How much does it cost to check a business credit score?

Checking your business credit score can cost anywhere from nothing at all to more than £60 per month, depending on how much information you need, whether you want ongoing monitoring and which provider you choose. For many businesses, a free credit score provides a useful snapshot of their current position. However, if you're planning to apply for funding, negotiate supplier terms, or assess the financial health of other businesses, you'll often need access to a much more detailed credit report.  In this guide, we'll explain the different options available, compare the major UK providers, and help you understand which solution is likely to offer the best value for your business.

Can you check a business credit score for free?

Yes, it is possible to check a business credit score for free in the UK. Several providers offer free access to a basic version of your business credit profile, allowing you to see a headline score and gain a general understanding of your credit position.

When you sign up for a free Capitalise account you can view your basic business credit score without entering any payment details. This provides a useful starting point for understanding how your business may appear to lenders and suppliers. Viewing your basic business credit score can be valuable for regular health checks, but it only shows a limited amount of information. It won't include the detailed credit account data, bank account data and director’s consumer credit information that lenders use when assessing finance applications. If you're preparing to apply for funding or actively working to improve your business credit profile, upgrading to a full report provides significantly more actionable insight.

How much does a full business credit check cost?

A full business credit report typically costs between £19.95 and £59 per month in the UK. The price depends on the provider, the depth of data included, and whether you need to check other companies as well as your own. Here's how the main UK providers compare:

How much does it cost to check business credit scores with Capitalise?

At Capitalise, we've designed our plans to suit businesses at different stages of growth, from companies wanting a simple credit health check through to finance teams monitoring hundreds of suppliers or customers. All plans are available on a rolling monthly basis with no long term contracts, giving businesses the flexibility to scale up or down as their needs change.

Unlike many providers, our reports are powered by Experian data and include access to information that lenders commonly use when assessing finance applications. This includes both CAIS and CATO data, providing visibility into how banks and lenders view your business.

What is CAIS data?

CAIS stands for Credit Account Information Sharing. This system allows participating lenders to share information about business borrowing, including account balances, repayment history, credit limits, and payment behaviour. When you apply for finance, lenders often review this information to understand how your business manages existing credit commitments.

What is CATO data?

CATO stands for Credit Account Turnover. This information helps lenders assess how actively credit facilities are being used and managed over time. Together, CAIS and CATO data provide a more complete picture of a business's financial behaviour than a credit score alone. By understanding this information before applying for finance, businesses can identify potential issues early and take steps to strengthen their profile.

How much does it cost to check another company's credit score with Capitalise?

Many businesses don't just need to monitor their own credit profile. They also need visibility into the financial health of customers, suppliers, contractors, and strategic partners. Our Pro and Enterprise plans already include the ability to check and monitor other companies' credit profiles in real time. Pro customers can monitor up to 10 companies, while Enterprise customers can monitor up to 100 companies as part of their subscription. If you need to run additional company credit checks beyond those included in your plan, we offer Credit Bundles as a flexible add-on for Pro and Enterprise customers. Rather than committing to expensive annual contracts or paying high fees for individual reports, Credit Bundles allow you to purchase additional company checks as required.

The more checks you need, the lower the cost per report. At £0.25 per check, our Credit Bundle 100 offers the lowest publicly listed price per company report in the UK market. This is particularly useful if you're regularly onboarding new suppliers, customers, or trade credit partners and want to manage risk without committing to a fixed contract.

What's the difference between checking your own score and checking another company's?

Although both activities involve credit information, they serve very different purposes. Checking your own business credit score helps you understand how lenders, suppliers, and potential partners view your company. This is particularly important if you're planning to apply for finance, improve your borrowing options, or identify issues that could affect future funding applications. 

Checking another company's credit score, on the other hand, is primarily a risk management tool. Businesses commonly run credit checks on customers before offering payment terms, on suppliers before entering major agreements, or on partners before committing to long term contracts. While many providers focus on one of these use cases, Capitalise allows businesses to both monitor their own credit profile and assess the financial health of other companies from a single platform.

Start checking business credit scores today

You can check your business credit score with us for free, with no card details required. Sign up, and you'll see your basic score straight away. If you want your full business credit report, including your 12 month payment performance, CAIS and CATO account data, and the specific risk factors affecting your profile, you can upgrade to one of our paid plans that start from £19.95 a month at any time. Once you're set up, you can also use our funding calculator and free eligibility check to see what business finance options are available to you across our panel of 130+ lenders. It takes just a few minutes, and checking your eligibility won't affect your credit score.