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Sites like Marcus

Compare online loans with lower rates — or more flexible requirements.

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Anna Serio
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Marcus is the online lending arm of Goldman Sachs. Its interest rates range from 6.99% to 24.99% APR with no origination fees. But it has a limited range of loan amounts and it could be difficult to qualify if you’re self-employed or have an open payday loan.

Like Marcus, these alternatives offer online applications, competitive rates and no or low fees. But some have higher loan amounts or lower interest rates, while others have more lenient eligibility requirements to make it easier to qualify.

Our 6 top picks for sites like Marcus

Alternative for low rates: LightStream

LightStream personal loans

Finder Rating: 4.83 / 5 ★★★★★

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LightStream is the online lending arm of Truist Bank. It has some of the lowest rates – starting at 5.99% APR for a 24-month loan. And its “Rate Beat Program” offers a .10% discount on any competitor's offer on an unsecured loan – when you meet certain conditions. You can get your funds the same day you apply with LightStream. But it's tough to qualify if you don't have good or excellent credit — usually around 670 or higher — and there's no preapproval process to check your rate first.
  • Available in all states
Partner terms and conditions
*Payment example: Monthly payments for a $10,000 loan at 5.95% APR with a term of 3 years would result in 36 monthly payments of $303.99.

Truist Bank is an Equal Housing Lender. © 2020 Truist Financial Corporation. SunTrust, Truist, LightStream, the LightStream logo, and the SunTrust logo are service marks of Truist Financial Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Lending services provided by Truist Bank.

Alternative for debt consolidation: Discover

Discover personal loans

Finder Rating: 4 / 5 ★★★★★

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Discover Bank's rates range from 5.99% – slightly lower than Marcus' starting rate of 6.99% APR – up to a maximum 24.99% APR. Discover's loan amounts range from $2,500 to $35,000, which is similar to Marcus. Like Marcus, Discover can send funds directly to creditors if you want to consolidate debt, but unlike Marcus, offers a 30-day money back guarantee. But there's no discount for autopay and it charges high late fees of $39 with no grace period.
  • Available in all states

Alternative for consolidating student loans: SoFi

SoFi personal loans

Finder Rating: 4.45 / 5 ★★★★★

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SoFi is one of the few online lenders that allows you to consolidate federal and private student loan debt. It offers higher loan amounts than Marcus – up to $100,000. Borrowers get access to perks like free financial advice and career coaching and it's a true no-fee lender: unlike Marcus, it doesn't charge extra interest or late fees if you're late on a repayment. But loans start at a high $5,000 and it can take a month to get your funds.
  • Not available in: Mississippi
Partner terms and conditions
Fixed rates from 7.99% APR to 22.73% APR APR reflect the 0.25% autopay discount and a 0.25% direct deposit discount. SoFi rate ranges are current as of 6/15/22 and are subject to change without notice. Not all rates and amounts available in all states. See Personal Loan eligibility details. Not all applicants qualify for the lowest rate. Lowest rates reserved for the most creditworthy borrowers. Your actual rate will be within the range of rates listed above and will depend on a variety of factors, including evaluation of your credit worthiness, income, and other factors. See APR examples and terms. The SoFi 0.25% AutoPay interest rate reduction requires you to agree to make monthly principal and interest payments by an automatic monthly deduction from a savings or checking account. The benefit will discontinue and be lost for periods in which you do not pay by automatic deduction from a savings or checking account.

Alternative for fair credit: FreedomPlus

Achieve personal loans

Finder Rating: 3.4 / 5 ★★★★★

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FreedomPlus is a top-rated lender, offering debt consolidation loans from $1,000 to $50,000 with rates from 7.99% to 29.99% APR. It accepts fair credit borrowers with scores of 600 and up and offers a generous rate discount if it pays your creditors directly. Repayment terms range from 24 to 24 months, but unlike Marcus, you'll be on the hook for a 1.99% to 4.99% origination fee – which is pretty typical if you have fair credit. If you have excellent credit, go with another lender that doesn't charge origination fees.
  • Available in: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington

Alternative for borrowers new to credit: Upstart

Upstart personal loans

Finder Rating: 4.15 / 5 ★★★★★

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Upstart could be a better fit than Marcus if you're just starting to build your credit. It takes more than your credit score into account when making a lending decision, including your education and career. It also offers a wider range of loan amounts, from $1,000 to $50,000. But skip this one if you can easily qualify with Marcus. Its rates start at a high 6.5% and origination fees run as high as 10%. And it requires a lower DTI ratio than other lenders, so it isn't ideal for debt consolidation.
  • Not available in: West Virginia

Alternative for quality service: Best Egg

Best Egg personal loans

Finder Rating: 3.8 / 5 ★★★★★

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Best egg has higher customer reviews than Marcus on sites like Trustpilot and the Better Business Bureau website. Customers rave about Best Egg´s “easy and fast” application process and its helpful customer service. And unlike Marcus, it accepts fair credit borrowers with scores in the 600's and up. But its origination fees run as high as 8.99% and it can be hard to qualify if you're self-employed. If you have great credit, choose another lender that doesn't charge fees.
  • Not available in: Iowa, Vermont, West Virginia
Partner terms and conditions

*Trustpilot TrustScore as of November 2019. Best Egg loans are unsecured personal loans made by Cross River Bank, a New Jersey State Chartered Commercial Bank, Member FDIC. “Best Egg” is a trademark of Marlette Funding, LLC. All uses of “Best Egg” refer to “the Best Egg personal loan” and/or “Best Egg on behalf of Cross River Bank, as originator of the Best Egg personal loan,” as applicable. The term, amount and APR of any loan we offer to you will depend on your credit score, income, debt payment obligations, loan amount, credit history and other factors. Your loan agreement will contain specific terms and conditions. The timing of available funds upon loan approval may vary depending upon your bank’s policies. Loan amounts range from $2,000–$35,000. Residents of Massachusetts have a minimum loan amount of $6,500 ; New Mexico and Ohio, $5,000; and Georgia, $3,000. For a second Best Egg loan, your total existing Best Egg loan balances cannot exceed $50,000. Annual Percentage Rates (APRs) range from 5.99%–29.99%. The APR is the cost of credit as a yearly rate and reflects both your interest rate and an origination fee of 0.99%–5.99% of your loan amount, which will be deducted from any loan proceeds you receive. The origination fee on a loan term 4-years or longer will be at least 4.99%. Your loan term will impact your APR, which may be higher than our lowest advertised rate. You need a minimum 700 FICO® score and a minimum individual annual income of $100,000 to qualify for our lowest APR. To help the government fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, federal law requires all financial institutions to obtain, verify, and record information that identifies each person who opens an account. When you open an account, we will ask for your name, address, date of birth, and other information that will allow us to identify you.

How does Marcus compare?

Here’s a quick rundown of Marcus’ main advantages and disadvantages:

Pros

  • No fees to apply or take out a loan
  • Defer one payment every 12 months if your payments are on time
  • Service member rates as low as 4%

Cons

  • Late payments penalized with interest
  • Income from self-employment might not count
  • Only offers loans up to $40,000

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