A clear-eyed guide to short-term borrowing
The real cost of a loan, laid out before you sign.
Payday advances, title loans, and personal loans can look almost interchangeable on the surface, yet the total cost of borrowing the same amount can swing wildly between them. We break down what each option actually costs so you can weigh them side by side first.
The Cost Ladder
Same $500 borrowed. Very different total cost. Tap a rung to jump to that chapter.
Bar length reflects relative cost, not loan size. APR ranges are typical, not guaranteed — actual terms vary by lender and state.
Why this exists
Fast-cash pressure makes it hard to compare options.
Short-term loans are marketed as quick, simple fixes — and sometimes they are what's available. But "quick" and "cheap" aren't the same thing, and the fee structures are built to be confusing at the exact moment you're least likely to want to do the math.
This site doesn't lend money and doesn't collect information to make lending decisions. It's a reference built to slow that moment down: what each loan type actually costs, what happens if repayment slips, and what else might be worth checking first.
About this guideCompare, not convert
Every page here is built to help you weigh options — not to route you toward a lender or an application.
Numbers, shown plainly
Fee percentages, loan terms, and effective APR — laid out the way a lender's paperwork usually doesn't.
Have a specific situation in mind?
Send a few details about what you're weighing and we'll point you to the most relevant parts of the guide.