Capital One Personal Loan Alternatives

Capital One doesn’t offer personal loans, but borrowers can find loans at other banks, online lenders or credit unions.

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Written by 
Contributing Writer
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Edited by 
Head of Content, Personal & Student Loans

Capital One doesn’t offer unsecured personal loans, but you can consider other lenders, including banks, credit unions and online lenders.

Personal loan alternatives to Capital One

Banks

Citibank, TD Bank and Wells Fargo are all banks that offer personal loans. To qualify at most banks, you must be an existing bank customer and meet minimum credit and income requirements.

Snapshot of a typical bank-issued personal loan:

  • Credit scores accepted: Good to excellent (mid-600s and higher).

  • APR range: Average 11.66% at commercial banks for a two-year loan.

  • Loan amounts: $1,000 to $100,000.

Online lenders

Online lenders let you complete the entire application process online, and some provide same-day funding. Many lenders offer personal loans to borrowers across the credit spectrum, and you can pre-qualify to see estimated loan rates with a soft credit check.

It pays to compare rates from multiple online lenders because companies use different formulas to set their rates. Here's a snapshot of a typical online personal loan:

  • Credit score accepted: Bad (mid-500s or lower) to excellent (mid-700s and higher).

  • APR range: 6% to 36%.

  • Loan amounts: $1,000 to $100,000.

Compare personal loans

Here are three online lenders to consider as alternatives to Capital One. NerdWallet recommends pre-qualifying to compare loan amounts, terms and monthly payments.

Upstart
Lightstream
SoFi
NerdWallet rating 
NerdWallet rating 
NerdWallet rating 
Est. APR

6.70-35.99%

Est. APR

6.49-24.89%

Est. APR

8.99-35.49%

Loan term

3 to 5 years

Loan term

2 to 7 years

Loan term

2 to 7 years

Loan amount

$1,000-$75,000

Loan amount

$5,000-$100,000

Loan amount

$5,000-$100,000

Min. credit score

None

Min. credit score

660

Min. credit score

None

Credit unions

Local credit unions typically don’t require good credit to qualify and offer lower rates and more flexible terms than traditional banks or online lenders. However, you must be a member before applying for a loan. NerdWallet recommends considering a local credit union as a good first choice for a personal loan.

Snapshot of a typical credit union personal loan:

  • Credit score accepted: Bad to excellent.

  • APR range: Average 10.75% at federal credit unions for a three-year loan.

  • Loan amounts: $250 to $50,000.

Other types of Capital One loans

Capital One offers other types of loans, including credit cards.

Methodology
NerdWallet verified icon

How we chose the best personal loans

Our team of consumer lending experts follow an objective and robust methodology to rate lenders and pick the best.

30+

Lenders reviewed

We review over 35 lenders, including major banks, top credit unions, leading digital platforms, and high interest installment lenders operating across multiple states.

25+

Categories assessed

Each lender is evaluated across five weighted categories and 27 subcategories, covering affordability, eligibility, consumer experience, flexibility, and application process.

60+

Data points analyzed

Our team tracks and reassesses hundreds of data points annually, including APR ranges, fees, credit requirements, and borrower tools, ensuring up to date, accurate comparisons.

Star rating categories

We evaluate more categories than competitors and carefully weigh how each factor impacts your experience.

NerdWallet’s review process evaluates and rates personal loan products from more than 30 financial technology companies and financial institutions. We collect over 60 data points and cross-check company websites, earnings reports and other public documents to confirm product details. We may also go through a lender’s pre-qualification flow and follow up with company representatives. NerdWallet writers and editors conduct a full fact check and update annually, but also make updates throughout the year as necessary.

Our star ratings award points to lenders that offer consumer-friendly features, including: soft credit checks to pre-qualify, competitive interest rates and no fees, transparency of rates and terms, flexible payment options, fast funding times, accessible customer service, reporting of payments to credit bureaus and financial education. Our ratings award fewer points to lenders with practices that may make a loan difficult to repay on time, such as charging high annual percentage rates (above 36%), underwriting that does not adequately assess consumers’ ability to repay and lack of credit-building help. We also consider regulatory actions filed by agencies like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. We weigh these factors based on our assessment of which are the most important to consumers and how meaningfully they impact consumers’ experiences.

NerdWallet does not receive compensation for our star ratings. Read more about our ratings methodologies for personal loans and our editorial guidelines.

Need a personal loan? See if you pre-qualify

Answer a few questions to get personalized rate estimates in 2 minutes.

This service is free and will not affect your credit score.

Comparing options? See if you pre-qualify for a personal loan - without affecting your credit score

Answer a few questions to get personalized rate estimates in 2 minutes.

This service is free and will not affect your credit score.