Juice review: revolving credit lines for UK SMEs

Juice is a London based fintech lender that provides revolving credit lines to UK small and medium sized businesses, paired with a cash flow analytics dashboard. It calls its offer Smart Growth Capital, and it is aimed particularly at digital first and ecommerce businesses with steady monthly revenue. Smart Funding Solutions is an independent broker, so we can compare a Juice facility with other working capital options before you commit.

01About Juice

Juice is the trading name of Juice Ventures Ltd, based in central London. Its model is built on connected data: you link your bank and financial accounts, Juice analyses your transactions, and it sets a credit limit you can draw from through an online dashboard. It says it typically decides applications within 24 hours.

Juice is clear that it is not a revenue-based finance provider. You borrow on a credit line and pay interest on what you draw, rather than repaying through a share of your sales. Repayments therefore stay the same whether sales have a good month or a slow one. That distinction matters when you compare it with a merchant cash advance or sales linked funding.

Juice is one of the lenders on our panel. Smart Funding Solutions is an independent broker and is not part of Juice.

02What Juice funds

Juice offers two main credit lines, plus a consolidation product and an analytics tool:

With both credit lines, Juice says you pay interest only on the amount you use, and as you repay, your limit becomes available to draw again. Juice Insights, its analytics tool, gives cash runway forecasts and transaction analysis to help you decide when to draw. Our guide to the revolving credit facility explains how these facilities work more generally.

03Who Juice suits (and who it may not)

Juice is likely to suit:

• UK businesses with monthly revenue of at least £20,000, which Juice lists as a minimum
• ecommerce and other digital first businesses that need regular funding for stock or marketing
• owners who want a standing facility to draw on, rather than reapplying each time
• businesses comfortable connecting their bank and accounting data

It may not suit very early stage businesses below the revenue threshold, businesses that want a single long term loan for a one off investment, or owners who prefer not to share live financial data. Businesses whose sales fluctuate sharply might prefer repayments that move with turnover.

A revolving line works best when you have a repeating need, such as buying stock ahead of a busy season and repaying as it sells. If you only need funds once, a fixed term loan may be simpler to manage.

04What Juice looks at

Juice's assessment is driven mainly by connected data. It sets out:

• for Juice Now limits up to £75,000, an Open Banking connection is used for verification
• for larger limits, your latest filed accounts are also needed
• the business must be UK based, and Juice Now is for limited companies
• approval is subject to status

On security, Juice's Juice Now page says it asks for a personal guarantee but no debenture. Requirements for larger Juice Flex limits may differ, so check the terms you are offered. Beyond the data feeds, expect Juice to look at revenue consistency, margins, existing debt and how you use cash month to month.

05Pros and cons of Juice

Pros

• Revolving limits, so you can redraw without a new application
• Interest charged only on what you draw
• Decisions typically within 24 hours
• Built in analytics to help plan cash flow

Cons

• Minimum monthly revenue rules out many smaller businesses
• Relies on connecting live financial data
• Juice Now draws repay over a relatively short 6 to 12 months
• Personal guarantee required on Juice Now

06Applying through a broker vs going direct

Juice's own application is quick, so applying direct is simple. A broker adds value by showing whether a revolving line is the right tool at all. For some businesses, a term loan, invoice finance or sales linked funding will cost less or fit cash flow better.

We compare Juice with other credit line, term loan and working capital providers across our panel of 300+ lenders. We look at your revenue pattern and the reason you need funds, then approach suitable lenders and lay the offers out side by side. It is free to enquire; any broker fee is disclosed separately before you proceed. Start with our instant quotes tool, or read more on Juice's website.

07Alternatives to Juice

• iwoca: a fast, flexible credit line for smaller limited companies, often quicker for modest sums.
• Uncapped: worth comparing for online businesses looking for growth capital.
• Wayflyer: can suit ecommerce businesses wanting to fund stock or marketing with repayments linked to revenue.