Best Unsecured Loans in 2026
Borrow money without risking your assets
- Unsecured personal loans are backed by your promise to pay instead of by collateral, so you won’t risk your home, car or savings account.
- You’ll get better rates and cheaper loans with good credit (670+ FICO Score), but you could still qualify with bad or fair credit.
- APRs measure the cost of your loan, including interest rates and fees, and currently range from about 6% to 36%. We’ll show you how to measure your loan cost in dollars.
- An unsecured loan is a good option if you want to borrow money with predictable monthly payments without risking your assets.
What is an unsecured loan?
An unsecured personal loan is a loan that’s not backed or “secured” by collateral, like a home, car or savings account.
You’ll borrow a set amount of money and then pay it back — plus interest and fees — in equal monthly payments over a predetermined period of time.
Check out the best unsecured loans according to LendingTree’s objective rating system.
When to get an unsecured loan
Unsecured loans are good for people who want predictable payments without risking valuable assets. Consider getting an unsecured loan when you:
- Don’t want to risk your assets
- Want stable monthly payments that don’t change with the market
- Can afford the monthly payments
- Want to consolidate debt
How to get approved and get low rates
Lenders look at several factors to decide whether to offer you money. The more of these common benchmarks you meet, the better your odds and the lower your rates:
- Good credit: 670+ FICO Score
- Stable employment: Long work history, reliable income
- History of on-time payments: Credit cards, student loans and other accounts paid on time
- Low debt-to-income ratio: You make much more than you owe
Your odds of loan approval are good with a DTI ratio below 35%, but you could still qualify with a DTI ratio up to 50%. Use the LendingTree DTI calculator or do the math yourself:
Monthly debt payments ÷ gross monthly income = DTI ratio
See how much your loan could cost in dollars
1. Find your credit band in the table below. Not sure where you stand? Check your score for free on LendingTree Spring.
| Credit tier | Average APR |
|---|---|
| Excellent (800 and above) | 15.75% |
| Very good (740-799) | 17.89% |
| Good (670-739) | 23.27% |
| Fair (580-669) | 27.79% |
| Poor (under 580) | 30.25% |
Check out our Average LendingTree Personal Loan Rates and Marketplace Data to explore more real borrower data, including the average credit score for LendingTree users who received at least one offer.
2. Plug in the average annual percentage rate (APR) for your credit band. Play with the loan terms until you find a monthly payment you can afford — and a total cost you can live with.
Expert LendingTree tip: Choose the offer with the shortest loan term that still has monthly payments you can afford. This will help you save money on your loan.
Unsecured vs. secured vs. payday loans
| Approval difficulty | Rates | Amounts | Repayment terms | Risk due to nonpayment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unsecured loan | Hard for bad credit, but not impossible | 6% – 36% (slightly higher than secured loans) | $1,000 – $100,000 | 12 – 84 months | Credit score damage, legal repercussions |
| Secured loan | Better than unsecured for bad or limited credit | 6% – 36% (slightly lower than unsecured loans) | $1,000 – $100,000 | 12 – 84 months | Credit score damage, legal repercussions, loss of asset |
| Payday loan | Easiest — lender doesn’t run credit checks or report to credit bureaus | Up to 400% (extremely high) | Up to $500 | Two to four weeks | Credit score damage, legal repercussions, cycle of debt |
Check your unsecured loan offers on LendingTree
You’d shop around for flights. Why not your loan? LendingTree makes it easy. Instead of applying to just one lender and hoping for a good rate, see multiple lenders compete for your business — so you can choose the best offer.
Tell us what you need
Take two minutes to tell us who you are and how much money you need. It’s free, simple and secure.
Shop your offers
LendingTree users get 11 personal loan offers on average. Compare your offers side by side to get the best deal.
Get your money
Users save an average of $1,659 by choosing the offer with the lowest rate. Once you pick a lender and sign your paperwork, you could see money in your account in as little as 24 hours.
Best unsecured loans
| Lender | User rating | Best for | APR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Excellent customer service and no fees | 7.99% to 24.99% | ||
|
Joint unsecured personal loans | 7.99% to 35.99% | ||
|
Unsecured loans for bad credit | 7.23% to 24.00% (Test) |
Read more about how we made our picks for the best unsecured loans.
Best for: Excellent customer service and no fees – Discover
- APR
- 7.99% to 24.99%
The APR ranges from 7.99% to 24.99% APR based on creditworthiness at time of application. Loans up to $35,000. Fast & Easy Process. Terms are 36 to 84 months. No prepayment penalty. This is not a firm offer of credit. Any results displayed are estimates and we do not guarantee the applicability or accuracy to your specific circumstance. For example, for a $15,000 loan with an APR of 10.99% and 60 month term, the estimated monthly payment would be $326. The estimated total cost of the loan in this example would be $19,560.
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- Get money as soon as the next business day
- Repayment assistance options if you can’t make payments
- No fees
- Can’t apply for a loan with another person
- Need good or excellent credit to qualify
- Can only borrow up to $40,000 (other lenders offer $50,000 or higher)
Discover
loans come with no fees and several perks, including repayment assistance programs if you have a hard time keeping up with payments. Once you’re approved, you can get your money as soon as the next business day.
If you have fair or bad credit, look elsewhere. Discover requires a credit score of or higher.
Best for: Joint unsecured personal loans – Upgrade
- APR
- 7.99% to 35.99%
Personal loans made through Upgrade feature Annual Percentage Rates (APRs) of 7.99%-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/.
- Get money in as soon as one business day
- Can send money directly to your creditors if you’re consolidating
- Lets you boost your approval odds by applying with another person
- Fair credit OK
- Charges an origination fee on all loans (1.85%-9.99%)
Lending platform Upgrade lets you boost your chances of approval by applying with another person for a joint personal loan (a loan you share with a co-borrower). You could see your money in your account in as little as one business day.
Unlike some lenders and marketplaces, Upgrade charges a one-time origination fee on every loan.
To qualify for a loan through Upgrade , you must meet the requirements below:
- Age: Be at least 18 years old (19 in some states)
- Citizenship: Be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident or live in the U.S. with a valid visa
- Administrative: Have a valid bank account and email address
- Credit score: 580+
Best for: Unsecured loans for bad credit – Upstart
- APR
- 7.23% to 24.00%
The full range of available rates varies by state. A representative example of payment terms for a Personal Loan is as follows: a borrower receives a loan of $10,000 for a term of 60 months, with an interest rate of 21.58% and a 9.84% origination fee of $984, for an APR of 26.82%. In this example, the borrower will receive $9016 and will make 60 monthly payments of $275. APR is calculated based on 5-year rates offered in December 2023. There is no downpayment and no prepayment penalty. Your APR will be determined based on your credit, income, and certain other information provided in your loan application. Not all applicants will be approved.
QA Test
- Available to borrowers with bad or no credit
- Get money in as soon as one business day
- Considers factors like education and employment, which could make it easier to qualify
- Can’t take out a loan with another person
- Only two repayment terms to choose from (12 or 84 months)
- May charge a one-time origination fee
Upstart is a lending marketplace that lets you check if you prequalify for an unsecured personal loan with partner lenders. You could get your money in as little as one business day after approval.
Upstart only offers two loan terms, which could make it hard to customize your loan to your needs. Short-term loans could help you save money on interest, while long-term loans could help you get lower monthly payments in exchange for paying more in interest.
Upstart has transparent eligibility requirements, including:
- Age: Be 18 or older
- Administrative: Have a U.S. address, personal banking account, email address and Social Security number
- Income: Have a valid source of income, including a job, job offer or another regular income source
- Credit-related factors: No bankruptcies within the last three years, reasonable number of recent inquiries on your credit report and no current delinquencies
- Credit score: None
Alternatives to unsecured loans
| Loan alternative | How does it work? | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Credit card | Borrow money and pay it back again and again with a card | Easy to use, good for everyday purchases and small emergencies | Can only borrow up to your credit limit, easy to rack up debt |
| Personal line of credit | Borrow money and pay it back again and again with a loan | Lower rates than credit cards | Typically need good credit, uncommon and hard to find |
| Cash advance | Borrow money from your credit card | Quick cash, easy to use in an emergency | Can be extremely expensive |
Why use LendingTree?
$3B+ in funding
In 2025 alone, LendingTree helped find over $3 billion in funding for people seeking personal loans.
$1,659 in savings
LendingTree users save $1,659 on average just by shopping and comparing rates.
360,000+ loans
In 2025, LendingTree helped find funding for over 360,000 personal loans.
What sets LendingTree content apart
Expert
Our personal loan writers and editors have 52 years of combined editorial experience and 42 years of combined personal finance experience.
Verified
100% of our content is reviewed by certified personal finance professionals and meets compliance and legal standards.
Trustworthy
We put your interests first. We’ll tell you about any loan drawbacks and be clear about when to consider alternatives.
How we chose the best unsecured loans
We reviewed more than 40 lenders and loan marketplaces to determine the overall best unsecured loans. To make our list, lenders must offer unsecured loans with competitive APRs.
From there, we assessed each lender or marketplace across four categories: eligibility and access; cost to borrow; loan terms and options; repayment support and tools.
According to our standardized rating system, the best unsecured loans come from , Discover , , Upgrade and Upstart .
Our categories
We assess how easy it is for people to qualify and apply. This includes state availability, soft-credit prequalification, membership requirements, funding speed and whether borrowers with less-than-excellent credit can get a loan.
We evaluate how affordable the loans are based on minimum and maximum APRs, loan fees and rate discounts. Lenders with unclear or potentially predatory costs receive lower scores.
We consider repayment term flexibility, loan amount ranges and whether options like secured loans, joint loans or direct-to-creditor payments are offered — plus whether the lender clearly communicates these options.
We evaluate borrower experience after funding: customer service access, hardship or forbearance programs, payment flexibility and digital tools like mobile apps or credit monitoring.
Our process
We gather data directly from lenders through their websites, disclosures and direct communication with company representatives. Our editorial team verifies and updates information regularly. We value transparency and award less favorable scores when lenders obscure or omit details.
Our editorial team applies the same scoring model and standards to every lender. Lenders cannot pay to influence our ratings. Read more about our editorial guidelines.
Why trust LendingTree’s methodology?
LendingTree’s writers and editors diligently vet dozens of lenders to narrow down which ones offer the most affordable rates and a customer-centered experience. We have ongoing conversations with loan companies to ensure accuracy and collect first-person feedback to understand the holistic process of getting and repaying a loan.
Using my financial health counseling certification, I’m here to walk you through the important — and sometimes stressful — process of understanding your personal finances and credit.
Amanda’s experience in editing and financial education helps shape LendingTree articles that are clear, accurate and truly useful to readers. Her certification means our recommendations are built on a foundation of consumer-first financial knowledge — not just numbers.
Frequently asked questions
Unsecured debt isn’t backed by collateral. Credit card debt is typically unsecured, so your credit card company can’t take your property if you stop making payments. Mortgage debt, on the other hand, is secured. You could lose your home if you default.
Personal loans can be secured or unsecured, but unsecured loans are more common. People sometimes choose secured loans to get better approval odds or lower rates. Secured loans are also common when the loan is used to pay for property, like a mortgage or car loan.
Yes, unsecured loans can be a safe way to borrow money, but it’s up to you to make sure you understand your loan and can afford your payments. Read your loan agreement carefully and check the total cost of interest — it can be high, especially for long loans with high APRs.
Before you sign, make sure you can afford your monthly payment. Missing payments can hurt your credit and eventually land your account in collections.