Alternatives to Start Up Loans Company
4 UK specialty finance alternatives to Start Up Loans Company, compared on product type, ticket band, rate, decision time and eligibility.
Start Up Loans Company vs the 4 alternatives
| Start Up Loans Company | Funding Circle | iwoca | Allica Bank | Aldermore | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product | Government-backed unsecured personal loan to fund a UK start-up | Term loan | Flexi-loan / line of credit | SME term loan + commercial mortgage | Asset finance, invoice finance, commercial mortgages |
| Ticket | £500 to £25k per founder (max £100k per business) | £10k to £500k | £1k to £500k | £150k to £5m | £25k to £5m |
| Rate | Fixed 7.5% APR | 6.9% to 26.9% APR | From 2% per month | From 7.99% APR | From 7.5% APR equivalent |
| Decision | 4 to 8 weeks | 1 to 3 business days | Same day to 24 hours | 5 to 10 business days | 5 to 10 business days |
| Soft search | No | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| FundBiz panel tier | Strong | Top tier | Top tier | Top tier | Strong |
Funding Circle
1 to 3 business days · 6.9% to 26.9% APRPanel anchor for unsecured term loans between £10k and £500k. We route established Ltd companies with 2+ years trading and clean credit here first when the applicant wants a fixed-repayment term loan rather than a flexi...
iwoca
Same day to 24 hours · From 2% per monthPanel anchor for flexi working capital. We route applicants here when the cash need is draw-as-you-go rather than a single lump sum, when trading time sits between 12 and 24 months, or when the file is too thin for...
Allica Bank
5 to 10 business days · From 7.99% APRPanel challenger bank we route to for £150k to £5m term-loan and commercial mortgage applicants. We send established Ltd companies here when the deal is in the band the high street has abandoned and the applicant wants...
Aldermore
5 to 10 business days · From 7.5% APR equivalentPanel challenger bank we route to for asset finance, invoice finance and commercial mortgage tickets between £25k and £5m where the applicant has the time for proper underwriting and wants a real bank on the other side....
Frequently asked questions
What are the main alternatives to Start Up Loans Company?
The closest UK specialty finance alternatives are Funding Circle, iwoca, Allica Bank and Aldermore. Each is compared above on product type, ticket band, typical rate, decision time and eligibility so you can match a lender to your deal size and trading profile.
How does Start Up Loans Company compare on ticket size and rate?
Start Up Loans Company offers government-backed unsecured personal loan to fund a uk start-up from £500 to £25k per founder (max £100k per business) at a typical Fixed 7.5% APR. The alternatives in the table span different ticket bands and rate ranges, so the right fit depends on how much you need and your trading profile.
How quickly does Start Up Loans Company make a decision?
Start Up Loans Company typically reaches a decision in 4 to 8 weeks. Decision times for the alternatives are listed in the comparison table; faster is not always cheaper, so weigh speed against rate and ticket fit.
Does Start Up Loans Company do a soft-search quote?
Start Up Loans Company does not offer a soft-search quote at the eligibility stage. Among the alternatives, Funding Circle and iwoca offer a soft-search quote.
How we ranked these lenders
Every lender is scored on the same four FundBiz criteria: pricing transparency, eligibility clarity, decision speed and treatment of declined applicants. Scores are our own desk-research assessment built from the FCA Register, Companies House filings and each lender's published product sheets, not customer reviews and not hands-on product testing. The last-reviewed date is shown on every list. Inclusion is never paid for: FundBiz is paid by lenders on completed funding, not for a verdict, and commission never changes a position. See our full methodology.
Check eligibility for our specialty panel
Limited companies, LLPs and partnerships of 4+ only. Specialty UK finance for MCA, asset finance, commercial mortgage, bridging, VAT and post-decline.
Check eligibility →Last reviewed: 2026-07-14. Editorial by Oliver Mackman.