Overview
Fundably and YouLend are frequently compared by UK platform teams evaluating embedded lending partners. They approach the same problem very differently:
- YouLend is a single lender offering white-label merchant cash advances on its own balance sheet
- Fundably is a credit broker offering white-label access to 50+ lenders across eight product types
This comparison focuses specifically on platforms evaluating which to build with.
Product coverage
YouLend
YouLend offers one product: the merchant cash advance (MCA). Revenue repayments are taken as a percentage of card or payment terminal transactions. This product works well for businesses with consistent card revenue — retail, hospitality, ecommerce, and food & beverage operators.
It does not work well for:
- B2B business with invoice-based revenue
- Businesses with irregular or seasonal card income
- Businesses that don’t accept card payments at all
- Businesses looking for fixed-rate term finance
Fundably
Fundably matches to 50+ lenders offering:
- Term loans (secured and unsecured)
- Merchant cash advances
- Revenue-based finance
- Invoice finance and factoring
- Revolving credit facilities
- Asset finance
- R&D tax credit advances
- Startup loans
Every user who applies through a Fundably-embedded integration is matched across the full panel — not limited to one product or one credit appetite.
Approval rates
This is the most commercially meaningful difference for platform teams.
YouLend’s approval rate for a typical mixed business (not payment-platform-specific) is typically 20–35% of applicants. For a platform with users that include B2B services, SaaS businesses, or professional services firms, that means 65–80% of users who click “apply” are declined.
Fundably’s multi-lender matching typically achieves 60–70% approval rates across the same business mix — because declined applicants are automatically routed to other lenders with different credit appetites.
Revenue per funded user
A funded Fundably deal generates up to 30% revenue share for the platform partner. A YouLend partnership typically generates 10–15% of the MCA amount.
On a £50,000 deal:
- YouLend: commission ~£500–£750 (10–15% of loan amount)
- Fundably: commission ~£2,000–£3,000 (20–30% of arrangement fee on a £50k deal)
Combined with higher approval rates, the revenue per 100 applicants is typically 2–4x higher with a multi-lender model.
Integration
YouLend: API integration, typically requiring a few weeks of development work. A YouLend integration is generally a higher-effort custom build.
Fundably: Three options:
- iFrame embed (copy-paste, no engineering, live in <48 hours)
- React component (production-ready, configurable via props)
- REST API (full control, custom UI)
White-label
Both YouLend and Fundably support white-label. With Fundably, users only see your branding unless you opt to display lender branding explicitly.
Compliance
Both are FCA authorised. Fundably is additionally a NACFB member and ICO registered (ZB024107). As a platform partner, you do not need your own FCA authorisation for the embedding activity with either provider.
Side-by-side
| Fundably | YouLend | |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Multi-lender broker | Single lender (MCA) |
| Products | 8+ types | MCA only |
| Lender count | 50+ | 1 |
| Platform revenue share | Up to 30% | ~10–15% |
| iFrame embed | ✓ | ✗ |
| Setup fees | £0 | Not public |
| Time to go live | <48hrs | Weeks |
| Best user profile | All business types | Card-taking merchants |
| Approval rate (mixed users) | 60–70% | 20–35% |
Which should you choose?
YouLend is the better fit if: your users are predominantly payment-taking merchants (ecommerce, retail, hospitality, food & beverage) who transact via card terminals or payment processors, and you already have a data-sharing relationship with YouLend.
Fundably is the better fit if: your users include any mix of business types beyond card-taking merchants; you want to maximise approval rates; you need a faster time to market; or you want to earn a higher revenue share per funded deal.