Top equity release compared

About Top equity release compared

Equity release is borrowing secured on your home, and this ranking covers 32 brands whose published products include it, spanning Switzerland, Australia, the UK, Zambia, Finland, Ireland, South Africa and Singapore. Every entry sets out what a release costs, how much of the property's value the lender will advance, how long the rate holds and how you reach the lender when the paperwork moves. The main trade-off is cost against the size of the release. Lenders with the smallest product fees tend to cap what they will lend, while the highest value caps in the list carry the largest fees in the data. Value caps across the data run 46% to 100%, and the typical release here is €11,621.83. Because the home secures the debt, clarity on fees, rates, terms and support matters as much as the headline number.

How we picked

Each brand is scored on three pillars with fixed weights. Trust carries the most at 40%, which matters most here because the property secures the loan. Cost counts for 35% and the offer itself for 25%, where a release is judged on the product fee, the rate, the value cap and the length of the fixed period rather than on the headline figure alone. The figures come from what each brand publishes: rate and fee tables, pages describing home and equity loans, contact and support pages, terms and conditions, legal notices and company pages. Where a brand gives a range, the range is kept whole rather than split at its ends, so 46% to 100% reads as the spread of value caps across the data. Licence and regulator details are recorded only where a brand states them. Partners are listed first and hold a slot by arrangement rather than on score. None of the 32 brands in this ranking is a paid partner, so the order shown is score order alone. Readers can also weigh the same figures against the wider data set, where the median annual percentage rate is 4.9%.

Our top picks

1. 1. LEND.ch

   LEND.ch holds third place in this ranking on breadth of purpose and access to help. The Swiss lender, Switzerlend AG (CHE-456.445.646) founded in 2015, covers purchase, equity release and home equity, so every purpose it lists is backed by a property. Support runs on email, chat and help centre, which puts live chat and a help centre alongside email but leaves questions that need a voice to another route. Against Optimise, which follows in this ranking, the trade-off is obvious: LEND.ch sits in the mainstream property market, while Optimise charges a product fee of £3,750 on an initial rate of 6.59% to 26.3%.

   • APR: 4.3% to 9.96%
   • Loan amount: from CHF 10,000
   • Term: 12 to 84 months

   Pros

   • Rates of 4.3% to 9.96% sit below the 12% median across loans on the site and below the 10% to 23% range at Monzo Flex.
   • Early repayment is free, matching 81.2% of the loans across the site, so a fee spread over the term can be cut short without a charge.
   • A single application can cover personal, debt consolidation and car under the same marketplace structure, rather than a separate search for each purpose.
   • Property lending sits on the same platform, with purchase, equity release and home equity listed alongside the personal loan range.

   Cons

   • The arrangement fee is score dependent and charged across the whole term, so a weaker profile pays more for the same 4.3% to 9.96%.
   • The fee is deducted from the payout, as the representative example shows, so the amount landing in the account is lower than the amount borrowed and 4.3% to 9.96% understates the cost.
   • The credit check is hard, so a search is on the file before any offer, and hard searches account for 72.7% of the loans on the site.
   • Support runs on email, chat and help centre only, while phone lines appear on 85% of the loans across the site.

2. 2. Bank of Ireland

   Bank of Ireland is in this ranking because it reads most like an ordinary banking relationship and the numbers hold up. Its annual percentage rate is 3.8%, the initial rate 3.1%, and lending runs to 90% of a property's value. Founded in 1783 and trading as Bank of Ireland Group plc, it covers purchase, remortgage, first time buyer, buy to let and equity release, with support on phone, chat and help centre. The costs to weigh are a product fee of €150 to €250 and a fixed period of 4, which is brief for a home backed loan. Super Finance Markets, next in this ranking, starts lower on rate but not on term.

   • Initial rate: 3.1%
   • APRC: 3.8%
   • Fixed period: 4 years

   Pros

   • No arrangement fee on the personal loan: 0 EUR - no arrangement fee
   • Variable personal loan rates of 7.1% to 8.9%, below the 12% site median
   • A direct lender rather than a broker, so you deal with the lender itself
   • Free early repayment on the loans, so overpayments cost nothing
   • Fixed mortgage rate held for 4 and an initial rate of 3.1%

   Cons

   • Applying online needs an existing current account with a waiting period of registered online use
   • A hard credit check applies, while 72.7% of lenders on the site also use one
   • The fixed mortgage period of 4 sits below the 10 median for mortgage products

3. 5. Izwe Zambia

   Izwe Zambia belongs in this ranking because releasing money from a landed property is its central job: equity release is the only purpose listed for Izwe Loans Zambia PLC, the Zambian lender founded in 2008, and the product fee of ZMW 0 keeps the cost of setting the loan up low. Support is the broadest in the list, running on email, phone and help centre. The limit is the shape of the deal, with a fixed period of 5; S-Pankki, next in this ranking, offers periods of 5 to 10 alongside a stated initial rate of 3.6%.

   • Loan amount: ZMW 150,000
   • Term: 60 months
   • Arrangement fee: 0 ZMW

   Pros

   • Arrangement fee 0 ZMW and product fee ZMW 0 on personal loans, so no upfront charge to weigh
   • Direct lender direct lender under the Bank of Zambia, with the legal entity Izwe Loans Zambia PLC
   • Funding Within 24 hours of approval, paid via EFT, and same day funding same day funding is listed on personal loans
   • Support runs on email, phone and help centre, and a 60 term is longer than most on the site

   Cons

   • Free early repayment is no, so settling the loan early carries a cost
   • Eligibility is narrow: permanently employed government, ZAF and ZNS staff plus private sector employees
   • Salary advances need banking with Absa, Atlas Mara, Indo, Natsave or Zanaco

4. 6. Discovery Bank: best for highest-fixed-period-years

   Discovery Bank takes the highest fixed period label in this ranking on the strength of 30, longer than anything else listed, and holding a rate for that long is what a release is judged on. The South African bank, Discovery Bank Limited, lends for purchase, remortgage, first time buyer and equity release, and its maximum loan to value of 100% is the most generous in the list, so the release itself is larger. Support runs on chat, phone and help centre. Set against that, the product fee of ZAR 6,037.50 is the largest here. Global Mortgage Group, the member after it in this ranking, sits at a lower cap with a smaller fee.

   • Loan amount: ZAR 15,000 to ZAR 500,000
   • Term: 6 to 72 months
   • Arrangement fee: Once-off credit initiation fee set by National Credit Act guidelines (amount confirmed in offer), plus R69 monthly credit service fee

   Pros

   • Free early repayment: settling a personal loan early adds no charge, which is true of 81.2% of the listings.
   • Lending runs ZAR 15,000 to ZAR 500,000, well past Monzo Flex at £10,000 to £35,000 and Cashspace ES at €100 to €5,000.
   • A personal loan and a revolving credit line sit with the same lender (personal and credit line), so a staged home improvement draws only what the work needs.
   • Funding lands within 48 hours, so a home improvement can start without a long wait.
   • Support runs on chat, phone and help centre, covering a call, a chat thread and a help centre.

   Cons

   • A variable rate leaves the final cost open until rates move, and the field leans the other way at 80.5%.
   • The credit check is hard and the record needed is good, so a thin file has to clear a full assessment before an offer.
   • The arrangement fee adds a monthly credit service fee on top of the once-off credit initiation fee, so a small balance still carries a monthly charge.
   • The floor on ZAR 15,000 to ZAR 500,000 leaves small sums to other lenders: Cashspace ES starts at €100 to €5,000.

5. 8. Moneyland.ch: best for top-pick

   Moneyland.ch opens this ranking because it does the unglamorous parts well: a product fee of CHF 0 on an equity release, lending that reaches 66% to 90% of the property's value, and fixed periods running 1 to 20. It is a Swiss operation, run as moneyland.ch AG and founded in 2013, and equity release sits alongside purchase, remortgage, first time buyer and buy to let rather than standing alone. Support comes by email, phone and community, with a community board in the mix. The difference against HomeSec Business Finance, next in this ranking, is reach: Moneyland.ch goes further up the property's value, while HomeSec's range tops out lower and its lending is limited to equity release and home equity.

   • APR: 4% to 12%
   • Loan amount: CHF 40,000 to CHF 250,000
   • Term: 60 to 120 months

   Pros

   • Personal loan rates of 4% to 12% sit below the ranges at Cashpace, PHP 12 to PHP 36, and Monzo Flex, 10% to 23%.
   • The origination fee on a personal loan is 0 CHF, so no setup charge joins the amount you borrow.
   • Free early repayment is available, so an overpayment or a payoff before the end of the term costs nothing extra.
   • Amounts of CHF 40,000 to CHF 250,000 cover larger projects and the clearing of several existing debts in one arrangement.
   • Applications start with a soft prequalification credit check, soft prequal, and the credit file needed is fair.

   Cons

   • Payout takes a few weeks from submitting the application to the final payout, so plan the first repayment around that lead time.
   • Support runs on email, phone and community only, with no live chat or self service help centre listed.
   • The smallest deal sits at the lower edge of CHF 40,000 to CHF 250,000, so a small top up falls out of range.
   • Moneyland.ch is a broker, broker, so the rate and the bank behind the loan are settled only after you apply.

6. 9. HomeSec Business Finance

   HomeSec Business Finance is in this ranking because equity release and home equity are the whole of its stated purpose, listed for HomeSec Business Finance Pty Ltd, an Australian business founded in 2004. Its appetite is narrower than the leader's, with a maximum loan to value of 70% to 80%, so a release is a modest slice of the property rather than a large one, and that cap is the trade-off to weigh. Access is simpler too: help runs on phone and help centre, fewer channels than LEND.ch offers next in this ranking but enough for someone who wants a person on the phone and a written answer to check afterwards.

   • Loan amount: A$20,000 to A$5,000,000
   • Term: from 1 month
   • Funding time: As little as 24 hours

   Pros

   • Lending of AUD 20,000 to AUD 5,000,000 covers far more than the site median of €876.96.
   • Free early repayment, so clearing the facility early costs nothing extra.
   • Funding in As little as 24 hours once the security is in place.
   • Business, secured, bridging and debt consolidation facilities from one direct lender.

   Cons

   • Every owner on the title has to sign, so one reluctant co owner can stall a deal.
   • Security is capped at 70% to 80%, lower than the site median of 90%.
   • Help runs through phone and help centre, so there is no online chat for quick questions.

What to look for

How much of the home you release

The cap on the advance decides how much cash leaves the property. The typical cap in this category is 80%, with brands here stretching from 46% to 100%. A higher cap means a larger release and a larger debt standing against the home.

What the rate actually costs

Pricing comes as a rate and, in some markets, as an annual percentage rate. The median initial rate here is 3.99%, with the lower quartile at 3.53% and the upper quartile at 6.07%. Confirm whether a rate is fixed or variable, since variable accounts for 66.7% of the offers in this category.

How long the rate is held

The fixed period is how long the starting rate stands. The median term in this category is 20, while the shortest runs 1 and can lapse quickly. A longer fixed period suits a borrower who wants the payment known for years.

Credit checks and eligibility

A release is secured, so lenders weigh the property as well as credit. Hard credit checks come with 69.2% of offers in this category, 15.4% involve none, and poor credit is still acceptable on 57.1%. Worth asking whether a softer check comes first.

Paying the balance off early

Extra payments on a loan secured on a home can carry a charge. Free early repayment appears on 78.6% of the offers in this category, so the norm is good but the detail still needs reading before you commit to a term.

Reaching a real person

Talk to a lender before applying. Phone support is offered on 96.8% of offers here, a help centre on 54.8%, and 22 of the 32 brands in this ranking are licensed.

Frequently asked questions

Top equity release compared by country

• Australia
• Canada
• Germany
• South Africa
• Spain
• United Kingdom
• United States

Lenders compared head to head

• Standard Lesotho Bank vs Optimise
• Standard Lesotho Bank vs S-Pankki
• Optimise vs S-Pankki

The data behind this ranking

All data and the CSV