Why it’s best: No interest or loan origination fees, no minimum credit score required, offers microloans
$25 to $15,000
20 to 30 minutes
0% interest loans
Time to fund: 20-30 minutes
Min. credit score: None
Min. annual revenue: None
How Did We Choose the Best Business Loans?
The business loan companies we’ve discussed facilitate loans for small and large companies. These loans are available in varying sizes with terms that suit the needs of individual business owners. We evaluated these companies on the most important aspects of business funding — loan amount, repayment terms, time to fund, minimum annual revenue, and fees.
What Is a Business Loan?
Business loans are loans companies use for business purposes. These loans may provide a business with working capital, debt refinancing, and, in some cases, to buy real estate.
Types of business loans include traditional loans, business lines of credit, and invoice factoring.
Traditional loans provide a lump sum upfront, which is often deposited directly into a company’s business account, and then borrowers repay the loans in monthly increments.
Credit lines allow businesses to draw funds up to the borrower’s approved credit limit as needed.
Invoice factoring takes over debt that’s owed to a business and provides immediate funds to the company.
Interest rates and repayment terms vary widely based on factors such as the borrower’s credit score, length of time in business, and the lending organization’s specific terms. There are loan options for businesses at almost any time in business, ranging from startups to long-term companies that have been operating for decades.
How To Choose a Business Loan
Each business is unique and has equally unique funding needs, which means there are some specific details for each borrower to consider, including the amount needed, the price of the funding, the repayment terms, and how long it takes to get the funds.
Amount needed: One of the first things to consider when hunting for a business loan is the amount of money needed. Business loans may range from an amount as small as $25 to $5,000,000, so knowing how much is needed helps a borrower navigate to a lender who handles transactions of the right size.
Cost of the funding: The cost of the funding for a business loan includes the origination fee and the interest rate. Some lenders do not require an origination fee, and others may waive the interest fee.
Repayment terms: The repayment terms include how long the borrower has to repay the money, how much the payment is, and if the borrower has the option to repay early without a penalty.
Knowing the minimum credit score and annual revenue required by a lender, as well as the minimum amount of time a borrower must be in business to work with the lender, can help a business owner choose a lender who is most likely to approve their business loan application.
Why it's best: Unrestricted business credit line, five-minute time to fund, fee-free business checking
BlueVine provides business credit lines that companies can tap into without restrictions on how to use the money. Companies with unpaid invoices also have the option to submit invoices to BlueVine to gain access to the funds.
Businesses receive funds as quickly as five minutes without paying additional fees beyond the 4.8% interest rate. Repayment periods can be as short as six months or up to 12 months. BlueVine does not charge prepayment penalty fees if a business repays earlier than scheduled.
In addition to offering credit lines and invoice factoring services, BlueVine makes a fee-free checking account available to business owners. This account doesn't require a minimum deposit to open, and there are no service or overdraft fees. The funds are backed by FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) insurance through Bancorp, and the accounts are set up to facilitate transfers between other BlueVine accounts.
A business loan from BlueVine offers an opportunity to receive a large amount of cash at a relatively low interest rate. There are also no origination fees. Potential drawbacks include having a large amount to pay back quickly and the need to be in business for a minimum of six months.
3 - 24 months for Short-Term Loan Product 2 - 4 years for Term Loan Product
Why it’s best: Short time to fund, low interest rates, funds can be used for any purpose
CAN Capital provides short-term business loans for established businesses with good credit ratings. Loan options include short-term loans with repayment terms ranging from six months to two years.
CAN Capital specializes in making it easy for businesses to get working capital. Businesses served by this company include small organizations that have a personal guarantor FICO (Fair Isaac Corporation) score greater than or equal to 600.
As an alternative finance company, business funding from CAN Capital can be more costly than funding from a bank. Still, it compensates for that by approving clients who may not have the opportunity to get bank financing and by providing quick access to funds. The funds may also be used for almost any business purpose, such as payroll, advertising, or paying taxes.
The pros of doing business with CAN Capital include the fast funding, which may be as quick as 24 hours. Cons include the origination fees when securing a loan and the high minimum annual revenue required to be considered for a CAN Capital loan.
Pros and cons of CAN Capital
Pros
Funding within 24 hours
Repayment terms range from six months to two years
Cons
3% origination fee for term loans
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Fundbox
Best business loan for fast access to working capital
12 or 24 weeks for Invoice Financing Product 12 or 24 weeks for Line of Credit Product
Why it’s best: Up to $150,000 in funds, short time to fund, only need six months of business history
Fundbox loans are a good option for fast access to working capital, especially for startups and business owners. Companies that have been in business for as little as six months can apply to Fundbox for funding. However, a minimum annual revenue of $100,000 is required to receive financing.
A credit score of 600 is needed to be considered, and repayment terms range from 12 to 24 months. Early repayment is allowed, and Fundbox provides businesses with a dashboard that shows the terms, so there's no confusion about loan and repayment details. Fundbox simplifies borrowing by depositing funds directly in a borrower's checking account.
Business funding from Fundbox provides business owners with the advantage of flexibility in regard to loan amounts. Fundbox also provides funding for relatively new businesses, with the drawback of requiring a minimum annual revenue of $100,000.
Monthly fee in lieu of interest: Six-month term: 2% to 9%. 12-month term: 4.5% to 18%. 18-month term: 6.75% to 27%.
Repayment Terms
6, 12, or 18 months
Why it’s best: Wide range of loan amounts, flexible repayment terms
Kabbage offers small business funding ranging from $2,000 to $250,000. Instead of traditional interest, Kabbage charges monthly fees depending on your loan’s term.
Kabbage requires businesses to have been in operation for at least a year. Businesses must also have a minimum average revenue of at least $3,000 per month to receive a business line of credit from Kabbage.
Positive aspects of Kabbage business lines of credit begin with the wide range of loan amounts available to a business owner. Funding in 24 hours or less lets borrowers get the capital needed promptly.
Cons of a Kabbage loan include higher monthly fees and a fairly high minimum annual revenue requirement. The requirement that a business has been operating for at least a year also blocks new companies from getting funding through Kabbage.
Why it’s best: No interest or loan origination fees, no minimum credit score required, offers microloans
Kiva operates as an international nonprofit organization and offers loans to individuals starting businesses and existing small business owners. As a nonprofit organization, Kiva doesn't charge interest on its loans. It also does not require borrowers to pay loan origination fees.
Business loans from Kiva range from $25 up to $15,000, and it takes 20 to 30 minutes to apply for a loan, which then goes through a process that takes 45 days for funds to become available. After funding, borrowers have up to 36 months to repay business loans.
Details, such as length of time in business, annual revenue earned by the business, and the borrower's credit score, are not required for Kiva loans. There are age requirements to be eligible for these loans, and the loans have requirements based on the borrower's country. For example, American Kiva loans must be used for business purposes.
Kiva loans offer borrowers the advantage of a 0% interest rate and do not have origination fees, making it an inexpensive way to get working capital. No minimum credit score is required, which helps borrowers with poor credit get a loan. The main drawback for people seeking a Kiva loan is the 45-day wait between applying for the loan and receiving funds.
Business loans are loans that companies use for business purposes. These loans may be used to provide a business with working capital, debt refinancing, and in some cases, to buy real estate.
Types of business loans include traditional loans, business lines of credit, and invoice factoring.
What are the benefits of a business loan?
Apart from providing a business with immediate access to working capital, a business loan can also offer tax benefits. Moreover, it can help the owner control the company and avoid bringing in angel investors for funding.
What is APR?
APR is a common abbreviation for annual percentage rate, or the amount of interest accrued on debt held for one year. In simple words, your APR is the yearly cost of your loan. For example, if you owed $20,000 and your APR was 20%, by the end of the year, you would owe $12,000, assuming you’ve made no other payments.
What is a term loan?
A term loan is a short-term, fixed-rate loan with fixed monthly payments. It is helpful if you need quick funds and want to lock in your interest rate.
What factors should I consider before picking a business loan?
You should research the following factors before selecting the right loan for you:
Loan amount
Repayment terms
Time to fund
Minimum annual revenue required
Loan fees
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