Funding Options by Tide: how it works and what it costs
Tide's credit marketplace compares offers from 80+ lenders, £1,000 to £20 million, after one soft credit check.
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How it works
Funding Options is a credit marketplace, not a lender, and it now carries the Tide name. In Tide's own words, Tide "has joined forces with Funding Options, becoming the largest credit marketplace in the UK". That is Tide's own claim, but the idea behind it is simple. You make one application and it gets compared against a panel of more than 80 lenders, from £1,000 up to £20 million.
You start by telling Funding Options about your business and how much you want to borrow. The first check is a soft one. In its own words: "We run soft eligibility checks so you can compare business loans in the UK without impacting your credit score". A soft check means lenders can see enough to make you an indicative offer, but nothing is recorded on your file that other lenders can see. Shopping around here does not leave a mark.
Then the matching happens. Funding Options says decisions come in minutes, and by its own figures it has channelled £1.6 billion plus to more than 43,000 UK businesses. You see which lenders are prepared to make an offer and roughly on what terms, and you pick the one you want to take further.
From there you are dealing with the actual lender, not Funding Options. The lender will typically run its own full checks before releasing money, and that stage can involve a hard search on your credit file. Funding Options says credit is possible in around 24 hours. The panel also includes government scheme lenders, including Growth Guarantee Scheme lenders, though scheme applications can take longer than a straight commercial loan.
On cost, the position is blunt: "It's free to apply", and the lender pays Funding Options. Translated honestly, free here means free the way a comparison site is free. You never hand the broker a penny, but you still pay the full cost of whatever loan you choose, and the broker's commission sits inside the lender's side of the deal. Because the panel spans 80+ lenders, one offer might be priced as a yearly interest rate and another as a fixed fee, so the only fair comparison is the total amount you will repay in pounds.
What it really costs
Funding Options itself costs nothing. "It's free to apply", and the lender that ends up funding you pays Funding Options for the introduction. You will never get a bill from the marketplace.
The loan is a different matter, and there is no representative example to quote here. That is not evasion, it is the nature of the thing. The price comes from whichever of the 80+ lenders makes you an offer, so a single headline rate would be meaningless. It does mean the burden of comparison falls on you, because two offers can arrive priced in completely different units.
Before signing anything, the numbers that make offers comparable are: the total amount repayable in pounds, the rate in the lender's own units and what that works out at over a year (a monthly rate roughly multiplies by twelve before compounding), every fee, the position on early repayment, and whether a personal guarantee is required. A lender that will not put those in writing is telling you something.
Who can apply
- UK businesses looking to borrow between £1,000 and £20 million
- The first check is a soft one, so comparing offers does not affect your credit score
- Each of the 80+ lenders on the panel sets its own criteria, so what you qualify for depends on who makes you an offer
- Government scheme lenders, including Growth Guarantee Scheme lenders, are on the panel
Good for
- Owners who want the market swept in one go rather than applying to lenders one by one
- Bigger or unusual borrowing needs. The £1,000 to £20 million range goes far beyond what most single lenders typically offer
- Anyone wary of harming their credit score while shopping around, since the first check is soft
- Businesses hunting for a Growth Guarantee Scheme lender without knowing where to start
Watch out for
- It is a broker paid by lenders. Free to you does not mean free of influence, because the commission comes from the other side of the deal.
- With 80+ lenders on the panel, offer costs vary wildly. A fixed-fee product and a yearly-rate loan can look similar on the page and cost very different amounts. The total repayable in pounds is the only fair comparison.
- The "largest credit marketplace in the UK" line is Tide's own description, not an independent verdict.
- Government scheme applications can take longer than the headline 24 hours.
- The soft check gets you offers, but the lender you pick will usually run a full credit check before any money moves.
How Funding Options by Tide compares
The closest like-for-like is Swoop, another marketplace that puts one application in front of a panel rather than lending itself, so it is worth seeing what each turns up. If you already know the product you want, going direct can be simpler, for example iwoca or Funding Circle. A marketplace earns its place when you want the whole market checked at once, or when the amount is large or awkward. A top end of £20 million reaches further than single lenders typically go.
Put Funding Options by Tide side by side with another lender →
Common questions
Does Funding Options by Tide run a credit check?
The first check is soft. In its own words: "We run soft eligibility checks so you can compare business loans in the UK without impacting your credit score". Once you choose an offer and apply to that lender, the lender will typically run its own full check, and that one can leave a mark on your file.
How quickly can my business get the money?
Funding Options says decisions come in minutes and credit is possible in around 24 hours. Government scheme applications, including the Growth Guarantee Scheme, can take longer. The 24 hours figure is a best case, not a promise.
Is Funding Options a lender?
No. Funding Options is an FCA-authorised credit broker. It matches your application against a panel of 80+ lenders, it is free to apply, and the lender that funds you pays Funding Options for the introduction.
How much can I borrow through Funding Options?
The panel covers borrowing from £1,000 to £20 million. What you are actually offered depends on which lenders match with your business. By its own figures the marketplace has funded £1.6 billion plus across more than 43,000 UK businesses.
Will I need a personal guarantee?
That depends on the lender and product you end up with, not on Funding Options itself. Unsecured business lending typically asks a director to guarantee the debt personally. The time to ask each lender is before you sign, not after.
Can I repay early?
Early repayment terms are set by whichever lender you choose, and with 80+ lenders on the panel the answer varies. Some products reward early repayment, others charge the same fixed cost regardless. Getting the early settlement position in writing before signing removes the guesswork.
Regulation and status
Funding Options is an FCA-authorised credit broker, not a lender. It is free to apply, and the lender you choose pays Funding Options.
Funding Options is paid by the lenders on its panel; FundSpeed may join a partner programme. This never changes what we write. Facts checked on 7 September 2026 against the sources below. Spotted a change? Tell us and we will fix it.