Editor's choice: Fundera business loans
- Small business loans up to $5 million
- Low interest rates
- Get financing in 5-10 days
Struggling to qualify for a traditional bank loan? Many online lenders offer alternative business loans, which work like a cross between a term loan and a merchant cash advance. These are available to businesses in high-risk industries and often have less-strict credit and revenue requirements. But their high costs and daily repayments can make them less forgiving than other short-term loan options.
Technically, an alternative business loan can be any type of business financing from a nonbank lender. But some online lenders have started to use the term to refer to a specific type of short-term loan that comes with a fixed fee instead of interest. Once you get your funds, you pay back the loan in fixed daily installments over a short period of time. Some lenders might also refer to this type of financing as business payday loans, working capital loans or short-term loans.
Typically, businesses can borrow between $5,000 and $500,000. However, you could find lenders that offer as little as $2,500 or as much as $2 million in business financing if you do some digging. How much you can borrow often depends on your monthly revenue — most allow between 80% and 150% of what your business brings in each month.
The fee you’re charged is based on how much you borrow and is advertised as either cents on the dollar or a factor rate. These tend to start at around $0.10 on the dollar or a factor rate of 1.1. But they can get as high as $3.30 on the dollar or a factor rate of 3.3 — meaning you’d owe more than three times the amount you borrowed.
Loan terms typically range from a few months to one year. Since lenders don’t charge interest that adds up over time, you can’t save by paying your loan back early unless the lender specifically offers a prepayment discount. But you might not be able to anyway with such short terms and frequent repayments.
One advantage of alternative business loans is that they’re extremely flexible when it comes to eligibility requirements. Many lenders work with high-risk industries like trucking, construction and even gambling and adult entertainment. And if you have bad credit, it likely won’t hurt your application — some lenders don’t even run a hard credit check.
However, this option typically isn’t available to startups — you often need to be in business for at least six months to qualify. And most lenders require a minimum monthly income between $5,000 and $15,000.
These five business lenders offer financing that works like an alternative business loan — though not all refer to it by that name. Let’s take a look at how they compare.
Credibly offers working capital loans that work like alternative business loans and come with a fixed fee instead of interest. It’s open to high-risk borrowers like law firms and medical practices, plus it can get you funds in as little as two days after submitting your application.
Its monthly deposit requirements are on the higher end, though. Your business needs to bring in at least $15,000 a month to qualify. And on top of the fee, it charges a 2.5% origination fee, which it deducts from your funds before you get your loan.
Fora Financial is an online lender that offers short-term business loans and merchant cash advances. The application is simple, and it can typically get you funds within three business days.
For an alternative business loan, its terms are relatively long — up to 15 months. It also offers a discount of $0.10 on the dollar for early repayment. However, it charges an origination fee between 2% and 4% of your loan amount in addition to the fixed fee.
First Capital Business Finance offers loans with the shortest terms, highest amounts and highest fees — a dangerous combination if your business doesn’t have the revenue to make those repayments.
But you likely won’t be able to over-borrow, since loan amounts are based on how much money your business brings in each month. It’s also one of the few cannabis-friendly lenders out there. However, it can take up to a week to get your funds — not ideal for emergencies.
QuickBridge is one of the few alternative lenders that offers terms up to 10 years. With a loan that charges interest, a longer term means a higher cost. But with fixed fees, your business can take advantage of lower repayments without increasing the total cost of your loan.
It also offers the lowest range of fees among the group, as well as a discount if you can pay back your loan early. You even have the option of weekly repayments, which are slightly more flexible than the standard daily repayments. The downside? Its website is pretty barebones and customer service can be difficult to reach.
Looking for less than $5,000? SkyCap Funding’s alternative business loans start at $2,500. Typically, businesses can qualify to borrow between 80% and 90% of their monthly revenue.
However, it doesn’t win points for transparency. There’s no information about terms or fees on its website — possibly because your loan could get funded through a partner lender if you don’t meet its underwriting standards.
From its minimal eligibility requirements to its quick turnaround, there are plenty of perks of taking out an alternative business loan:
While it’s usually easier to qualify for an alternative business loan than traditional financing, this comes at a high cost. Consider these potential drawbacks before applying:
Looking for another alternative to traditional bank loans? Check out these other types of financing:
Compare the best nonbank business loans
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Alternative business loans are best treated as a last resort for poor-credit borrowers or businesses in high-risk industries. They’re one of the more expensive business financing options out there, even for a short-term loan. Before you apply, check out our pages on short-term business loans or working capital loans first.
Interested in learning more about how business financing works in general? Read our comprehensive guide to business loans.
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