BestGuide | Personal Loans

SoFi

4.8 BestGuide's Rating

Flexible loan terms
Unemployment protection
8.99% - 25.81% APR

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Upstart

4.7 BestGuide's Rating

Next-day funding
High likelihood of approval
8.27% - 35.99% APR

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Upgrade

4.7 BestGuide's Rating

No prepayment fees
Accepts joint applications
Loan amounts - $1,000–$50,000

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Lightstream

4.5 BestGuide's Rating

Incredibly easy and extremely fast
Loan amounts - $5,000 - $100,000
Rates: 6.99% - 25.49%

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Happy Money

4.2 BestGuide's Rating

Funded by community-focused lending partners
Loan amounts - $3,000 - $40,000
Rates: 11.72% - 17.99%

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Top Personal Loan Companies by Features and Benefits

Best for Consolidation: Upgrade »
Best for Good Credit: Happy Money »
Best Customer Experience: Upstart »
Best Discounts: Lightstream »
Best for Small Loans: SoFi »

Frequently Asked Questions

Question:

What credit score is needed for a personal loan?

Answer:

To qualify for a personal loan, borrowers generally need a minimum credit score of at least 580 — though certain lenders have even lower requirements than that. However, your chances of getting a low interest personal loan rate are much higher if you have a “very good” or “excellent” credit score of 740 and above.

Ask an expert: Credible »

Question:

Is it better to close the credit card with personal loan?

Answer:

Debt consolidation doesn't automatically close your credit card accounts. But if keeping an account open tempts you to rack up more charges, then it might be a good idea to close the account. However, you might damage your credit scores by closing the account.

Ask an expert: SoFi »

Question:

Is a personal loan a fixed loan?

Answer:

The good news for borrowers is that personal loans are fixed-rate loans, meaning the interest rate remains unchanged from origination to pay-off. Borrowers with a fixed-rate personal loan will not see changes to their interest rate or monthly payments when the Fed raises or lowers rates.

Ask an expert: Happy Money »

Question:

How much debt is too much to consolidate?

Answer:

Debt consolidation is a good idea if monthly debt payments don't exceed 50% of your monthly gross income, and you have enough cash flow to cover debt payments.

Ask an expert: Lending Club »

Our Top Picks

BEST VALUE

SoFi

BOTTOM LINE

Flexible loan terms

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TOP PICK

Upstart

BOTTOM LINE

Next-day funding

Visit Site

How BestGuide Works

At BestGuide, we pride ourselves on transparency. Our recommendations are based on a combination of research, expert insights, and partnerships with brands that support our platform. Yes, brands pay for placement, and we take that into account alongside other key factors like reputation, services, and customer satisfaction to provide you with useful, curated results. Ultimately, we make placement decisions based on what we believe serves both you and our platform best.

Why Trust Us?

Our team carefully evaluates brands using customer reviews, industry trends, sales performance, and direct assessments. In addition, we consider advertising budgets and compensation from our partners. While paid placement is a factor, it’s not the only one—we prioritize brands that demonstrate quality and reliability while meeting the expectations of our audience.

BestGuide Star Ratings: Balancing Data and Judgment

Our star rating system is designed to simplify your decision-making process. It incorporates multiple factors, including customer feedback, brand reputation, satisfaction rates, and sales conversions. While partnerships and advertising budgets do influence rankings, we aim to provide a balanced perspective that highlights standout performers in each industry.

Why Your Results May Vary

Search results on BestGuide are dynamic and may differ depending on when or how you search. Factors such as brand availability, timing, and budget allocations can impact placement. Additionally, updates are processed through global data centers, which may cause slight variations in results depending on your location or when you search. This flexibility allows us to provide the most relevant and up-to-date options tailored to your needs.

Personalized Results for Your Needs

BestGuide also tailors results to match the context of your search. For instance, if you’re looking for home security systems in a specific region, we prioritize brands that can service that area. This ensures your results are as relevant and practical as possible.

The Bottom Line

At BestGuide, we combine research, industry insights, and paid partnerships to bring you curated recommendations that meet your needs. Our approach balances brand compensation with a commitment to quality, ensuring that we provide results you can trust. While paid placements are part of our model, we make decisions thoughtfully, always keeping your best interests in mind.

Best Personal Loan Companies of 2025

Out of 100+ personal loan companies, these stand out for their success rates, customer satisfaction, and BBB ratings. We've done the research for you.

SoFi

Upstart

Upgrade

Lightstream

Happy Money

Top Personal Loan Companies by Features and Benefits

Frequently Asked Questions

Our Top Picks

SoFi

Upstart

How BestGuide Works

Why Trust Us?

BestGuide Star Ratings: Balancing Data and Judgment

Why Your Results May Vary

Personalized Results for Your Needs

BestGuide also tailors results to match the context of your search. For instance, if you’re looking for home security systems in a specific region, we prioritize brands that can service that area. This ensures your results are as relevant and practical as possible.

The Bottom Line