- Small business lenders at a glance
- Ten US lenders for small business loans
- Direct lender, platform lender or a collector of offers?
- Loan types you'll meet on these pages
- What lenders tend to ask for
- Seven questions to put to any lender
- My plain advice before you apply for a business loan
- Frequently asked questions
Small business loan lenders in the US reach you in three ways: banks and online lenders you apply to directly, payment platforms that offer financing to businesses already using them, and firms that collect several offers for you. Terms, eligibility and availability come from each lender. Ten US lenders follow, in no particular order.
Search for a business loan and the results look like one long list of interchangeable lenders. They aren't, and a few of the best-known names don't sell what their old reputation suggests any more.
The ten lenders below are listed alphabetically and in no particular order, and this is a US list. Every description comes from each lender's own website, as of Nov 2026. I've left out loan amounts, terms and timings on purpose: they change by business and by application, so the lender's own site is the only reliable place to read them.
Small business lenders at a glance
| Tool | Type | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Bank of America | National bank | Business loans matched to your financing needs |
| Biz2Credit | Online business lender | Applying online for loans and commercial financing |
| Bluevine | Business banking platform | Online business banking with access to working capital |
| Credibly | Online small business lender | Seeing what you qualify for before you apply |
| Kapitus | Small business financing provider | Comparing several loan offers in one go |
| National Funding | Small business lender | A short online application for business financing |
| OnDeck | Direct online lender | Term loans and lines of credit from the lender itself |
| Rapid Finance | Small business financing company | Business loans and lines of credit for working capital |
| Square Loans | Financing inside Square | Loan offers for businesses already selling with Square |
| Stripe Capital | Financing inside Stripe | A loan or cash advance for businesses on Stripe |
Ten US lenders for small business loans
Bank of America
Best for: Business owners who'd like a bank's range of small business loans, with a page that asks about your financing needs and shares the most relevant loans.
Biz2Credit
Best for: Entrepreneurs applying online for small business loans and commercial financing, from a lender whose page is about helping entrepreneurs get financing.
Bluevine
Best for: Owners who want online business banking first, with access to working capital on the same platform, as its page describes.
Credibly
Best for: Applicants who'd like to see what they could qualify for first, as its page says applying won't hurt your credit score.
Kapitus
Best for: Business owners who'd like several offers to choose from, with term loans and lines of credit both listed on its page.
National Funding
Best for: Owners who want a straightforward application, from a lender whose page says it sees a business owner where most lenders see a risk.
OnDeck
Best for: Borrowers who'd rather deal with one lender from application to funding, with term loans and a revolving line of credit on its page.
Rapid Finance
Best for: Companies looking for working capital through business loans or business lines of credit, with an online application on its page.
Square Loans
Best for: Sellers already using Square, since offers arrive in the Square Dashboard with no long forms and automatic repayment, according to its page.
Stripe Capital
Best for: Stripe users who'd like a business loan or merchant cash advance with flexible payments and no lengthy application, run alongside their Stripe account.
Direct lender, platform lender or a collector of offers?
Here's what the lender pages say right now, and it isn't what most people expect.
Names that have moved on. Funding Circle's US page says its US business was acquired by iBusiness Funding in 2024 and that it no longer lends in the United States, so it isn't on this list. Fundbox's page now describes embedded financing built for platforms rather than a loan you apply for yourself, so it's left out too. Bluevine's page now leads with business banking, and access to working capital is one part of that.
Lending through a platform you already use. Square Loans' page says offers depend on your time using Square, your processing volume and frequency, your customer mix and more. Stripe Capital's page presents a business loan or a merchant cash advance as part of Stripe, with flexible payments and no lengthy application.
Direct lenders and a bank. OnDeck's page says you can work with it directly from application to funding, without a third party. Bank of America's page asks about your financing needs and then shares the business loans it thinks are most relevant. Biz2Credit, Credibly, National Funding and Rapid Finance each take small business loan applications online.
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Collecting offers. Kapitus's page talks about getting multiple offers and picking the loan that fits your business, which is closer to shopping around than applying to a single lender.
So the useful question isn't which brand you've heard of. It's whether a name lends to you directly, through a platform you already use, or by collecting offers. That one answer narrows the list quickly.
Loan types you'll meet on these pages
- Term loans. A lump sum you repay over a set period in regular instalments. Several lenders here list them beside other products.
- Lines of credit. A limit you can draw from, repay and draw from again, often used to smooth out uneven cash flow.
- Merchant cash advances. An advance repaid from a share of your future card sales rather than fixed instalments. It isn't a loan in the usual sense, so read how repayment works before you agree to one.
- Platform financing. Offers made inside a payments or commerce platform, based on your sales history there, and usually repaid automatically from those sales.
- SBA loans. Loans partly backed by the US Small Business Administration and made through approved lenders, with their own eligibility rules.
My guide to online loans goes into how online lending works in more depth.
What lenders tend to ask for
Most applications ask about your business, how long you've been trading, your revenue and what the money's for. If you're borrowing to cover the gap between paying suppliers and your customers paying you, my explainer on working capital is worth reading first. And if your business is young, my guide to building business credit covers the record that sits behind every application.
Seven questions to put to any lender
- Are you lending to me directly, or passing my details to other lenders?
- Which products do you offer: a term loan, a line of credit or a merchant cash advance?
- Will checking my eligibility affect my credit score?
- How is repayment taken, and how often?
- What's the full amount I'll repay, including every charge?
- Is there a penalty for repaying early?
- Do I need to use your payments platform to qualify?
Do you make a small business lending product? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
My plain advice before you apply for a business loan
Decide how you'd like to borrow before you compare brands. If you already take payments through a platform that offers financing, it's worth seeing what's on offer there, because the offer is based on sales it can already see. If you'd rather have one relationship from start to finish, a direct lender or your own bank keeps things simple. If you'd like options side by side, a lender that collects offers does the shopping for you. Whichever route you take, read the full terms on the lender's own site and compare what you'd repay in total, not just the headline.
This isn't financial advice, and nothing here means any lender will approve you. An accountant or a qualified financial adviser is the right person to ask about your own business.
Want your tool on this list? Featured spots and reviews here are paid partnerships. Here's how to partner with me.
Frequently asked questions
What is a small business loan lender?
It's a bank, online lender or platform that lends money to businesses, usually as a term loan, a line of credit or a cash advance. Terms and eligibility come from each lender.
What's the difference between a direct lender and an offer service?
A direct lender makes the loan itself. An offer service or broker collects offers from several lenders for you, and the loan still comes from one of them.
Can I get a business loan through my payments platform?
Some payments and commerce platforms offer financing to businesses that already use them, with offers based on your sales there. Check the platform's own page for who's eligible.
Will applying for a business loan affect my credit score?
It depends on the lender and the stage. Some say checking what you qualify for won't affect your score, while a full application may involve a credit check, so ask the lender before you apply.
Is a merchant cash advance the same as a loan?
No. A merchant cash advance is usually repaid from a share of your future card sales, while a loan is repaid in set instalments. The two work very differently, so read the terms in full.
How do I compare small business loan lenders?
Start with how you want to borrow, whether direct, through a platform or by collecting offers. Then compare the products each lender lists, the full amount you'd repay and the eligibility rules on each lender's own site.
