SoFi vs. LightStream Personal Loans: Rates, Fees and Terms Compared

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Quick answer Both offer fixed-rate personal loans and say their lowest rates go to applicants with strong credit. SoFi lists 6.49%–34.99% APR with autopay and member discounts, $5,000–$100,000 and 2–7 year terms (as of 10/19/26), and describes its origination fee as optional (see fee note). LightStream lists a maximum APR of 25.44% quoted with AutoPay (0.50 points higher without) and terms of 24–240 months depending on loan type (10/19/2026); its FAQ says “LightStream loans do not have any fees” (10/19/2026). LightStream does not publish its minimum APR or loan amounts on its public pages (checked 10/19/2026). Approval and rate are decided by each lender.

Side-by-side comparison

Data from each lender’s public website, accessed October 19, 2026.

SoFi fee note: SoFi’s personal loan page says “no origination fees required.” Its APR footnote says the APR “reflects both your interest rate and an origination fee of 0%-7%, which will be deducted from any loan proceeds you receive.” Its rates page says the rates shown “reflect only term options without an origination fee” and that your rate depends on “whether you choose an origination fee option” (sofi.com, accessed 10/19/26). Read together, SoFi describes the origination fee as an option, not a requirement. Confirm the fee in your offer.

Lender rates pages: LightStream rates · SoFi personal loan rates

LightStream payment example (lightstream.com, captured 10/19/2026, 3:41 PM ET): “Monthly payments for a $10,000 loan at 9.99% APR with a term of 3 years would result in 36 monthly payments of $322.62.”

LightStream: representative example

SoFi does not publish a single representative example; see its rates page for payment ranges (as of 10/19/2026).

Things to note

• SoFi: if you choose an origination fee option, SoFi says the fee is deducted from proceeds, and the APR reflects it (SoFi; CFPB on APR). SoFi’s Help Center describes the fee as “included in your total loan amount.” SoFi says loans may not be used for post-secondary education expenses.
• LightStream: says “Lowest rates require excellent credit” and that loans “are approved for individuals with good-to-excellent credit profiles”; its application uses a hard inquiry (10/19/2026).

Drawbacks of each

• LightStream: hard inquiry to apply; good-to-excellent credit required (10/19/2026). Minimum APR and loan amounts are not published on its public pages (checked 10/19/2026).
• SoFi: $5,000 minimum; if you choose an origination fee option, SoFi’s disclosure says the fee “will be deducted from any loan proceeds you receive.”

How we research and compare products

General information, not financial advice.