Liberis vs Time Finance: Which UK Business Finance Provider in 2026?
Liberis and Time Finance both score 4.0 of 5 in our 2026 UK panel review. Liberis runs merchant cash advance and bnpl for smbs at £1k to £1m on factor rate 1.10 to 1.40; Time Finance runs asset finance, invoice finance, vehicle finance at £10k to £2m on bespoke. The right answer depends on ticket size, trading history, sector and whether the file is post-decline. Read the side-by-side, then jump to the "when X wins" sections for the buyer-fit logic. If you want us to do the work, our eligibility checker takes two minutes and matches you against the UK specialty panel.
Side-by-side
| Liberis | Time Finance | |
|---|---|---|
| Product type | Merchant cash advance and BNPL for SMBs | Asset finance, invoice finance, vehicle finance |
| Ticket range | £1k to £1m | £10k to £2m |
| Typical rate | Factor rate 1.10 to 1.40 | Bespoke |
| Decision time | Same day to 48 hours | 2 to 5 business days |
| Soft search at quote | Yes | Yes |
| Ltd-only? | No | No |
| FCA regulated | Yes | Yes |
| Best for | Existing Worldpay, Barclaycard, Klarna or Sage users with strong card flow; Ecommerce Ltds wanting embedded-finance journeys; Applicants with pre-approved offers visible inside their partner platform | Mid-ticket Ltds combining asset finance, invoice finance and vehicle under one lender; Transport, manufacturing and hospitality SIC codes; £25k to £500k asset-backed Ltds wanting a faster route than Aldermore |
| Overall rating | 4.0 / 5 | 4.0 / 5 |
| Last reviewed | 2026-05-10 | 2026-05-10 |
When Liberis wins
- Strong embedded distribution, so applicants on Worldpay, Sage or Klarna often arrive pre-approved.
- Repayments scale with sales, which we match to applicants who cannot service a fixed monthly burden.
- Multiple-currency operations supported, useful for ecommerce Ltds selling cross-border.
- Fast same-day to 48-hour decisions for files where the partner data is already in.
Best for
Existing Worldpay, Barclaycard, Klarna or Sage users with strong card flow, Ecommerce Ltds wanting embedded-finance journeys, Applicants with pre-approved offers visible inside their partner platform.
Watch outs
- Distribution is via partners rather than direct, so applicants without a partner relationship may get a slower route.
- Effective APR on factor rates carries the same opacity as other MCA routes, the matcher translates it.
- Eligibility tied to the partner platform means non-partner applicants get routed to Capify, 365 Business Finance or YouLend instead.
When Time Finance wins
- Multiple complementary product lines under one roof, so we can route a single file across asset, invoice and vehicle without re-introducing.
- Sector specialism in transport, manufacturing and hospitality, which the matcher uses on SIC-led routing.
- AIM-listed transparency on filings, useful for applicants who want a public-market institutional view.
- Faster than Aldermore or Shawbrook on bespoke asset deals, often inside 5 business days.
Best for
Mid-ticket Ltds combining asset finance, invoice finance and vehicle under one lender, Transport, manufacturing and hospitality SIC codes, £25k to £500k asset-backed Ltds wanting a faster route than Aldermore.
Watch outs
- Broker-distributed for most product flow, so the FundBiz introduction is the route rather than self-serve.
- Pricing varies materially by deal, so the matcher cannot quote a tight rate before the conversation.
- Smaller brand presence than Aldermore or Shawbrook, applicants who want the bigger name route there.
FAQ
Liberis or Time Finance: which is the better UK business finance provider in 2026?
Liberis scores higher overall in our 2026 UK panel review at 4.0 of 5 versus 4.0 for Time Finance. That said, the right answer depends on what your file looks like. Liberis is the stronger pick for existing worldpay, barclaycard, klarna or sage users with strong card flow, while Time Finance is the stronger pick for mid-ticket ltds combining asset finance, invoice finance and vehicle under one lender. If your file sits in one of those buckets, ignore the headline rating and pick the right fit.
What does each product look like, Liberis vs Time Finance?
Liberis offers merchant cash advance and bnpl for smbs between £1k to £1m at factor rate 1.10 to 1.40, with a same day to 48 hours decision window. Time Finance offers asset finance, invoice finance, vehicle finance between £10k to £2m at bespoke, with a 2 to 5 business days decision window. Liberis uses a soft search at quote. Time Finance uses a soft search at quote. Verify live commercials before signing because lender pricing moves and bespoke rates are common above £100k tickets.
Which is weakest for what?
Liberis is the wrong answer for applicants without a partner-platform relationship, route to capify or 365 business finance. Time Finance is the wrong answer for sub-£10k self-serve tickets, route to iwoca or capify. 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 Liberis and Time Finance?
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 Liberis and Time Finance 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 Liberis or Time Finance:
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).