365 Business Finance vs Allica Bank: Which UK Business Finance Provider in 2026?
Allica Bank edges this matchup in our 2026 UK panel review, scoring 4.4 of 5 against 365 Business Finance on 4.1. Allica Bank runs sme term loan + commercial mortgage at £150k to £5m on from 7.99% apr; 365 Business Finance runs merchant cash advance at £10k to £500k on factor rate 1.10 to 1.40. That said, the right answer depends on ticket size, trading history and sector. 365 Business Finance beats Allica Bank for hospitality, retail and ecommerce ltds with £20k+ monthly card flow. Read the side-by-side, then jump to the "when X wins" sections for the buyer-fit logic.
Side-by-side
| 365 Business Finance | Allica Bank | |
|---|---|---|
| Product type | Merchant cash advance | SME term loan + commercial mortgage |
| Ticket range | £10k to £500k | £150k to £5m |
| Typical rate | Factor rate 1.10 to 1.40 | From 7.99% APR |
| Decision time | 24 to 48 hours | 5 to 10 business days |
| Soft search at quote | Yes | No (hard search) |
| Ltd-only? | No | Yes |
| FCA regulated | Yes | Yes |
| Best for | Hospitality, retail and ecommerce Ltds with £20k+ monthly card flow; £25k+ MCA tickets where the applicant wants a direct lender; Ltd directors who refuse personal guarantees | Established Ltd companies with £250k to £5m tickets; Asset-backed and commercial-mortgage applicants wanting real bank underwriting; Applicants who can wait 5 to 10 business days for a decision |
| Overall rating | 4.1 / 5 | 4.4 / 5 |
| Last reviewed | 2026-05-10 | 2026-05-10 |
When 365 Business Finance wins
- Direct lender, so the rate the applicant sees is the rate they get with no broker mark-up layered on top.
- PG-free options on some cases, which we use to unblock Ltd directors who refuse personal guarantees.
- Daily or weekly repayment cadence we can match to the applicant cash-flow profile.
- Case-by-case acceptance on missed payments and small CCJs where mainstream term lenders auto-decline.
Best for
Hospitality, retail and ecommerce Ltds with £20k+ monthly card flow, £25k+ MCA tickets where the applicant wants a direct lender, Ltd directors who refuse personal guarantees.
Watch outs
- Sub-£10k tickets are not entertained, so we route smaller asks to iwoca or Capify instead.
- MCA only with no term-loan alternative, so applicants who want fixed monthly payments go to Funding Circle, Allica or Aldermore.
- Factor-rate model means we have to translate to APR for the applicant in the matcher result.
When Allica Bank wins
- Genuine PRA-regulated bank with FSCS protection on linked deposit accounts, which we lean on for risk-averse applicants.
- Rate transparency is among the cleanest on our panel, which makes the matcher quote credible.
- First-choice lender on our panel for £250k+ tickets where Funding Circle and OakNorth are the alternative routes.
- Real underwriter on the case, so files with complexity that need a human get one.
Best for
Established Ltd companies with £250k to £5m tickets, Asset-backed and commercial-mortgage applicants wanting real bank underwriting, Applicants who can wait 5 to 10 business days for a decision.
Watch outs
- Slower than fintech alternatives, so we send time-critical applicants elsewhere.
- Hard credit search at full application stage, so we confirm applicant intent before pushing the file across.
- Below £150k they will not engage, so we route sub-£150k Ltd applicants to Allica alternatives like Funding Circle, Aldermore or iwoca.
FAQ
365 Business Finance or Allica Bank: which is the better UK business finance provider in 2026?
Allica Bank scores higher overall in our 2026 UK panel review at 4.4 of 5 versus 4.1 for 365 Business Finance. That said, the right answer depends on what your file looks like. 365 Business Finance is the stronger pick for hospitality, retail and ecommerce ltds with £20k+ monthly card flow, while Allica Bank is the stronger pick for established ltd companies with £250k to £5m tickets. If your file sits in one of those buckets, ignore the headline rating and pick the right fit.
What does each product look like, 365 Business Finance vs Allica Bank?
365 Business Finance offers merchant cash advance between £10k to £500k at factor rate 1.10 to 1.40, with a 24 to 48 hours decision window. Allica Bank offers sme term loan + commercial mortgage between £150k to £5m at from 7.99% apr, with a 5 to 10 business days decision window. 365 Business Finance uses a soft search at quote. Allica Bank runs a hard credit search at full application. Verify live commercials before signing because lender pricing moves and bespoke rates are common above £100k tickets.
Which is weakest for what?
365 Business Finance is the wrong answer for sub-£10k tickets, route to iwoca or capify. Allica Bank is the wrong answer for sub-£150k tickets, route to funding circle, iwoca or aldermore. If either of those describes your file, look at the side-by-side table for the alternative route, or run the eligibility checker and the matcher will surface the right shortlist from the FundBiz specialty panel.
Can FundBiz help me choose between 365 Business Finance and Allica Bank?
Yes. We are independent of either lender. The FundBiz specialty panel covers MCA, asset finance, commercial mortgage, bridging, VAT loan, R&D advance and post-decline routes. Tell us ticket size, trading history, sector and any prior declines. We match you against the panel lenders most likely to approve, and if your file needs a post-decline route we surface that explicitly rather than burning credit-file footprint with repeated mainstream applications.
Am I eligible to apply via FundBiz?
FundBiz works with limited companies, LLPs and partnerships of 4 or more partners. Sole traders and partnerships under 4 partners are out of scope and routed elsewhere. Both 365 Business Finance and Allica Bank sit on our panel for the entity types we serve. Trading history requirements vary by lender, so the matcher pre-screens before sending the file across.
Related comparisons
Other UK specialty finance head-to-heads involving 365 Business Finance or Allica Bank:
Check eligibility in two minutes
Tell us ticket size, trading history and sector. We match you against the FundBiz specialty panel: MCA, asset finance, commercial mortgage, bridging, VAT loan, R&D advance and post-decline routes. Limited companies, LLPs and partnerships of 4+.
Check eligibility →Reviewed by Oliver Mackman, Director. Last reviewed: 2026-05-10. Editorial by Best Business Loans Ltd (16833937).