before filing | ✗ | ✓ |
| SIC code & share structure guidance | ✗ | ✓ |
| Support during registration | ✗ | ✓ |
| Support after registration | ✗ | ✓ Lifetime |
| Non-UK resident support | ✗ | ✓ Specialist service |
| Real person to call | ✗ | ✓ |
| Banking introductions | ✗ | ✓ 9+ bank partners |
| Accountancy service | ✗ | ✓ From £79/month |
| Authorised ACSP agent | ✗ | ✓ |
Tide and ANNA Money offer formation at subsidised prices — formation is their customer acquisition tool, not their core service. Tide supports single-shareholder companies only and UK residents only. ANNA supports LTD companies only and UK residents only. Neither offers the full range of ongoing Companies House and HMRC services that every growing business needs.
Full comparison: Mint vs ANNA Money → | Full comparison: Mint vs Tide →
1st Formations
Best for: well-established agent with compliance extras
From £102.99 (includes £100 CH fee) · Rapid from £2.99 + £100 CH fee
One of the most established company formation providers in the UK, 1st Formations offers a broad service range and an extensive library of guidance content.
Note: 1st Formations and Rapid Formations operate under the same parent company, sharing the same team and registered address. We list them as a single entry.
What they do well
- Strong compliance add-ons and multiple package options
- Prestigious Covent Garden registered office address
- Solid company secretary and confirmation statement service
- B Corp certified; 750,000+ companies formed across both brands
- Good library of self-service guidance content
What to note
Formation is handled well and the experience is reliable. More package-based than relationship-based. Support is professional but less personal than Mint’s phone-first, named-agent approach. Tends to appeal to founders who prefer a structured, self-service model with extensive add-on options.
Quality Company Formations
Best for: technical filings and complex company changes
Often used by accountants, legal professionals, and experienced founders with specific structural or technical requirements.
What they do well
- Wide range of company structures including LLPs, charities, and flat management
- Manual pre-submission review reduces rejection rates from 10% to ~1%
- Strong compliance support and specialist filing capability
- Support for non-UK residents
What to note
Strong on execution and accuracy. Mint, by contrast, is designed around guiding founders through the formation process — particularly where explanation and human support are valued alongside technical accuracy.
Your Company Formations
Best for: high review volume and fast processing
From £102.48 (includes £100 CH fee)
A long-standing name in the UK formation market with one of the highest Google review volumes of any UK formation agent (5,500+ reviews at time of writing).
What they do well
- Strong social proof — the highest Google review volume in the sector
- Fast processing, typically within 3 working hours
- Cashback incentives up to £155 through banking partners
What to note
Typically selected by founders who are comfortable managing company administration independently once the company is live. Ongoing support is more limited than Mint’s lifetime model. Reviews are genuine but reflect the formation moment, not ongoing relationship.
Companies Made Simple
Best for: freelancers, 20-year track record, transparent pricing
From £109.99 (includes £100 CH fee)
With over 1 million companies registered since 2002, Companies Made Simple is one of the market’s most experienced operators. Their headline prices include the £100 Companies House fee — which makes pricing comparison straightforward.
What they do well
- 1 million+ companies formed since 2002 — genuine track record
- Transparent all-in pricing including CH fee
- Proprietary CoSec compliance platform
- London meeting room access for clients
What to note
A reliable, process-driven option. More of a registration model than a guided one. Mint’s positioning is more focused on founder support, particularly where founders want guidance beyond basic registration.
Online Filings
Best for: confident self-service users
Online Filings positions itself as a digital filing platform rather than a guided formation service. Suited to founders who already understand their statutory obligations and prefer to manage filings through an online dashboard.
What to note
Self-serve by design. Mint is more commonly chosen by founders who want context, explanation, and human support alongside the mechanics of incorporation.
Tide
Read the limitation before proceeding
£14.99 all-in (includes £100 CH fee)
If you have a co-founder — or anyone else who will hold shares — Tide cannot form your company. This applies regardless of which Tide plan you choose.
Tide is primarily a digital banking platform that added company formation to acquire banking customers. Their £14.99 all-in price is the lowest on the market — subsidised because the banking relationship is where Tide generates revenue. Mint works with Tide as a banking partner and refers founders to Tide for business accounts when it suits their situation.
What Tide does well
- Lowest formation price on the market
- Seamless banking integration — formation and account open together
- Fast — registration within one working day
- Good Making Tax Digital and invoicing tools in-app
Key limitations
- Single director and shareholder only — co-founders cannot use Tide
- UK residents only — overseas founders cannot form through Tide
- LTD companies only — no LLPs, charities, or complex structures
- No ongoing Companies House services (director changes, share transfers, etc.)
- No VAT or PAYE registration support
- In-app chat only — no phone support for formation
- No accountancy service
ANNA Money
Important limitations to note
From £19 + £100 CH fee (Just Register plan)
ANNA Money is primarily a digital banking platform. Company formation is a customer acquisition tool — it explains why the entry price is set where it is. Mint works with ANNA as a banking partner and refers founders to ANNA for business accounts when it suits their situation.
What ANNA does well
- Competitive entry price (£19 for basic formation)
- Banking integration — formation and account open together
- App-based admin tools (invoicing, receipts, expenses)
- Same-day incorporation available before 3pm
Key limitations
- LTD companies only — no LLPs, no charities, no companies limited by guarantee
- UK residents only — non-UK residents cannot form through ANNA
- Maximum 4 directors/shareholders
- No human pre-submission review of applications
- “Total Support” at £399/year is AI software (Auto Accountant) — not a human accountant
- No ongoing Companies House services after formation
- Reviews predominantly from banking customers, not formation customers
Full comparison: Mint vs ANNA Money → | ANNA formation review →
1st Choice Formations
Best for: simple, first-time setups
Geared toward founders setting up a simple company for the first time who want an accessible, easy-to-navigate route to incorporation. Suits minimal-requirement setups where speed is the main priority.
Mint is typically selected by founders who want more guidance, flexibility, and support as their business develops beyond the initial registration.
DNS Accountants
Best for: accountant-led formation model
DNS Accountants approaches formation from an accounting perspective, which suits founders who want compliance and tax considerations built into the formation process from the start.
Mint’s approach combines formation expertise with human accountancy services (from £79/month) alongside full Companies House and HMRC support — for those who want both the formation specialist and the accountant in one place.
Coddan
Best for: niche and specialist requirements
Coddan handles specialist formations and ready-made company purchases. Suited to founders with specific requirements that standard agents do not cover, such as shelf companies or unusual corporate structures.
Final Note for 2026 Founders
The 2026 market has split into two distinct types of provider: formation specialists and banking platforms that have added formation as a feature.
If you are comparing agents, the questions that matter most are not about price — they are about what you need on the day you register and in the years that follow:
- Do you have a co-founder? Tide cannot form your company.
- Are you based outside the UK? Neither Tide nor ANNA can form your company.
- Do you need an LLP, charity, or complex structure? ANNA cannot help you.
- Do you want a real accountant rather than AI software? Neither Tide nor ANNA offers this.
- Do you need ongoing Companies House services? Neither bank offers the full range.
Company formation is the beginning of ongoing compliance. The best agent is not necessarily the cheapest on day one — it is the one that is still there, and still useful, in year three.
Ready to Register with Mint?
From £4.99 plus the £100 Companies House fee — with a real person checking your application, your home address kept private, and lifetime support as standard.
Mint Formations is an authorised Companies House formation agent (ACSP) with 40,000+ companies formed over 15 years. Rankings and competitor information are based on publicly available data at time of writing and reflect our perspective as formation specialists. Last updated 2026.
