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Irish Personal Loans Compared: Rate, Speed and Flexibility
Avant Money leads on fixed rates, while Revolut and AIB focus on digital speed. Compare seven Irish personal loans by cost and fit.
Quick Picks
Best overall: Avant Money Personal Loan for borrowers taking more than €30,000 who want fixed repayments.
Best for digital speed: Revolut Personal Loan for existing customers borrowing up to €30,000 through an app.
Best specialist rate: AIB Personal Loan for eligible green purchases at 6.4% APR.
Irish personal loans split into two camps: fixed-rate certainty and variable-rate flexibility. The cheapest headline rate is not automatically the cheapest loan for you, because the amount borrowed, repayment term, account requirements and rate changes all affect the real cost.
Rates and terms shown are representative. Your actual rate depends on your credit profile and circumstances. This is not financial advice — always read the lender's terms before applying.
Where the lowest rates actually sit
The headline numbers favour larger loans. Avant Money lists a fixed rate of 6.1% APR for borrowing above €30,000, while PTSB lists 6.2% variable APR for €25,000 to €75,000. That gap looks tiny, but on a long repayment period even a fraction of a percentage point can affect the total interest.
The important distinction is certainty. Avant Money fixes the repayment, while PTSB's variable rate can move. A fixed payment is easier to budget around, especially if your income is tight or the loan runs for several years. A variable rate may become cheaper if rates fall, but you carry the opposite risk too.
Avant Money Personal Loan
Avant Money has the strongest rate story in this comparison for larger borrowing: 6.1% APR fixed above €30,000, with loans up to €75,000 and terms reaching 10 years, according to the lender's personal-loan page. I'd pick it over PTSB when a predictable monthly payment matters more than the chance of a future rate reduction. The downside is sharp pricing by loan size, so smaller borrowers may not receive the advertised rate, and there is no branch network.
Avant Money Personal Loan
PTSB Personal Loan
PTSB nearly matches Avant Money at 6.2% APR for loans from €25,000, but the rate is variable and the best digital journey is tied to an existing PTSB current account and Open24 access. That makes it more compelling for a current customer borrowing a substantial amount than for someone starting from scratch. The five-year standard term is shorter than Avant Money's maximum, although home-improvement borrowing can run to 10 years.
PTSB Personal Loan
Credit Union Personal Loans in Ireland
Credit unions complicate a simple APR ranking. Rates can reach 12.68%, but many credit unions return part of the interest through a year-end rebate, which can reduce the effective cost. Membership is required and pricing varies by local credit union, so this is not a blind pick for the cheapest loan. It is more interesting for borrowers who value face-to-face service or may not fit a traditional bank's approval model.
Credit Union Personal Loans in Ireland
Avant Money wins on fixed-rate certainty, while PTSB is a credible variable-rate rival for €25,000-plus. Credit unions sit outside that neat ranking: the headline APR may be higher, but the rebate and personal service can change the calculation. For smaller loans, the digital and specialist products below deserve more attention.
Small and mid-sized borrowing: speed versus rate
A €2,000 or €5,000 loan should not be judged by the same criteria as a €50,000 renovation loan. A lender with a low maximum may still be the better fit if the application is quick and the amount is within range. Conversely, a low starting APR means little if you need a particular account or only qualify for a higher tier.
Revolut Personal Loan
Revolut keeps the process entirely in-app and covers borrowing from €2,000 to €30,000, with a variable APR range of 6.5% to 12.99% according to its Ireland website. That starting rate undercuts the standard rates listed by AIB and many credit unions, but it is not fixed and a Revolut account is required. The practical advantage is speed and convenience; the practical risk is assuming the 6.5% headline rate applies to every applicant.
Revolut Personal Loan
AIB Personal Loan
AIB is expensive at its standard 8.65% to 8.95% variable APR, yet the picture changes for a qualifying green purchase. The lender lists a 6.4% Green Loan for items such as solar panels, electric vehicles and energy-efficient heating, plus online approval in under three hours for loans below €30,000. An AIB current account is needed for online applications, so the rate advantage is targeted rather than universal.
AIB Personal Loan
Revolut is the cleaner pick for a fully digital application, while AIB earns its place through a specific green-loan rate rather than its ordinary pricing. Neither should be treated as a guaranteed quick fix: approval remains subject to the lender's assessment, and variable repayments can change.
Alternative access beyond the main banks
Not every borrower wants another bank account, and not every applicant has a long-standing relationship with a lender. An Post Money and credit unions provide different routes, though each comes with a compromise on either loan size, digital polish or pricing certainty.
An Post Personal Loan
An Post Money lists loans from €5,000 to €75,000 at 6.9% to 19.9% APR, with terms up to seven years. The useful detail is access: an existing bank account is not required, which removes a barrier faced by some applicants. The wide APR range matters more than the starting figure, and the €5,000 minimum rules it out for smaller emergencies. Compared with Avant Money, it offers less certainty about the rate you may receive; compared with a bank, it may be easier to approach without an established relationship.
An Post Personal Loan
Bank of Ireland Personal Loan
Bank of Ireland has a useful niche rate for recent graduates: from 5.0% APR on loans up to €5,000, subject to the graduate current-account requirement. Existing customers can apply online in about 15 minutes, and the lender lists an option to defer the first three monthly repayments. That flexibility can help with timing, but it does not erase the cost of the loan, and the general 7.1% to 8.9% variable range is less attractive than Avant Money's larger-loan fixed rate.
An Post Money is the more accessible route for someone without a traditional bank relationship, while Bank of Ireland is far more interesting for a recent graduate who qualifies for its 5.0% rate. Before applying, compare the exact APR offered, not the lowest number shown in an advert. The official lender pages for Avant Money, Revolut and AIB are the right places to verify current terms.
Which personal loan should you choose?
Choose Avant Money if you need more than €30,000 and want fixed repayments over a longer term. Choose PTSB if you are an existing customer borrowing €25,000 or more and accept variable-rate risk.
Choose Revolut if a fully app-based application matters and you need no more than €30,000. Choose AIB for a qualifying energy-efficient purchase, but compare its 6.4% Green Loan with the total cost of alternatives.
Choose Bank of Ireland if you are a recent graduate eligible for the 5.0% rate. Choose An Post Money if you need up to €75,000 without an existing bank relationship. Choose a credit union if personal service, flexible repayment conversations and a possible interest rebate matter more than a polished digital application.
For a deeper check on common claims about approval, rates and repayment costs, read 7 Personal Loan Myths Irish Borrowers Should Ignore before submitting an application.
