Updated September 29, 2026 · BorrowCue Editorial Team
Acorn Finance vs Qonto ES
Acorn Finance vs Qonto ES: the differences
| Compare | ||
|---|---|---|
| APR | 6.99%Lower | 19.5% |
| Loan amount | $1,000 to $100,000 | €750 to €1,000,000 |
| Term | 24 to 240 monthsHigher | 1 to 12 months |
| Credit check | Soft prequal | Hard |
| Funding time | as soon as within one business day | Answer within max 48 h, money in the Qonto account within a few days |
| Lender type | Marketplace | Broker |
| Eligibility | US nationwide; minimum credit score around 560; funds for home improvement expenses; contractors must be licensed and in good standing | PragmaGO loan: registered office in Spain, company registered at least 1 year, 12 months of activity, any legal form or autonomo, minimum 250 EUR monthly turnover, Qonto account required |
| Loan types | Personal, Credit line, Secured, Debt consolidation | Business, Credit line |
| Credit needed | Poor | Good |
| Arrangement fee | 0% on loans over $40,000; some lenders charge 1-6% on loans under $40,000 | Not confirmed |
| Representative example | $10,000 over 84 payments of $161 at 8.94% interest rate and $0 fees | Not confirmed |
| Free early repayment | Yes | Not confirmed |
| Origination fee (%) | 1% to 6% | Not confirmed |
| Use cases | Home improvement | Not confirmed |
Same on both: Rate type (Fixed).
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Key differences
- Acorn Finance scores higher overall: 8.8 vs 8.6.
- Qonto ES is licensed in 1 more country.
- Qonto ES is available in 29 more countries.
- APR is lower at Acorn Finance: 6.99% vs 19.5%.
- Term is higher at Acorn Finance: 24 to 240 months vs 1 to 12 months.
- Support channels: only Qonto ES offers Chat.
- Features: only Acorn Finance offers Same day funding.
- Loan types: only Acorn Finance offers Personal, Secured, Debt consolidation.
- Loan types: only Qonto ES offers Business.
Our verdict on each
Acorn Finance
Acorn Finance suits US borrowers funding a home improvement who want a fixed rate and cash released quickly. Its headline rate starts at 6.99%, the arrangement fee is waived on larger loans, and free early repayment means a project that finishes under budget costs less.
Qonto ES
Qonto suits Spanish businesses and sole traders that keep a Qonto account and want a fixed rate on a revolving facility. The trade-off is cost: at 19.5% with a hard credit check, it prices above the 12% median across the site, so the flexibility has to earn its place.
Score breakdown
| Area | Acorn Finance | Qonto ES |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 9.1HigherOrigination fees run 1% to 6% and the arrangement fee is waived only once a loan is large enough. | 8.5The rate is 19.5%, above the 12% site median, on a fixed rate with a hard credit check. |
| Offer | 9.3Higher | 9.0 |
| Trust | 8.2 | 8.3Higher |
Ranges side by side
| Fact | Acorn Finance | Qonto ES |
|---|---|---|
| Term | 24 to 240 months | 1 to 12 months |
What each covers
| Loan types | Acorn Finance | Qonto ES |
|---|---|---|
| Personal | Yes | No |
| Debt consolidation | Yes | No |
| Credit line | Yes | Yes |
| Secured | Yes | No |
| Business | No | Yes |
If neither fits
CreditPlus UA has term at 345 to 365 months, against 24 to 240 months for Acorn Finance and 1 to 12 months for Qonto ES.
CreditPlus UA reviewWhat we checked
Acorn Finance
- acornfinance.com: 21 facts, checked September 26, 2026
Qonto ES
- qonto.com: 13 facts, checked September 26, 2026
- euclid.eba.europa.eu: 2 facts, checked September 26, 2026
How they place
| Ranking | Acorn Finance | Qonto ES |
|---|---|---|
| Lines of credit | 217 of 328 | 6 of 328 |
Every fact side by side
| Fact | Acorn Finance | Qonto ES |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Fixed rate | Fixed rate |
| Features | Same day funding, Credit lineCovers more | Credit line |
| Legal entity | Headway Sales Inc. DBA Acorn Finance | QONTO |
| Headquarters | United States | France |
| Founded | 2018 | Not confirmed |
| Support channels | Email, Phone, Help centre | Chat, Email, Phone, Help centreCovers more |
Where each stands against the rest
| Fact | Acorn Finance | Qonto ES | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| APR | 6.99%below the median | 19.5%highest quarter | 8.99% |
| Term | 24 to 240 monthshighest quarter | 1 to 12 monthslowest quarter | 60 |
| Origination fee (%) | 1% to 6%above the median | Not confirmed | 0.25 |
Median across 1152 listed lenders.
Pros and cons
Acorn Finance
Pros
- Headline rates from 6.99% sit well below the 12% median across the site
- Free early repayment, so a project that comes in under budget costs less
- Checks are soft prequalification (soft prequal), so a first quote does not carry a full hard search
Cons
- Origination fees of 1% to 6% can add to the headline rate on smaller loans
- Loans are tied to home improvement, so money is released towards a home improvement project rather than freely
- Credit of poor is expected, so a minimum score still applies and some applicants are declined
Qonto ES
Pros
- The rate is fixed (fixed), so the cost of drawn credit does not reset with market moves.
- The facility is a credit line (credit line) as well as a business loan (business and credit line), so one relationship covers a repeating need and a single large draw.
- Amounts run €750 to €1,000,000, wide enough for an equipment purchase or a payroll bridge.
Cons
- The rate of 19.5% sits above the 12% median across the site and up in the 24.92% band, which makes it an expensive way to borrow.
- The credit check is hard (hard) and the bar is good credit (good), so a thin file has no route here.
- The facility runs 1 to 12, so a drawn balance has to clear inside a short window rather than be spread over years.
Who each suits
Acorn Finance
Who it suits
- US borrowers planning a renovation who want predictable fixed payments
- Anyone who prefers a soft prequalification check before a full application
- Borrowers who expect to finish early and repay without penalty
Who should look elsewhere
- People needing money for something other than home improvement
- Anyone outside the US, since the licences it holds are all US state licences
- Borrowers who want a rate locked in before a hard credit check is run
Qonto ES
Who it suits
- Businesses registered in Spain that already run a Qonto account and need working capital between invoices.
- Autonomos and companies of any legal form that clear the eligibility bar and want a revolving line rather than a single lump sum.
- Firms that value a fixed rate (fixed) on short drawn balances more than the lowest headline number.
Who should look elsewhere
- Businesses chasing the lowest rate: Plazo ES lists 24.19% against Qonto's 19.5%, and that gap is worth pricing first.
- Anyone without a Qonto account or a registered office in Spain, because eligibility needs both, so Cashspace is the other listed name to check.
- Borrowers with a thin credit file, since the check is hard (hard) and the bar is good credit (good), so Vivus ES is worth checking for a softer route.
Current offers
Qonto ES
Current offer
Bonus
Welcome bonus (Bono de Bienvenida): 300 EUR
Open a Qonto business account; offer shown as valid only until 7/10; spend with your Qonto card to earn
Source, checked September 26, 2026
First period offer
Free Qonto months with first approved financing (Qonto x PragmaGO): 2 months of Qonto free, up to 1 year if requesting over 25,000 EUR
Approved financing request through the PragmaGO partner offer
Source, checked September 26, 2026
Country by country
| Country | Acorn Finance | Qonto ES |
|---|---|---|
| Austria | No | Yes |
| Belgium | No | Yes |
| Bulgaria | No | Yes |
| Croatia | No | Yes |
| Cyprus | No | Yes |
| Czechia | No | Yes |
| Denmark | No | Yes |
| Estonia | No | Yes |
8 of 31 countries where either is available.
Questions about each
Acorn Finance
What is the lowest rate Acorn Finance offers?+
The headline rate starts at 6.99%. What you are offered depends on your credit file and the partner lender, so the rate quoted after you apply may sit higher. The spread of rates across the site runs from 6.13% at the lower end to 24.92% at the upper end.
Are there fees on top of the interest rate?+
Origination fees of 1% to 6% can apply, and the arrangement fee is waived only once your loan is large enough, so a smaller loan may carry both. Repaying early costs nothing extra, because free early repayment is part of the deal.
Qonto ES
What rate do I pay on this business line?+
The listed rate is 19.5%, which sits above the 12% median across the site and up in the 24.92% band. Because the deal runs through a broker (broker), the partner lender's own pricing is what ends up on your offer, so treat the published figure as the number to test against other quotes.
Is the rate fixed, or can it change?+
It is fixed (fixed), and the pricing model is a fixed rate one (fixed rate). That is the commonest structure here, with 80.5% of the brands on the site pricing this way, so the rate you agree holds for the life of the drawn credit rather than resetting at renewal.
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