Editor/Content Strategist | Taxes, retirement, small business, Social Security, estate planning, home services, cars
Tina Orem is an editor and content strategist at NerdWallet. Prior to becoming an editor and content strategist, she covered taxes and small business at NerdWallet. She has a degree in finance, as well as a master's degree in journalism and an MBA. Her work has appeared in a variety of local and national media outlets. Email: <a href="mailto:torem@nerdwallet.com">torem@nerdwallet.com</a>.
Lisa Anthony is a former NerdWallet writer covering small-business. Before Nerdwallet, she had more than 20 years of experience in banking and finance.
Editor/Content Strategist | Taxes, retirement, small business, Social Security, estate planning, home services, cars
Tina Orem is an editor and content strategist at NerdWallet. Prior to becoming an editor and content strategist, she covered taxes and small business at NerdWallet. She has a degree in finance, as well as a master's degree in journalism and an MBA. Her work has appeared in a variety of local and national media outlets. Email: <a href="mailto:torem@nerdwallet.com">torem@nerdwallet.com</a>.
Lisa Anthony is a former NerdWallet writer covering small-business. Before Nerdwallet, she had more than 20 years of experience in banking and finance.
Sally Lauckner has over a decade of experience in print and online journalism. Before joining NerdWallet, Sally was the editorial director at Fundera, where she built and led a team focused on small-business content. Her prior experience includes two years as a senior editor at SmartAsset, where she edited a wide range of personal finance content, and five years at the AOL Huffington Post Media Group, where she held a variety of editorial roles. She has a master's in journalism from New York University and a bachelor's in English and history from Columbia University. Email: slauckner@nerdwallet.com.
Sally Lauckner has over a decade of experience in print and online journalism. Before joining NerdWallet, Sally was the editorial director at Fundera, where she built and led a team focused on small-business content. Her prior experience includes two years as a senior editor at SmartAsset, where she edited a wide range of personal finance content, and five years at the AOL Huffington Post Media Group, where she held a variety of editorial roles. She has a master's in journalism from New York University and a bachelor's in English and history from Columbia University. Email: slauckner@nerdwallet.com.
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or services. Here is a list of our partners .
Editor/Content Strategist | Taxes, retirement, small business, Social Security, estate planning, home services, cars
Tina Orem is an editor and content strategist at NerdWallet. Prior to becoming an editor and content strategist, she covered taxes and small business at NerdWallet. She has a degree in finance, as well as a master's degree in journalism and an MBA. Her work has appeared in a variety of local and national media outlets. Email: <a href="mailto:torem@nerdwallet.com">torem@nerdwallet.com</a>.
Lisa Anthony is a former NerdWallet writer covering small-business. Before Nerdwallet, she had more than 20 years of experience in banking and finance.
Editor/Content Strategist | Taxes, retirement, small business, Social Security, estate planning, home services, cars
Tina Orem is an editor and content strategist at NerdWallet. Prior to becoming an editor and content strategist, she covered taxes and small business at NerdWallet. She has a degree in finance, as well as a master's degree in journalism and an MBA. Her work has appeared in a variety of local and national media outlets. Email: <a href="mailto:torem@nerdwallet.com">torem@nerdwallet.com</a>.
Lisa Anthony is a former NerdWallet writer covering small-business. Before Nerdwallet, she had more than 20 years of experience in banking and finance.
Sally Lauckner has over a decade of experience in print and online journalism. Before joining NerdWallet, Sally was the editorial director at Fundera, where she built and led a team focused on small-business content. Her prior experience includes two years as a senior editor at SmartAsset, where she edited a wide range of personal finance content, and five years at the AOL Huffington Post Media Group, where she held a variety of editorial roles. She has a master's in journalism from New York University and a bachelor's in English and history from Columbia University. Email: slauckner@nerdwallet.com.
Sally Lauckner has over a decade of experience in print and online journalism. Before joining NerdWallet, Sally was the editorial director at Fundera, where she built and led a team focused on small-business content. Her prior experience includes two years as a senior editor at SmartAsset, where she edited a wide range of personal finance content, and five years at the AOL Huffington Post Media Group, where she held a variety of editorial roles. She has a master's in journalism from New York University and a bachelor's in English and history from Columbia University. Email: slauckner@nerdwallet.com.
NerdWallet's content is
fact-checked for accuracy, timeliness, and relevance by humans.
It undergoes a thorough review process involving writers and editors to ensure
the information is as clear and complete as possible. Learn more by checking
our
Editorial Guidelines.
Content was accurate at the time of publication.
Why trust NerdWallet
250+ small-business products reviewed and rated by our team of experts.
80+ years of combined experience covering small business and personal finance.
50+ categories of the best business loan selections.
NerdWallet's small-business loans content, including ratings, recommendations and reviews, is overseen by a team of writers and editors who specialize in business lending. Their work has appeared in The Associated Press, The Washington Post, MarketWatch, Nasdaq, Entrepreneur, ABC News, MSN and other national and local media outlets. Each writer and editor follows NerdWallet's strict guidelines for editorial integrity to ensure accuracy and fairness in our coverage.
Advertiser disclosure
You’re our first priority.
Every time.
We believe everyone should be able to make financial decisions with
confidence. And while our site doesn’t feature every company or
financial product available on the market, we’re proud that the guidance
we offer, the information we provide and the tools we create are
objective, independent, straightforward — and free.
So how do we make money? Our partners compensate us. This may influence
which products we review and write about (and where those products
appear on the site), but it in no way affects our recommendations or
advice, which are grounded in thousands of hours of research. Our
partners cannot pay us to guarantee favorable reviews of their products
or services. Here is a list of our partners .
Rapid Finance - Online term loan
Overview
The bottom line:
Rapid Finance offers funding starting at $5,000 for small-business owners with two to three years of operating history. Its streamlined application process can provide funds quickly to approved borrowers, but if you have questions before applying, you may find it hard to get in touch with customer support.
Loan details
Min. Loan Amount
$5,001
Min. Term Length
3 months
Max Loan Amount
$1,000,000
Max Term Length
5 years
Qualifications
Min. credit score
650
Min. Time in Business
3 years
Min. Annual Revenue
$120,000
Pros & Cons
Pros
Wide variety of business financing options available.
Potential to receive funding within 24 hours.
Simple application process.
No prepayment penalties.
No collateral required.
Cons
Website provides limited information on eligibility and loan terms.
Customer service can be difficult to reach, in our experience.
Editor's note: While Rapid Finance offers other types of business loans, this review focuses on its business term loan, line of credit and merchant cash advance (MCA).
Rapid Finance is a Maryland-based online lender offering small-business loans to established entrepreneurs in need of fast financing. Founded in 2005, Rapid Finance stands out for its ability to fund quickly, but its customer service can be spotty, and the company has high time-in-business requirements. Rapid Finance prefers working with businesses in industries like restaurants, health services, business services and retail.
Rapid Finance is best for borrowers who:
Need fast funding. You can apply online and, if approved, receive funds in just a few hours.
Prefer to build a relationship with a single lender. With multiple financing options available, Rapid Finance is a convenient choice for business owners who want to work with a single lender for current and future financing needs.
Have an established businesses, but can’t qualify for bank financing. You’ll need a minimum of 24 to 36 months of operating history to qualify for funding from Rapid Finance, which is similar to the time in business requirement from many banks. However, if your credit score is keeping you from receiving bank funding, then Rapid may make sense for you as it accepts borrowers with fair or bad credit (depending on the loan product).
How much do you need?
We’ll start with a brief questionnaire to better understand the
unique needs of your business.
Once we uncover your personalized matches, our team will consult you
on the process moving forward.
Rapid Finance loan features and requirements
Here’s what you can expect from Rapid Finance’s term loan, line of credit and merchant cash advance.
Rapid Finance term loan
Loan amount
$5001 to $1 million.
Estimated APR
Not disclosed.
Fees
No prepayment penalty.
Terms
3 to 60 months.
Repayment schedule
Daily, weekly or monthly.
Funding speed
As fast as 24 hours.
Minimum requirements
Credit score
650.
Time in business
36 months.
Annual revenue
120000.
Rapid Finance line of credit
Loan amount
$5001 to $250000.
Estimated APR
Not disclosed.
Fees
4% draw fee.
Other fees may apply.
No prepayment penalty.
Terms
3 to 18 months.
Repayment schedule
Daily, weekly or monthly.
Funding speed
As fast as 24 hours.
Minimum requirements
Credit score
620.
Time in business
24 months.
Annual revenue
150000.
Rapid Finance merchant cash advance
Advance amount
$5000 to $500000.
Estimated factor rate
1.12 to 1.50.
Fees
No prepayment penalty.
Terms
On average, borrowers repay their advances in 3 to 18 months.
Rapid Finance offers an online application. In addition to basic information about your business, like your legal structure and how long you’ve been in operation, you’ll be asked to provide the following:
A valid form of identification such as a driver’s license or passport.
Business bank account and routing numbers.
Last three months of business bank statements.
Last three months of credit card statements (for MCA).
Rapid Finance will then review your application and reach out for additional information (if needed). If approved, funds will be sent to the business bank account you provided. This could happen in as little as a few minutes or in a few hours after approval.
Where Rapid Finance stands out
Streamlined application process
Rapid Finance requires minimum information to complete its online application. While you may have to provide additional information during underwriting, applicants typically receive a response within 24 hours of submission. This simplified application process can be particularly beneficial for small-business owners who need fast funding to manage an emergency or invest in a new growth opportunity.
Rapid Finance offers a variety of small-business financing products — something not every lender does — including lines of credit, term loans, MCAs, commercial real estate loans, bridge loans, and asset-based loans. This comprehensive offering may be beneficial for small-business owners who prefer to work with a single lender for current and future financing needs.
Where Rapid Finance falls short
Customer support may be spotty
While Rapid Finance provides several phone numbers and email contacts on its website, actual support may be unreliable. Despite more than a dozen outreach attempts over two months, NerdWallet was unable to reach customer support. Emails received no response, and phone calls were directed to voicemail without follow-up. This may serve as a red flag for prospective borrowers considering Rapid Finance.
Won’t finance startups or newer businesses
Rapid Finance has stricter time-in-business requirements than many other online lenders. Its term loan and MCA require at least 36 months in business, while its line of credit requires a minimum of 24 months. In contrast, lenders like National Funding and OnDeck offer term loans to businesses with as little as 12 months or less of operating history.
Rapid Finance’s term loan, line of credit and MCA all require automatic repayments, which means the payment amount will automatically be withdrawn from your business bank account. While this may be convenient for some borrowers, other borrowers may prefer to have control over when payments are made, especially if they have inconsistent cash flow. If there’s not enough cash in the account when the payment is taken, a borrower might have to pay overdraft fees, which can add up quickly.
Website lacks transparency
Although the website includes dedicated pages for each financing option, Rapid Finance provides minimal information about borrowing costs and eligibility requirements. This lack of detail can make it tricky for small-business owners to compare offers or determine whether they’re likely to qualify before applying.
Alternatives to Rapid Finance
Fora Financial
Alternative to Rapid Finance’s term loan.
Fora Financial offers a more accessible term loan option for newer businesses and bad-credit borrowers. Applicants may qualify with a credit score as low as 570 and just 6 months in business. In contrast, Rapid Finance requires a credit score of at least 650 and 36 months in business. However, Fora Financial’s minimum annual revenue of $240000 is twice as high as Rapid’s, and Fora offers much shorter maximum loan terms (18 months versus 60 months).
Headway Capital
Alternative to Rapid Finance’s line of credit.
Headway Capital’s line of credit is a flexible alternative for newer businesses with modest funding needs. It requires only 6 months in business and $50000 in annual revenue — less than Rapid Finance’s 24-month and $150000 line of credit minimums. However, Headway Capital’s maximum credit limit caps at only $100000, compared to Rapid Finance’s higher limit of $250000.
Giggle Finance
Alternative to Rapid Finance’s merchant cash advance.
Giggle Finance’s MCA may be a good fit for independent contractors or gig workers in need of quick access to $10000 or less. Its MCA requires only 3 months in business. However, it charges a high origination fee and doesn’t accept businesses based in New York, California or Oregon.
Rapid Finance says it has issued over $3 billion in business financing. Since 2010, the lender has been accredited by the Better Business Bureau, where it has an A+ rating.
Rapid Finance requires businesses to be operational for at least three years to qualify for its term loan, which does not make it a startup business loan option. Its other loan options include asset-based loans, commercial real estate loans, bridge loans, invoice factoring and lines of credit, which may have varying time-in-business requirements. The company also offers merchant cash advances, which are one of the most expensive forms of financing. As a result, we recommend exhausting all other financing alternatives before turning to a merchant cash advance.