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.
Founder & Managing Director, Muswell Rose, Best Business Loans Ltd
Adam is the founder and managing director of Muswell Rose and a founder of Best Business Loans Ltd, the company behind Market Invoice. He spent over three years as managing director of Penny, a UK invoice finance business, and his career runs through insurance, mortgages, commercial finance and fintech lending. He writes the Market Invoice library.
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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