Compare the best personal loan rates, terms and lenders — updated for 2026
Best overall — AI lending that looks beyond your credit score
Best for comparing prequalified offers in minutes
Best marketplace — compare vetted lenders side by side
Best for large loans and zero fees
Best for shopping multiple offers at once
| Product | Upstart 9.9 | Credible 9.3 | Bankrate 8.7 | SoFi 8.1 | LendingTree 7.5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| APR Range | 6.60% – 35.99% | From 6.94% (varies by lender) | From 6.40% (varies by lender) | 8.99% – 29.99% | From 6.40% (varies by lender) |
| Loan Amounts | $1,000 – $50,000 | $600 – $200,000 | $1,000 – $100,000 | $5,000 – $100,000 | $1,000 – $100,000 |
| Loan Terms | 3 or 5 years | 6 – 84 months | — | 2 – 7 years | — |
| Min. Credit Score | 300 (or no credit history) | — | — | 680 | — |
| Funding Speed | As fast as 1 business day | — | — | — | — |
| Best For | Fair credit, thin credit files & fast funding | Seeing real rates from several lenders at once | Seeing many offers in one place | Good credit & borrowing larger amounts | Letting lenders compete for your business |
| Service Type | — | Lender comparison marketplace | Lender comparison marketplace | — | Lender marketplace |
| Credit Check | — | Soft pull — no impact on your score | Soft pull to prequalify | — | Soft pull to prequalify |
| Cost To Use | — | — | Free | — | — |
| Fees | — | — | — | No origination, prepayment or late fees | — |
| Offers Per Request | — | — | — | — | Up to 5 competing offers |
Editorially scored by our research team.
Every score out of 10 is assigned by our editors from published pricing, features, fees, coverage and support terms — not from user-submitted reviews. Scores are our own opinion and change as products change. Read our full methodology.
Short on time? Upstart is our #1 personal loan pick for 2026. Its AI-driven underwriting weighs education, employment and income history alongside your credit file, so applicants with fair credit or thin credit histories get approved at rates traditional banks won't offer. Loans run $1,000–$50,000 with funding as fast as one business day.
Not sure which lender fits? Start with a marketplace instead. Bankrate and LendingTree both let you compare multiple prequalified offers from one short form using a soft credit pull, so you can see real rates side by side without denting your score. If you have strong credit and want to borrow more, SoFi goes up to $100,000 with no origination, prepayment or late fees.
Credible is the quickest way to see what you actually qualify for: one short form returns prequalified rates from several vetted lenders in about two minutes, all on a soft credit pull, and it backs its results with a best-rate guarantee. It is our top choice if you would rather compare than commit to a single lender up front.
A personal loan is a fixed-rate instalment loan: you borrow a lump sum and repay it in equal monthly payments over a set term. People use them to consolidate high-interest credit-card debt, cover home improvements, handle medical bills, or fund a large one-off purchase. Because the rate is fixed, your payment never changes, which makes budgeting far easier than with a credit card.
APR bundles the interest rate and fees into one number, so it is the only fair way to compare offers. A loan advertising a low rate but charging a 9% origination fee can cost more than one with a slightly higher rate and no fees. Advertised "rates from" figures go to the most creditworthy applicants only — compare the APR you are actually quoted.
Lenders have very different floors. SoFi looks for roughly 680+, while Upstart can approve applicants with no credit history at all. If you are unsure where you stand, a marketplace such as Credible, Bankrate or LendingTree will only surface lenders you actually prequalify for — which saves you from wasted applications and hard credit pulls.
Marketplaces like Credible, Bankrate and LendingTree — and lenders such as Upstart and SoFi — let you check estimated rates with a soft pull that does not affect your credit score. Prequalify with two or three, compare the real APRs and monthly payments, then submit one full application. This single step is the easiest way to save money.
A longer term means a lower monthly payment but more total interest. For debt consolidation, choose the shortest term you can comfortably afford — that is where the real savings are. For a renovation you will enjoy for a decade, a longer term can make sense.
A personal loan gives you a fixed rate, a fixed payoff date and no collateral — ideal for consolidating debt or a defined one-off expense. A credit card is more flexible but carries a variable, typically much higher rate, and it is easy to carry a balance indefinitely. A HELOC may offer the lowest rate of all, but it is secured against your home — you risk the property if you cannot repay, and closing takes weeks rather than days.
No. Prequalifying uses a soft credit inquiry, which is invisible to other lenders and has no effect on your score. Only a completed application triggers a hard pull.
Yes, though at higher rates. Upstart is the most accommodating lender on this list because it weighs education and income alongside your credit file. Running your details through Credible or LendingTree will also show which lenders in their networks are willing to work with your score. Adding a co-signer or spending a few months improving your credit will get you a better APR.
Upstart and SoFi can both fund within about one business day of approval. With marketplaces like Credible, Bankrate and LendingTree, funding speed depends on which lender you ultimately choose.
Consistent on-time payments build a positive payment history, and consolidating credit-card balances into a loan often lowers your credit-utilisation ratio — both of which typically help your score over time.
Rates, fees and terms shown above are the lenders' published ranges and can change at any time. Always confirm current terms on the lender's own site before applying. ReviewAgent may earn a commission if you apply through our links — this never affects our rankings.