Alternatives to Quba Solutions Invoice Finance
Quba Solutions is an independent UK invoice finance provider offering factoring and confidential discounting from £50,000 turnover, with a focus on recruitment, contractor finance and general SME working capital. As a smaller independent it offers more personalised service and quicker turnaround than larger bank-owned providers. If you want bigger scale, embedded pay-and-bill at the Sonovate level, cheaper cost at scale, or specialism in adjacent weekly-payroll sectors, the strongest alternatives are Sonovate, Bibby Recruitment Finance, IGF, Pulse Cashflow, Ultimate Finance and Close Brothers. MarketInvoice quotes three of them within 24 hours.
Director, Market Invoice
Oliver leads Market Invoice's editorial and comparison research. With a background in UK commercial finance, he oversees provider analysis, rate verification, and industry reporting across all verticals.
Last reviewed: 11 June 2026
Why people look for alternatives to Quba
- Recruitment-specialist scale. Sonovate has £4.2bn funded and 3,300+ recruitment clients; Quba is a smaller independent. Larger agencies often outgrow Quba.
- Embedded back-office tooling. Sonovate has built-in IR35 status determination, AWR week-tracking and full pay-and-bill platform. Quba offers some of this but Sonovate's is more comprehensive.
- Cheaper cost at scale. Close Brothers and Aldermore can quote 0.5% service charge for established agencies, undercutting Quba's smaller-independent pricing.
- Below £50k turnover. Some panel providers will quote below this level.
- Declined by Quba. Their risk appetite is moderate. Other lenders take wider risk views.
- Adjacent sectors. Pulse Cashflow reads security, contract cleaning, food production as well as Quba reads recruitment.
- Broader comparison. Quba is one of 85 UK invoice finance providers. MarketInvoice quotes three best fits in 24 hours.
Alternatives at a glance
| Provider | Summary | Best when |
|---|---|---|
| Sonovate | UK market leader in recruitment-specialist invoice finance. £4.2bn funded, 3,300+ clients. 100% advance, 2-day setup. Embedded pay-and-bill, weekly payroll, IR35 and AWR tooling. | When you want the recruitment-specialist scale Quba cannot match, with embedded back-office tooling. |
| Bibby Recruitment Finance | The largest UK independent invoice finance lender with a dedicated recruitment team. From 0.75% service charge, factoring or confidential discounting. Deeper sector underwriting and optional back-office. | Default alternative when Quba declines or when you want the largest UK independent backing. |
| IGF | Mid-tier UK independent with strong recruitment specialism plus general invoice finance. From £100k turnover. Confidential discounting available. | When you want a mid-tier independent with recruitment specialism and a wider product range. |
| Pulse Cashflow | UK independent specialising in weekly-payroll sectors: recruitment, security, contract cleaning, food production. From £50k turnover, fast setup, flexible. | When you operate in a weekly-payroll sector adjacent to recruitment. |
| Ultimate Finance | Independent UK generalist lender. From £50k turnover. Setup in 24 to 48 hours. Whole-turnover at 0.5 to 1.5% service charge. | When you want a generalist independent at the same turnover entry point as Quba but with broader sector flexibility. |
| Close Brothers Invoice Finance | FTSE 250 merchant bank with a specialist recruitment team. 0.5% from £50k turnover. Strong balance sheet, mid-cost mid-speed. Confidential discounting available. | When you want bank-grade backing with recruitment specialism at a similar entry threshold to Quba. |
The 6 strongest alternatives
1.Sonovate
UK market leader in recruitment-specialist invoice finance. £4.2bn funded, 3,300+ clients. 100% advance, 2-day setup. Embedded pay-and-bill, weekly payroll, IR35 and AWR tooling.
When to pick: When you want the recruitment-specialist scale Quba cannot match, with embedded back-office tooling.
2.Bibby Recruitment Finance
The largest UK independent invoice finance lender with a dedicated recruitment team. From 0.75% service charge, factoring or confidential discounting. Deeper sector underwriting and optional back-office.
When to pick: Default alternative when Quba declines or when you want the largest UK independent backing.
3.IGF
Mid-tier UK independent with strong recruitment specialism plus general invoice finance. From £100k turnover. Confidential discounting available.
When to pick: When you want a mid-tier independent with recruitment specialism and a wider product range.
4.Pulse Cashflow
UK independent specialising in weekly-payroll sectors: recruitment, security, contract cleaning, food production. From £50k turnover, fast setup, flexible.
When to pick: When you operate in a weekly-payroll sector adjacent to recruitment.
5.Ultimate Finance
Independent UK generalist lender. From £50k turnover. Setup in 24 to 48 hours. Whole-turnover at 0.5 to 1.5% service charge.
When to pick: When you want a generalist independent at the same turnover entry point as Quba but with broader sector flexibility.
6.Close Brothers Invoice Finance
FTSE 250 merchant bank with a specialist recruitment team. 0.5% from £50k turnover. Strong balance sheet, mid-cost mid-speed. Confidential discounting available.
When to pick: When you want bank-grade backing with recruitment specialism at a similar entry threshold to Quba.
How MarketInvoice compares
MarketInvoice is not a lender. We are an independent whole-of-market comparison and routing service: we cover all 85 active UK invoice finance providers including Quba, and quote three best fits within 24 hours, free of charge. See Quba vs MarketInvoice for the side-by-side.
Alternatives to Quba FAQ
Why look for an alternative to Quba Solutions?
Quba is a smaller independent offering factoring and confidential discounting from £50k turnover with a recruitment focus. Businesses move on when they outgrow its scale, need Sonovate-level embedded pay-and-bill, want cheaper cost at scale from a bank-grade provider, or operate in adjacent weekly-payroll sectors better served by Pulse Cashflow.
Which alternative is closest to Quba for recruitment?
Sonovate is the recruitment-specialist market leader with £4.2bn funded and embedded IR35 and AWR tooling. Bibby Recruitment Finance is the largest UK independent with a dedicated recruitment team, and IGF is a mid-tier independent with recruitment specialism. Which fits depends on your size and whether you need full pay-and-bill.
Is there a cheaper alternative to Quba?
At scale, Close Brothers can quote from 0.5% service charge from £50k turnover and Ultimate Finance runs 0.5 to 1.5% whole-turnover. Quba's smaller-independent pricing is competitive on service but larger providers can undercut on cost for established agencies. MarketInvoice can quote three side by side.
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