SnapCap is a loan marketplace owned by LendingTree that matches borrowers with lenders. While SnapCap loans include short-term loans, merchant cash advances, and equipment financing, it charges a fee unlike LendingTree to match borrowers to lenders. We selected the top six direct lender alternatives based on costs, terms, and qualifications.
SnapCap Business Loans vs Top Alternatives
Provider | Best For |
|---|---|
Free short-term financing marketplace and SnapCap parent company | |
(Best Overall) Low minimum qualification short-term business loans | |
Flexible repayment terms on a loan up to $500,000 | |
Prime credit borrowers wanting a term-loan up to $250,000 | |
Revolving credit up to $250,000 with monthly payments | |
QuickBooks Online users wanting low rates on a loan up to $100,000 | |
Merchant cash advances up to $1 million with low requirements |
What SnapCap Offers
SnapCap offers to match small businesses to financing solutions. It connects business owners with short-term loan and merchant cash advance providers. It also offers equipment financing, which is tougher to qualify for and has additional restrictions. It’s parent company LendingTree provides a free marketplace business owners can use to match with lenders across multiple financing products.
Who SnapCap Business Loans Are Right For
SnapCap business loans are great for businesses wanting to submit a single application for multiple financing products and lenders. It also offers to work with business owners that have poor personal credit and those needing long repayment terms. It can also match applicants to lenders that offer a merchant cash advance based on credit card receivables.
Borrowers that can benefit from SnapCap loans include:
- Businesses wanting a single application for financing: SnapCap offers to match borrowers to short-term loans, merchant cash advance, and equipment financing. A perfect candidate for SnapCap loans would be a restaurant that needs working capital and equipment financing.
- Small business owners with poor personal credit: Business owners need a personal credit score of at least 500 to qualify with SnapCap’s lending partners making it accessible to poor credit borrowers.
- Businesses needing long repayment terms on financing: Having three years to repay financing allows business owners to better plan and execute on long-term projects that don’t generate immediate revenue.
- Companies needing a financing option based on credit card receivables: Getting a merchant cash advance is often a last resort, but it is the primary form of financing for some small businesses.
- Businesses struggling to select a lender: Selecting a lender from dozens of alternatives can be difficult and time consuming. Business owners facing this challenge are sometimes better off paying for the service rather than applying themselves.
There are many other scenarios that may make SnapCap the best working capital solution that businesses evaluate. New businesses can also receive funding and prime borrowers may get comparable rates to other online business loans. Evaluating the costs, terms, and qualifications can help small business owners understand whether applying with a marketplace like SnapCap or a direct lender is the best option.
SnapCap Interest Rates and Fees
SnapCap loan interest rates and fees include:
- Factor rate: 1.05x to 1.4x
- Estimated APR: 19% to 227%
- Origination fees: Vary by product, typically around 2%
Both SnapCap financing products, an MCA and a short-term loan, have the same factor rate and APR, with the only major difference being repayment. Lenders multiply a factor rate by the loan amount to determine total repayment, meaning that a $10,000 loan will result in repayment from $10,500 to $14,000 over the course of the loan.
SnapCap Terms
SnapCap loan terms include:
- Loan amounts: $5,000 to $600,000
- Repayment terms: Three to 36 months
- Payment schedule: Daily or weekly
- Collateral: Blanket UCC filing on business assets
- Personal guarantee: Required
- Funding speed: As quick as two days
SnapCap offers a higher amount of maximum funding than many working capital loans, and repayment terms as long as three years. This is largely because SnapCap can solicit offers on a borrowers behalf for multiple financing products. The funding speed from SnapCap is slower than many fast business loans, because it acts as a marketplace rather than a direct lender.
SnapCap Requirements
SnapCap loan qualifications include:
- Personal credit score: At least 500
- Time in business: At least six months
- Annual revenue: At least $100,000 or $8,500 per month
One of the major benefits of applying with SnapCap is its low minimum credit score and time in business requirements. Business owners needing a bad credit business loan can apply with SnapCap and potentially receive funding even after other lenders turn them down. The threshold for annual revenue is higher than some lenders like LoanBuilder, but for most businesses the minimum business loan requirements will be easy to meet.
What SnapCap Is Missing
SnapCap offers businesses with bad credit or only six months in operations an opportunity to qualify for financing with long repayment terms. However, its overall rates are potentially high, and the lenders it works with require multiple payments. It’s parent company LendingTree offers to match borrowers for free to potential direct lenders they can work with.
SnapCap Reviews
Borrowers left positive SnapCap reviews on the web, highlighting the quick application process and noting the easy to meet minimum qualifications. The negative reviews we found about SnapCap noted that the rates were high in some cases, but that SnapCap worked with them to find a lender within their budget.
How to Apply With SnapCap
SnapCap offers small business owners a simple online application with minimum paperwork and a quick approval process, but it charges an origination fee. Its parent company LendingTree provides borrowers with a free marketplace for multiple financing products. Business owners can match with up to five lenders they can work within two minutes.
The best alternatives to SnapCap loans are:
National Funding: Best Overall SnapCap Alternative for Small Businesses
National Funding offers a merchant cash advance and term loan that has shorter overall terms and lower overall rates than SnapCap, making it the best overall alternative. Loans extend up to $500,000 repayable over three months to a year at a starting interest rate of 8%. Business owners can apply online and qualify with a credit score of 500 or higher.
SnapCap vs National Funding
National Funding and SnapCap both offer short-term loans, merchant cash advances, and equipment financing to small businesses. National Funding has lower starting rates, similar loan amounts, and shorter repayment terms than SnapCap advertises. National Funding lends directly to applicants, whereas SnapCap is a business financing marketplace.
National Funding Rates and Fees
National Funding charges an interest rate and origination fee for loans. The starting interest rate is 8% with a 2% origination fee being the standard. Businesses should know that National Funding deducts the origination fee from the funding amount when it makes a loan. This means that a $10,000 loan will be $9,800 after the fee. For that loan, the daily interest cost will range from $2.75 to $37.25 for small business owners.
National Funding Terms
Small business owners will notice that the repayment terms for a business loan from National Funding only extend up to a year. Although this is long enough to meet short-term funding needs and helps reduce the total cost of capital, it can be too short for major projects.
National Funding Qualifications
The minimum requirements that National Funding sets are a large part of the reason that it ranked as the top SnapCap business loan alternative. Business owners will need at least a year in business to qualify, which can be a barrier to some newer businesses.
What National Funding Is Missing
Business owners with poor personal credit needing a short-term loan to cover a major expense like repairs will find National Funding to be their best SnapCap alternative. However, the minimum requirements for time in business to qualify are higher and the loans only extend up to one year.
National Funding Reviews
Business owners that qualified for funding and enjoyed the application process and quick funding speeds left positive National Funding reviews. We noticed that there were negative reviews from some borrowers that did not qualify, misunderstood the terms of the loan, or received smaller funding offers than expected.
How to Apply with National Funding
Business owners needing to borrow up to $500,000 quickly with starting rates of 8% will find that National Funding is their best SnapCap alternative. The online application process takes minutes to complete and National Funding offers borrowers an approval decision and funding the next business day.
LoanBuilder: Best SnapCap Alternative for Custom Terms
LoanBuilder is a unique lender in the alternative lending space because it offers borrowers the opportunity to customize the repayment terms of their short-term business loans. Businesses applying with SnapCap may only be offered a set schedule, whereas LoanBuilder offers borrowers several options from 13 to 52 weeks on up to $500,000 in funding.
SnapCap vs LoanBuilder
LoanBuilder and SnapCap loans both charge a fixed fee for the loan, but LoanBuilder doesn’t charge an origination fee. LoanBuilder also offers borrowers lower loan amounts, short terms, and quicker funding than SnapCap can provide. SnapCap has lower minimum qualifications because it matches borrowers with multiple lenders, but LoanBuilder is a direct lender.
LoanBuilder Rates and Fees
LoanBuilder charges borrowers a set fee for the loan that it discloses when it offers funding to approved borrowers. This fee is comparable to the overall cost of National Funding when converted into an APR, resulting in a low starting rate for well-qualified borrowers and a higher rate for borrowers that have difficulty qualifying. Based on the APR, a $10,000 loan with LoanBuilder will cost borrowers $3.30 to $37.25 in daily interest.
LoanBuilder Terms
The loan amount and repayment terms offered by LoanBuilder are similar to National Funding. This means business owners have less time to repay the loan and by taking advantage of setting their own terms they can better manage expenses. Funding speeds are also quicker than they are for SnapCap loans, so in an emergency LoanBuilder is a better option.
LoanBuilder Qualifications
The minimum credit score requirement for a loan from LoanBuilder is higher than it is for SnapCap loans. However, businesses with low annual revenue will find LoanBuilder to be a better overall SnapCap alternative than National Funding.
What LoanBuilder Is Missing
Businesses seeking to control their repayment terms, make weekly payments, and wanting to qualify with low annual revenue can take advantage of LoanBuilder short-term business loans. However, LoanBuilder offers loans only for one year and has a higher minimum credit score requirement than National Funding.
LoanBuilder Reviews
Business owners received excellent customer service throughout the loan process and could qualify for an easy business loan according to positive LoanBuilder reviews. Some business owners didn’t get funded, received less than expected, or were unhappy with some aspect of the application process and left negative reviews of LoanBuilder.
How to Apply with LoanBuilder
Business owners can apply for a LoanBuilder short-term business loan online in minutes and receive approval to borrow up to $500,000. Repayment terms are available from 13 to 52 weeks with customized terms selected by the borrower. After selecting a loan term, business owners can receive funding for their business as soon as the next business day.
BlueVine: Best SnapCap Alternative for Prime Borrowers
BlueVine stands out among competitors for SnapCap loans because it offers a term loan, a line of credit, and invoice factoring that all provide low interest rate financing for prime borrowers. BlueVine short-term business loans offer funding up to $250,000 with weekly payments over six or 12 months and the entire funding process takes one day.
SnapCap vs BlueVine
SnapCap and BlueVine both offer short-term funding options to small businesses. The starting interest rates for BlueVine are comparable to SnapCap but BlueVine offers less potential funding and shorter repayment terms. Besides that, businesses need to meet a higher minimum credit score of 600 to qualify. However, BlueVine is the only online lender that offers term loans, lines of credit, and invoice factoring.
BlueVine Rates and Fees
BlueVine charges a fixed fee for the loan with an APR that has a higher starting point and a lower maximum than National Funding. Business owners should note that the high starting APR is the result of short repayment terms and high interest. So a $10,000 loan with BlueVine will carry daily interest costs of $5.000 to $21.35.
BlueVine Terms
Businesses can get access to less maximum funding with BlueVine than they can with SnapCap loans. However, BlueVine offers weekly payments on all of its loans and a representative from the company informed us that businesses can qualify to borrow up to 70% more with its term loan than they can with a line of credit from BlueVine.
BlueVine Qualifications
BlueVine is a great option for newer businesses because it requires only six months of operations to qualify for a loan, like SnapCap. A major hurdle for some business owners will be the minimum credit score requirement of 600, which is higher than the other lenders we reviewed so far.
What BlueVine Is Missing
While business owners can get multiple types of financing, low overall rates, and weekly payments with BlueVine, the minimum qualification can be hard to meet. Invoice factoring with BlueVine has a lower minimum credit score requirement and business owners needing monthly payments on financing may be better off considering Kabbage as an alternative to SnapCap loans.
BlueVine Reviews
When examining BlueVine reviews we determined that business owners enjoyed working with the company because of its quick funding speeds, simple application process, and responsive customer service team. When digging deeper into negative reviews we found that most of them came from business owners that didn’t receive funding or were otherwise unhappy with the application process.
How to Apply with BlueVine
BlueVine has a quick online application that business owners can complete in minutes. The maximum loan amount it offers is $250,000, with low starting rates and minimum qualifications that newer businesses with strong credit profiles can qualify for. Business owners that receive approval can accept an offer and have funds in their bank account the next morning.
Kabbage: Best SnapCap Alternative for Monthly Payments
Banks and traditional lenders have long offered monthly payments and some business owners find this repayment cycle easy to plan around, making Kabbage a great option for those businesses. Kabbage offers businesses a revolving line of credit up to $250,000 with monthly payments and next day funding.
SnapCap vs Kabbage
SnapCap loans and Kabbage lines of credit differ a great deal. Kabbage offers businesses less funding and monthly repayment terms. However, business owners can make several draws over time and need not apply for additional funding with Kabbage. Business owners will also find that Kabbage has a lower annual revenue requirement, but requires higher credit to qualify than SnapCap loans do.
Kabbage Rates and Fees
Kabbage doesn’t charge small business owners an origination fee and calculates interest on a monthly basis. Borrowers can take advantage of this by repaying the loan early and reducing the overall cost of financing, an option that other alternatives don’t offer. Businesses that borrow $10,000 from Kabbage will have daily interest costs from $6.60 to $27.10.
Kabbage Terms
Kabbage has a lower loan limit than the other lenders on this list, making it a good option for business owners wanting $250,000 or less in funding. The revolving feature of its line of credit lets business owners borrow funds again after paying down the balance. The standout features with Kabbage are its long repayment terms and monthly payments, affording business owners more flexibility when budgeting.
Kabbage Qualifications
Business owners interested in qualifying will find that Kabbage’s qualifications are one thing that help it rank among the best business lines of credit. Low revenue businesses and business owners with fair credit can receive funding as long as they have been in business for at least one year. Its qualifications are also low compared to top Kabbage competitors like OnDeck.
What Kabbage Is Missing
For business owners wanting a revolving credit line with monthly payments and low minimum qualifications, Kabbage offers the best alternative to SnapCap loans. However, it has higher starting interest rates, even for prime borrowers. Business owners can mitigate some of this downside by borrowing as much as they need and repaying draws early to save on interest.
Kabbage Reviews
Kabbage user reviews mention its outstanding customer service, convenient mobile application, quick funding speeds, and fair repayment terms as standout benefits of working with the lender. Some business owners left negative reviews after being denied funding or if they encountered an issue that Kabbage could not resolve.
How to Apply with Kabbage
A Kabbage line of credit is available to small business owners that commit 10 minutes to complete an online application. Funding amounts can be as high as $250,000 with monthly payments and repayment terms extending up to 18 months. After a business owner accepts an offer, Kabbage can transfer funds to a business bank account the next day.
QuickBooks Capital: Best SnapCap Alternative for QuickBooks Users
QuickBooks has become synonymous with business accounting and lenders regularly use it to assess business health, so it’s no surprise that QuickBooks Capital offers its own short-term business loan. Only QuickBooks users can qualify and loan amounts extend up to $100,000 but the rates are the lowest we evaluated with an estimated APR from 13% to 32% and next day funding.
SnapCap vs QuickBooks Capital
SnapCap and QuickBooks Capital both offer short-term business loans. QuickBooks has higher minimum qualifications, lower funding maximums, and shorter repayment terms. However, it offers low overall rates to borrowers, has a fixed monthly payment option, and can provide funding in as little as one business day.
QuickBooks Capital Rates and Fees
The rates charged by QuickBooks Capital for a short-term loan are among the lowest we evaluated and even rival traditional loan options like SBA loans in some cases. Borrowers are responsible for the entire interest regardless of when they repay it and can expect daily interest costs between $3.30 and $8.75 for every $10,000.
QuickBooks Capital Terms
QuickBooks Capital only offers up to $100,000 in funding but for businesses needing less than that it has some great terms. With up to one year to repay the loan and both weekly and monthly payments, QuickBooks makes loan repayments simple. After receiving an approval decision, business owners can receive funding the next day without a blanket UCC filing, which will allow them to work with other lenders.
QuickBooks Capital Qualifications
The terms of a QuickBooks Capital short-term business loan are fantastic for small business owners needing an alternative to SnapCap loans. However, the minimum requirements more closely resemble a traditional loan, with borrowers needing a high minimum credit score of 620 to qualify. Smaller businesses can still qualify, as long as they generate at least $50,000 in annual revenue and have been in business for at least one year.
What QuickBooks Capital Is Missing
QuickBooks Capital can get small business owners funding with monthly payments at a low overall cost. However, it doesn’t provide more than $100,000 in funding and it requires a high minimum credit score of 620. Business owners needing a lower minimum credit score with fair rates should consider another short-term business loan option.
QuickBooks Capital Reviews
QuickBooks Capital reviews are scarce because it only recently started offering a loan product to small business owners. However, we expect that small business owners will have a positive experience overall based on the level and quality of service that QuickBooks offers users for its other products.
How to Apply with QuickBooks Capital
Applying with QuickBooks Capital is as simple as connecting a QuickBooks Online account and filling out some basic information. Business owners can borrow up to $100,000 with low rates and weekly or monthly payments to invest in their business. After approval, QuickBooks Capital can deposit funds into a business bank account in one day.
Cashbloom: Best Merchant Cash Advance Alternative to SnapCap Loans
Most business owners that are seeking a merchant cash advance need funding quickly and can’t meet minimum qualifications for other financing options. Cashbloom is an alternative available to those borrowers, with no minimum credit score and only three months in business required to qualify. However, a merchant cash advance is expensive and should be a last resort for most businesses.
SnapCap vs Cashbloom
Both SnapCap and Cashbloom offer a merchant cash advance based on the credit card receivables of a small business. Cashbloom offers more funding, with shorter repayment terms, and similar rates. It also takes two days to provide funding, but has lower requirements overall except for annual revenue.
Cashbloom Rates and Fees
Business owners can calculate the factor rate of a merchant cash advance from Cashbloom by multiplying it by the loan amount to produce the total repayment. Business owners should expect that even the best merchant cash advance companies offer high overall rates, because of the low minimum qualifications. A $10,000 merchant cash advance from Cashbloom carries a daily interest cost from $4.95 to $63.00.
Cashbloom Terms
Business owners looking for a SnapCap loan alternative that offers a larger amount of funding will find that Cashbloom fits that description. Cashbloom offers longer repayment terms than other alternatives, extending to a maximum of two years. However, it only has daily payments which, while typical for a merchant cash advance, can be too frequent for some borrowers.
Cashbloom Qualifications
The minimum requirements make up most of the appeal of a Cashbloom merchant cash advance for borrowers. With no stated minimum credit score and only three months in business requires it is by far one of the easiest business loans to qualify for. However, business owners will need to have substantial revenue over $120,000 with a significant portion of the revenue coming from credit card receivables to qualify.
What Cashbloom Is Missing
Cashbloom is the go to lender for business owners needing low minimum qualifications, large loan amounts, and quick funding based on credit card receivables. However, this financing option is expensive overall and requires daily automatic payments. We recommend exploring other alternative financing options before relying on a business line of credit for financing.
Cashbloom Reviews
Some business owners that left Cashbloom reviews felt relief that they got approved for funding to grow their business and this is primarily what Cashbloom applicants are expecting. Some business owners left negative reviews based on the rates they received and the overall cost of financing, but Cashbloom discloses the costs and merchant cash advances are expensive.
How to Apply with Cashbloom
A quick online application is the only thing standing between a small business owner with a major funding gap and up to $1 million in funding. Although rates can be high, the minimum qualifications to qualify are not and many business owners can access a Cashbloom merchant cash advance. Once approved, business owners can have access to funds within two business days.
Pros and Cons of SnapCap Loans
SnapCap loans offer borrowers quick funding speeds, long repayment terms, and large funding amounts with low minimum qualifications. However, these benefits come at the cost of high APRs, large annual revenue requirements, and frequent payments. Evaluating the pros and cons of working with a marketplace vs a direct lender is key to selecting the best option.
Pros of SnapCap Loans
- Quick funding speeds: Business owners can qualify and receive funding in under two days with SnapCap. Although this isn’t a same day business loan, most business owners will find that in an emergency getting funding quickly can be a major benefit.
- Long repayment terms: Finding a business loan that offers repayment terms up to three years can be difficult but essential for long-term projects that businesses need to undertake. SnapCap sources loan offers from multiple lenders that can result in longer repayment terms.
- Large funding amounts: Having up to $600,000 in capital available puts SnapCap loans in a sweet spot that many other online business loans don’t reach. This can be critical for business owners needing a large amount of financing for an opportunity like a new location or to finance a business acquisition.
Cons of SnapCap Loans
- High overall costs: Business owners often expect high overall costs with short-term online funding solutions. So, it’s important for business owners to evaluate their budget and ensure that payments are workable.
- Large annual revenue requirements: Having $100,000 in annual revenue is not unheard of, but this requirement from SnapCap can put it out of reach for some low revenue businesses that may want to consider working with a direct lender.
- Frequent required payments: Making daily or weekly payments keeps borrowers on top of loan payments, but it can also strain business cash flow. Getting a loan with monthly payments is often a requirement for business owners needing the time to budget, especially if their weekly revenues are inconsistent.
SnapCap Business Loan Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Does SnapCap do a hard credit inquiry?
In the initial application, SnapCap does a soft credit inquiry, which is a credit score pull that doesn’t directly affect a borrower’s credit score. However, when a borrower proceeds with a loan product, SnapCap does a hard inquiry, which can potentially impact the credit score of an applicant.
Does LendingTree do a hard credit inquiry?
LendingTree does not require any personal information like a Social Security number or address because it does not do a credit check. Applicants are expected to provide a credit score estimate to improve the matches they receive from LendingTree. However, direct lenders that LendingTree recommends may do a hard inquiry.
What credit score do you need to get a loan from LendingTree?
LendingTree doesn’t offer direct loans to borrowers. Instead, it works with a variety of lenders and matches them and borrowers based on qualifications. This allows LendingTree to pair potential borrowers with a lender that is likely to approve them and provide funding. Applicants need not worry about meeting a minimum credit score requirement.
Does using LendingTree hurt my credit score?
Using LendingTree does not hurt an applicant’s credit score, because it doesn’t check credit. However, applicants that proceed to a direct personal or business lender may have their credit checked which can potentially impact their score. In most cases, unless there have been multiple inquiries a credit check has a minimal impact on credit score.
How long does it take to get a loan from LendingTree?
Applicants can’t get a loan directly from LendingTree. This is because LendingTree is a marketplace that connects borrowers and lenders, but it doesn’t process applications directly. The individual application time for different personal and business financing products varies depending on the lender that applicants work with.
Is SnapCap a direct lender?
SnapCap isn’t a direct lender, it acts as a marketplace and broker for small business owners. Applicants submit some basic information and discuss their financing needs with a loan broker. SnapCap then finds a lender that can provide a solution and works with the business owner to submit an application, get approved, and receive funding.
Bottom Line
SnapCap business loans offer borrowers with low minimum credit scores and a short time in business an opportunity to qualify to borrow up to $600,000. Business owners can also find direct lenders they can work with for free through SnapCap’s parent company, LendingTree. It matches borrowers to five direct lenders that they can work with, all in less than five minutes.
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