Small-business lenders can be traditional financial institutions, such as banks or credit unions, government agencies, nonprofit organizations or online fintech companies. Individual lenders vary in the types of small-business loans they provide, as well as their application processes and eligibility criteria for borrowers. The best small-business lender offers the products you need, has requirements you can meet and charges affordable interest rates and fees.
Learn about each of your lender options below, and compare some of the top loan products from NerdWallet’s highest-rated small-business lenders.
What is a small-business lender?
We’ll start with a brief questionnaire to better understand the unique needs of your business.
Once we uncover your personalized matches, our team will consult you on the process moving forward.
Government small-business lenders
The federal government doesn’t usually lend to small-business owners directly. However, it does guarantee financing issued through the SBA loan program. SBA loans are funded by participating lenders — typically banks and credit unions — and backed by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Many national, regional and local banks are SBA lenders, including big-name institutions like Chase and Bank of America. Some lenders, like BayFirst Financial, even offer their own specialized SBA lending programs. BayFirst’s SBA Bolt loan, for example, can fund faster than other 7(a) loans. The SBA website also has a lender match tool to help you find the best SBA lender for you.
SBA loans offer long terms, low interest rates and can be used for a variety of purposes. To qualify for an SBA loan, you’ll need good credit and financials, as well as a few years in business.
Credit union and bank small-business lenders
Banks and credit unions offer some of the most affordable small-business loans, but these lenders also have lengthy application processes and strict eligibility requirements. You’ll likely need strong credit, two or more years in business and solid revenue to qualify for a loan from one of these small-business lenders.
Borrowers report higher rates of approval, as well as greater overall satisfaction, with small banks compared with large, national banks — according to a Federal Reserve survey released in 2024 .
If you have an existing relationship with a local bank or credit union, you might contact a representative to find out if it offers small-business financing.
We rate several of Bank of America’s loan products at 4+ stars. The bank offers a wide range of financing options, including both secured and unsecured term loans and business lines of credit as well as equipment loans. Some of its loans come without an origination fee and without the need to put up collateral. Bank of America also reports to the major credit bureaus, which means making on-time loan payments helps you build your business credit score.
As with most bank or credit union business loans, however, it may take up to several weeks to receive funding for a Bank of America loan.
NerdWallet awards high marks also to Wells Fargo’s business line of credit products. Like Bank of America, Wells Fargo reports to the credit bureaus. But unlike Bank of America, Wells Fargo doesn’t charge you a fee for paying off your loan early, also known as a prepayment penalty. With this bank’s line of credit products, you make monthly payments — rather than daily or weekly — which is often a more manageable repayment schedule for a business.
Wells Fargo does, like many small-business lenders, file a UCC lien, which grants the lender the right to seize assets you’ve pledged as collateral in the event that you default on your loan.
Online small-business lenders
Online business lenders can offer a variety of financing options with a streamlined application process. Online lenders are known for their fast access to capital — some companies even offer same-day business loans with funding in as little as 24 hours.
Compared with banks and credit unions, online or private business lenders have more flexible qualification requirements, but the cost of borrowing is often higher.
Bluevine is our highest-rated online lender. It offers a short-term business line of credit of up to $250,000, with either six- or 12-month repayment terms. This lender reports to credit bureaus; is transparent with its loan terms, requirements and fees; and can fund your account within just a few days. Bluevine will do all this absent an origination fee, without charging a prepayment penalty and with no collateral required.
OnDeck is our highest-rated online term loan, and this lender also offers a business line of credit (which NerdWallet rates 5 stars). OnDeck can fund loans up to a maximum of $250,000, sometimes within the same business day. With qualification requirements of one year in business and $100,000 in annual revenue, OnDeck is a strong option for newer businesses. (If you haven’t yet hit that level for annual revenue, consider Funding Circle, which requires a slightly higher FICO score and two years in business but only $50,000 in annual revenue to qualify for its term loan.) OnDeck does require a business lien for its term loan.
While we rate a few other online lenders a bit higher than Fora Financial, which receives 4.5 stars, we recommend this lender particularly for its more widely accessible minimum credit score (570) and time in business (6 months) requirements along with its generous maximum loan amount of $1,500,000. This lender doesn’t require collateral and doesn’t penalize you for paying off your loan early. In fact, Fora may offer you a prepayment discount. But because the lender uses factor rates instead of APR, it’s difficult to compare the total cost of this loan with others.
AltLINE, part of the Southern Bank Company, offers its invoice factoring services to business-to-business companies with outstanding invoices in their accounts receivable. This lender doesn’t have the typical qualification requirements for a business loan because it focuses instead on the creditworthiness of the customers you invoice. While this type of financing won’t help you build business credit, it can provide you fast funding without the need for physical collateral (the outstanding invoices serve as collateral). AltLINE generally provides funding within two business days.
For equipment financing, JR Capital offers fast funding (within 48 hours) of up to $10 million at a comparatively reasonable interest rate — while some online lenders have APRs that can reach as high as 99%, JR Capital’s range caps out at 18%. This lender also has some flexible payment options available for certain industries, including annual payments for farming. Certain borrowers may be eligible to prepay on their equipment loan without a penalty. You will pay an origination fee, though.
Nonprofit and microlenders
Many nonprofit lenders are also community development financial institutions (CDFIs), which are registered through the U.S. Treasury Department to build wealth in underserved areas through loan dollars and other resources. These organizations typically provide smaller loans — called microloans — but may be more willing to work with newer businesses or those with bad credit.
As part of the SBA microloan program, for instance, the government distributes funds directly to these types of lenders. The lenders are then able to create and manage their own programs.
Most microloans max out at $50,000, but Accion Opportunity Fund’s working capital loan can reach up to $250,000, and the lender will accept borrowers with a FICO score as low as 570. According to Accion, more than 90% of its borrower base is made up of women, people of color and/or low- to-moderate–income borrowers. Accion dedicates its services to uplifting small businesses in traditionally disadvantaged communities and offers coaching and other resources to empower small-business owners.
How to choose a small-business lender
You’ll want to consider several factors when choosing a small-business lender. But ultimately, there are trade-offs between banks, online lenders and other options, depending on what’s most important to you.
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The best small-business lender |
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A bank will likely offer the lowest interest rates (though you’ll need to be able to meet tough financial qualifications). Banks can also offer a variety of types of business loans, as well as longer terms than some online lenders. |
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Can’t qualify with a bank |
Start with the SBA loan program. SBA loans have competitive rates and long terms, and eligibility criteria can be a little more flexible than bank requirements. However, you’ll still need good credit and strong revenue to qualify, and the application process can be complex — so online business lenders are an alternative option. |
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Online lenders will be your top option. Some online lenders can offer funding in as little as 24 hours — although speed can come at a cost of higher interest rates. |
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Customer service is a priority |
Although a variety of lenders have representatives to help you through the application process, small-business borrowers report having a higher level of overall satisfaction with credit unions and community banks, according to a 2024 report by the Federal Reserve Banks. |
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New business or bad credit |
Some online lenders, as well as nonprofit lenders, may have more flexible requirements that can accommodate newer businesses or those with bad credit. These businesses may also consider alternative types of funding, such as small-business grants. |
Loans from the best small-business lenders
| Product | Max loan amount | Min. credit score | Learn more |
|---|---|---|---|
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SBA 7(a) loan |
$5,000,000 | 650 | |
SBA Express loan |
$500,000 | 650 | |
Bank of America Business Advantage Unsecured Term Loan |
Undisclosed | 700 | |
Wells Fargo BusinessLine® Line of Credit |
$150,000 | 680 | |
Bluevine – Line of credit |
$250,000 | 625 | |
Fundbox – Line of credit |
$150,000 | 600 | |
OnDeck – Online term loan |
$250,000 | 625 | |
Headway Capital – Line of credit |
$100,000 | 625 | |
American Express® Business Line of Credit |
$250,000 | 660 | |
Funding Circle – Online term loan |
$500,000 | 660 | |
Fora Financial – Online term loan |
$1,500,000 | 570 | |
AltLINE – Invoice Factoring |
$10,000,000 | 300 | |
Triton Capital – Equipment financing |
$250,000 | 575 | |
JR Capital Equipment Financing |
$10,000,000 | 620 | |
Accion Opportunity Fund – Small Business Working Capital Loan |
$250,000 | 570 | |
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SBA Microloan |
$50,000 | 620 |
Small-business lender alternatives
If you’re not sure that a traditional loan is right for you, you may consider these alternative funding options:
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Angel investors or venture capital firms. Instead of going into debt, you could opt for forms of equity financing, which allow you to trade ownership shares in your business for capital. Angel investors are usually wealthy individuals who invest their own money into a business idea, whereas venture capitalists typically invest on behalf of a firm. Equity financing is typically only an option for high-potential, fast-growing companies, and it can cost you control of your business if you dilute your ownership too much.
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Self-funding. If you have the means and want to avoid debt and ownership dilution, you may opt to fund your business yourself. You can use personal savings (sometimes referred to as bootstrapping), or tap into your retirement savings tax free with Rollovers as Business Startups (ROBS). With self-funding, you will likely save money on interest and fees; however, you risk your personal savings or retirement fund if your business fails.
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Friends and family loans. If you have friends and family who are willing and able to support your business with a loan, you may be able to save money on interest and get funding quickly. Friends and family loans likely won’t help you build business credit, and you may risk putting a strain on personal relationships. If you decide to go this route, put the agreement in writing to avoid personal disputes.
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Crowdfunding. Particularly if you already have a group of supportive friends and family who can help kickstart your fundraising, crowdfunding can be a viable — albeit time consuming — avenue to building capital for your small business. As a bonus, this funding option can also help you drum up interest in your business and expand your base of potential customers.
