The Motley Fool Money's 2025 Personal Loan Awards
The best personal loans for low interest, debt consolidation, emergencies, and more
To determine the Best Personal Loans awards for 2025, The Motley Fool Money's experts evaluated accounts with our ratings model, focusing on industry factors and user benefits, including:
- Competitive APRs
- Variety of loan options
- Low to no fees
Special attention was also paid to:
- Autopay discounts
- Customer service
- Loan amounts
- Term offerings
Best Personal Loan Overall
SoFi Personal Loans
SoFi Personal Loans stands out in the personal loan landscape by offering competitive interest rates and a generous loan limit of up to $100,000. By opening a SoFi® checking or savings account and setting up auto-pay, you can enjoy a 0.25% rate reduction, which can be stacked for a total of 0.5% if you do both. Plus, there are no origination fees, late fees, or prepayment penalties, and you can benefit from same-day funding for added convenience.
*SoFi Personal Loan Disclaimer
Fixed rates from 8.99% APR to 29.99% APR. APR reflects the 0.25% autopay discount and a 0.25% direct deposit discount.
SoFi Platform personal loans are made either by SoFi Bank, N.A. or , Cross River Bank, a New Jersey State Chartered Commercial Bank, Member FDIC, Equal Housing Lender. SoFi may receive compensation if you take out a loan originated by Cross River Bank. These rate ranges are current as of 3/06/24 and are subject to change without notice.Not all rates and amounts available in all states. See SoFi Personal Loan eligibility details at https://www.sofi.com/eligibility-criteria/#eligibility-personal. Not all applicants qualify for the lowest rate. Lowest rates reserved for the most creditworthy borrowers. Your actual ratewill be within the range of rates listed above and will depend on a variety of factors, including evaluation of your credit worthiness, income, and other factors.
Loan amounts range from $5,000–$100,000. The APR is the cost of credit as a yearly rate and reflects both your interest rate and an origination fee of 9.99% of your loan amount for Cross River Bank originated loans which will be deducted from any loan proceeds you receive and for SoFi Bank originated loans have an origination fee of 0%-7%, will be deducted from any loan proceeds you receive.
Autopay: The SoFi 0.25% autopay interest rate reduction requires you to agree to make monthly principal and interest payments by an automatic monthly deduction from a savings or checking account. The benefit will discontinue and be lost for periods in which you do not pay by automatic deduction from a savings or checking account. Autopay is not required to receive a loan from SoFi.
Direct Deposit Discount: To be eligible to potentially receive an additional (0.25%) interest rate reduction for setting up direct deposit with a SoFi Checking and Savings account offered by SoFi Bank, N.A. or eligible cash management account offered by SoFi Securities, LLC (“Direct Deposit Account”), you must have an open Direct Deposit Account within 30 days of the funding of your Loan. Once eligible, you will receive this discount during periods in which you have enabled payroll direct deposits of at least $1,000/month to a Direct Deposit Account in accordance with SoFi’s reasonable procedures and requirements to be determined at SoFi’s sole discretion. This discount will be lost during periods in which SoFi determines you have turned off direct deposits to your Direct Deposit Account. You are not required to enroll in direct deposits to receive a Loan.
Impact to credit score: To check the rates and terms you may qualify for, SoFi conducts a soft credit pull that will not affect your credit score. However, if you choose a product and continue your application, we will request your full credit report from one or more consumer reporting agencies, which is considered a hard credit pull and may affect your credit.
Best Low-Interest Personal Loan
LightStream
LightStream offers some of the lowest rates on personal loans, as well as high loan limits. Also, LightStream doesn't charge fees, and it prioritizes customer service, even paying unhappy customers for their feedback.
Rates quoted are with AutoPay. Your loan terms are not guaranteed and may vary based on loan purpose, length of loan, loan amount, credit history and payment method (AutoPay or Invoice). AutoPay discount is only available when selected prior to loan funding. Rates without AutoPay are 0.50% points higher. To obtain a loan, you must complete an application on LightStream.com which may affect your credit score. You may be required to verify income, identity and other stated application information. Payment example: Monthly payments for a $10,000 loan at 8.49% APR with a term of 5 years would result in 60 monthly payments of $205.12. Some additional conditions and limitations apply. Advertised rates and terms are subject to change without notice. Truist Bank is an Equal Housing Lender. © 2024 Truist Financial Corporation. Truist, LightStream, and the LightStream logo are service marks of Truist Financial Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Lending services provided by Truist Bank.
Best Personal Loan for Renovations
Wells Fargo Personal Loan
Wells Fargo Personal Loan offers unsecured personal loans up to $100,000 -- ideal for remodeling a home. Rates are among the lowest you'll find, and Wells Fargo checking account holders can get an interest rate discount for even more savings.
Best Emergency Loan
Upstart
Because loans can be funded in one day, Upstart is a great choice for emergency loans. Overall, Upstart can accommodate a wide range of borrowers with different need, offering flexible lending guidelines, small loans, and low rates to qualified applicants.
*Upstart Loan Disclaimer
The full range of available rates varies by state. The average 3-year loan offered across all lenders using the Upstart platform will have an APR of 21.97% and 36 monthly payments of $35 per $1,000 borrowed. For example, the total cost of a $10,000 loan would be $12,646 including a $626 origination fee. APR is calculated based on 3-year rates offered in the last 1 month. There is no down payment and no prepayment penalty. Your APR will be determined based on your credit, income, and certain other information provided in your loan application.
Best Debt Consolidation Loan
Upgrade
Upgrade is a solid choice for those seeking flexible loans with a high maximum loan amount, long repayment terms, and secured and unsecured options. We love that you can access funding quickly—often in just one day. While there’s an origination fee, you won’t face a prepayment penalty. Additionally, even though Upgrade's APR is higher than others, you can score better rates by using some of the funds to pay off other debt or offering collateral.
Personal loans made through Upgrade feature Annual Percentage Rates (APRs) of 9.99%-35.99%. All personal loans have a 1.85% to 9.99% 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 17.59% APR (which includes a 13.94% 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 $341.48. Over the life of the loan, your payments would total $12,293.46. 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 bank partners. Information on Upgrade's bank partners can be found at https://www.upgrade.com/bank-partners/.