What are the main small business financing options in 2026?

Bank term loans, SBA 7(a) and 504 loans, revenue-based financing, merchant cash advances, invoice factoring, equipment financing, fintech lines of credit, purchase order financing, and CDFI microloans. Each serves a different need, timeline, and qualification profile.

What is the cheapest small business financing option?

SBA 7(a) loans at Prime+2–4% are the cheapest for qualifying businesses. Bank term loans at 6–12% APR are second. Both require strong credit (680+), two years of history, and 45–90 day approval timelines.

What is the fastest small business financing option?

Merchant cash advances and fintech working capital advances fund same day. Revenue-based financing funds in 24–72 hours. Both are the fastest alternatives to bank financing.

What small business financing option has the lowest eligibility bar?

MCAs and short-term working capital advances have the lowest eligibility requirements: 500+ FICO, 6 months in business, $10K/month in deposits. No hard collateral, no tax returns, no business plan required.

What alternative small business financing options exist for buying a business?

SBA 7(a) acquisition loans are the gold standard. For faster timelines: acquisition bridge loans, seller financing combined with RBF working capital, or asset-backed acquisition structures. Acquisition deal size typically determines which path is viable.

What small business financing options exist for buying a franchise?

SBA 7(a) franchise loans, franchisor financing programs, and working capital advances for pre-opening expenses. The franchisor's FDD (Franchise Disclosure Document) often lists preferred lenders. RBF can fund pre-opening working capital while the SBA loan processes.

Small Business Financing Options: Every Product Ranked by Cost, Speed, and Eligibility

The Bottom Line

Nine small business financing products exist. The right one is determined by use case, timeline, and eligibility — not which one has the lowest headline rate.

Cheapest + slowest = SBA. Fastest + broadest eligibility = MCA. Best balance = RBF.

9 Products

Covered

3 Rankings

Cost / Speed / Eligibility

2026

Current Data

Verify Capital Eligibility →

The Master Comparison: All 9 Products

Product	Cost	Speed	Min FICO	Min Revenue	Collateral
SBA 7(a) Loan	Prime+2–4%	45–90 days	680+	2yr history	Often required
Bank Term Loan	6–12% APR	30–60 days	680+	2yr history	Required
Revenue-Based Financing	1.15–1.35x	24–72h	550+	$15K/mo	UCC-1 lien
Fintech Line of Credit	15–40% APR	48–72h	600+	$15K/mo	UCC-1 lien
MCA	1.20–1.50x	Same day	500+	$10K/mo	Future receivables
Invoice Factoring	1–5%/mo	24–48h	500+	Qualified AR	AR assigned
Equipment Financing	8–25% APR	24–72h	580+	$10K/mo	Equipment/UCC-1
PO Financing	3–6%/period	48–96h	500+	Confirmed PO	PO assigned
CDFI Microloan	8–15% APR	2–6 weeks	None	None	Varies

Ranked by Dimension

Cheapest → Most Expensive

SBA 7(a)
Bank Term Loan
CDFI Microloan
Fintech LOC
Equipment Financing
RBF
Invoice Factoring
PO Financing
MCA

Fastest → Slowest

MCA
Invoice Factoring
Equipment Financing
RBF
Fintech LOC
PO Financing
CDFI Microloan
Bank Term Loan
SBA 7(a)

Lowest → Highest Eligibility Bar

CDFI Microloan
MCA
Invoice Factoring
PO Financing
Equipment Financing
RBF
Fintech LOC
Bank Term Loan
SBA 7(a)

How to Use These Rankings

The highest-ranked product in cost (SBA) is the lowest-ranked in speed. The highest-ranked in speed (MCA) is the lowest in cost. This is by design — it reflects the fundamental trade-off in lending.

The decision: where do your constraints sit? If speed is constrained (need capital in 48 hours), you work from the speed ranking downward. If cost is constrained (need the lowest rate possible), you work from the cost ranking — and accept the longer timeline.

Use the financing decision tool to filter the full matrix by your specific use case, timeline, and qualifications.

Rev Boost Funding is not a lender. We connect operators with independent financing partners. Full disclaimer.