altLINE Is Traditional Invoice Factoring. Olina Is a Cash-Flow Scalpel for Ecom Brands.

The short version: altLINE is one of the most established, lowest-cost names in invoice factoring — backed by The Southern Bank. It advances 75–90% of unpaid customer invoices, collects from those customers, and releases the rest minus a fee. Olina is a cash-flow platform for ecommerce and DTC brands that pays eligible ad and operating bills and turns them into daily repayments. If you sell wholesale and need cash against slow-paying receivables, altLINE is a solid, bank-grade option. If you want more predictable outgoing payments and more cash available for growth, Olina addresses that different side of the cycle.

First — which kind of "factoring" is this? altLINE is receivable factoring — it finances the invoices your customers owe you, so it only works if you invoice business customers. That makes it a B2B/wholesale tool for established sellers (≈$15K/mo in receivables, a 12-month contract); a pure DTC revenue model generally has no customer invoices to factor. The other side is the bills you owe — ad spend, 3PL, freight — which is the side Olina addresses. The right category depends on whether the timing issue sits in receivables or payables.

See Pricing · Start with one bill

• At a glance · A 200-year-old model vs a modern layer · The real overlap · Where altLINE is the answer · Pricing · Where each wins · Who should choose · Use both · How Olina works · FAQ

TL;DR

Factoring is a centuries-old idea, and altLINE runs the classic version cleanly: you sell your unpaid invoices to altLINE, get 75–90% advanced within a day or two, and altLINE collects from your customers and releases the remaining reserve minus a discount fee (commonly 0.5%–3.5%). It is stable, bank-backed, and relatively inexpensive, with a 12-month exclusive contract built around your receivables. Olina works on the payables side: it pays eligible bills and turns them into daily repayments without involving customer receivables. Same goal—better-timed cash flow—but opposite mechanics.

At a glance

A 200-year-old model vs a modern layer

Factoring is one of the oldest forms of business finance there is, and the mechanics haven't changed much: you have an invoice a customer hasn't paid, you sell it to a factor at a discount, you get most of the cash now, and the factor waits to be paid. altLINE does this about as well as it's done — a real bank behind it, low rates, transparent fees, fast funding. If you're going to factor, it's a strong choice.

But look closely at what you're signing up for. It's built around your receivables, so it only helps if slow-paying customers are your problem. The advance is 75–90%, so a chunk of your own money sits in reserve until your customer pays. altLINE collects from your customers directly — which means they hear from your factor, not you. And it's a 12-month exclusive contract: once you're in, your factorable invoices go through altLINE.

Olina works from the opposite side. It does not buy a customer receivable or redirect customer payments. It pays eligible bills you owe—the ad statement, 3PL, freight, or an approved inventory invoice—and turns them into daily repayments. Ad Flex Card uses a selectable daily-revenue paydown, with Net-45 treatment on any remainder at 0% interest; Budget Bills and Pure Drip cover different patterns of operating spend. Your customers never enter the picture because your receivables never do.

The clean way to hold it: altLINE finances the money you're owed under a contract; Olina reshapes eligible bills you owe under product-specific terms.

The real overlap — and Olina's wedge

Plenty of brands factor for one underlying reason: a big bill is due and a customer hasn't paid yet. You give up a slice of an invoice — and a year-long exclusive relationship — to bridge a timing gap.

So look at the bill creating that gap. For card-billed ad spend, Ad Flex Card provides selectable daily-revenue paydown, and any remaining balance receives Net-45 treatment at 0% interest. It does not discount a receivable or redirect customer payment. For a healthy brand factoring mainly to preserve cash around an ad-statement date, changing the payable's timing may reduce how much receivable financing it needs.

The practical split: if your gap is "my customers pay me slowly and I need that cash now," that's a receivables problem, and altLINE is a legitimate, low-cost fix. If the business is healthy but wants outgoing bills to stop bunching together, Olina addresses the payables side. The better choice follows the actual constraint, not a blanket claim that one category is superior.

Where altLINE is the answer (not Olina)

To be fair about what Olina is not: it will never advance you cash against an invoice. When that's the need, altLINE is a strong, bank-grade choice —

• You sell wholesale on net terms (B2B, retail, distribution) and need to bridge 30–90 days of slow receivables.
• You want the lowest factoring cost with a bank behind it — altLINE is owned by The Southern Bank, with rates that start low and no surprise add-ons.
• You're fine letting a factor collect from your customers and signing a 12-month relationship in exchange for stability and price.
• You have steady, sizeable receivables (it looks for ≈$15K/mo+ in invoices) rather than a pile of tiny DTC orders.

If reliable, low-cost capital against your receivables is what you need, altLINE earns its spot. Olina solves a different problem entirely.

Pricing

Olina — Ad Flex Card carries 0% interest. Other products use a flat fee, and monthly plans apply. Check current Olina pricing for applicable terms.

altLINE — No subscription; you pay a discount fee per invoice (commonly 0.5%–3.5%, depending on volume and your customers' credit), plus a one-time origination fee (≈$150–$500) and per-transfer wire costs. Advances run 75–90% of invoice value, with the reserve released minus the fee once your customer pays. The standard term is a 12-month exclusive contract (early exit sometimes allowed in the first ~60 days). Exact rates are quoted per account.

Where each one wins

Where Olina wins

• Covers card ad spend, invoice ad spend, repeated operating categories, and one-off approved invoices, with 0% interest on Ad Flex Card and flat fees elsewhere
• Does not hold back a customer receivable reserve or redirect customer payments
• Your customers are never contacted — your receivables stay private
• Works on top of your bank and keeps more cash available for profitable ecommerce and DTC growth

Where altLINE wins

• Turns unpaid receivables into cash now — a real capital injection Olina can't provide
• Among the lowest-cost factors, with an actual bank (The Southern Bank) behind it
• Handles collections for you, which some B2B operators genuinely want off their plate
• Approves on your customers' credit, so growing brands with strong buyers can qualify

Where each falls short

• altLINE, for everyday cash flow: it's a 12-month exclusive contract tied to your receivables, it advances only 75–90% upfront, it collects from your customers, and it does nothing for the lumpy bills you pay out
• Olina: it does not advance unrestricted cash against receivables

Who should choose which

Choose altLINE if you... sell wholesale and wait 30–90 days to get paid; want the lowest-cost, bank-backed way to factor; are comfortable with a 12-month exclusive contract and a factor collecting from your customers; have steady receivables of meaningful size.

Choose Olina if you... are an ecommerce or DTC brand that wants eligible outgoing bills turned into daily repayments; value cash-flow predictability and available growth cash; or want to reduce timing-driven factoring without involving customers.

You can use both

They don't overlap, so they layer well: factor slow B2B receivables with altLINE when you need the capital; use Olina for eligible bills whose payment timing matters. More predictable ad and operating outflows may reduce the amount of timing-driven factoring a brand needs, while altLINE remains the stronger answer when unrestricted cash against receivables is required.

How Olina actually works

Olina is a cash-flow platform for growth-focused ecommerce and DTC brands. Its four products match the way a bill arrives: Ad Flex Card and Ad Invoices cover advertising spend, while Budget Bills and Pure Drip turn eligible operating invoices into daily repayments.

• Ad Flex Card — for card-billed ad spend. You select a daily-revenue paydown percentage. Any remaining balance receives Net-45 treatment at 0% interest, which can preserve usable cash and card capacity for profitable campaigns.
• Ad Invoices — for advertising-platform invoices. Olina pays an approved invoice when it lands, and you repay it in small daily installments across 45 days.
• Budget Bills — for repeated operating categories. Set a monthly budget for eligible 3PL, shipping, freight, customs, or repeated inventory bills; Olina pays bills as they arrive and combines them into one steady daily amount.
• Pure Drip — for one sporadic approved invoice. A PO, inventory, tariff, freight, packaging, fulfillment, or 3PL bill can be paid by Olina and repaid in equal daily amounts over Net 30 or Net 45. It is not unrestricted cash or six-month inventory financing.

Ad Flex Card is 0% interest; other Olina products use a flat fee, and monthly plans apply. If a 3PL charges about 3% to pay by card, compare that fee with your Olina terms: Olina may cut the payment cost materially—sometimes roughly in half—while also replacing the card-payment lump with predictable daily repayments.

Olina vs altLINE FAQ

Is Olina invoice factoring like altLINE? No. altLINE buys unpaid customer invoices, advances 75–90%, and then collects from those customers. Olina pays eligible bills under product-specific daily repayment terms without redirecting receivables. Opposite ends of the cash-flow gap.

Does Olina advance cash against my invoices? Olina does not provide unrestricted cash against a receivable. If that is the need, altLINE is the better fit. Olina pays approved bills and collects daily repayments under the selected product's terms.

Does Olina involve my customers or their receivables? No. altLINE uses a 12-month exclusive factoring contract and collects from your customers. Olina works on eligible bills you owe, so customer receivables are not part of the mechanism.

If I'm factoring mainly to cover an ad bill, is there another approach? Potentially. Ad Flex Card uses daily-revenue paydown and gives any remainder Net-45 treatment at 0% interest, without discounting a customer invoice. Compare full Olina plan terms with the cost and benefits of factoring before deciding.

Can I use both? Yes — factor your receivables with altLINE when you need capital, and use Olina to smooth your ad and vendor bills so you need to factor less.

The takeaway

altLINE is traditional, bank-backed invoice factoring; Olina is a cash-flow platform for ecommerce and DTC brands. If slow-paying wholesale customers are the bottleneck, factoring receivables with a low-cost, stable bank is a reasonable move. If the company instead wants eligible outgoing bills to become predictable daily repayments—while keeping more cash available for growth—that is Olina's job.

Also read: Best factoring companies for ecommerce · Olina vs FundThrough · Olina vs Resolve

Stop letting one big bill dictate your month. Start with one bill or see pricing.