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

Quick summary: Best Egg and Upstart offer secured and unsecured personal loans to borrowers across the credit spectrum. Best Egg is best if you’re specifically looking for a secured loan, as its offerings in this space are more robust. Upstart is best if you’re looking for an unsecured loan, but have thin or so-so credit, as it uses AI-enabled underwriting to approve applicants who otherwise might have a hard time getting credit. 

Key Takeaways

• Best Egg stands out for home secured loan options, which can unlock lower APRs and higher borrowing limits, but it also charges an origination fee.

• Upstart is better for unsecured loans and borrowers with thin or fair credit, using alternative data to approve applicants who might not qualify elsewhere.

• Choose Best Egg for secured loans and flexible terms (up to 7 years), or Upstart for easier approval, smaller loan minimums and borrowing without collateral.

Summary generated by AI, verified by MoneyLion editors

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.

Best Egg vs. Upstart: How Do These Lenders Compare?

Interest Rates and APR 

Annual percentage rates (APRs) represent your loan's yearly borrowing costs as a percentage. The lower your APRs, the less you're paying in fees and interest. Lenders generally offer their most affordable APRs to people with top-tier credit.

Best Egg's most affordable APRs range from a fixed 6.99% to 35.99%. However, that range is reserved solely for a loan secured by a lien on an owned home’s permanent fixtures.

Upstart's fixed rate APRs range from 6.2% to 35.99%. It largely offers unsecured loans, but sometimes gives borrowers the option to secure a loan with their vehicle during its application process.

Even small differences in your APR could prove helpful. This chart illustrates how Best Egg and Upstart’s minimum and maximum APRs might impact the estimated monthly payment and total borrowing costs for a 5-year, $20,000 personal loan.

Note: While potentially lower rates can make secured loans more enticing, they also carry risk. If you default, the lender can seize the collateral you put up. 

Loan Amounts 

Best Egg's home-secured loans range from $5,000 to $50,000. Upstart offers personal loans between $1,000 to $75,000, making it a better option if you're looking for a smaller-dollar loan or a large-dollar loan without collateral.

Your ability to borrow a certain sum, however, could be affected by your credit, income and overall profile. It could also be affected by where you live. Both lenders have loan restrictions in select states.

Best Egg's unsecured loan restrictions include:

• Georgia: must exceed $3,000

• Ohio: must exceed $5,000

• Massachusetts: must exceed $6,500

• Iowa (unavailable)

• Vermont (unavailable)

• West Virginia (unavailable)

• Washington, D.C. (unavailable)

Upstart's loan restrictions include:

• Georgia: $3,100 minimum

• Hawaii: $1,500 minimum

• Massachusetts: $7,000 minimum

Repayment Terms 

Upstart only offers loan repayment terms of three or five years. Best Egg has more flexible options, including three to seven years for home-secured loans. 

Generally speaking, longer loan terms help you net lower monthly payments, but cost more overall in total fees and interest. Shorter loan terms, conversely, come with higher monthly payments, but lower your total borrowing costs. Having more options can help you find a happy medium.

This chart illustrates how different repayment terms in Upstart and Best Egg's offerings could impact a $15,000 personal loan at illustrative APRs. 

Fees and Costs 

Best Egg always charges an origination fee, ranging from 0.99% to 9.99%, with loans of four years or longer carrying a fee of at least 4.99%.

Upstart charges origination fees ranging from 0% to 12%. That means there’s a chance you’ll skip the charge. Unfortunately, there’s also a chance you’ll face a hefty price tag.

Lenders base origination fees, like most loan terms, on your overall creditworthiness and financial health, with the highest fees generally offered to the least qualified applicants. Best Egg and Upstart, like most lenders, charge origination fees upfront and deduct them from your loan proceeds, so these fees could affect your total borrowing costs and net financing. 

This chart demonstrates how different origination fees can affect a 5-year, unsecured loan.

Neither lender charges prepayment penalties, and Best Egg doesn’t charge late fees. Upstart, meanwhile, charges a late fee of $15 or 5% of the past due amount, whichever is greater, with a 10-day grace period. Both have ACH return payment fees of $15. 

Eligibility and Approval 

Best Egg uses a traditional underwriting model that considers credit, debt-to-income ratio and income sources. Its best rates require a minimum income of $100,000 and a credit score of 700 or higher. Its minimum credit score for approval is 640. However, anecdotal evidence in online forums like Reddit and MyFico suggests it has offered loans at higher APRs to people with scores in the low-600s.

Upstart doesn’t openly disclose its minimum income and credit score requirements. However, it heavily advertises its AI-enabled underwriting process, which uses 1,500 data points, including education, rent and digital spending signals, to provide funding to people with limited credit histories. Online commenters report getting approved with scores of 600 or lower. 

Both lenders require you to reside in the U.S., be of legal age and have a Social Security number, an email address and a bank account.

Application and Funding Experience 

Best Egg and Upstart offer similar application experiences. They both allow prospective borrowers to check rates with only a soft credit pull and apply fully online. 

Best Egg advertises funding in as fast as 24 hours. However, you'll need full loan approval and good timing — your bank needs to be open and able to quickly deposit the funds. According to Best Egg, most borrowers receive funding within one to three business days after loan verification.  

Upstart advertises funding in one business day, though that timeline is also conditional, with most applicants getting funding one to three business days after signing their loan application. 

Both lenders have well-rated mobile apps that let borrowers manage loan payments and apply for additional funding. However, Upstart's app is only available on iOS. Best Egg ranked higher in the 2025 J.D. Power Consumer Lending Satisfaction Survey, though Upstart has the better Trustpilot score. 

Best Egg vs Upstart: Pros and Cons 

Best Egg vs. Upstart: What Each Lender Is Best For

While Best Egg and Upstart have some subtle differences, there are a few instances where choosing between the two could be relatively cut-and-dry. Here's a quick overview of when to choose Best Egg vs. Upstart. 

Choose Best Egg if: 

• You're looking for a secured personal loan.

• You're willing to use your home or vehicle as collateral to get better terms. 

• You don't want a 3-year or 5-year loan term.

• You have so-so credit and don’t want to pay an uber-high origination fee. 

• You have an Android and want to manage your loan via a mobile app.

Choose Upstart if: 

• You live in a state where Best Egg loans are unavailable.

• You need an unsecured loan under $2,000 or over $50,000.

• You might benefit from non-traditional underwriting.

• You have stellar credit and want the lowest APR possible. 

• You have excellent credit and want a chance at a $0 origination fee.

Final Recommendation and Next Steps 

Best Egg and Upstart offer competitive personal loans, but they target slightly different audiences and have some small but important variations across their product suites.

Best Egg is an excellent choice if you're looking for a secured loan, particularly for a large amount. Also, if you’re open to using a home or vehicle to secure potentially more favorable terms.

Upstart is best if you have thin or so-so credit and fear you'll get rejected by a lender that uses a traditional underwriting model.

Both lenders allow you to pre-qualify without affecting your credit, so it’s a good idea to check rates with them and other top lenders to find a deal that’s truly best for you.  

FAQs 

Which is better Upstart or Best Egg?

Best Egg is better if you’re looking for a secured personal loan, as Upstart has limited secured options. Upstart could be better for applicants with thin or fair credit, as it uses alternative data to approve applicants who might have a hard time getting a loan elsewhere. Ultimately, the better lender is the one that approves your loan at the most affordable terms. 

How hard is it to get a loan from Upstart?

Upstart uses a non-traditional underwriting model that considers alternative data, like education and rental history, to approve qualified applicants with thin or spotty credit histories. While less stringent than other lenders, Upstart doesn’t approve all applicants. Fortunately, you can pre-qualify without hurting your credit to get a better idea of your approval odds. 

Does Best Egg approve everyone?

No, Best Egg doesn't approve all of its applicants. It generally requires a minimum credit score of 640 and considers traditional underwriting factors, such as your employment, income and debt-to-income ratio, to approve loan applicants.

Key Terms

• APR: The annual percentage rate is the yearly cost of borrowing expressed as a percentage, factoring in both the interest rate and fees like origination charges. Comparing APRs across lenders is one of the most reliable ways to gauge total loan cost.

• Origination fee: A one-time upfront charge — expressed as a percentage of the loan amount — that lenders deduct from your proceeds before disbursement. It affects how much money you actually receive and raises your total borrowing cost.

• Secured loan: A loan backed by collateral, such as home fixtures or a vehicle, that a lender can claim if you default. Secured loans typically come with lower APRs than unsecured alternatives, but don't miss payments, as you could lose the collateral.

• Unsecured loan: A loan that doesn't require collateral. Approval and terms are based on creditworthiness alone, which generally results in higher APRs compared to secured options.

• Debt-to-income ratio (DTI): The share of your gross monthly income that goes toward existing debt payments. Lenders use it to assess whether you can reasonably take on additional debt.

• Soft credit check: A type of credit inquiry that doesn't affect your credit score, commonly used during pre-qualification. It lets you see estimated rates and terms before you begin applying.

• Alternative underwriting: A lending model that evaluates applicants using non-traditional data — such as education history, rental payments and digital spending — to assess borrowers who don't have a long credit history.

Sources:

• CFPB: What Is a Debt-to-Income Ratio?

• CFPB: What Does APR Mean?

• Federal Reserve: Finance Rate on Personal Loans at Commercial Banks

• myFICO: Best Egg Personal Loan Review

• Fred.stlouisfed.org: Finance Rate on Personal Loans at Commercial Banks

• JDPower.com: Consumer Loan Satisfaction Stagnant as Financial Health of Customers Declines, JD Power Finds  

Summary generated by AI, verified by MoneyLion editors