Before you compare offers you have to get through applications, and they are not equivalent. One takes three minutes and a bank connection. One requires a call with an onboarding specialist. One collects the social security numbers of your owners. One you cannot apply to at all.
This is the part that actually costs you time, and almost nobody documents it. Everything below was read from each provider's own website on 6 August 2026.
| Provider | Published application time | Credit impact |
|---|---|---|
| Fundbox | 3 minutes or less | Not published |
| Bluevine | Decision in as little as five minutes | No impact to your credit score, but 625+ FICO required |
| Wayflyer | About 2 minutes, then about 10 to connect platforms | No personal guarantees, no equity |
| 8fig | About 4 minutes, then about 10, offer in about 24 hours | Does not affect credit score |
| Kickfurther | Three steps, approval typically in 72 hours | Not published |
| SellersFi | Not published | No impact to credit score, no commitment |
| Payability | Starts with a call with an onboarding specialist | No credit checks, but a background check of public records |
| Shopify Capital | You cannot apply. You are selected | No credit checks, no guarantors |
| Onramp Funds | Not published | No personal credit check |
What they connect to, and what they read
Every provider here underwrites on data you hand over, and the wording matters. Wayflyer analyses performance using read-only data before sending tailored financing offers, and states its technology has already analysed more than 20,000 businesses. Read-only is the phrase to look for, and to ask about where it is absent.
Shopify Capital does not need a connection because it already has the data. Eligibility is determined by an automated model, and underwriting runs in two stages: a prequalification model, then a human review against the requested amount.
The personal information question
This one surprises people. Shopify collects an employer identification number or other business identifier, contact details, birth dates, addresses and the social security numbers of primary owners and management, while stating that this information is not used for a credit check. Applications involve minimal paperwork, no credit checks and no guarantors.
Collecting a social security number and not running a credit check are two different things, and both can be true at once. If that distinction matters to you, ask each provider directly what is collected and what it is used for.
Payability runs no credit checks but does perform a standard background check of public records. Bluevine states applying does not impact your credit score, while still requiring a 625+ personal FICO score alongside $10,000 in monthly revenue and 12+ months in business. SellersFi states applying carries no impact to credit score and no commitment.
How long the process actually takes
The published figures are more honest than the marketing headlines, because they separate the stages.
Wayflyer publishes about 2 minutes to share business details, about 10 minutes to connect platforms, then funds in as little as 24 hours once approved. 8fig publishes about 4 minutes to create a profile, about 10 minutes for the funding application, then an offer in about 24 hours. Fundbox publishes an application of 3 minutes or less. Bluevine publishes a decision in as little as five minutes once submitted.
Kickfurther is the longest and most involved: three steps to build a business and product profile, set the deal structure with a calculator, then go live, with approval typically in 72 hours while it reviews financials, sales trajectory and inventory sell-through. Payability starts with a call with an onboarding specialist rather than a form.
Where Onramp Funds fits
Onramp Funds requires a legal US business entity, at least $10,000 in monthly sales and at least 6 months of selling history, and runs no personal credit check. It supports nine platforms: Amazon, Shopify, TikTok Shop, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Squarespace, Walmart, Shopline and Stripe.
It does not publish an application time or a decision time, so this page does not give one. The published structures are a variable option repaying as a share of sales that moves with revenue, a fixed option repaid weekly or every two weeks over one to twelve months, and a rolling cash line that revolves and grows with sales. There is one transparent fee with no hidden costs and no equity is taken.
On the startup framing this page used to carry: the $10,000 monthly and 6 month minimums are real, so a genuine startup does not qualify here. Clearco's floor of 12+ months above $100,000 USD per month is higher still.
Before you start applying
- Apply to several at once, deliberately. Several publish that applying does not affect your credit, so the cost of parallel applications is time rather than score. Confirm each one first.
- Have the data connection ready. Most of the published application time is connecting platforms and bank accounts, not filling in forms.
- Ask what happens to the data. Read-only is standard among the providers that state it. Where it is not stated, ask.
- Separate decision time from funding time. A five minute decision and 24 hours to funds are different clocks, and neither includes the qualifying you do first.
Frequently asked questions
Which application is fastest?
Fundbox publishes 3 minutes or less to apply and Bluevine publishes a decision in as little as five minutes once submitted. Wayflyer and 8fig both publish roughly 12 to 14 minutes of application across two stages.
Will applying hurt my credit score?
Bluevine, SellersFi and 8fig all publish that applying does not affect credit. Payability runs no credit checks but does perform a standard background check of public records. Onramp Funds runs no personal credit check. Shopify Capital states no credit checks and no guarantors.
Do I have to give access to my store?
In practice yes, for anything underwritten on sales. Wayflyer publishes that it analyses performance using read-only data. Ask every provider whether the connection is read-only before you grant it.
Why can I not apply to Shopify Capital?
Because eligibility is determined automatically by a model and merchants are notified. There is no external application route, so being ineligible is not something an application can fix.
Which application requires the most work?
Kickfurther, by a distance. It builds a business and product profile, sets a deal structure with a calculator, and reviews financials, sales trajectory and inventory sell-through, with approval typically in 72 hours. Payability also starts with a call rather than a form.
See the funding structures or read how underwriting works.
Details were read from each provider's own website on 6 August 2026. Processes change without notice, so confirm before applying.
