Written by Carol Pope | Edited by Katie Lowery and Xiomara Martinez-White | Reviewed December 28, 2023
| Lender | User ratings | Best for… | APR range | Loan terms | Loan amounts | Minimum credit score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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User Ratings & Reviews
Ratings and reviews are from real consumers who have used the lending partner’s services. | Debt consolidation | 8.99% - 35.99% | 24 to 60 months | $5,000 - $50,000 | 620 | View Personalized Offers |
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User Ratings & Reviews
Ratings and reviews are from real consumers who have used the lending partner’s services. | Excellent customer service | 7.99% - 24.99% | 36 to 84 months | $2,500 - $40,000 | 720 | View Personalized Offers |
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User Ratings & Reviews
Ratings and reviews are from real consumers who have used the lending partner’s services. | Fair-credit loans | 7.99% - 35.99% | 24 to 72 months | $2,000 - $36,500 | 660 | View Personalized Offers |
 | Fast funding | 7.49% - 25.49% with autopay and excellent credit | 24 to 144 months | $5,000 - $100,000 | Not specified | View Personalized Offers | |
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User Ratings & Reviews
Ratings and reviews are from real consumers who have used the lending partner’s services. | Excellent-credit loans | 6.99% - 35.99% | 24 to 60 months | $2,000 - $50,000 | 560 | View Personalized Offers |
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User Ratings & Reviews
Ratings and reviews are from real consumers who have used the lending partner’s services. | Joint online loans | 8.99% - 25.81% with autopay | 24 to 84 months | $5,000 - $100,000 | 680 | View Personalized Offers |
 | Small loans | 8.49% - 35.99% with autopay | 24 to 84 months | $1,000 - $50,000 | 580 | View Personalized Offers | |
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User Ratings & Reviews
Ratings and reviews are from real consumers who have used the lending partner’s services. | Bad-credit loans | 6.40% - 35.99% | 36 and 60 months | $1,000 - $50,000 | 300 | View Personalized Offers |
Read more about how we chose the best lenders for personal loans online.
| APR range | 8.99% - 35.99% |
| Loan amounts | $5,000 - $50,000 |
| Loan terms | 24 to 60 months |
| Origination fee | 1.99% - 6.99% |
| Minimum credit score | 620 |
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
APR discount for direct pay during debt consolidation Competitive APRs Accessible to borrowers with fair credit | Charges an origination fee Maximum repayment term shorter than some High minimum loan amount |
Thanks to low fixed interest rates, personal loans are a popular choice for consolidating credit card debt. Not only does Achieve have competitive rates for debt consolidation loans, but it also offers an APR discount if you use at least half of your loan funds to pay off existing debt and allow the company to pay your creditors directly. However, Achieve loans start at $5,000 — so if you have a small-to-moderate amount of debt, you’ll need a lender with a smaller minimum loan amount.
Read our full Achieve personal loan review.
| APR range | 7.99% - 24.99% |
| Loan amounts | $2,500 - $40,000 |
| Loan terms | 36 to 84 months |
| Origination fee | None |
| Minimum credit score | 720 |
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Three repayment assistance options in case of financial hardship Low maximum APR No origination fee | No joint loans $39 late payment fee Low maximum loan amount |
Discover may be known for its credit cards, but it also offers online personal loans. One of Discover’s standout features is its repayment assistance options — if you face unexpected financial hardship, Discover may temporarily pause your payments, lower your payments or extend your loan term. But make sure to stay in touch if you’re facing difficulties, as Discover charges a hefty $39 late payment fee.
Read our full Discover personal loan review.
| APR range | 7.99% - 35.99% |
| Loan amounts | $2,000 - $36,500 |
| Loan terms | 24 to 72 months |
| Origination fee | Up to 10% |
| Minimum credit score | 660 |
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Flexible repayment terms Competitive minimum APR May be attainable even if your credit isn’t perfect | Low maximum loan amount Potentially high origination fee Does not allow co-borrowers |
LendingPoint uses AI modeling to assess risk, not just an applicant’s FICO Score. As a result, it may approve those with fair credit when other lenders have turned them down. LendingPoint’s loan amounts are narrow compared to some lenders, but you’ll have up to 72 months to pay back what you borrow.
Read our full LendingPoint personal loan review.
| APR range | 7.49% - 25.49% with autopay discount |
| Loan amounts | $5,000 - $100,000 |
| Loan terms | 24 to 144 months |
| Origination fee | None |
| Minimum credit score | Not specified |
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Same-day loan funding may be available Large loans amounts with long repayment terms Has a $100 customer satisfaction guarantee | Must have good-to-excellent credit to qualify High minimum loan amount Users report glitchy mobile app experience |
Many people turn to online loans because they need funds quickly. If LightStream approves your loan application before 2:30 pm ET on a business day, you could receive your loan funds that same day (limitations apply). Unfortunately, you can’t prequalify for a personal loan with this lender, so you’ll need to agree to a hard credit check to see if you meet LightStream’s requirements.
Read our full LightStream personal loan review.
| APR range | 6.99% - 35.99% |
| Loan amounts | $2,000 - $50,000 |
| Loan terms | 24 to 60 months |
| Origination fee | 1.00% - 7.99% |
| Minimum credit score | 560 |
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Low minimum APR for excellent-credit borrowers Co-borrowers allowed Can change payment due date if needed | Potentially slow funding timeline Charges many fees Customer service unavailable on Sundays |
Prosper offers one of the lowest starting APRs on the market for excellent-credit borrowers. But as a peer-to-peer lender, Prosper probably isn’t ideal if you need money fast — you may need to wait up to 14 days for an individual investor to fund your loan. If you can’t qualify by yourself, you can add a co-borrower. However, a co-borrower could further lengthen the approval process, since Prosper will have to evaluate their creditworthiness as well as yours.
In addition, although Prosper’s interest rates are competitive, this lender charges quite a lot of fees. These include an origination fee (1.00% - 7.99% of your loan amount), late payment fees, check payment fees and insufficient fund fees.
Read our full Prosper personal loan review.
| APR range | 8.99% - 25.81% with autopay and direct deposit discounts |
| Loan amounts | $5,000 - $100,000 |
| Loan terms | 24 to 84 months |
| Origination fee | 0.00% - 6.00% |
| Minimum credit score | 680 |
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Flexible repayment terms No fees required Offers unemployment protection benefit | High minimum loan amount Must have good credit Minimum APR isn’t the lowest |
Between its large loans, extended terms and unique borrower benefits, SoFi could be the best place to look for an online joint loan. If you lose your job, SoFi’s career coaches will help you brush up your resume and learn how to ace an interview. Depending on your credit score, you might qualify for a lower APR with another lender, but the extra percentage or two could be worth it for the product SoFi provides.
While SoFi doesn’t charge a required origination fee, borrowers have the option of accepting an optional origination fee of up to 6% in exchange for a lower interest rate. Be sure to crunch the numbers to understand whether a small fee is worth the reduced interest rate in your case.
Read our full SoFi personal loan review.
| APR range | 8.49% - 35.99% with autopay |
| Loan amounts | $1,000 - $50,000 |
| Loan terms | 24 to 84 months |
| Origination fee | 1.85% - 9.99% |
| Minimum credit score | 580 |
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Low minimum credit score requirement Wide range of loan amounts May get funds within one business day | Possible high origination fee Charges fees for late payments and insufficient funds High maximum APR |
If you’re looking for a small personal loan, you may want to check out Upgrade. This lending platform facilitates loans between its partner lenders and potential borrowers. Upgrade offers loans as little as $1,000 to people with credit scores as low as 580. However, if you have excellent credit, you may qualify for lower rates elsewhere, due to its comparatively high maximum APR and potentially high origination fee.
Read our full Upgrade personal loan review.
| APR range | 6.40% - 35.99% |
| Loan amounts | $1,000 - $50,000 |
| Loan terms | 36 and 60 months |
| Origination fee | 0.00% - 12.00% |
| Minimum credit score | 300 |
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Offers loans to borrowers with no or bad credit Low APRs for excellent-credit borrowers Could get funds the next business day | Could come with a high origination fee Limited repayment terms No co-applicants |
Upstart offers low APRs for eligible applicants, but this lending platform really shines when it comes to personal loans for borrowers with bad credit. And while this lender doesn’t guarantee approval, it does consider all credit scores and even borrowers who don’t have enough credit history to produce a score. If you do qualify with Upstart, you may face a high APR and double-digit origination fee. Still, these could be worthwhile concessions if other lenders have denied your loan application.
Read our full Upstart personal loan review.
An online loan is a personal loan that you obtain online instead of at a physical location, like a brick-and-mortar bank or credit union. A personal loan provides a lump sum of money that you can use for almost anything, including debt consolidation and large expenses like home improvements.
If you search for online loans, you might come across payday loan lenders. These predatory loans typically come with triple-digit APRs as high as 400% and short repayment terms (usually a week or two).
Getting payday loans online may be tempting since they’re so easy to qualify for, but we suggest that you resist the urge. Once you’re in the payday loan debt cycle, it can be nearly impossible to dig yourself out — instead, target reputable lenders. APRs on reputable online personal loans are usually capped at 35.99% and have terms of up to five years (or longer).
Depending on your borrowing history, you might need to get prequalified with several lenders before you find one that’ll give you a loan. You might find success by targeting lenders that offer bad-credit loans.
They can be, but it’s important to fully vet your lender and know the signs of predatory lending before giving out any sensitive information. Read LendingTree’s lender reviews to get a feel for what the company has to offer, and read customer reviews to hear other borrowers’ experiences with the lender.
No. You can often find no-credit-check loans online, but you can find them in the “real world,” too. For instance, payday loans are a form of no-credit-check loan and are available at brick-and-mortar locations. Personal loans online, on the other hand, are personal loans that you get online.
The fastest way to borrow money online could be by using a paycheck advance app like EarnIn or by taking out a no-credit-check loan. However, the convenience of these types of loans may come with high APRs, and they can ultimately land you in a cycle of debt. If you have at least fair credit, it’s worth the wait that sometimes comes with a standard personal loan online. And depending on the lender, you may even get funds the same day you apply.
