Best Small Business Loans of 2021

There are a variety of loan options that suit different business needs. Here’s an overview of nine types of small business loans.

1. Term loans

Term loans are one of the most common types of small business loans and are a lump sum of cash that you repay over a fixed term. The monthly payments will typically be fixed and include interest on top of the principal balance. You have the flexibility to use a term loan for a variety of needs, such as everyday expenses and equipment.

2. SBA loans

Small Business Administration (SBA) loans are enticing for business owners who want a low-cost government-backed loan. However, SBA loans are notorious for a long application process that can delay when you will receive the funding. It can take up to three months to get approved and receive the loan. If you don’t need money fast and want to benefit from lower interest rates and fees, SBA loans can be a good option.

3. Business lines of credit

4. Equipment loans

If you need to finance large equipment purchases, but don’t have the capital, an equipment loan is something to consider. These loans are designed to help you pay for expensive machinery, vehicles or equipment that retains value, such as computers or furniture. In most cases, the equipment you purchase will be used as collateral in case you can’t repay the loan.

5. Invoice factoring and invoice financing

Business owners who struggle to receive on-time payments may want to choose invoice factoring or invoice financing (aka accounts receivable financing). Through invoice factoring, you can sell unpaid invoices to a lender and receive a percentage of the invoice value upfront. With invoice financing, you can use unpaid invoices as collateral to get an advance on the amount you’re owed. The main difference between the two is that factoring gives the company buying your invoices control over collecting payments, while financing still requires you to collect payments so you can repay the amount borrowed.

6. Commercial real estate loans

Commercial real estate loans (aka commercial mortgages) can help you finance new or existing property, like an office, warehouse or retail space. These loans act like term loans and may allow you to purchase a new commercial property, expand a location or refinance an existing loan.

7. Microloans

Microloans are small loans that can provide you with $50,000 or less in funding. Since the loan amounts are relatively low, these loans can be a good option for new businesses or those that don’t need a lot of cash. Many microloans are offered through nonprofits or the government, like the SBA, though you may need to put up collateral (like business equipment, real estate or personal assets) to qualify for these loans.

8. Merchant cash advances

Like traditional cash advances, merchant cash advances come at a high cost. This type of cash advance requires you to borrow against your future sales. In exchange for a lump sum of cash, you’ll repay it with either a portion of your daily credit card sales or through weekly transfers from your bank account. While you can often quickly obtain a merchant cash advance, the high interest rates make this type of loan a big risk. Unlike invoice financing/factoring, merchant cash advances use credit card sales as collateral, instead of unpaid invoices.

9. Franchise loans

Becoming a franchisee can help you achieve your goal of business ownership quicker and easier than starting from the ground up, though you’ll still need capital. Franchise loans can provide you with the money to pay the upfront fee for opening a franchise, so you can get up and running. While you’re the one taking out the loan through a lender, some franchisors may offer funding to new franchisees.

If your personal credit score is good/very good (670 to 799) or excellent (800 to 850), you’ll have even better odds. As with most financial products, the higher your credit score, the better interest rates and fees you’ll receive.

Lenders focus on your personal credit score when setting minimum credit score requirements, however they may also check your business credit score. But lenders don’t state any requirements for business credit scores.

To determine which small business loans offer the best financing terms, CNBC Select analyzed a dozen U.S. loans offered by both online and brick-and-mortar lenders. We narrowed down our rankings by only considering traditional loans, including term loans, equipment loans, commercial real estate loans, microloans and franchise loans. For this roundup, we didn’t evaluate SBA loans, business lines of credit, invoice factoring/financing, merchant cash advances since they either have a long application process (like SBA loans) or act differently than a traditional term loan, which gives you a lump sum that you pay back over a fixed time period.

We compared each small business loan on a range of features, including:

• Minimum and maximum loan amounts
• Length of term
• Credit score needed
• Application requirements
• Streamlined application process
• Fund disbursement
• Customer support
• Better Business Bureau rating
• Customer reviews, when available

After reviewing the above features, we organized our recommendations by best for overall financing needs, same-day funding, no prepayment fees and microloans.

To take out a small business loan, lenders will conduct a hard credit inquiry and request a full application, which could require both personal and business proof of income, identity verification, proof of address and more. You’ll likely also need to put up collateral, which can include business equipment, real estate or personal assets.