LendingTree Personal Loan Review: Pros, Cons, and Costs

LendingTree Overview

• Lender type: Marketplace

• Loan types: Unsecured personal loans and debt consolidation loans

• Loan amounts: The most used range is $1,000 to $50,000, but some lenders offer loans as low as $600.

• Loan terms: Most lending partners offer terms of 3 to 5 years, but some go to 7 years.

• APR range: Typically 6.99% to 35.99% (varies by partner and credit score); as of April 2026, the average is 23.83%.

• Best for: Borrowers with fair-to-good credit who want to compare multiple offers quickly

LendingTree Full Review

LendingTree performs best in terms of reputation and user experience. However, it falls short on cost because the marketplace model lacks transparency; rates and fees depend entirely on which partner you’ve matched with.

Here’s a closer look at how LendingTree performs against our review criteria.

Reputation

LendingTree was founded in 1996 with the primary goal of simplifying the loan research and comparison process. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, it is considered a leading online loan marketplace. Over three decades, it has expanded to cover mortgages, auto loans, student loans, and insurance. It has offered personal loans since 2015.

Expert take: “LendingTree stands out as one of the most comprehensive marketplaces, offering access to a broad network of lenders along with tools such as loan calculators, credit monitoring, and educational resources. These features help borrowers clearly understand loan terms and avoid confusion, ultimately enabling more informed financial decisions.” — Nina Abazyan, banking professional and personal lending specialist

LendingTree holds an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and a 4.5 rating on Trustpilot, based on over 16,400 reviews. As of April 2026, the company has no complaints filed with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), an unusually clean record for a large-scale platform in a complaint-heavy industry.

BBB customer reviews tell a more mixed story. LendingTree’s rating is 1.05 out of 5, based on over 110 reviews, with 161 complaints filed with the BBB in the last three years. Most focus on the high volume of marketing contacts after submitting a loan request, though LendingTree is generally responsive to these complaints.

Accessibility and Flexibility

Accessibility

Anyone in the U.S. can submit personal loan requests through LendingTree’s website, but eligible amounts, products, rates, and fees may vary by state.

The minimum credit score required is typically 580, but a score of 640 or higher can yield better rates and terms. LendingTree users who qualified for at least one personal loan in 2025 had an average score of 653, suggesting that the platform may cater more to borrowers with fair-to-good credit. Lenders will also typically assess income, employment, and debt-to-income ratio when determining eligibility.

While most offers are for unsecured personal loans, some lenders offer secured options for borrowers willing to back a loan with an asset, which may help borrowers with lower credit get better terms.

Flexibility

LendingTree personal loan options vary by lending partner, but amounts range from $1,000 to $50,000, with terms from 24 to 84 months. The usual term is around 36 to 60 months, as it balances manageable monthly payments with total cost—especially for common uses like debt consolidation. In fact, as of Q4 2025, 51.4% of LendingTree users took out their loans to pay down debt.

To help show how term length may affect total cost, here are two scenarios for a $15,000 loan at 14% APR:

*These are estimated payments and costs. They can vary depending on payment schedules, credit score, fees, and other costs.

The shorter term saves over $2,400 in total interest, but note that it comes with higher monthly payments.

Cost

• APR range: Varies by partner but typically 6.99% to 35.99%

• Origination fees: Some charge 0%, while other partners charge up to 10% or higher

• Prepayment penalty: At the discretion of partner lenders. From our research, it’s rare, but possible. Review your loan agreement carefully.

• Late fees: Varies by partner

• Other notable charges? Some partner lenders may charge a non-sufficient funds (NSF) or returned payment fee.

LendingTree does not set rates or make credit decisions. As with most online financial marketplaces, cost transparency is limited; you won’t know your exact rate until you’ve shared your information and start receiving offers, which will be highly dependent on your credit profile.

However, the marketplace model creates competition among lenders, which can work in your favor. Incentives such as autopay, loyalty discounts, and direct-to-creditor disbursement can also help borrowers secure better terms.

As of early 2026, the average APR on a new credit card is 23.77%. For borrowers with good credit (670+), personal loan rates found through LendingTree are generally well below this average, making it a practical option for debt consolidation.

For subprime borrowers, rates can approach credit card APR levels, which may limit the overall benefit. It’s also worth noting that origination fees are deducted upfront. For example, a $10,000 loan with a 5% origination fee would result in a payout of only $9,500.

User Experience

LendingTree’s website is clean, modern, and easy to navigate. The pre-qualification flow takes about five minutes. Just enter your credit score, loan amount, loan purpose, employment status, and income, and offers appear within minutes. On average, users will receive 11 personal loan offers. The initial application doesn’t include a hard credit pull, so your credit score isn't affected at this stage.

This screenshot shows LendingTree’s online calculator, which you can use to evaluate offers by seeing how changes in loan terms affect monthly payments and total cost.

The post-selection process varies by partner. Some have high-tech, fully digital applications. Others may redirect you to their website, while some partners may reach out by phone to complete the process. Funding speed is also lender-dependent, but in many cases, it’s within 24 hours of approval.

LendingTree’s mobile app (on iOS and Android) has great reviews, scoring 4.3 out of 5 on Google Play and 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store. It comes with free credit monitoring, loan comparisons, and personalized insights. However, from our experience, the desktop remains the stronger option for more in-depth loan shopping.

Customer Service and Support

Contacting LendingTree

LendingTree offers phone support at 800-505-7916, from Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST. These hours are decent but not the strongest among competitors; some offer 24/7 service or weekend availability.

When testing the phone option, wait times were short. Representatives were well-informed about the marketplace and lender network, but they couldn’t answer our direct questions about specific loan offers and costs. Instead, they advised us to deal directly with the partner lender.

In addition to a contact form on the website, there’s a chat feature that appears to be available 24/7. You can use this to submit your loan request, and it will automatically direct you through the process. However, while the response time was almost immediate, we didn’t encounter a live agent during testing.

These screenshots give an overview of the chat experience:

Customer Testimonials

LendingTree reviews across major platforms like Trustpilot and ConsumerAffairs show that most customers praised LendingTree for the speed and simplicity of the comparison process. Positive reviews said it was straightforward and fast to receive funds from lending partners.

One customer on Trustpilot stated they would use LendingTree for most financial decisions: “A couple of nice options are choosing your interest rate, the time in which to pay back the loan, and to pay off early if desired. I'd recommend LT to anyone in need of money for whatever reason.”

The most common criticism found in reviews was the high volume of unrequested calls, emails, and texts after submitting the loan form. One Trustpilot reviewer said they received “...dozens of unsolicited calls for several days. I never received a quote for health insurance from the Internet; I only received dozens of unsolicited calls.”

LendingTree actively responds to complaints on Trustpilot and the BBB.

Methodology: How We Review Personal Loans

BestMoney evaluates personal loan providers across five categories, and within these, there are 35 criteria:

• Reputation: BBB accreditation, years in business, and verified customer reviews from platforms like Trustpilot and Google.

• Accessibility and flexibility: Nationwide and state availability, range of loan types (unsecured, debt consolidation, co-borrower options), loan amounts, terms, and minimum eligibility requirements.

• Cost: APR ranges, origination and other fees, pricing transparency, rate discounts, and payment flexibility.

• User experience: Overall accessibility of loan information, ease of pre-qualification, funding timelines, and availability of an online portal or mobile app.

• Customer support: Variety of support channels, hours of operation, responsiveness, and client testimonials.

Scores run from 1 (prohibitive, major red flags) to 10 (unbeatable, significantly better than competitors). The total editorial score is the average of all five categories. For each category, we gather data directly from lenders’ websites, go through the pre-qualification process and flow, test support channels, and analyze customer reviews across multiple platforms.

Expert take: “Marketplaces such as LendingTree, Credible, and AmOne can play an important role by allowing borrowers to compare multiple offers and improve their chances of finding a suitable lender. Ultimately, for this group, securing approval with manageable repayment terms is more critical than obtaining the lowest rate.” — Nina Abazyan, banking professional and personal lending specialist

Final Take: Who Is LendingTree Best for?

LendingTree is a strong first stop for people looking to quickly compare a range of loan offers. We found it best suited for borrowers with fair-to-good credit who benefit most from lender competition. Where LendingTree truly stands out is its ability to issue up to 11 offers from a single soft credit pull, along with nationwide availability and a 28-year positive track record.

If you’re sensitive to marketing outreach, need more than $50,000, or prefer a fully integrated virtual finance experience, LendingTree may not be the best fit. Still, it can be a useful starting point: Its free pre-qualification tool takes about five minutes and won’t affect your credit. From there, you can compare offers or check other platforms before committing.

FAQs: LendingTree

How does LendingTree make money?

LendingTree is free for anyone to use. The company makes money by charging lending partners fees to appear and advertise on its platform.

Can LendingTree guarantee I'll get a loan?

No. LendingTree only matches you with potential lenders. Approval is never guaranteed. Each lending partner makes its own decisions based on application criteria.

How much can using LendingTree actually save me?

You can save an average of $1,659 by using multiple lenders, according to LendingTree. Results vary depending on credit status and customized offers.

Physical Address

LendingTree LLC

11115 Rushmore Drive

Charlotte, NC

28277