4 Best Small-Business Loans & SBA Lenders (2026)

Trying to make the most of small business loans sba? You are in the right place. Below we break it down in plain English, with practical tips you can actually use.

Key Takeaways

• According to the Small Business Administration (SBA), many business owners don’t realize they’re eligible for small-business loans.
• As a result, they rely on some combination of small-business credit cards, personal credit cards, and personal loans offering unsecured or s...
• SBA-collected data reveals that nearly half (46%) of small businesses rely on personal credit cards for working capital, equipment financing...

According to the Small Business Administration (SBA), numerous business owners don’t realize they’re eligible for small-business loans.

As a result, they rely on some combination of small-business credit cards, personal credit cards, and personal loans offering unsecured or secured loans. SBA-collected data reveals that nearly half (46%) of small businesses rely on personal credit cards for working capital, equipment financing, and other short-term credit needs.

But numerous of these borrowers don’t need to mix their business and personal finances - a practice that can expose business owners to increased personal liability, among other downsides.

Instead, they can turn to a hearty crop of small-business lenders offering secured and unsecured business loans, SBA loans, business lines of credit, and specialized business credit products like merchant cash advance loans, equipment financing loans, business real estate loans (commercial real estate loans), and invoice factoring (invoice financing) loans - all without the need for a personal guarantee.

Best Small-Business Loans

Whether you’re a small-business owner evaluating your company’s financing options for the first time or looking for a new lender or type of loan to help grow or diversify your business, keep this list of business lenders close at hand.

All of these small-business and SBA lenders offer competitively priced commercial financing products for smaller enterprises, including solopreneurs and microbusinesses.

Bear in mind that the loan options and lending offers - loan types, rates, terms, and loan amounts - you receive from these providers may vary based on your business or personal credit score, assets, annual revenue, time in business, and other factors.

1. Bluevine

Business Lines of Credit Up to $250,000

Bluevine is a pioneering online lender that offers business lines of credit up to $250,000, available to qualifying businesses and business owners with less-than-perfect credit.

Bluevine’s business lines of credit are available to businesses with at least $120,000 in annual revenue ($10,000 per month) and 12 months of operational history. The minimum eligible owner FICO score is 625. Bluevine offers three line of credit options, each with different terms and qualification requirements, including 6-month (26-week) and 12-month (52-week) repayment plans. Higher credit scores and revenue levels are typically required for longer-term and monthly repayment options. A higher score likely qualifies you for a lower interest rate and higher funding amount.

The application process is super simple: Just provide some basic information about your business, submit your application, and use your online dashboard to request funds, which typically arrive within 24 hours - or instantly if you have a Bluevine Business Checking account. If you don’t have a Bluevine checking account, you can pay a $15 wire transfer fee for faster access.

When you apply for a Bluevine Line of Credit, you’re also automatically considered for term loans up to $500,000 from Bluevine’s lending partners, with repayment terms up to 24 months. Additionally, Bluevine has partnered with Fundera by NerdWallet to connect you with SBA 7(a) loans up to $350,000.

Note: Bluevine previously offered invoice factoring directly but sold that division to FundThrough in January 2022. Bluevine now refers shoppers to FundThrough for invoice factoring needs. Bluevine business lines of credit are not available in Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, or U.S. territories.

• Products: Business lines of credit; access to term loans and SBA loans through lending partners.
• Loan Amounts: Business lines of credit up to $250,000; term loans up to $500,000 through partners; SBA loans up to $350,000 through partners.
• Terms: Business line of credit draws must be repaid on six- or 12-month schedules (weekly or monthly payments). Term loan repayment schedules vary by partner. Interest rates start at 7.80% simple interest, with APRs up to 95% depending on creditworthiness and term selected.

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2. OnDeck

Flexible Business Term Loans and Lines of Credit

OnDeck is a popular alternative lender with a long track record of serving small and midsize businesses that may not qualify for traditional loans.

It was one of the first online lenders to make business term loans and business lines of credit available to startups and growing businesses with relatively low annual revenues. Today, it remains a top financing choice for enterprises of all sizes.

OnDeck offers two permanent business credit products: business term loans and business lines of credit.

With a repayment term up to 24 months, OnDeck’s term product qualifies as a short-term loan. Loan amounts start at just $5,000 and go up to $400,000, and funding typically arrives on the same business day after approval for loans up to $100,000 (when approved before 10:30 AM EST on weekdays).

OnDeck also offers a prepayment benefit: Approved borrowers may be eligible for interest reductions when they renew their loan after reaching certain milestones in their repayment (six months of on-time payments or 40% of the loan paid down, whichever comes first).

OnDeck’s business lines of credit range from $6,000 to $200,000 and have 12-, 18-, or 24-month repayment terms that reset after each withdrawal. Funding is near-instantaneous through instant funding via an eligible business debit card, even during weekends and evenings. There are no prepayment penalties on lines of credit.

For both permanent products, OnDeck has relatively lenient underwriting standards: minimum credit score requirement of 625 (FICO), at least one year in business, and at least $100,000 in annual revenues. OnDeck is not available in North Dakota.

• Products: Business term loans, business lines of credit.
• Loan Amounts: Term loans range from $5,000 to $400,000; lines of credit range from $6,000 to $200,000.
• Terms: Lines of credit repayment terms last 12, 18, or 24 months; business loan repayment terms last up to 24 months. APRs for term loans range from approximately 35% to 99%; APRs for lines of credit range from approximately 39% to 99%. Origination fees for term loans range from 0% to 4%, decreasing with repeat borrowing.

3. Accion Opportunity Fund

Nonprofit Business Lender Offering Microloans to Underserved Communities

Accion Opportunity Fund is a nonprofit business lender more notable for the types of enterprises it caters to than the types of loans it makes.

Accion Opportunity Fund’s borrowers, broadly speaking, are businesses that have historically been neglected or underserved by traditional sources of capital: those owned by women, people of color, veterans, and disabled individuals, among other groups underrepresented in the broader business community.

These businesses tend to be smaller, service-oriented - with restaurants, salons, and similar businesses featured prominently in Accion Opportunity Fund’s promotional materials - and capital- and credit-poor, including businesses whose loan applications have been denied elsewhere.

Accion Opportunity Fund’s core loan product is a business term loan available in 45 states. Funding amounts start as low as $5,000 (though minimum amounts vary by state, ranging from $5,000 to $50,100 depending on location - for example, Oregon requires a minimum of $50,100, North Carolina and Alaska require $25,100, and Kentucky and Maryland require $15,100), making Accion Opportunity Fund one of the few business funding options for bona fide microentrepreneurs and side hustlers seeking microloans.

To qualify for Accion Opportunity Fund’s core term loan, borrowers generally need at least one year in business and $100,000 or more in annual sales. The lender evaluates multiple factors beyond credit score, including cash flow and business financials, making it more accessible than numerous traditional lenders.

Accion Opportunity Fund also offers SBA loans for established and startup businesses, serving as an SBA Preferred Lender.

In addition to traditional business term loans, Accion Opportunity Fund offers specialized financing including commercial truck financing (up to $250,000 for new or used trucks and trailers), food truck loans (up to $200,000 for mobile food businesses), and equipment leasing.

Accion Opportunity Fund is not available in Washington D.C., Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, or Vermont.

• Products: Business term loans, SBA loans, commercial truck financing, food truck loans, equipment leasing.
• Loan Amounts: Business term loan amounts range from $5,000 to $250,000 (minimums vary by state); SBA loan amounts vary based on program.
• Terms: Terms vary based on borrower location, creditworthiness, revenue, and other factors. Repayment terms up to 36 months. Interest rates for business term loans range from 9.99% to 28.99%. Origination fees range from 3% to 5.99%. No prepayment penalties.

Best Small-Business Loan Marketplaces to Compare Options

Small-business lending is a competitive industry. The lenders on the list above constantly vie to offer the best interest rates and loan terms, with borrowers as the main beneficiaries. But applying for multiple loans is a time- and labor-intensive process.

Final Thoughts

The bottom line: a little research on small business loans sba goes a long way. Compare your options, watch for seasonal offers, and never pay full price when a better deal is one click away.

Originally published at moneycrashers.com.