Status
Method version 1.0, published Oct 20, 2026. No provider has been scored yet. Scores will appear with our provider reviews, each with the date it was scored and who scored it.
Why we weight life after signing
In our October 2026 read of recent customer reviews of eight funding companies and marketplaces and four processors, praise was mostly about a friendly rep and fast closing. Complaints clustered after signing: no early payoff discount, contracts that differed from the quote, debits that kept going after payoff, account holds, long equipment leases and support that could not be reached. Most comparison sites score the sales experience. We score what you live with afterward.
Funders: seven criteria, 100 points
| Criterion | Weight | What we check |
|---|---|---|
| Cost disclosure | 20% | Does the quote show total payback in dollars and an APR, not just a factor rate or daily rate? Is the payment schedule (daily, weekly, monthly) stated? |
| Contract matches the quote | 15% | Do the amount, cost, fees and payment in the signed contract match what was quoted? Is anything held back or funded short? |
| Post-signing conduct | 25% | Payoff letter turnaround, reconciliation honored when sales drop, hardship flexibility, renewal promises kept, debits stopped and UCC lien released after payoff. |
| Payoff treatment | 10% | Is there an early payoff discount, is it in the contract, and is it honored? |
| Total cost | 15% | Published cost ranges against other providers of the same product. |
| Customer evidence | 10% | Review scores split into invited and organic, the invited share, and how fast reviews arrive; regulator actions and court records. |
| Lead handling and support | 5% | Is your data shared with other brokers? Can you opt out easily? Can you reach a person? |
| Total | 100% |
Card processors: six criteria, 100 points
| Criterion | Weight | What we check |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing transparency | 20% | Is the full fee schedule published? Does the effective rate on real statements match the quote? |
| Holds and termination risk | 25% | Hold, reserve and termination complaints per 100 organic reviews; whether the reserve and hold policy is stated up front; whether promised release dates are met. |
| Contract terms | 20% | Contract length, early termination fee, equipment leases and who holds them, whether the rate is locked. |
| Total cost | 15% | Markup and monthly fees for typical card mixes, from published pricing. |
| Support | 10% | A live person, phone hours, and how often reviews describe being transferred or ignored. |
| Customer evidence | 10% | Invited share and organic-only review score shown next to any overall score. |
| Total | 100% |
How reviews count
Many providers ask happy customers to post reviews, which pushes their scores up. Wherever we show a review score, we also show the share of reviews that were invited and the average of organic reviews alone. A provider whose score rests on invited reviews does not get full credit for it.
Where the data comes from
- Published pricing, terms and contracts, saved with the date we read them.
- Disclosures and sample contracts we obtain.
- Public review platforms, split into invited and organic reviews.
- Regulator actions and court records.
Our own services are scored the same way
Business Funders is owned by Batch Group. Its services, Batch Capital and BatchOut, are scored with this exact method. They are shown separately, in a labeled "From the team behind Business Funders" card, unless their score genuinely places them in a list. They are never ranked first because we own them, and no one can pay to change a score or the order of a list. See how we make money.
How the quiz matches you to options
The quiz matches you to kinds of funding, never to a funder or a price. It uses fixed rules with no randomness, so the same answers always give the same list. It works in three steps.
1. Rule out what cannot fit. An option is set aside, with the reason shown on your results, when:
- SBA loan: you need the money within two weeks, you have been in business under a year, or your credit estimate is under 650 or not sure.
- Equipment financing: the money is not for equipment.
- Invoice factoring: your industry does not usually bill other businesses on invoices.
- Term loan: you have been in business under 6 months.
- Line of credit: you have been in business under 6 months, or your credit estimate is under 550.
- Merchant cash advance: you want to pay off an advance you already have (that is stacking), or your monthly sales are under $10,000.
- Revenue-based financing: your monthly sales are under $10,000.
2. Rank the rest. Each remaining option gets points from your answers on how soon you need the money, what it is for, time in business, monthly sales, credit estimate and amount. The highest is your top match; the next two or three are shown as alternatives.
3. Break ties toward lower cost. When two options score the same, the one that usually costs less comes first, in this order: SBA loan, equipment financing, line of credit, term loan, invoice factoring, revenue-based financing, merchant cash advance.
Who earns money from an option is not part of any step. These thresholds are our routing judgment, not lender rules; an the funder confirms real eligibility.
Corrections from providers
A provider can send us a correction with evidence through our contact page. We recheck it against the source, update the score if the evidence holds, and change the date on the review.