Independent ranking
Best UK merchant cash advance (MCA) providers
Independent UK lender rankings from desk research, post-decline options included. FundBiz does not run a credit check. Typical decision times vary by product and lender and are stated in the ranking below.
Start here · What do you need?
Our MCA page names 365 Business Finance, Liberis and YouLend as MCA and revenue-based finance providers, each with a different sweet spot on ticket size, sector and credit-history tolerance. Capify, also named there, now describes its products as short-term business loans rather than a card-sales advance. Bizcap adds a post-decline route once the cleaner-cost lenders have already said no. All MCA pricing uses a factor rate rather than an APR, so compare the total repayable, not the headline number. This FundBiz ranking assesses 4 UK lenders for "best uk merchant cash advance (mca) providers", weighting primarily on factor-rate and apr-equivalent transparency (25%), card-flow underwriting speed (25%), eligibility breadth (20%) (see the full weighted criteria below). Scores are our own desk-research assessment built from the FCA Register, Companies House filings and each lender's published product criteria, not customer reviews and not paid placement. Lenders don't pay for inclusion or rankings. If you send an enquiry, we pass it to a business finance broker, who pays us a fixed fee; you pay nothing.
Source: FundBiz methodology. Editorial by Best Business Loans Ltd (16833937).
Founder & Managing Director, Muswell Rose, FundBiz
Adam is the founder and managing director of Muswell Rose and a founder of Best Business Loans Ltd, the company behind FundBiz. His background runs through commercial finance, mortgages and fintech, including as managing director of an invoice finance business. He oversees FundBiz's guides and lender reviews.
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Merchant cash advance (revenue-based finance) · £10k to £500k · Funding in as little as 24 hours
Direct MCA lender with no broker fee, £10k to £500k, from 6 months of trading and £10,000+ monthly card sales.
Our assessment: Post-decline acceptance: strong.
Read full 365 Business Finance review → -
Revenue-based finance (merchant cash advance style) and pay-over-time funding for SMBs · £1k to £1m · Funding in as little as 24 hours
Embedded revenue-based finance via Worldpay, Barclaycard, Klarna and other partners, often pre-approved.
Our assessment: Post-decline acceptance: strong.
Read full Liberis review → -
Embedded MCA / revenue-based finance · Up to £2m · Approval in as little as 24 hours
Marketplace and gateway-led finance for Amazon, Shopify and eBay sellers.
Our assessment: Post-decline acceptance: strong.
Read full YouLend review → -
Specialist post-decline / fast cash · £5k to £1m · Approval in as little as 3 hours
Post-decline route (factor-rate business loans) once 365 or Liberis have declined.
Our assessment: Post-decline acceptance: top tier.
Read full Bizcap review →
Side-by-side comparison
| Lender | Typical rate | Ticket | Decision | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 365 Business Finance | One fixed cost, repaid as a percentage of card sales (quoted per offer) | £10k to £500k | Funding in as little as 24 hours | Hospitality, retail and ecommerce Ltds trading 6+ months with £10k+ monthly card sales (365's published minimum) |
| Liberis | One fixed fee, repaid as a percentage of sales (quoted per offer) | £1k to £1m | Funding in as little as 24 hours | Existing Worldpay, Barclaycard, Klarna or Dojo users with strong card flow |
| YouLend | Fixed fee, repaid as a percentage of sales (quoted per offer) | Up to £2m | Approval in as little as 24 hours | Sellers on Amazon, Shopify, eBay, Etsy or Just Eat |
| Bizcap | Factor rate set per application, plus an establishment fee | £5k to £1m | Approval in as little as 3 hours | Businesses already declined by mainstream lenders who still need cash this week |
Sources: each lender's own published product pages: 365 Business Finance · Liberis · YouLend · Bizcap. Figures change; confirm with the lender before you rely on one.
What is the best UK merchant cash advance (MCA) provider?
365 Business Finance, Liberis and YouLend are the MCA and revenue-based finance providers named on our MCA page, each with a different sweet spot on ticket size, sector and credit-history tolerance. Capify, also named there, now describes its products as short-term business loans. Bizcap adds a post-decline route once the others have said no.
How does merchant cash advance work?
You receive a lump sum advance against your card-machine or gateway takings, repaid as a percentage of daily or weekly sales rather than a fixed monthly instalment. Repayment scales with trade: a quiet week costs less than a busy one.
What does UK merchant cash advance cost?
MCA is priced as a fixed fee or factor rate rather than an APR, so always convert to the total repayable. As recorded in our lender reviews: 365 Business Finance: one fixed cost, repaid as a percentage of card sales (quoted per offer). Liberis: one fixed fee, repaid as a percentage of sales (quoted per offer).
YouLend: fixed fee, repaid as a percentage of sales (quoted per offer). Bizcap: factor rate set per application, plus an establishment fee. Lenders price each case individually, so confirm the cost on a real quote.
How fast does merchant cash advance fund?
As recorded in our lender reviews: 365 Business Finance: funding in as little as 24 hours. Liberis: funding in as little as 24 hours. YouLend: approval in as little as 24 hours. Bizcap: approval in as little as 3 hours. Timings are the lenders' own or typical figures and depend on how complete your application is.
What MCA applications get declined?
No card-machine or gateway flow is the single biggest reason: B2B service businesses with no card terminal are usually better served by invoice finance or asset finance. Bizcap is a post-decline route once 365 or Liberis have already said no.
How we ranked these
We weight factor-rate and apr-equivalent transparency (25%), card-flow underwriting speed (25%), eligibility breadth (20%), post-decline acceptance (20%), repayment flexibility (10%). Rankings reflect our published editorial methodology, not any commercial arrangement. See our /methodology/ for the full basis.
Methodology weights
Weights specific to "Best UK merchant cash advance (MCA) providers":
- Factor-rate and APR-equivalent transparency25%
- Card-flow underwriting speed25%
- Eligibility breadth20%
- Post-decline acceptance20%
- Repayment flexibility10%
Read the full methodology for how we score and rank the lenders we review.
Also considered
- Capify (short-term business loans priced by factor rate, for businesses with 12+ months of trading)
- JPM Capital (post-decline unsecured loans, £5k to £50k)
Not for
B2B service Ltds with no card-machine or gateway flow; borrowers wanting a fixed monthly repayment (consider Funding Circle or Allica instead).
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Tell us what you need in 2 minutes. FundBiz is not a lender and does not run a credit check. We pass your enquiry to a business finance broker, who will contact you about your options. For limited companies, LLPs and partnerships with four or more partners.
Send an enquiry →FundBiz is owned and operated by Best Business Loans Ltd, directed by Oliver Mackman. Editorial by Best Business Loans Ltd (16833937).