Compare UK Business Funding Providers 2026
By the CapExpand broker team
Reviewed by Alex Beardsley, Founder · UK commercial finance introducer
We work with every lender on this page most weeks. Some we route 30+ deals to a month, some pick up the awkward ones nobody else can place. 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 →
Cheapest mainstream UK MCA rates on the Dojo partnership route.
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
- 91% (open banking) / 84% (statements)
- 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
- Around 90%
- 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 | 91% (open banking) / 84% (statements) | Same-day possible, 1 to 3 days typical | 4.8 (8,952) | Read review → |
| 365 Finance | £10k to £500k | Hospitality, nightclubs, anyone YouLend declined | Around 90% | 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, our default is YouLend on the Dojo partnership route. We've seen funding land in seven hours, and the rates are the cheapest mainstream UK MCA we have access to. 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 our typical pick. 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 answer. APR-priced, not factor rate. Bank-style underwriting. Skip it if cash flow flexes seasonally, look at MCA instead.
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)
CheapestBest mainstream UK MCA pricing 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's usually the cheapest mainstream UK MCA route. Capify costs more for a reason. Funding Circle is the cheapest 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 weekSeven hours 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.
Honestly, if I'm being asked which to pick on pure speed, it's iwoca or 365 Finance. They're predictable. 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 lenders fund which industries
Most lenders will tell you they fund “all sectors”. That's never quite true. This is what we actually place, week to week:
Restaurants, pubs and cafes
- Lenders
- YouLend, 365 Finance, iwoca
- Our default
- YouLend if on Dojo, 365 Finance otherwise
Nightclubs and late-night licensed
- Lenders
- 365 Finance only
- Our default
- 365 Finance, no realistic alternative
E-commerce (Shopify, WooCommerce)
- Lenders
- YouLend, iwoca
- Our default
- YouLend for £100k+, iwoca for smaller stores
Retail with strong card volume
- Lenders
- YouLend, 365 Finance, iwoca
- Our default
- YouLend on Dojo for cost, iwoca for flexibility
Salons, barbers, beauty
- Lenders
- YouLend, 365 Finance, iwoca
- Our default
- YouLend if trading 12m+ and clean credit
Larger amounts (£200k+), mixed credit
- Lenders
- Capify, sometimes YouLend
- Our default
- Capify for the awkward profiles
Good credit, prefers fixed monthly
- Lenders
- Funding Circle
- Our default
- Funding Circle, term loan structure
Adult, gambling, crypto
- Lenders
- None on this panel
- Our default
- We do not place these
| Industry | Lenders we use | Our default |
|---|---|---|
| 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 do not place these |
Adult, gambling and crypto are out across the whole panel. Don't bother applying through us for 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 route your application to whichever lender is most likely to approve you at the best rate. No fee from you, the lender pays us.
Frequently asked questions
Disclosure. CapExpand Ltd is a UK credit introducer, not a lender. We are not authorised 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.