Best Online Loans in September 2025
You could get cash today with these online personal loans
| Lender | User rating | Best for | APR | Term | Amount | Min. credit score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Excellent customer service | 7.99% – 24.99% | 36 to 84 months |
$2.5k – $40k |
202 |
| Lender |
|
|---|---|
| User rating | |
| Best for | Excellent customer service |
| APR | |
| Term | 36 to 84 months |
| Amount | $2.5k – $40k |
| Min. credit score | 202 |
Online personal loan lenders at a glance
Best For: excellent customer service
- Three repayment assistance options if you’re having trouble paying
- Customer service is based in the U.S. and available seven days a week
- 97% of LendingTree users recommend Discover
- Need good credit and $40,000+ annual income
- Can’t add a second person to your loan
Discover makes it easy to apply for your loan online — you can even use your phone to upload supporting documents. Once you’ve accepted your loan, you can manage your payments on your phone with the Discover app.
Discover lets eligible borrowers temporarily postpone past-due payments or reduce their payments in case of financial hardship. For a permanent solution, some borrowers can even extend their repayment terms. This will result in a lower monthly payment (but more overall interest).
You can finalize your loan online and get your money as soon as the following business day. Unfortunately, Discover doesn’t let you add a co-borrower to boost your odds of getting a loan.
Discover funded more than 3,000 online personal loans through the LendingTree marketplace in 2024.
Online loan calculator
Online loans: The basics
An online loan is a personal loan that you get online instead of at a physical bank or credit union. An online loan will give you a lump sum of money that you pay back in monthly installments, plus interest.
Online loans have fixed interest rates, so your monthly payment will be the same each month (unlike with a credit card). You can use a personal loan for nearly anything, including emergencies like car repairs and moving costs.
Online loans for bad credit
When your score is too low for a traditional lender, it’s hard to know where to turn. The lenders below specialize in bad credit online loans.
Before you borrow from these lenders (or any lender that charges high interest rates), have a plan to pay your loan off early. The longer your loan is open, the more interest you’ll rack up. These loans are very expensive and not something to take lightly. Use a personal loan calculator to see how much your loan will cost you.
The lenders below are not available in all states. Some may require you to visit a store location, depending on where you live.
| Lender | APR range | Loan amounts | Repayment terms |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACE Cash Express* | Not specified | $100-$2,000 | Up to 180 days |
| CheckSmart* | 146.74%-391.07% | $100-$825 | 14 to 30 days |
| Credit Ninja | Not specified | $300-$5,000 | Up to 24 months |
| OppLoans | 160.00%-179.00% | $500-$4,000 | 9 to 18 months |
| Plain Green Loans | Up to 699.00% | Up to $4,500 | 6 to 24 months |
| RISE | 59.80%-299.00% | $500-$5,000 | 7 to 36 months |
Types of online loans
It can be hard to tell the difference between traditional online personal loans, bad credit online loans and online payday loans. Take a look at the definitions below to see the variations between these three options.
Online personal loan: An online personal loan has longer repayment terms, larger loan amounts and lower APRs. You generally need a credit score of at least 670 to get an affordable rate, but you may still qualify with fair or bad credit. The maximum APR on these loans is usually 35.99%.
Bad credit online loan: Bad credit loans have shorter repayment terms, smaller loan amounts and very high APRs. Many of these lenders don’t have a minimum credit score requirement. They may also not report on-time payments to the three credit bureaus. If this is the case, the loan won’t help your FICO score.
Online payday loan: Online payday loans charge outrageous APRs (or excessive fees) and have super-short repayment terms. Typically, the lender will automatically deduct what you owe on the date your next paycheck hits. If you don’t have enough to pay your original loan, you might be forced to take out another loan to pay for it, snowballing into a cycle of debt.
Average online loan rates by credit score
Loan rates vary by credit score, and improving yours is a great way to save money. Raising your credit from fair (580 to 669) to very good (740 to 799) could save you more than $39,000 in interest. That goes for credit cards, auto loans and mortgages, not just online loans.
To get a better idea of what rate you might get, your best bet is to prequalify with a handful of lenders. But you can get started with the average online loan rates below.
| Credit score range | Average APR | Monthly payment | Interest | Total cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 800-850 (excellent) | 12.50% | $132.90 | $1,379.20 | $6,379.20 |
| 740-799 (very good) | 15.74% | $141.04 | $1,769.75 | $6,769.75 |
| 670-739 (good) | 28.72% | $176.33 | $3,463.69 | $8,463.69 |
| 580-669 (fair) | 92.45% | $396.46 | $14,029.85 | $19,029.85 |
| 300-579 (poor) | 260.34% | $1,084.84 | $47,072.20 | $52,072.20 |
Get free, personalized recommendations on how to improve each of the factors that affect your credit score with LendingTree Spring. We’ll show you how your credit stacks up and what to do to boost your score.
Easiest loans to get online
Some lending platforms offer easy online experiences when it comes to applying for a personal loan. You can avoid having to visit a branch and apply for an online loan from the comfort of your home. Here are some of the easiest online loans you can get:
- LightStream: Competitive rates for excellent credit
- Upstart: Bad or no credit
- First Tech: Small loans
- Discover: Excellent customer service
- Upgrade: Those who want to switch banks
- Rocket Loans: Easy application process
- Achieve: Interest rate discounts
- SoFi: Same-day loans
Qualifying for online loans with bad credit
If you have bad or no credit, there are steps you can take to make it easier to qualify for online loans.
Secured loans: A secured loan requires collateral. For online personal loans, collateral is usually your car or a bank account. If you don’t pay back your loan, the lender will take your collateral. Since it knows it can recoup some of its losses, the lender might be more willing to give you a loan.
Joint loans: A joint loan is one that you take out with another person, called a co-borrower. Your co-borrower acts as a guarantee, and they have the same access to the loan as you. If you make late payments, both of your credit scores will go down.
How to find an online loan with LendingTree
1. Tell us what you need
Fill out one quick online form to gain access to our exclusive network of lenders (America’s largest). Checking rates is free and doesn’t hurt your credit.
2. Get free offers
Shopping for an online loan is like shopping for insurance — you have to compare offers to find the best rates. Let us do the legwork for you and match with up to five lenders in just a few clicks.
3. Save and win
Once you find the best online loan, it’s time to formally apply and get your cash. Don’t worry — we’ll be there every step of the way.
Why do millions of Americans trust LendingTree?
25+ years in business. 110+ million Americans served. $260+ billion in funded loans.
Security
Instead of sharing information with multiple lenders, fill out one simple, secure form in five minutes or less.
Savings
We’ll match you with up to five lenders from our network of 300+ lenders (America’s largest) who will call to compete for your business.
Support
We provide ongoing support with free credit monitoring, budgeting insights and personalized recommendations to help you save.
Online loan alternatives
Online payday alternative loan (PAL)
A payday alternative loan (PAL) is a more affordable version of a payday loan available only at federal credit unions.
You can borrow from $200 to $2,000 and have one to 12 months to pay it back, depending on the size of your loan. Best of all, interest rates are capped at 28.00%.
Here are some credit unions that offer easy online membership as well as online PALs:
-
Digital Federal Credit Union (DCU)
DCU calls its PAL a Quick Loan. Rates start at 17.99%, and loans have maximum repayment terms of 12 months. You can meet DCU’s membership requirements by joining a partner organization for a small fee (starting at $10 a year). -
Teachers Federal Credit Union
You can get $200-$1,000 with a Teacher’s Short-Term Loan. Repayment terms range from one to six months. You must be a member for at least a month before you’re eligible. Membership is open to everyone. -
Veridian Credit Union
To get a PAL from Veridian Credit Union, you must have direct deposit set up with a Veridian checking account. Still, with a rate of 19.00% (with autopay), it could be worth it. You can join Veridian Credit Union by donating at least $5 to Habitat for Humanity of Iowa.
Paycheck advance apps
Paycheck advance apps let you borrow money early from your paycheck. When payday comes, the app will deduct what you borrowed from your checking account. Most paycheck advance apps don’t charge interest. Instead, they charge fees or ask for a tip.
If you only need a little bit to get through the week, a paycheck advance app could be a good option. Don’t get into the habit of using them all the time, though. The cycle can be hard to break.
Buy now, pay later
Buy now, pay later (BNPL) apps let you break up retail purchases into smaller payments, usually four paid over six weeks. Like paycheck advance apps, BNPL apps don’t usually charge interest unless you’re getting longer-term financing. But fees can add up, and you could end up buying stuff you don’t really need since they’re so easy to use.
Frequently asked questions
No-credit-check loans and payday loans are easy online loans. But the easier a loan is to get, the higher the interest usually is. It’s not uncommon for these loans to come with triple-digit APRs.
If you’re worried that you won’t qualify for an online personal loan, consider Upstart. Loans through the Upstart platform only require a score of 300 and have a maximum APR of 35.99%.
You could use a paycheck advance app like EarnIn or Dave. Paycheck advance apps lend smaller amounts and don’t typically charge interest (instead, they may charge fees).
You could also apply for an emergency loan — most of these lenders offer same- or next-day funds. These personal loans usually start at $1,000, but you might find smaller loans with a bank or credit union.
They can be, but fully vet your lender and know the signs of predatory lending. Read LendingTree’s lender reviews to get a feel for what the company has to offer, and read customer reviews to hear other borrowers’ experiences.
Also, always make sure the lender’s website is secured and encrypted. Look for the lock symbol at the left side of your address bar. If the website has a lot of typos or otherwise seems sketchy, move on to another lender.
Our methodology
We reviewed more than 30 lenders to determine the overall best eight personal loans. To make our list, lenders must offer a fully online loan application process with competitive APRs. From there, we prioritize lenders based on the following factors:
Accessibility. Lenders are ranked higher if their personal loans are available to more people and require fewer conditions. This may include lower credit requirements, wider geographic availability, faster funding and easier and more transparent prequalification and application processes.
Rates and terms. We prioritize lenders with more competitive fixed rates, fewer fees and greater options for repayment terms, loan amounts and APR discounts.
Repayment experience. For starters, we consider each lender’s reputation and business practices. We also favor lenders that report to all major credit bureaus, offer reliable customer service and provide any unique perks to customers, like free wealth coaching.
According to our standardized rating system, the best online loans come from LightStream, Upstart, First Tech, Discover, Upgrade, Rocket Loans, Achieve and SoFi.