Irish Personal Loans Ranked by Rate, Speed and Flexibility

Avant Money is my rate-certainty pick for borrowing above €30,000. According to the lender's website, its fixed rate starts at 6.1% APR for larger loans, with borrowing up to €75,000 and terms reaching 10 years. That fixed repayment matters more than a tiny rate gap if your household budget has little room for surprises. Compared with Revolut, PTSB and AIB, Avant Money removes the risk that a variable rate will rise. The downside is size-based pricing: smaller loans can attract higher rates, and a fixed loan will not benefit if market rates fall. There is also no branch network, so applications and support are online or by phone. Best for a borrower taking €30,000 or more who needs a predictable monthly payment and can accept digital-only service.

PTSB beats Avant Money's headline rate by 0.1 percentage points, but only in its €25,000 to €75,000 band. The lender advertises 6.2% APR for that range, while loans below €10,000 rise to 8.8%; its tiered pricing makes the borrowing amount decisive. Existing PTSB customers can receive instant approval online or in the Open24 app, and variable-rate loans have no early repayment penalty according to the supplied lender information. That flexibility is useful if you expect to clear the balance early, but repayments can change because the rate is variable. A PTSB current account and Open24 access are needed for the fastest digital route. Compared with Avant Money, PTSB may cost less at the top end but gives up fixed-payment certainty. Best for an existing PTSB customer borrowing at least €25,000 who wants a low variable rate and the ability to repay early.

Revolut brings the lowest entry point in this group for a broadly available personal loan: 6.5% variable APR on borrowing from €2,000 to €30,000, according to its Ireland personal-loans page. The entire process runs in-app, with no branch visit, which is faster and less cumbersome than a traditional application. The price is attractive for medium-sized borrowing, but the €30,000 ceiling rules it out for renovations or other larger projects. You also need a Revolut account, and there is no fixed-rate alternative, so the repayment amount could move later. Compared with PTSB, Revolut is more accessible for smaller sums; compared with Avant Money, it offers less certainty and a lower maximum. Best for a digitally confident borrower seeking up to €30,000 who already uses Revolut and can tolerate a variable repayment.

AIB's standard rate is not the cheapest here: its advertised variable APR range starts at 8.65%, above Revolut's 6.5% and PTSB's 6.2% for larger borrowing. The exception is the Green Loan, which AIB lists at 6.4% APR for qualifying purchases such as solar panels, electric vehicles and energy-efficient heating. Existing AIB current-account holders can apply online, and loans under €30,000 may receive a decision in under three hours. The minimum borrowing amount is just €1,000, lower than every other option in this ranking, and variable-rate loans have no early repayment penalty. That makes AIB more useful for a modest green purchase than its standard APR suggests. Best for an AIB customer borrowing at least €1,000 for an eligible energy or environmental improvement, rather than for an ordinary personal expense.

Bank of Ireland has the most eye-catching small-loan rate, but only for a narrow audience: graduates with the qualifying current account can access rates from 5.0% APR on up to €5,000. Its standard personal-loan range starts at 7.1% and reaches 8.9%, with borrowing from €2,000 to €75,000. Existing customers can complete an online application in 15 minutes, and the option to defer the first three monthly repayments gives short-term breathing room. That deferral is not free money; it shifts the repayment schedule and can increase the time before the balance is cleared. Compared with AIB, BOI offers a lower specialist rate but a higher minimum loan. Compared with Revolut, it has a much larger maximum. Best for a recent graduate with a BOI graduate current account who needs no more than €5,000 and can manage the later repayment schedule.

An Post Money is the clearest alternative for someone without a traditional bank relationship. Its advertised loans run from €5,000 to €75,000, with APRs from 6.9% to 19.9% and terms up to seven years, according to the lender's loan page. The starting rate is close to Revolut's 6.5%, but the upper end is a serious warning that approval pricing can vary widely by borrower. The €5,000 minimum also makes it unsuitable for a small emergency expense. Its online application and broad loan purposes are useful, yet the digital platform is less established than the app-first experience offered by Revolut. Best for an Irish borrower who needs at least €5,000, wants up to seven years to spread repayments and does not already bank with one of the major lenders. Read the personalised offer carefully; the advertised starting APR may not be the rate you receive.

Credit unions deserve attention because the headline APR is not the whole story. Irish credit unions advertise personal loans from €1,000 to €75,000 at roughly 8.0% to 12.68%, but rates vary by individual credit union; membership is required. Many also return part of the interest paid through a year-end rebate, which can reduce the effective cost after the fact. That benefit is not guaranteed and should not be treated as an upfront discount. The service model is more personal than Revolut or Avant Money, with face-to-face support and flexible repayment methods, while terms can reach 10 years for larger loans. The trade-off is a less digital-first application and inconsistent pricing between branches. Best for a borrower who values local support, may not fit a bank's automated criteria and can join a credit union before applying, especially if the potential rebate matters.