Avant vs Upgrade

Avant and Upgrade both land on Depends.

Avant

avant.com

Analyzed September 23, 2026

Depends

Confidence: Medium

Avant is a legitimate online lender worth checking if you have fair credit and have been declined elsewhere, but its FTC settlement history and unresolved-fraud complaints justify comparing credit unions and rivals first.

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Upgrade

upgrade.com

Analyzed September 27, 2026

Depends

Confidence: Medium

A reasonable fit if you're a fair-credit consumer wanting a fast unsecured loan up to $50,000 and you compare fees against credit unions first.

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Avant versus Upgrade
Compare	Avant	Upgrade
Verdict	Depends	Depends
Best for	Fair-credit borrowers declined elsewhere	Fair-credit borrowers needing fast unsecured cash
Who it's not for	Good-credit borrowers hunting the lowest APR	Excellent-credit borrowers . Guess: prime lenders and credit unions undercut its rates
Privacy	No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.	No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.
Support quality	Fraud complaint unresolved; BBB complaints listed	46+ pages of BBB complaints logged.
Public sentiment	Reviews are split: WSJ rates Avant 4/5, but borrower forums and complaint boards flag trust and service problems.^²	WalletHub reviewers call Upgrade legit with quick processing, but the BBB complaint log runs 46+ pages long.¹⁶
Biggest gotcha	Cardholder says fraud claim stalled with no resolution for months^⁷	Rates and fees vary by credit profile; 2026 reviews focus on loan details . verify your full APR before signing.

Pick Avant when

Fair-credit borrowers declined elsewhere
Debt-consolidation shoppers
People wanting a fully online application

When Avant is not a fit

Good-credit borrowers hunting the lowest APR
Anyone expecting responsive fraud support
Guess: small businesses . Avant lends to consumers only

Pick Upgrade when

Fair-credit borrowers needing fast unsecured cash
Debt consolidation up to $50,000
Consumers wanting loans, cards, and banking in one app

When Upgrade is not a fit

Excellent-credit borrowers . Guess: prime lenders and credit unions undercut its rates
Businesses shopping for software . this is consumer lending, not a tool
Borrowers needing more than $50,000
Anyone unwilling to absorb loan fees . reviews center heavily on rates and fees

Sources

Avant | Personal Loans & Credit Cardsavant.com
official
Avant Personal Loans Review 2026 - WSJ Buy Sidewsj.com
review
Avant Personal Loans & Debt Consolidation Review - Debt.orgdebt.org
review
Read Customer Service Reviews of avant.com - Trustpilottrustpilot.com
review
FTC Returns More Than $3.7 Million To Consumers Harmed by Online Lender Avantftc.gov
news
The Avant settlement: New financial platforms, established consumer protectionsftc.gov
news
Avant credit card fraud getting nowhere - AskAboutMoneyaskaboutmoney.com
review
Are there any genuine Avant reviews, or is it considered a scam? - Redditreddit.com
review
Avant Secures $250 Million In Funding From Ares - WebBankwebbank.com
news
Avant, LLC | BBB Complaintsbbb.org
review
Avant - App Storeapps.apple.com
review
7 Loans Like Avant for Bad to Good Credit - Finderfinder.com
review
Upgrade, Inc. . Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
news
Personal Loans up to $50,000 . Upgradeupgrade.com
official
Upgrade Reviews | Online Personal Loans and Cards . Upgradeupgrade.com
official
Upgrade Reviews: 1,294 User Ratings . WalletHubwallethub.com
review