Garden Funding publishes firm screening guidelines: more than $20,000 a month in revenue, a year in business, no more than 6 negative days and a 14-item restricted-industry list. Merchant Fund Express publishes lower starting guidelines for advances and a wider product menu. Neither one approves every business, so the useful comparison is which guidelines your business actually meets.
Compare My Funding Options →Garden may suit an established business that clears its guidelines comfortably and wants to look at SBA-backed loans alongside faster options.
MFE may be worth a look if your business is younger than a year or below $20,000 a month (MFE's MCA guidelines start around 3+ months and about $7,500 a month), if you need equipment financing, invoice factoring or a refinance of an existing advance, or if you want to talk it through by phone in English or Spanish. MFE confirms industry eligibility on your actual file; it does not promise to fund every industry Garden restricts.
"Not published" means the company's public site does not say. It does not mean the answer is no.
| Garden Funding LLC | Merchant Fund Express | |
|---|---|---|
| Products | MCA up to $500K, line of credit $5K to $250K, SBA-backed loans $50K to $5M | Merchant cash advance, revenue-based funding, working capital loans, business lines of credit, equipment financing, invoice factoring and MCA refinance/buyout |
| Monthly revenue | More than $20,000 | MCA: commonly from about $7,500 a month. Working capital and lines of credit: commonly from about $17,500 a month |
| Time in business | At least 1 year | MCA: often 3+ months. Working capital: often 6+ months. Line of credit: usually 1+ year |
| Bank activity | No more than 6 negative days | Steady deposits, limited NSFs and a manageable existing payment load |
| Restricted industries | 14 listed, including roofing, gas stations, auto sales, cannabis and non-profits | Reviewed per program on the actual file |
| Documents | 3 months of statements (4 in CA), month-to-date statement, signed application | 3 to 4 months of business bank statements, ID, voided check and a short application |
| Repayment | MCA: based on receivables. LOC: weekly, up to 18 months. SBA: 10 to 25 years | Depends on the product: a share of sales or fixed daily/weekly debits (MCA), fixed schedule (working capital), interest on what you draw (line of credit) |
| Speed | Same- or next-day funding advertised for MCA | Same-day decisions are common on complete files; funding often follows the next business day |
| Who decides | Its terms say third-party providers make all funding decisions | Decision and offer explained by the MFE team before you sign |
MFE figures are planning guidelines from the requirements page, not approval promises. Every decision depends on your bank statements and application. For the full source list on Garden Funding, see the Garden Funding review.
An 18-month-old restaurant with $45,000 a month in deposits and clean statements clears Garden's guidelines. It can also apply with MFE. The decision comes down to the offers: total payback, payment size and frequency, and how fast the money arrives.
A 7-month-old cleaning company with $12,000 a month falls below Garden's 1-year and $20,000 guidelines. MFE's MCA guidelines start lower (often 3+ months and about $7,500 a month), so an application can at least be reviewed. Approval still depends on the statements. A roofing contractor is on Garden's restricted list. Ask MFE whether a program covers your trade before you count on it.
Two offers with the same headline amount can cost the same and still feel very different in a slow month. This example uses made-up numbers for illustration only. Neither column is a real offer from either company.
| Illustration | Offer A: fixed weekly payment | Offer B: share of sales |
|---|---|---|
| Headline amount | $50,000 | $50,000 |
| Fees taken at funding | $2,500 | $0 |
| Cash you actually receive | $47,500 | $50,000 |
| Total payback | $65,000 | $67,500 |
| Cost of the money | $17,500 | $17,500 |
| Payment, normal week ($25,000 sales) | $2,500 fixed, about 26 weeks | 10% of sales = $2,500, about 27 weeks |
| Payment, slow week (sales down 30%) | Still $2,500, now 14.3% of sales | $1,750, payoff stretches to about 39 weeks |
Both offers cost $17,500. Offer A puts more cash in your hand only if you overlook the fee, and its payment does not drop when sales do. Offer B costs the same but follows your sales. When you compare real offers, fill in the same seven rows. You can also use the offer comparison calculator and the payment burden calculator.
Short application, statements reviewed by a person, and the payback and payment explained before you sign. $5,000 to $5,000,000. Credit from 500 is considered.
Compare My Funding Options →Or call (305) 384-8391. English and Spanish.
Garden may suit an established business that clears its guidelines comfortably and wants to look at SBA-backed loans alongside faster options. MFE may be worth a look if your business is younger than a year or below $20,000 a month (MFE's MCA guidelines start around 3+ months and about $7,500 a month), if you need equipment financing, invoice factoring or a refinance of an existing advance, or if you want to talk it through by phone in English or Spanish. MFE confirms industry eligibility on your actual file; it does not promise to fund every industry Garden restricts.
Garden Funding publishes firm screening guidelines: more than $20,000 a month in revenue, a year in business, no more than 6 negative days and a 14-item restricted-industry list. Merchant Fund Express publishes lower starting guidelines for advances and a wider product menu. Neither one approves every business, so the useful comparison is which guidelines your business actually meets.
Compare the cash you actually receive after fees, the total payback, the payment amount and frequency, and what the payment does in a slow month. Equal headline amounts are not equal offers.
About this page. Merchant Fund Express publishes this page and offers competing business funding. MFE has no affiliation with Garden Funding LLC. All facts about Garden Funding LLC come from its own public website (gardenfunding.com), checked October 15, 2026, and link to the page they came from. Where its site says nothing, this page says "not published" rather than guess. Terms change, so confirm them with the company before you sign. Garden Funding LLC and other names are trademarks of their owners. Spotted an error? Call (305) 384-8391 and we will correct it.