The specs
CrediblyClover Capital
Product typeMulti-productMCA
Amount range$5K – $600K$500 – $1M (varies by Clover volume)
Cost (factor / APR)Factor 1.11+ (MCA); APR varies (term)Single fixed fee (factor 1.12 – 1.30 typical); no APR / no compounding
Speed to fundAs fast as 4 hours1 – 2 business days after acceptance
Min time in business6 months6 months
Min monthly revenue$15,000~$5,000+ in Clover card sales typical floor
Min credit score550+No FICO pull — underwrites against Clover POS history
Products
- MCA
- Working capital LOC
- Short-term term loan
- Embedded working capital (Clover merchants only)
Verdicts by use case
- Can actually apply (vs invitation-only) — Winner: Credibly. Credibly accepts applications from any qualifying merchant. Clover Capital is invitation-only via the Clover POS dashboard — you can't apply, Clover's algorithm picks based on processing history. Most Clover merchants never see an offer.
- Cheapest cost of capital when invited — Winner: Clover Capital. Clover Capital's fixed-fee structure (factor typically 1.10 – 1.18) on % of daily card sales is cheaper than Credibly's MCA factor (1.20 – 1.40) for merchants who receive Clover offers. When invited, Clover wins on cost.
- Capital not tied to Clover card processing — Winner: Credibly. Credibly funds into your business bank account; processor-independent. Clover Capital pulls a fixed % of all Clover card sales; switching processors or losing card volume defaults the advance. Multi-processor or off-Clover capital uses favor Credibly.
- Newer business (6 – 12 months TIB) — Winner: Credibly. Credibly's 6+ month TIB floor accepts newer merchants. Clover Capital typically requires 6 – 12+ months of Clover processing history before the algorithm makes an offer. New Clover merchants who haven't received an offer go to Credibly.
- Larger capital amount — Winner: Credibly. Credibly underwrites up to $600K. Clover Capital offers are sized to a fraction of annualized Clover processing — most merchants see offers under $100K. For deals over $100K, Credibly is the realistic option.
The honest takeaway
Credibly 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
- Clover offered me $25K at 1.14 factor; Credibly pre-approved $50K MCA at 1.32 factor — which?
- Clover on absolute cost ($3,500 in fees vs $16,000) — take the smaller, cheaper Clover offer if $25K covers the actual capital need. Take Credibly's $50K only if you genuinely need the extra $25K for a defensible business reason. Don't borrow $25K extra at a $12,500 premium just because Credibly will fund it. Clover's % of card sales repayment is also cash-flow-aligned (slow weeks = lower withdrawal) vs Credibly's fixed daily ACH.
- I run a $30K/mo restaurant on Clover but Clover hasn't offered capital — what now?
- Credibly. Clover's algorithm weighs processing tenure, daily transaction consistency, chargeback rate, and account standing — restaurants with seasonality, refund patterns, or shorter Clover tenure routinely get skipped. Credibly accepts most established merchants on cash-flow underwriting regardless of processor. Don't wait indefinitely for a Clover invitation — Credibly funds in 4 hours.
- Can I run a Credibly MCA and a Clover Capital advance simultaneously?
- Technically possible but operationally tight. Both pull from your cash flow — Credibly daily ACH from your bank, Clover daily % from card sales. Clover's terms typically require disclosure of outside MCA debt and may decline merchants with detectable existing advances. Credibly's anti-stacking clauses may flag the Clover advance similarly. Single-funder is healthier — pick the better offer.