Alternatives to Quba Solutions Invoice Finance
Quba Solutions is a recruitment funding specialist offering invoice factoring, payroll funding and back-office support to recruiters with at least three years' experience (quba.solutions). 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 Finance, Ultimate Finance and Close Brothers. Market Invoice can get you 3 free quotes through eCapital, our introduction partner.
Founder & Managing Director, Muswell Rose, founder and PSC of 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.
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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 prices each agreement individually for established businesses (£750k+ turnover); Quba does not publish its pricing, so compare quotes.
- Outside Quba's criteria. Quba asks for three years' recruitment experience; other funders set different criteria.
- Declined by Quba. Other lenders take different risk views.
- Adjacent sectors. Pulse Finance names security services, transport and wholesale and distribution alongside recruitment, where Quba is recruitment-led.
- Broader comparison. Quba is one of 87 UK invoice finance providers. Market Invoice can get you 3 free quotes through eCapital, our introduction partner.
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 | One of Europe's largest independent invoice finance providers (company-stated), with a dedicated recruitment finance product. Factoring advances up to 85%; confidential discounting available. Pricing not published. | Default alternative when Quba declines or when you want the largest UK independent backing. |
| IGF | UK independent offering asset-based lending for businesses over £5m turnover (receivables up to 90%, inventory up to 85%). | When you want a mid-tier independent with recruitment specialism and a wider product range. |
| Pulse Finance | UK independent naming manufacturing, transport, recruitment, security, wholesale and distribution and construction among its sectors. £1m to £25m+ turnover, facilities £200k to £5m. | When you operate in a weekly-payroll sector adjacent to recruitment. |
| Ultimate Finance | Independent UK generalist lender. Advances up to 95%, facility set up within one week, funds within 24 hours of receiving invoices (per Ultimate Finance). No published minimum turnover or fees. | 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. Individually priced (no published rate), £750k minimum turnover. Strong balance sheet, mid-cost mid-speed. Confidential discounting available. | When you want bank-grade backing with recruitment specialism. |
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
One of Europe's largest independent invoice finance providers (company-stated), with a dedicated recruitment finance product. Factoring advances up to 85%; confidential discounting available. Pricing not published.
When to pick: Default alternative when Quba declines or when you want the largest UK independent backing.
3.IGF
UK independent offering asset-based lending for businesses over £5m turnover (receivables up to 90%, inventory up to 85%).
When to pick: When you want a mid-tier independent with recruitment specialism and a wider product range.
4.Pulse Finance
UK independent naming manufacturing, transport, recruitment, security, wholesale and distribution and construction among its sectors. £1m to £25m+ turnover, facilities £200k to £5m.
When to pick: When you operate in a weekly-payroll sector adjacent to recruitment.
5.Ultimate Finance
Independent UK generalist lender. Advances up to 95%, facility set up within one week, funds within 24 hours of receiving invoices (per Ultimate Finance). No published minimum turnover or fees.
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. Individually priced (no published rate), £750k minimum turnover. Strong balance sheet, mid-cost mid-speed. Confidential discounting available.
When to pick: When you want bank-grade backing with recruitment specialism.
How MarketInvoice compares
MarketInvoice is not a lender. We are an independent whole-of-market comparison and introduction service: we list 87 UK invoice finance providers including Quba. If you ask for quotes, eCapital, our introduction partner, handles your enquiry and comes back to you with quotes, free of charge to you. See Quba vs MarketInvoice for the side-by-side.
Alternatives to Quba FAQ
Why look for an alternative to Quba Solutions?
Quba is a recruitment funding specialist offering factoring, payroll funding and back-office support to recruiters with at least three years' experience. 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 Finance.
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 comes from one of Europe's largest independent invoice finance providers and has a dedicated recruitment finance product, 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, larger whole-ledger providers such as Close Brothers (which prices each agreement individually) may quote less, so compare quotes. Ultimate Finance and Quba do not publish pricing. Quba's 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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