The specs
BluevineKnight Capital
Product typeLOCMCA
Amount range$10K – $250K$5K – $400K
Cost (factor / APR)APR 6.2% – 27% (LOC)Factor 1.22 – 1.45
Speed to fund1 – 3 business days24 – 48 hours after approval
Min time in business12 months6 months
Min monthly revenue$10,000$12,000
Min credit score625+525+
Products
- Line of credit
- Invoice factoring
- MCA (1st, 2nd, 3rd position)
- Renewal funding
Verdicts by use case
- Lowest cost (qualified merchant) — Winner: Bluevine. Bluevine LOC at 6.2 – 27% APR is dramatically cheaper than Knight Capital's 1.22 – 1.45 factor (40 – 80% APR-equivalent on 6 – 9 month repayment). For merchants who clear Bluevine's 625+ FICO and 12+ month TIB bar, Bluevine wins on cost by 3 – 5× on the same capital.
- Revolving capital that doesn't reset — Winner: Bluevine. Bluevine LOC is revolving — draw, repay, redraw without reapplying. Knight Capital MCA is a one-time advance; another deal requires another underwrite, another commission, another contract. Recurring capital needs favor Bluevine outright.
- Newer business (6 – 12 months TIB) — Winner: Knight Capital. Bluevine requires 12+ months TIB. Knight accepts 6+. Sub-12-month merchants are Knight-only in this pair, though most should wait to access Bluevine's better pricing.
- Sub-625 FICO file — Winner: Knight Capital. Bluevine's 625+ FICO floor declines sub-625 files outright. Knight accepts 525+. For 525 – 624 FICO files, Knight is the realistic path here.
- File with existing MCA position — Winner: Knight Capital. Bluevine declines files with existing MCA positions in most cases. Knight underwrites 2nd and 3rd position MCA deliberately. Stacked files are Knight-only in this pair.
The honest takeaway
Bluevine and Knight 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
- Bluevine pre-approved me at $60K LOC; Knight pre-approved me at $100K MCA — which?
- Bluevine, almost certainly. Math on $60K: Bluevine at 16% APR over 10 months ≈ $4K interest (less with early paydown). Knight on $100K at 1.36 factor = $36K fee on 8-month repayment. Even sized for the same $60K need, Bluevine costs ~$4K vs Knight ~$21K. The $40K extra at Knight funds nothing useful unless there's a specific defensible business reason. Take Bluevine and reserve Knight only if Bluevine LOC capacity proves insufficient for a known growth need.
- I have a Knight Capital MCA and want a Bluevine LOC — will Bluevine approve?
- Sometimes, but the Knight payment must be visible on bank statements and disclosed in the application. Bluevine's underwriting weighs total debt-service-to-revenue; if your daily Knight debit consumes more than ~10 – 12% of daily deposits, Bluevine will likely decline pending Knight payoff. Better path: pay down Knight to ~50% of original advance, then apply to Bluevine — approval rate improves materially with reduced existing-debt load. Bluevine LOC can then be used as the dry-powder source for future capital needs, replacing repeated MCA stacking.
- Why does Knight's pricing not match Bluevine's even though both serve similar revenue bands?
- Different products serving overlapping but distinct customer bands. Bluevine LOC underwrites tighter (625+ FICO, 12+ months, no existing MCA stacking) and prices the lower-risk portfolio at sub-30% APR. Knight underwrites looser (525+ FICO, 6+ months, accepts stacking) and prices the higher-risk portfolio at 40 – 80% APR-equivalent. The Knight premium isn't just a markup — it compensates for genuinely riskier underwriting plus broker commission distribution. Files that fit Bluevine should never see Knight.