Best Egg vs. LightStream Personal Loans (2026): Which Is Better for Your Needs?

Quick Summary: Best Egg offers loans with quick funding and solid interest rates to fair-credit borrowers and above, while LightStream has even lower rates and larger loans but caters to customers with good-to-excellent credit.

MoneyLion offers a service to help you find personal loan offers. Based on the information you provide, you can get matched with offers for up to $100,000 from our top providers. You can compare rates, terms, and fees from different lenders and choose the best offer for you.

Detailed Comparison: Best Egg vs. LightStream

Interest Rates & APR 

APR, short for annual percentage rate, is the yearly interest rate plus any additional fees you'll pay to borrow money, such as with a personal loan.

Lenders assess different interest rates depending on a borrower’s overall creditworthiness. They look at financial factors including credit score, bank account information and verifiable income. The higher an applicant’s credit score, the lower the interest rate they’re likely to qualify for.

Best Egg personal loans have an APR range of 6.99% to 35.99%, while LightStream personal loans APRs range from 6.49% to 25.39%. 

While LightStream offers lower interest rates, it tends to also require a higher credit score to get approved. While LightStream doesn’t specify a minimum score, its marketing indicates that its target borrowers have a good credit score (670 or above). 

Loan Amounts 

With Best Egg, you can take out a loan between $2,000 and $50,000. The range with LightStream personal loans is $5,000 to $100,000.

Lenders generally don’t put many limitations on how customers can use the funds from personal loans. For smaller loan amounts, typical use cases can include unexpected expenses like vet or hospital bills. Larger loans are often used for debt consolidation or to fund a home renovation project.

Repayment Terms 

Best Egg’s personal loans come with terms of three to five years (36 to 60 months), while LightStream loans are available with terms ranging from two to 20 years (24 to 240 months).

Longer loan terms generally correspond to larger loan amounts, and the longer your term, the more total interest you’ll pay.

LightStream offers a 0.50% autopay discount, which is only available if you set up autopay prior to loan funding. Best Egg doesn’t offer a discount, but it’s best to set up autopay anyway so you don’t miss a payment.

Fees & Costs 

Best Egg charges an origination fee of 0.99% to 4.99% of the total loan amount. This will be deducted from the funds you receive, and a borrower’s exact origination fee will be determined by their credit score, the length of their loan and other details provided in their application. LightStream doesn’t charge an origination fee at all. 

Neither lender charges a late fee or a prepayment penalty, so you can pay your loan off early without any extra charges.

Eligibility & Approval 

Best Egg requires a minimum credit score of 640 for its personal loans. A 640 credit score falls in the “fair” range. LightStream doesn’t publish a minimum credit score requirement, but some of its materials point to loans being for borrowers with good-to-excellent credit profiles. 

Both lenders look at the following factors beyond your credit score when deciding whether to approve a loan:

• Income

• Debt

• Payment history

It’s also worth noting that LightStream allows co-applicants on its personal loans, though it says it will evaluate each applicant’s financial details separately because they’ll both be equally responsible for repaying the loan. Best Egg doesn’t offer this option. 

Application & Funding Experience 

Both Best Egg and LightStream let customers submit loan applications online. You can call Best Egg to apply over the phone, but this option isn’t available with LightStream.

Of the two lenders, only Best Egg lets you prequalify to check your potential rates with only a soft credit check. Prequalifying is a good way to get a sense of the loan terms you might be eligible for, but you will need to complete an actual application if you decide to move forward based on the rates the lender shares, and the application will involve a hard credit check that can impact your credit score slightly in the short term.

Once you submit your personal loan application with Best Egg, you can expect funding within 1 to 3 business days if your application is approved. With LightStream, you could receive funding as soon as the same day you apply.

Best Egg offers a mobile app, where you can view your loan details and manage your payments. LightStream currently doesn’t have a mobile app where you can view and manage your loan.

Pros & Cons

Here’s an overview of the key advantages and disadvantages of Best Egg and LightStream personal loans*.

Best For: Who Should Choose Which 

If you want a quick and easy answer on which lender to choose, here’s how to decide:

Choose Best Egg if: 

• Your credit score is in the fair to good range

• You want to borrow less than $5,000

• You want to prequalify to check your rates

Choose LightStream if: 

• You have an excellent credit score and can qualify for its lowest rates

• You’re looking to borrow more than $50,000

• You want to avoid all fees

• You want to use a co-borrower

Final Recommendation & Next Steps 

Best Egg and LightStream both offer an easy online application process and fast funding. The best option for you will come down to your credit score and the amount of money you’re looking to borrow.

If you have a high credit score, you could qualify for a better rate with LightStream, and you can avoid paying an origination fee. LightStream also lets you borrow significantly more money than Best Egg, but its credit requirements are higher. 

If your credit score is borderline, you may only be able to qualify with Best Egg. The lender does let you check your rates with a soft credit pull, which is handy.

We recommend comparing both lenders as well as alternative options when shopping so you can secure the most favorable personal loan terms possible.

FAQs 

Which lender has lower APRs? 

LightStream has lower APRs than Best Egg, though both lenders have a range of APRs, and the specific rate you’ll qualify for depends on details such as your credit score.

Can I get approved with bad credit? 

Neither Best Egg nor LightStream is likely to approve you for a loan if you have bad credit. Best Egg requires a minimum credit score of 640, while LightStream targets higher-credit borrowers.

How fast will funds arrive?

With Best Egg, your loan funds may arrive as soon as the next business day, while they may arrive the same day you apply with LightStream.

Is autopay required for the best rates?

To get the lowest rate with LightStream, you can enable autopay before your loan is funded to secure a rate discount. Best Egg doesn’t offer a similar discount.

Does either lender allow co-signers or co-applicants?

Best Egg does not, but LightStream allows co-applicants for its personal loans.

Sources

• https://www.bestegg.com/ - Official Best Egg website

• https://www.lightstream.com/ - Official LightStream website