Looking for the best personal loan? The honest answer is that it’s whichever lender offers you the lowest APR, and you won’t know that until you check your rate at a few of them.
So start with a marketplace like Credible, where one form shows you offers from several lenders. Then compare what you get against a direct lender like Upgrade or Prosper.
Rates on this page run from 6.25% to 35.99% APR. That’s a huge range, and where you land depends mostly on your credit. You can check your credit score for free before you apply.
Top Savings Personal Loan Options
| Company | Type | APR range | Loan amounts | Origination fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Credible | Marketplace | 6.25% to 35.99% | Up to $100,000, depending on the lender | None from Credible |
| Upgrade | Lender | 7.74% to 35.99% | $1,000 to $50,000 | 1.85% to 9.99% |
| LendingTree | Marketplace | Varies by lender | Up to $100,000 | None from LendingTree |
| Fiona | Marketplace | Not listed on its site | Not listed on its site | None from Fiona |
| Prosper | Lender | 8.99% to 35.99% | $2,000 to $50,000 | 1% to 9.99% |
A marketplace doesn’t lend you money. It shows you offers from lenders, and the lender you pick sets your rate and may charge its own origination fee.
What Can You Use a Personal Loan For?
Pretty much anything, but these are the common reasons:
- Paying off credit cards
- Consolidating debt into one payment
- Financing a big purchase
- Getting out of debt faster with a lower rate
A personal loan from a reputable lender can be a low-cost way to borrow, but only if the rate beats what you’re paying now. If your credit cards charge more than the APR you’re offered, the loan saves you money. If they don’t, skip it. Only need a few hundred dollars? You might not need a loan at all. Here’s how to make $900 fast.
The 5 Options
Credible
Credible is a marketplace that compares rates from up to 21 lenders. Rates on its site run from 6.25% to 35.99% APR, and its lenders go as high as $100,000.
Checking rates won’t affect your credit score, and Credible doesn’t charge you anything. The lender you choose might charge an origination fee, so read the offer.
How much does your credit matter? A lot. On loans closed through Credible from October 2025 through September 2026, borrowers with scores of 740 to 799 averaged 12.35% APR, and borrowers at 580 to 669 averaged 28.42%.
Upgrade
Upgrade is a direct lender. You can borrow $1,000 to $50,000 for 24 to 84 months, with APRs of 7.74% to 35.99%.
The catch is the origination fee: 1.85% to 9.99%, taken out of your loan before you get it. Borrow $10,000 with a 5% fee and $9,500 lands in your account.
After you accept, your money is sent within one business day of clearing verifications.
LendingTree
LendingTree is another marketplace. You fill out one form and lenders compete for your business, with loans of up to $100,000. It’s free to use.
It doesn’t post one APR range because each lender sets its own.
Fiona
Fiona matches you with offers from a network of more than 100 lenders after a short form. It’s free, and Fiona says using it won’t affect your credit score.
Its site doesn’t list APR or loan amount ranges, so you won’t see numbers until you get your matches.
Prosper
Prosper offers fixed-rate loans of $2,000 to $50,000, with terms of two to six years and APRs from 8.99% to 35.99%.
It charges an origination fee of 1% to 9.99%. You can get your money as soon as one business day after approval.
How to Compare Personal Loan Offers
Look at the APR, not just the interest rate. The APR includes the origination fee, so it’s the real cost of the loan.
Then check the monthly payment and the term. A longer term lowers your payment, but you pay interest for more years.
And don’t formally apply everywhere. Checking your rate is a soft credit check. A full application is a hard one, and it can lower your score. Borrowing less is the cheapest move of all, so look at these side gigs you can start this week and other ways to make money first.
How We Picked
We compared the APR ranges, loan amounts and fees each company lists on its own site on October 12, 2026. These are the five companies this page has always covered, and we kept them in the same order.
Sources (5)
We use primary sources: each company’s own pages.
- Credible. Personal loans. credible.com. Accessed October 12, 2026.
- Upgrade. Personal loans. upgrade.com. Accessed October 12, 2026.
- LendingTree. Personal loans. lendingtree.com. Accessed October 12, 2026.
- Fiona. Home page. fiona.com. Accessed October 12, 2026.
- Prosper. Personal loans. prosper.com. Accessed October 12, 2026.
