Whether you have bad credit (under 580) or are looking to find the best rate as you rebuild, lender choice matters. We compared top lenders across the credit spectrum on the five things that decide what you'll really pay: APR range, fees, minimum score, loan sizes, and funding speed.
All figures reflect each lender's advertised ranges as of our last update. Your actual offer depends on your credit profile, income, and state.
| Lender | Best for | Loan amounts | APR range | Min. credit score | Funding speed |
|---|
Bad credit loans carry higher APRs, so the monthly payment — not the loan amount — is what decides affordability. Estimate yours before you apply.
Personal loan pricing is driven primarily by your credit band. These are typical APR ranges by score tier across the online lending market.
| Credit tier | Score range | Typical personal loan APR | What to expect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Excellent | 740+ | ~7% – 15% | Best pricing, largest amounts, most lender choice |
| Good | 670 – 739 | ~12% – 22% | Competitive offers from most online lenders |
| Fair | 580 – 669 | ~18% – 33% | Approvals common, but compare fees carefully |
| Poor | Below 580 | ~28% – 36% | Fewer lenders; income and DTI matter more than score |
Our editorial ratings weight what matters most when your score limits your options: what the loan costs, whether you can actually qualify, and how fast money arrives.
APR range (maximum APR weighted heaviest), origination fees, late fees, prepayment penalties, and autopay discounts.
Minimum credit score, minimum income requirement, use of alternative underwriting data, co-signer options, and state coverage.
Prequalification with soft pull, online application quality, average time from approval to funding.
Range of amounts and terms, direct payment to creditors for consolidation, mobile account management.
Clarity of rate disclosure, fee visibility before application, and credit bureau reporting for score rebuilding.
Ratings reflect published lender terms and our editorial judgment. Partner compensation affects placement, never scores.
The order of operations matters — done right, you can compare real offers without a single hard inquiry until you're ready to accept.
Get your free reports from all three bureaus and dispute any errors — removing one wrong collection item can move your score more than months of on-time payments.
With subprime scores, lenders lean on your monthly income and debt-to-income ratio. Most want total debt payments under roughly 45–50% of gross income.
Prequalification uses a soft credit check that doesn't touch your score. Getting 3–4 real quotes is the single highest-leverage step in the whole process.
A longer term shrinks the payment but inflates total interest. Compare APR and total repaid — the calculator above does this in ten seconds.
Only the final application triggers a hard pull. Verify the APR, origination fee, payment date, and whether there's any prepayment penalty before you sign.