The specs
BluevineClover Capital
Product typeLOCMCA
Amount range$10K – $250K$500 – $1M (varies by Clover volume)
Cost (factor / APR)APR 6.2% – 27% (LOC)Single fixed fee (factor 1.12 – 1.30 typical); no APR / no compounding
Speed to fund1 – 3 business days1 – 2 business days after acceptance
Min time in business12 months6 months
Min monthly revenue$10,000~$5,000+ in Clover card sales typical floor
Min credit score625+No FICO pull — underwrites against Clover POS history
Products
- Line of credit
- Invoice factoring
- Embedded working capital (Clover merchants only)
Verdicts by use case
- Revolving capital for unpredictable needs — Winner: Bluevine. Bluevine LOC up to $250K is revolving — draw, repay, redraw without reapplying. Clover Capital is one-time advance; you must pay it down before a new offer appears. For unpredictable or recurring capital needs, Bluevine is structurally better.
- Cheapest cost when invited by Clover — Winner: Clover Capital. Clover Capital's 1.10 – 1.18 factor totals 10 – 18% of advance over 6 – 9 months. Bluevine LOC at 14 – 18% APR over the same horizon is roughly comparable; Clover wins narrowly on absolute fees for invited merchants who'd carry the full balance.
- Capital deployable off-Clover (wholesale, B2B, multi-channel) — Winner: Bluevine. Bluevine funds into your business bank account and deploys anywhere — wholesale inventory, B2B AR, off-Clover retail. Clover Capital is tied to Clover card processing — non-card revenue doesn't help repay. Multi-channel merchants favor Bluevine.
- Underwriting against non-personal-credit data — Winner: Clover Capital. Clover Capital uses no FICO pull and underwrites entirely against Clover processing — strong-volume Clover merchants with impaired personal credit can still get funded. Bluevine requires 625+ FICO. For impaired-credit Clover-native operators, Clover is the only path in this pair.
- Builds business credit — Winner: Bluevine. Bluevine reports the LOC to commercial credit bureaus. Clover Capital is structured as a receivables purchase and generally does not report. Merchants building business credit favor Bluevine.
The honest takeaway
Bluevine and Clover Capital solve overlapping but distinct problems. The right choice depends on three things you already know about your business: how fast you need the money, how long you've been operating, and whether the capital need is one-time or recurring.
Frequently asked questions
- Detailed cost math: $30K Clover at 1.14 vs $30K Bluevine LOC at 16% APR over 8 months
- Clover Capital: $30K × 1.14 = $34,200 total payback ($4,200 fee). Bluevine LOC: $30K × (16%/12) × 8 = ~$3,200 interest. Bluevine wins by ~$1,000 on absolute interest — and Bluevine's interest is on outstanding balance, so paying ahead lowers it further. Clover's fixed-fee structure doesn't reward early payoff. For merchants who can pay down aggressively, Bluevine is materially cheaper; for merchants carrying the full balance, costs are within $1K and Clover's % of sales aligns repayment with cash flow.
- I run a $25K/mo restaurant on Clover with strong card volume but 590 FICO — which?
- Clover Capital, if they offer. Bluevine's 625+ FICO floor declines you outright. Clover Capital ignores FICO and underwrites against processing — strong-volume Clover restaurants with impaired credit are exactly their target. If Clover doesn't offer (or you need capital they won't extend), look at Credibly or Greenbox for FICO-flexible MCA rather than Bluevine.
- Can I keep my Bluevine LOC and also take a Clover Capital advance for short-term inventory?
- Yes, workable. Bluevine's LOC covenants require disclosure of outside debt at draw — disclose the Clover advance. Most Bluevine files accept the stack at slightly tightened terms. Cash management: Bluevine monthly interest on drawn balance plus Clover's % of card sales — operators with consistent $25K+/mo Clover volume and healthy margins make it work; sub-$15K/mo restaurants typically over-leverage.