Compare UK Business Funding Providers 2026
By the CapExpand team
Reviewed by Alex Beardsley, Founder · UK commercial finance introducer
We work with every lender on this page most weeks. Some see business from us every week; some pick up the awkward cases others decline. This is the short version: who suits whom, who funds fastest, where each lender sits on cost. The detailed reviews live on their own pages, linked below.
How to choose in 60 seconds
Pick the line that matches your situation. Each card links to that lender's review.
Card-heavy business with a Dojo machine
YouLend →
Often the lowest-cost mainstream route via the Dojo partnership.
Hospitality, pub or nightclub
365 Finance →
16% daily sweep cap and a hospitality desk that gets the trade.
E-commerce or smaller turnover
iwoca →
Lower minimum monthly takings, MCA-style or term loan, your choice.
Declined elsewhere or mixed credit
Capify →
Human-led underwriting, writes deals automated lenders won’t.
Want fixed monthly repayments, not a daily sweep
Funding Circle →
P2P term loan, APR-priced, predictable monthly cost.
Comparison snapshot
One table, current to May 2026. Trustpilot ratings reflect each lender's public profile at time of writing. Lending ranges are the lender's stated UK ranges, not necessarily what we'd expect to place for any one business.
- YouLend4.8 (8,952)
- Range
- £3k to £1m
- Best for
- Card-heavy SMEs, e-commerce, Dojo customers
- Approval
- High (per YouLend published figures)
- Speed
- Same-day possible, 1 to 3 days typical
- 365 Finance4.8 (~865)
- Range
- £10k to £500k
- Best for
- Hospitality, nightclubs, anyone YouLend declined
- Approval
- High (per 365 Finance published figures)
- Speed
- 24 to 48 hours, predictable
- iwoca4.8 (10,742)
- Range
- £1k to £1m
- Best for
- Smaller businesses, e-commerce, fixed or flexible
- Approval
- Case by case
- Speed
- Typically 24 hours
- Capify4.6 (~700)
- Range
- £5k to £750k (MCA) / £1m (loan)
- Best for
- Larger amounts, mixed credit, 12+ months trading
- Approval
- Case by case, human-led
- Speed
- 24 to 48 hour decision
- Funding Circle4.6 (16,355)
- Range
- £10k to £500k
- Best for
- Good credit, fixed monthly, longer terms
- Approval
- Bank-style underwriting
- Speed
- 3 to 5 day decision
| Provider | Lending range | Best for | Approval | Speed | Trustpilot | More info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| YouLend | £3k to £1m | Card-heavy SMEs, e-commerce, Dojo customers | High (per YouLend published figures) | Same-day possible, 1 to 3 days typical | 4.8 (8,952) | Read review → |
| 365 Finance | £10k to £500k | Hospitality, nightclubs, anyone YouLend declined | High (per 365 Finance published figures) | 24 to 48 hours, predictable | 4.8 (~865) | Read review → |
| iwoca | £1k to £1m | Smaller businesses, e-commerce, fixed or flexible | Case by case | Typically 24 hours | 4.8 (10,742) | Lender hub → |
| Capify | £5k to £750k (MCA) / £1m (loan) | Larger amounts, mixed credit, 12+ months trading | Case by case, human-led | 24 to 48 hour decision | 4.6 (~700) | Lender hub → |
| Funding Circle | £10k to £500k | Good credit, fixed monthly, longer terms | Bank-style underwriting | 3 to 5 day decision | 4.6 (16,355) | Lender hub → |
Which lender works for which kind of business
If you take card payments through a Dojo machine and your credit is clean, the YouLend Dojo partnership route is often the lowest-cost mainstream UK MCA we can access. At its quickest it can fund the same day. The catch is that perfect speed needs perfect inputs: open banking connected, single director, no recent defaults.
If you're a nightclub, late-night bar, or a venue YouLend won't touch, 365 Finance is usually the only realistic option. Their hospitality desk understands seasonality, the 16% daily sweep cap stops the deductions strangling cash flow on a quiet Tuesday, and decisions land at 24 to 48 hours like clockwork. We send applications to 365 every week for venues other lenders class as too risky.
If you've been turned down by an automated lender, Capify is the one that most often comes back with a yes. Underwriting is human-led, they're comfortable with mixed credit profiles, and they write larger amounts than YouLend or 365 will stretch to. Higher cost, but we've seen Capify approve cases in the same week three other lenders declined.
If you want fixed monthly payments and don't mind waiting a week for funds, Funding Circle is the term-loan option on our panel. APR-priced, not factor rate. Bank-style underwriting. It is less suited to seasonal cash flow, where an MCA tends to be more flexible.
Cost comparison: where each lender sits
We don't publish specific factor rates on public pages because every deal is priced on credit, sector, sales pattern and partnership route. But the relative position is consistent in our experience:
YouLend (Dojo partnership)
Often lowest costOften the keenest mainstream UK MCA pricing we see for established card-heavy SMEs.
YouLend (off-partnership), iwoca
Typical bandStandard MCA pricing for clean credit, 6+ months trading.
365 Finance
Typical bandComparable to YouLend off-partnership; hospitality desk premium often absorbed.
Capify
HigherReflects wider risk appetite. We use them when others decline.
Funding Circle
Different productAPR not factor rate. Cheaper over 3+ years if your credit fits.
Bottom line: if your business fits the Dojo partnership profile, that route has often produced the lowest-cost mainstream MCA offers in our experience. Capify costs more for a reason. Funding Circle often works out lower-cost over multi-year horizons if your credit qualifies. We'll tell you which side of these lines you actually sit on once we've seen your numbers.
Speed and predictability
Decision speed and funding speed are different things. Here's what we typically see, application to money in the bank:
iwoca
Typically 24hClean cases settle inside a working day.
365 Finance
24 to 48hThe most predictable lender on the panel.
Capify
24 to 48h decisionSame-day funding common after underwriting sign-off.
YouLend
Same-day to 1 weekSame day best case (open banking, single director). A week if statements are messy.
Funding Circle
3 to 5d decision, 5 to 7d fundingBank-style underwriting. Not the route if you need it Friday.
On pure speed, the most predictable are iwoca and 365 Finance. YouLend can fund faster, but only when everything lines up. Capify is fast enough for most situations, and Funding Circle is the slow one by design. Which one suits you is your call, and we'll lay the timings out so it's an easy one.
Which lenders fund which industries
Most lenders will tell you they fund “all sectors”. That's never quite true. This is where introductions actually complete, week to week:
Restaurants, pubs and cafes
- Lenders
- YouLend, 365 Finance, iwoca
- Most often completed
- YouLend if on Dojo, 365 Finance otherwise
Nightclubs and late-night licensed
- Lenders
- 365 Finance only
- Most often completed
- 365 Finance, no realistic alternative
E-commerce (Shopify, WooCommerce)
- Lenders
- YouLend, iwoca
- Most often completed
- YouLend for £100k+, iwoca for smaller stores
Retail with strong card volume
- Lenders
- YouLend, 365 Finance, iwoca
- Most often completed
- YouLend on Dojo for cost, iwoca for flexibility
Salons, barbers, beauty
- Lenders
- YouLend, 365 Finance, iwoca
- Most often completed
- YouLend if trading 12m+ and clean credit
Larger amounts (£200k+), mixed credit
- Lenders
- Capify, sometimes YouLend
- Most often completed
- Capify for the awkward profiles
Good credit, prefers fixed monthly
- Lenders
- Funding Circle
- Most often completed
- Funding Circle, term loan structure
Adult, gambling, crypto
- Lenders
- None on this panel
- Most often completed
- We cannot introduce these
| Industry | Lenders we use | Most often completed |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants, pubs and cafes | YouLend, 365 Finance, iwoca | YouLend if on Dojo, 365 Finance otherwise |
| Nightclubs and late-night licensed | 365 Finance only | 365 Finance, no realistic alternative |
| E-commerce (Shopify, WooCommerce) | YouLend, iwoca | YouLend for £100k+, iwoca for smaller stores |
| Retail with strong card volume | YouLend, 365 Finance, iwoca | YouLend on Dojo for cost, iwoca for flexibility |
| Salons, barbers, beauty | YouLend, 365 Finance, iwoca | YouLend if trading 12m+ and clean credit |
| Larger amounts (£200k+), mixed credit | Capify, sometimes YouLend | Capify for the awkward profiles |
| Good credit, prefers fixed monthly | Funding Circle | Funding Circle, term loan structure |
| Adult, gambling, crypto | None on this panel | We cannot introduce these |
Adult, gambling and crypto are out across the whole panel, so we can't introduce those. Everything else we'll have a look at.
Apply through us to keep your options open
Send us your details. We see all five lender portals daily and introduce your application to the lenders whose criteria you fit, so you can compare the offers that come back. No fee from you, the lender pays us.
Frequently asked questions
Disclosure. CapExpand Ltd is a UK commercial finance introducer, not a lender. CapExpand Ltd is not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. iwoca and Funding Circle are FCA authorised. Merchant cash advance products from YouLend, 365 Finance and Capify are not FCA regulated because they are a purchase of future receivables rather than a loan. All funding is subject to status, lender approval and personal guarantee. We are paid commission by the lender that funds your deal. Commission models vary by lender (fixed fee, percentage of amount funded, or rate-for-risk) and are disclosed during your application. There is no fee to you. Trustpilot ratings and lending ranges in this article were correct at May 2026 from each lender's public profile. We do not publish factor rates on public pages because every deal is priced individually.
More detailed reading
- YouLend Review UK 2026: rates, fees, approval truths
- YouLend vs 365 Finance: which one we'd pick and when
- iwoca vs YouLend: flexi facility or lump sum advance
- Funding Circle vs iwoca: term loan or flexible credit
- What an MCA actually costs, with worked examples
- 365 Finance: how we use them
- What a merchant cash advance is, in plain English
- Merchant cash advance, explained for UK business owners