Guides
Business financing cost guides
Long form, plain English explanations of how each financing product is priced, what the numbers mean and where the money actually goes. Every guide uses the same assumptions as our calculators.
Educational estimates only. This page is general information, not financial advice. Cost of Financing does not offer, broker or arrange loans, and we accept no lender sponsorships, referral fees or lead payments.
What equipment financing really costs
Interest, deposits, origination fees and ownership terms, with a worked loan example.
Read guideBusiness line of credit costs: rates, draw fees and maintenance fees
Published fee references and a 90 day borrowing example that includes annualized cost.
Read guideSBA 504 vs SBA 7(a): which costs less
Compare eligible uses, project structure and hypothetical fixed asset financing costs.
Read guideHow to convert a factor rate into an APR, with worked examples
Why the same repayment multiple produces different annualized costs over different schedules.
Read guideRevenue based financing: the real cost
Revenue share payments, reconciliation and the effect of faster sales on annualized cost.
Read guideBusiness term loan costs: origination fees, interest and total cost
Compare net funding, monthly payments and fee inclusive annualized borrowing costs.
Read guidePrepayment penalties and early payoff: when paying early saves money
Separate principal from avoided interest and check the exact SBA prepayment conditions.
Read guideBusiness credit card vs business loan: comparing the true cost
Grace periods, carried balances and a worked comparison on the same repayment horizon.
Read guideWhat invoice factoring really costs in 2026
Factor rates, advance rates, reserve holdbacks and the fees buried in the master agreement, converted into an effective APR.
Read guideThe true cost of a merchant cash advance
Why a 1.35 factor rate is not a 35 percent cost, how daily remittance compresses the term and what the real APR usually looks like.
Read guideSBA 7(a) loan costs explained: rates, guarantee fees and closing costs
The 2026 rate caps by loan size, how the guarantee fee is calculated and what closing actually costs.
Read guideFactoring vs a line of credit: which costs less
A side by side cost comparison on the same working capital need, including the cases where factoring genuinely wins.
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Product cost pages
Shorter reference pages covering how each financing product is priced, with approximate 2026 effective APR ranges for equipment financing, lines of credit, bank and online term loans, SBA 504, invoice financing, revenue based deals and startup options.
Browse all financing products