Compare Business Loans
- Business loans are available for companies of all sizes and industries
- There are many types of business loan, designed to suit particular commercial needs
- You can compare loan amounts and term lengths in our comparison tables
Choose your business loan type
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THINK Business Loans
- Find the right loan to suit your needs from a range of finance types
- Check your eligibility without a credit check
- Dedicated FCA regulated experts on hand to support your application
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Minimum Turnover
£100,000 p.a.
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Available Amounts
£50,000 to £10,000,000
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Available Terms
1 to 10 years
Company details
- Find the right loan to suit your needs from a range of finance types
- Check your eligibility without a credit check
- Dedicated FCA regulated experts on hand to support your application
Eligibility criteria
- Find the right loan to suit your needs from a range of finance types
- Check your eligibility without a credit check
- Dedicated FCA regulated experts on hand to support your application
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EJ Finance
- Application-to-offer within 24 hours
- To be contacted within 3 minutes of applying
- Access to over 200+ lenders, covering all sectors
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Minimum Turnover
£50,000 p.a.
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Available Amounts
£10,000 to £10,000,000
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Available Terms
1 months to 10 years
Company details
- Application-to-offer within 24 hours
- To be contacted within 3 minutes of applying
- Access to over 200+ lenders, covering all sectors
Eligibility criteria
- Application-to-offer within 24 hours
- To be contacted within 3 minutes of applying
- Access to over 200+ lenders, covering all sectors
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Ignite
- Specialist provider of mutlidrawdown credit facilities
- Unsecured, flexible funding available for small businesses
- Simple registration process - get a decision within 2-4 hours, and funding within 24 hours if approved
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Minimum Turnover
£60,000 p.a.
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Available Amounts
£3,000 to £500,000
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Available Terms
3 months to 10 years
Company details
- Specialist provider of mutlidrawdown credit facilities
- Unsecured, flexible funding available for small businesses
- Simple registration process - get a decision within 2-4 hours, and funding within 24 hours if approved
Eligibility criteria
- Specialist provider of mutlidrawdown credit facilities
- Unsecured, flexible funding available for small businesses
- Simple registration process - get a decision within 2-4 hours, and funding within 24 hours if approved
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Fluidly
- Instantly see funding products your business is eligible for, from across the market (no credit checks)
- A dedicated 5-star rated Funding Specialist on hand to support your application end-to-end (no hidden fees)
- Range of products available including CBILS, unsecured loans and asset financing
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Minimum Turnover
£100,000 p.a.
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Available Amounts
£50,000 to £10,000,000
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Available Terms
1 to 10 years
Company details
- Hassle free funding options within 30 seconds
- Team of 5-star rated Funding Specialists are on hand to support your application
- A range of products available including CBILS, unsecured and asset financing
Eligibility criteria
- Hassle free funding options within 30 seconds
- Team of 5-star rated Funding Specialists are on hand to support your application
- A range of products available including CBILS, unsecured and asset financing
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Lombard
- Lombard offers a comprehensive range of asset finance solutions
- A simple finance solution with a credit decision in 24 hours for transactions up to £150,000
- Security, guarantees or indemnities may be required. Product fees may apply. Finance is subject to status and is only available for business purposes
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Minimum Turnover
No minimum
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Available Amounts
Up to £150,000
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Available Terms
1 to 7 years
Company details
- Lombard is one of the UK’s oldest and largest asset finance partners
- They have helped thousands of businesses invest in their future’s every day
- Lombard have won Best Leasing and Asset Finance Provider at the Business MoneyFacts Awards every year from 2009 to 2018
Eligibility criteria
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Swoop Funding
- Simple, secure and speedy search of 1,000 funding providers without affecting your credit rating
- Free access every type of finance including the Recovery Loan Scheme
- Speak to Swoop’s team of five-star Trustpilot rated experts
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Minimum Turnover
£50,000 p.a.
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Available Amounts
£1,000 to £10,000,000
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Available Terms
3 months to 6 years
Company details
Eligibility criteria
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Fleximize
- Voted "Best Business Finance Provider" at the British Bank Awards 2020
- Industry-leading flexibility - top-ups, repayment holidays, no hidden fees
- Interest charged on a reducing balance, repay early and only pay for the time you had the loan
- Rates from 0.9% per month (10.8% per annum), with no additional fees
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Minimum Turnover
£60,000 p.a.
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Available Amounts
£5,000 to £500,000
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Available Terms
3 months to 4 years
Company details
- Voted "Best Business Finance Provider" at the British Bank Awards 2020
- Industry-leading flexibility - top-ups, repayment holidays, no hidden fees
- Interest charged on a reducing balance, repay early and only pay for the time you had the loan
- Apply online in minutes, receive funds in as little as 24 hours.
Eligibility criteria
- Minimum annual turnover of £60,000 p.a.
- Borrow between £5,000 and £500,000
- Business activities must be UK-based and impacted by Covid-19
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Funding Xchange
- Funding Xchange’s free service matches your eligibility against over 50 lenders in seconds
- Complete your application online in as little as 3 minutes and you could get funded in a few hours
- It's simple, safe and free and the search won’t affect your credit rating
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Minimum Turnover
£100,000 p.a.
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Available Amounts
£1,000 to £500,000
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Available Terms
3 months to 5 years
Company details
Eligibility criteria
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iwoca
- Flexible Credit Facilities of £1,000 to £200,000 for Limited Companies
- No fees or long term commitments
- Apply online in minutes for a decision (some decisions may take up to 24 hours)
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Minimum Turnover
£50,000 p.a.
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Available Amounts
£1,000 to £200,000
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Available Terms
up to 12 months
Company details
- Flexible Credit Facilities of £1,000 to £200,000 for Limited Companies
- No fees or long term commitments
- Apply online in minutes for a decision (some decisions may take up to 24 hours)
Eligibility criteria
- Flexible Credit Facilities of £1,000 to £200,000 for Limited Companies
- No fees or long term commitments
- Apply online in minutes for a decision (some decisions may take up to 24 hours)
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Portman Asset Finance
- Business finance broker with specialist sector experience to offer fast and flexible finance solutions
- Access over 40 leading UK business finance providers
- Dedicated Recovery Loan Scheme account managers
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Minimum Turnover
£150,000+ p.a.
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Available Amounts
£10,000 to £10,000,000
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Available Terms
Up to 5 years
Company details
- Business finance broker with specialist sector experience to offer fast and flexible finance solutions
- Access over 40 leading UK business finance providers
- Dedicated Recovery Loan Scheme account managers
Eligibility criteria
- Business finance broker with specialist sector experience to offer fast and flexible finance solutions
- Access over 40 leading UK business finance providers
- Dedicated Recovery Loan Scheme account managers
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Nucleus
- Fast service - receive your funding in 24 hours
- Unsecured and secured business loans
- 7 products tailored to your business
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Minimum Turnover
£60,000 p.a.
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Available Amounts
£3,000 to £50,000,000
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Available Terms
3 months to 8 years
Company details
- Fast service - receive your funding in 24 hours
- Unsecured and secured business loans
- 7 products tailored to your business
Eligibility criteria
- Fast service - receive your funding in 24 hours
- Unsecured and secured business loans
- 7 products tailored to your business
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Start Up Loans (British Business Bank)
- Interest rate of fixed 6% per annum
- Receive business mentoring and support after drawing down your loan
- No application fees or early repayment fees
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Minimum Turnover
No minimum
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Available Amounts
£500 to £25,000
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Available Terms
1 to 5 years
Company details
- Start Up Loans is a Not-For-Profit Company offering a finance and mentoring solution to start and grow a business
- Start Up Loans have helped over 40,000 businesses get started in the UK
- Free application support
- Free post-loan business mentoring
Eligibility criteria
- Business is based in the UK
- Trading for under 24 months
- 18 years and over
Also for Business
Our comparison service features a selection of providers from whom we receive commission. This table is initially ordered according to our commercial arrangements. You can use the options above the table to order it according to various criteria.

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How to choose a business loan
Most business owners will find themselves looking for extra finance at some point. Whether you are looking to expand, pay off debts, invest in new equipment or regulate your cashflow, a business loan is an option to consider.
The trouble is, finding the right business loan can be a daunting prospect. On the one hand, there’s traditional bank loans and on the other there are options like online lenders and alternative finance providers. Here at NerdWallet, we’ve put many of them in one accessible business loan comparison table, so you can find a loan to help nurture and grow your business.
Take a look through the table at the current deals on offer. Our business loan comparison tables break down the important factors like available loan terms and amounts. Not every deal will be right for you, but our tables are a good place to start when navigating the busy business loan marketplace. And to help you further, we’ve put together a simple guide to business loans below, which may help you to better understand your options when looking for finance for your business.
The main types of business loan
Secured business loans
Secured business loans are a type of business finance that requires you to put forward an asset - usually a property - as security for a loan. Secured loans often come with lower interest rates than unsecured loans as they represent less risk for the lender. They may also give you access to a larger loan amount over a longer term.
However, they come with the added risk that you could lose your property (often your home) if you struggle to keep up with the payments.
Commercial mortgages and asset-backed lending are two types of secured loan available to businesses.
Unsecured business loans
Unsecured business loans are those that don’t require security. Here are some of the main types of unsecured business loan – note that this is not an exhaustive list:
- Bank loan: These tend to be offered by a major high street banks. They have been more difficult to obtain in recent years but are still a popular choice with established businesses with solid credit ratings.
- Alternative business loan: Many alternative lenders and online banks will now offer business loans, usually through online-only platforms. Rates, terms and eligibility requirements differ from lender to lender.
- Lines of credit: Lines of credit offer businesses the option of seeking a credit limit against which they can withdraw money as and when they need it. Interest is then paid only on the balance owed.
- Merchant cash advance: Merchant cast advances, which are also sometimes known as business cash advances, are a type of business loan that is repaid automatically when a business takes a card payment from a customer. Merchant cash advances can offer finance for businesses that have poor credit ratings or a limited trading history.
- Invoice financing: Invoice financing involves ‘selling’ unpaid invoices to a financier who makes the value of the invoice available to the business immediately in exchange for a fee.
- Short-term loan: Short-term loans are straightforward business loans that are often offered over periods of months, as opposed to years. Cash is usually made available quickly, but interest rates can be high and loan amounts are often limited.
- Peer-to-peer lending: Online platforms matching willing lenders (often either private equity investors or members of the public) with businesses that are seeking loans are a popular new finance model. Rates can be preferable, but eligibility might be relatively strict.
Choosing the right type of business loan
Although the vast array of options available may seem daunting, you’ll quickly find that your requirements and circumstances narrow the possibilities quite significantly. When comparing business loans, the table above is a good place to start as it shows the amounts a lender might offer and for how long. There is also some information about the minimum turnover your business will need to successfully apply.
Deciding which business loan is right for you needn’t be as difficult as you might think.
There are a few fundamental questions you can ask yourself to help you make your decision:
- How much do I need to borrow?
- How long do I need to repay the loan?
- How much can I afford to repay each month?
- Do I struggle with unpaid invoices?
- Do I hold equity in a property?
- Do I need the loan to buy a specific valuable asset?
- What’s my personal and business credit rating like?
- Do I take payment through a card machine?
- Do I need a lump sum all at once?
When you have the answers to these questions, you might be able to start narrowing down the list of possible business loans.
Finding the right business loan FAQs
Will my personal credit rating be taken into consideration when applying for a business loan?
Yes. In most cases, as a director of a limited company, or a self-employed sole trader, for example, a lender will take your credit rating into consideration when deciding whether to approve your loan application. Other company directors or partners should also expect to have their credit rating examined.
Are there bad credit business loans?
You may have a better chance of securing certain types of business loan if you have bad credit, such as cash advances or invoice financing as they are less risky for lenders. Some alternative online lenders will also be more open-minded to businesses and directors with poor credit, particularly if the business can demonstrate a promising financial performance.
Can you get business loans for new companies?
Many lenders will require a minimum number of months’ trading history, but there are some that will consider lending to start-ups.
Are business loans regulated?
Lenders who are offering business loans to sole traders may do so without regulation, while those lending to limited companies are regulated.
What can I use a business loan for?
Common uses include:
- Buying new equipment/machinery/stock
- Paying bills
- Regulating cashflow
- Paying off other debts
- Investing in premises/staff
- Meeting costs involved in expansion
Featured articles
Featured brands
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B2Bfinance.com Business Loans
B2Bfinance.com is a commercial finance brokerage, established in 2005, that covers a wide range of product types and lenders.
Read more -
EJ Finance Business Loans
Broker offering access to over 200 lenders, covering all sectors and business types.
Read more -
Fleximize Business Loans
Flexible business loans with secured and unsecured borrowing options and dedicated support for customers.
Read more -
Fluidly Business Loans
Tailored funding on a range of commercial finance products for all types of business.
Read more -
Funding Hut Business Loans
FCA-authorised broker offering a range of finance types and a quick application process.
Read more -
Funding Xchange Business Loans
Funding Xchange is a commercial finance broker that covers various types of business loan products for all sorts of commercial organisation.
Read more -
Ignite Business Loans
A specialist provider of mutlidrawdown credit facilities for small businesses.
Read more -
iwoca Business Loans
Flexible funding to help with business cash flow in the form of straightforward lines of credit.
Read more -
Lombard Business Loans
Asset finance specialist, now a subsidiary of RBS, that provides several funding solutions to businesses across various sectors.
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Newable Commercial Finance
FCA-regulated commercial finance broker with access to 200+ lenders.
Read more -
Nucleus Business Loans
Launched in 2011, Nucleus Commercial Finance is a specialist business lender that offers a range of loan types from asset funding to property finance.
Read more -
Portman Asset Finance Business Loans
Business finance broker with specialist sector experience to offer fast and flexible finance solutions.
Read more -
The Start Up Loans Company (British Business Bank)
A subsidiary of the British Business Bank, the Start Up Loans Company was created to provide funding for new businesses.
Read more -
Swoop Funding Business Loans
Simple, secure and speedy access to over 1,000 funding providers without affecting your credit rating.
Read more -
THINK Business Loans
Commercial loans broker using a tech-based approach to match potential borrowers to a wide range of lenders.
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