Alternatives to SME Invoice Finance
4 UK invoice finance alternatives to SME Invoice Finance, compared on advance rate, setup speed, transparency, minimum turnover and best-fit.
The leading UK invoice finance alternatives to SME Invoice Finance are Ultimate Finance, Time Finance, IGF (Independent Growth Finance) and Bibby Financial Services, compared here on advance rate, setup speed, minimum turnover and rating. More detail + scope
Summary
SME Invoice Finance is benchmarked against 4 UK invoice finance alternatives: Ultimate Finance, Time Finance, IGF (Independent Growth Finance) and Bibby Financial Services. Each is compared on product type, minimum turnover, advance rate, typical rate, setup speed and overall rating, so you can see which fits your turnover and how fast you need funding. MarketInvoice then matches you to the best-fit provider.
This page covers
UK invoice finance alternatives to SME Invoice Finance, compared on product type, minimum turnover, advance rate, typical rate, setup speed and rating
Not covered here
In-depth single-provider reviews (see /providers/), head-to-head comparisons (see /vs/), general invoice finance education (see /guides/)
SME Invoice Finance vs the 4 alternatives
| SME Invoice Finance | Ultimate Finance | Time Finance | IGF (Independent Growth Finance) | Bibby Financial Services | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product | Invoice finance (factoring, CID) | Invoice finance (factoring, CID), bridging, asset finance | Invoice finance, asset finance, vehicle finance | Invoice finance (ABL, CID), asset-based lending | Invoice finance (factoring, CID, ABL) |
| Cluster | independent | independent | independent | independent | independent |
| Min turnover | £50k | Not published | £250k | £1m | £100k |
| Advance rate | Up to 90% | Up to 95% | Up to 90% | Up to 90% receivables + stock + plant | Up to 90% |
| Typical rate | Negotiated service charge plus discount margin | Quoted per facility (not published) | 1.5% to 3% service charge | Bespoke pricing | 0.5% to 3% service charge plus discount margin |
| Setup speed | 5 to 10 working days | 3 working days | 7 working days | 10 working days | 5 working days |
| Rating | 3.9 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.4 |
Ultimate Finance
3 working days · Up to 95%One of the fastest mainstream UK invoice finance setups we track, 3 working days typical. Owned by Tavistock Group. Strong on SME accessibility, flexible underwriting, and broader product set (also asset finance + bridgi
Time Finance
7 working days · Up to 90%AIM-listed UK independent specialist lender whose gross lending book passed £250m in 2026 (company RNS). Multi-product (IF + asset + loans). Mid-market SME focus. Mid-cost mid-speed mainstream choice. Strong panel for B2
IGF (Independent Growth Finance)
10 working days · Up to 90% receivables + stock + plantABL specialist combining invoice finance with stock and plant lending under one facility. Private credit facilities of £2m to £25m for UK SMEs and mid-market corporates, with over £600m of facilities under management (Ma
Bibby Financial Services
5 working days · Up to 90%The largest UK independent invoice finance provider by volume, family-owned, 40+ years in market. Strong on sector breadth (construction, recruitment, manufacturing, wholesale) and SME accessibility. Setup typically 5 wo
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How we make money: Market Invoice is an independent comparison service, not a lender. If you take a facility after we introduce you, the provider pays us a commission; you never pay us and it is never added to your costs. How we are funded.
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.
Last reviewed: 27 May 2026