Log in Join
Finder makes money from featured partners, but editorial opinions are our own. Advertiser disclosure

Loans like Upstart

Compare companies like Upstart – and find a loan with lower rates or discounts.

Avatar

By

Kat Aoki

Edited by

Holly Jennings

Reviewed by

Anna Serio

Updated

Upstart is a popular online lender that looks beyond your credit score when making a lending decision — ideal if you have a limited credit history. But it charges origination fees of up to 8%, and you might be able to find a better deal elsewhere.

Our team has reviewed over 120 lenders to help you compare Upstart’s competitors at a glance. We looked at factors like interest rates, fees, credit score requirements and lending flexibility to help you find the best alternatives to Upstart.

Our 7 top picks for sites like Upstart

Alternative for good credit borrowers: Best Egg

Best Egg personal loans

3.8 / 5 ★★★★★

Go to site

Best Egg is an online lender that requires a minimum credit score of 640 to qualify. Its interest rates are lower than Upstart's, but its origination fees range from 0.99% and 8.99%. And it might be more difficult to qualify with Best Egg if you're still building your credit profile.

Because Best Egg relies on more traditional underwriting criteria than Upstart, borrowers with at least three years of credit history may have an easier time qualifying with this lender. And as with many personal loan providers, it may be difficult to qualify if you're self-employed.

  • Not available in: Iowa, Vermont, West Virginia
Partner terms and conditions
*Trustpilot TrustScore as of December 2022. Best Egg personal loans, including the Best Egg Secured Loan, are made by Cross River Bank, a New Jersey State Chartered Commercial Bank, Member FDIC, Equal Housing Lender or Blue Ridge Bank, a Nationally Chartered Bank, Member FDIC, Equal Housing Lender. “Best Egg” is a trademark of Marlette Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation. All uses of “Best Egg” refer to “the Best Egg personal loan”, “the Best Egg Secured Loan”, and/or “Best Egg on behalf of Cross River Bank or Blue Ridge 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, debtpayment obligations, loan amount, credit history and other factors. Your loan agreement will contain specific terms and conditions. About half of our customers get their money the next day. After successful verification, your money can be deposited in your bank account within 1-3 business days. The timing of available funds upon loan approval may vary depending upon your bank’s policies. Loan amounts range from $2,000– $50,000. Residents of Massachusetts have a minimum loan amount of $6,500 ; Ohio, $5,000; and Georgia, $3,000. TO REPORT A PROBLEM OR COMPLAINT WITH THIS LENDER, YOU MAY WRITE OR CALL Joseph Walsh – Operations Manager, Email: ccrt-resolution@bestegg.com, Address: P.O. Box 42912, Philadelphia, PA 19101, Phone: 1-855-82-6353. This lender is licensed and regulated by the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department, Financial Institutions Division, P.O. Box 25101, 2550 Cerrillos Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87504. To report any unresolved problems or complaints, contact the division by telephone at (505) 476-4885 or visit the website https://www.rld.nm.gov/financial-institutions/.

For a second Best Egg loan, your total existing Best Egg loan balances cannot exceed $100,000. Annual Percentage Rates (APRs) range from 8.99%–35.99%. The APR is the cost of credit as a yearly rate and reflects both your interest rate and an origination fee of 0.99%–8.99% 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. For example: a 5‐year $10,000 loan with 9.99% APR has 60 scheduled monthly payments of $201.81, and a 3‐year $5,000 loan with 7.99% APR has 36 scheduled monthly payments of $155.12. 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. What this means for you: 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. We may also ask to see your driver’s license or other identifying documents. Best Egg products are not available if you live in Iowa, Vermont, West Virginia, the District of Columbia, or U.S. Territories.
Pros
  • Stellar customer reviews from Trustpilot and the BBB
  • Multiple repayment methods, including Western Union Quick Collect
  • Ranked #1 loan company in 2021
Cons
  • High origination and late payment fees
  • Harder to qualify if you're self-employed
  • Not available in all states
Loan amount$2,000 to $50,000
APR8.99% to 35.99%
Interest Rate TypeFixed
Min. credit score640
Turnaround Time1 to 2 business days
Maximum Loan Term5 years
Minimum Loan Term3 years

Alternative for young professionals: SoFi

SoFi personal loans

4.45 / 5 ★★★★★

Go to site
On top of to offering low-cost personal loans, SoFi offers over 14 perks once you become a borrower, such as unemployment protection and rate discounts on future SoFi loans. The company aims to help its customers — called members — reach financial freedom and build a strong career. Amounts range from $5,000 to $100,000, with terms from 36 to 84 months. However, Upstart accepts borrowers of nearly all credit types — SoFi requires good to excellent credit to qualify.
  • Available in all states
Pros
  • Competitive rates
  • Flexible loan terms
  • Multiple perks as SoFi borrower
Cons
  • Need good credit, 680+
  • High minimum loan amount
  • Turnaround time up to 30 days
Loan amount$5,000 to $100,000
APR8.99% to 25.81%
Interest Rate TypeFixed
Min. credit score680
Turnaround TimeAs soon as the same day
Maximum Loan Term7 years
Minimum Loan Term3 years

Alternative for payment flexibility: Upgrade

Upgrade personal loans

4 / 5 ★★★★★

Go to site
Upgrade and Upstart offer the same loan amounts and have similar credit score requirements, interest rates and fees — and both charge origination fees as high as 9.99%. But unlike Upstart, Upgrade offers the option to defer two repayments, change your due date or make a partial payment if you're facing financial hardship. This gives you a little more leeway if you're taking out a loan during a period of economic uncertainty.
  • Not available in: Colorado, Iowa, Maryland, Vermont, West Virginia
Partner terms and conditions

Personal loans made through Upgrade feature APRs of 5.94%-35.97%. All personal loans have a 2.9% to 8% origination fee, which is deducted from the loan proceeds. Lowest rates require Autopay and paying off a portion of existing debt directly. Loans feature repayment terms of 24 to 84 months. For example, if you receive a $10,000 loan with a 36-month term and a 17.98% APR (which includes a 14.32% yearly interest rate and a 5% one-time origination fee), you would receive $9,500 in your account and would have a required monthly payment of $343.33. Over the life of the loan, your payments would total $12,359.97. The APR on your loan may be higher or lower and your loan offers may not have multiple term lengths available. Actual rate depends on credit score, credit usage history, loan term, and other factors. Late payments or subsequent charges and fees may increase the cost of your fixed rate loan. There is no fee or penalty for repaying a loan early. Personal loans issued by Upgrade's lending partners. Information on Upgrade's lending partners can be found at https://www.upgrade.com/lending-partners/.
Pros
  • Similar eligibility as Upstart
  • Lower starting APR than Upstart
  • Hardship program to help with payments
Cons
  • Origination fee as high as 9.99%
  • High starting APR compared to other lenders
  • Requires at least $1000 in free monthly cash flow
Loan amount$1,000 to $50,000
APR8.49% to 35.99%
Interest Rate TypeFixed
Min. credit score620
Turnaround Time1 to 4 business days
Maximum Loan Term7 years
Minimum Loan Term2 years

Alternative for self-employed borrowers: Avant

Avant personal loans

3.45 / 5 ★★★★★

Go to site

Like Upstart, Avant is more lenient than most lenders for self-employed borrowers. There's no minimum credit score to apply, and it looks at a range of factors when deciding, including your income and repayment history.

But its rates start higher than Upstart, and it offers a more limited range of loans: from $2,000 to $35,000 with rates starting from 9.95%. Avant charges an administrative fee of up to 4.75% on its loans, but this is lower than Upstart's maximum fee of 8%.

  • Not available in: Colorado, Hawaii, Iowa, Nevada, New York, Vermont, West Virginia
Partner terms and conditions
Personal loans from $2,000–$35,000. If approved, the actual loan amount, term, and APR that a customer qualifies for may vary based on credit determination and other factors. Avant branded credit products are issued by WebBank, member FDIC.
Pros
  • No minimum credit score required
  • Self-employed income accepted
  • Preapproval won't impact your credit score
Cons
  • Recently settled a lawsuit with the FTC
  • Low maximum loan amount of $35,000
  • Not available in all states
Loan amount$2,000 to $35,000
APR9.95% to 35.99%
Interest Rate TypeFixed
Min. credit score580
Turnaround TimeAs soon as the next business day
Maximum Loan Term5 years
Minimum Loan Term2 years

Alternative for fast funding: LightStream

LightStream personal loans

4.83 / 5 ★★★★★

Go to site

LightStream is slightly faster than Upstart. Where Upstart offers next-day financing, LightStream can fund your loan the same you apply — if you sign the closing documents by 2:30 p.m. ET. It also offers some of the lowest rates out there, starting at just 7.99%. And unlike Upstart, there are no fees.

But save this lender for after you've established a strong credit history. It has higher credit standards than most online lenders, and it's one of the few that doesn't allow you to prequalify without dinging your credit score. It also doesn't offer loans under $5,000.

  • 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.
Pros
  • Same-day funding
  • Lower APR than Upstart
  • No fees
Cons
  • Difficult to qualify
  • No prequalification
  • No loans under $5,000
Loan amount$5,000 to $100,000
APR7.99% to 25.49%
Interest Rate TypeFixed
Min. credit scoreGood to excellent credit
Turnaround TimeAs soon as same day
Maximum Loan Term12 years
Minimum Loan Term2 years

Alternative for debt consolidation: Achieve

Achieve personal loans

3.4 / 5 ★★★★★

Go to site
Achieve offers personal loans from $1,000 to $100,000. A discount is also available if Achieve pays your creditors directly for debt consolidation, and other discounts are also up for grabs. Upstart may accept borrowers of all credit types, but Achieve also works with bad to fair credit borrowers, accepting credit scores as low as 620. Its rates range from 7.99% to 29.99%, coming with a lower max rate than Upstart. There is an origination fee of 1.99% to 5.99%, but it's still lower than Upstart's max origination fee of 10%. Additionally, Achieve allows for coappliants — unlike Upstart.
  • 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
Pros
  • Multiple discounts available
  • Pays creditors directly
  • Bad and fair credit OK
  • No prepayment penalties
  • Coappliants accepted
Cons
  • Origination fee
  • Only serves 39 states
  • High minimum amount of $5,000
Loan amount$1,000 to $100,000
APR7.99% to 29.99%
Interest Rate TypeFixed
Min. credit score620
Turnaround TimeAs soon as the next business day
Maximum Loan Term5 years
Minimum Loan Term2 years

Alternative for peer-to-peer loans: Prosper

Prosper personal loans

3.42 / 5 ★★★★★

Go to site

Prosper offers investor-funded loans and is one of the pioneers of peer-to-peer lending. Like Upstart, it's designed as an alternative to banks and offers a simple online application. But its credit requirements and interest rates are higher — even if it charges a lower origination fee.

It can also take up to five business days to get loan approval, which is longer than Upstart's maximum of three business days. It also gets less favorable customer reviews on sites like Trustpilot, possibly due to the longer funding times required.

  • Not available in: Iowa, North Dakota, West Virginia
Pros
  • Fair credit is ok
  • Medical loans available
  • Accepts 50% debt-to-income ratio
Cons
  • Origination fee of 2.41% to 5%
  • High maximum APR of 35.99%
  • Approval may take up to five business days
Loan amount$2,000 to $50,000
APR6.99% to 35.99%
Interest Rate TypeFixed
Min. credit score600
Turnaround TimeUp to 14 business days
Maximum Loan Term5 years
Minimum Loan Term3 years

How does Upstart compare?

Upstart has some of the most flexible lending criteria among personal loan lenders. Borrowers can choose from either personal loans or auto refinance loans. Here are the main pros and cons of this lender.

Pros

  • 300 minimum credit score requirement
  • Considers alternative criteria like your education and career
  • Gets good customer reviews online

Cons

  • Origination fee up to 12%
  • Only two terms to choose from
  • No mobile app to manage loans

More guides on Finder

Ask an Expert

Finder.com provides guides and information on a range of products and services. Because our content is not financial advice, we suggest talking with a professional before you make any decision.

By submitting your comment or question, you agree to our Privacy and Cookies Policy and finder.com Terms of Use.

Questions and responses on finder.com are not provided, paid for or otherwise endorsed by any bank or brand. These banks and brands are not responsible for ensuring that comments are answered or accurate.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Go to site