Upstart
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Upstart Review

Upstart is an online lending platform that has relaxed credit score requirements, competitive terms and fees, and an easy application process.

    Shannon Vissers
  • Last updated onUpdated

  • Erica Seppala
  • REVIEWED BY

    Erica Seppala

    Editor & Senior Staff Writer

Our content reflects the editorial opinions of our experts. While our site makes money through referral partnerships, we only partner with companies that meet our standards for quality, as outlined in our independent rating and scoring system.

Upstart

Total Rating 4.0
Rates & Fees3.6

Services3.4

Eligibility Requirements4.7

Application4.8

Sales & Advertising Transparency4.1

Customer Service3.9

User Reviews4.1

Upstart At A Glance

  • Personal loans that can be used for business purposes
  • Suitable for pre-revenue startups with no time in business
  • Possible to qualify with very poor credit or no credit

Business Loan & Funding Products Review Methodology

We spend hours researching and evaluating each business loan and funding product that we review at Merchant Maverick, placing special emphasis on key characteristics to generate our ratings.

Weighted Rating Breakdown

Services 30%
Rates & Fees 15%
Eligibility Requirements 15%
Application 15%
Sales & Advertising Transparency 10%
Customer Service 10%
User Reviews 5%

When rating lenders and funding providers, we use a 31-point rubric that looks at rates and fees, services, eligibility requirements, application, sales and advertising transparency, customer service, and user reviews. We weigh each section differently to calculate the total star rating. This rubric is applied to traditional term loans, as well as short-term loans, start-up loans, lines of credit, online lending products, merchant cash advances, and equipment financing products.

  • Rates & Fees: 20% of the total star rating
  • Services: 20% of the total star rating
  • Eligibility Requirements: 20% of the total star rating
  • Application: 15% of the total star rating
  • Sales & Advertising Transparency: 10% of the total star rating
  • Customer Support: 5% of the total star rating
  • User Reviews: 5% of the total star rating

Each section is further broken down into granular, weighted subsections, in which we examine specific attributes like terms lengths, conditions of repayment, credit score and revenue requirements, ease of application, length of time to funding, the ethics involved in promoting the lending product, customer support, and the overall reputation of the lender or funding provider.

Read more about how we rate small business lenders.

Shannon Vissers

Shannon Vissers

Lead Staff Writer at Merchant Maverick
Shannon has been writing for Merchant Maverick about small business software and financing since 2015. She started writing professionally about business topics in 2005. Shannon has been featured in the Washington Post, Reader's Digest, US News, MSN, Yahoo Finance, Business Insider, and other publications. She has a bachelor's degree in English from San Diego State University and currently resides in San Diego, California.
Shannon Vissers
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Shannon Vissers

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The Merchant Maverick Seal of Approval 🏆

Upstart


Apply Now

After hours of in-depth research and evaluation, we can confidently recommend this brand to our readers. Get started today and see Upstart for yourself.

The Merchant Maverick Seal of Approval 🏆

Upstart


Apply Now

After hours of in-depth research and evaluation, we can confidently recommend this brand to our readers. Get started today and see Upstart for yourself.

To learn more about how we score our reviews, see our Business Loan Rating Criteria.