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
| Compared on | 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, asset finance + commercial mortgage | Asset finance, invoice finance, commercial mortgages |
| Ticket | £500 to £25k per founder (max £100k per business) | £10k to £750k | £1k to £1m | £25k to £150k (business loans); up to £15m (commercial mortgages) | Not published for asset or invoice finance; commercial real estate loans of £3m to £100m (its own figures) |
| Rate | Fixed 7.5% a year interest, no arrangement or early repayment fees | From 6.9% per year | From 1.5% per 30 days | Business loans 9.90% to 13.75% interest; other products quoted per deal | Quoted per deal (not published) |
| Decision | 4 to 8 weeks | As little as 5 minutes | Same day to 24 hours | Money in days on business loans; longer for larger facilities | Not published |
| Soft search | No | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| FundBiz editorial tier | Strong | Top tier | Top tier | Top tier | Strong |
Sources: each lender's own published product pages, as recorded in our lender index: Start Up Loans Company · Funding Circle · iwoca · Allica Bank · Aldermore. Figures change; confirm with the lender before you rely on one.
Funding Circle
As little as 5 minutes · From 6.9% per yearMainstream lender for term loans between £10k and £750k. It suits established Ltd companies with a trading record and clean credit that want a fixed-repayment term loan rather than a flexi or MCA.
iwoca
Same day to 24 hours · From 1.5% per 30 daysMainstream lender for flexi working capital.
Allica Bank
Money in days on business loans; longer for larger facilities · Business loans 9.90% to 13.75% interest; other products quoted per dealChallenger bank for established businesses: business loans of £25,001 to £150,000, asset finance of £25k to £2.5m and commercial mortgages of £150k to £15m (Allica's own ranges).
Aldermore
Not published · Quoted per deal (not published)Challenger bank suited to asset finance, invoice finance and commercial mortgage tickets between £25k and £5m where the borrower has 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. The table above sets them side by side with Start Up Loans Company.
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, with tickets of £500 to £25k per founder (max £100k per business). Its pricing: fixed 7.5% a year interest, no arrangement or early repayment fees.
How quickly does Start Up Loans Company make a decision?
Decision time for Start Up Loans Company: 4 to 8 weeks. Decision times for the alternatives are listed in the comparison table; faster isn't always cheaper, so weigh speed against rate and ticket fit.
Does Start Up Loans Company do a soft-search quote?
Start Up Loans Company doesn't 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. Each list shows the date it was last updated. Inclusion is never paid for, and FundBiz receives no commission from lenders. FundBiz is paid a fixed fee by a business finance broker for each enquiry we pass on. See our full methodology.
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Send an enquiry →Last updated: . Editorial by Oliver Mackman.