Hearth vs Acorn Finance:
Fees, Lenders & Which Fits Your Business
The short answer
Side-by-side
| Hearth | Acorn Finance | |
|---|---|---|
| What the contractor pays | Flat annual subscription; $0 per financed transaction | $0 — '$0 Dealer Fee Financing', no setup costs, no monthly fees; 'Offering financing through Acorn Finance is free for contractors... Our lending partners pay us when loans are originated.' Homepage: 'Acorn Finance is 100% free to contractors and charges no dealer fees. Acorn charges lenders a small fee.' |
| Dealer fees | No | No |
| Enrollment fee | Yes | No |
| Contractor paid upfront | Yes | Yes |
| How financing works | Marketplace — homeowner sees personalized offers from an 18-lender network, soft credit pull | Marketplace — customer compares offers from multiple lending partners side-by-side; lender funds the customer directly, customer then pays the contractor (contractor paid within 1-2 business days of project approval; lenders required to deposit funds within 48 hours of approval). Named partners on homepage include SoFi, LightStream, Best Egg, Prosper, PayPal, Capital One. |
| Lending partner | 17 | 28 |
| Apply to multiple lenders at once | Yes | Yes |
| See application status | Yes | Yes |
| Loan amounts | $1,000 – $250,000 | Up to $100,000 ('Loans up to $100,000'; Acorn requires partner lenders to offer loans up to $100,000). No verified public minimum. |
| Credit limit | $250,000 | $100,000 |
| Loan type | Installment | Installment |
| Interest-free plans | Yes | No |
| Terms | 2–12 years, fixed monthly payments | Up to 20 years per contractor page ('Loans up to $100,000 and terms up to 20 years'); homepage FAQ separately cites 'terms up to 12 years' |
| APR range | From 7.99% APR (varies by lender and credit) | Rates 'as low as 6.99%' (homepage); no published ceiling — varies by lender and borrower |
| Credit model | Soft-pull prequalification; lenders serve a wide credit spectrum (FICO down to ~550 on some offers) | Soft pull for prequalification ('Prequalification is a soft credit check and will not impact their score. A hard inquiry is only performed once they choose and proceed with a lender.'). Serves 'good and bad credit borrowers'; no published minimum score. |
| Credit score (FICO) | All | All |
| Soft credit pull | Yes | Yes |
| Trades served | All home-improvement trades | Home improvement, remodeling, HVAC, roofing, landscaping, solar 'and more — if it is a legitimate home service or improvement project, we can likely finance it.' Works with licensed contractors in good standing (credentials verified at onboarding). Claims 25k+ contractors. |
| Markets served | Home Improvement | Home Service |
| Size & stage | 5 years in business; ~200 employees | Series A (founded 2017) |
Every Acorn Finance cell above is sourced (see footer). Rates and terms vary by lender and customer credit.
Where Acorn Finance falls short
- Loans limited to 100,000
- No invoice, etc
- No interest-free offers
- Slightly fewer lenders, slightly lower max approval -No mobile App
- Free to use for contractors — no platform fees to access loan offers
- General-purpose loan marketplace, not specialized for home improvement
- No concierge/implementation service for contractor sales teams
- Soft-pull loan referral model; contractor is not underwritten
Source: Hearth competitive battle card and sales objection research (internal, reviewed 2026).
Hearth vs Acorn Finance FAQ
How much does Acorn Finance cost contractors?
$0 — '$0 Dealer Fee Financing', no setup costs, no monthly fees; 'Offering financing through Acorn Finance is free for contractors... Our lending partners pay us when loans are originated.' Homepage: 'Acorn Finance is 100% free to contractors and charges no dealer fees. Acorn charges lenders a small fee.'
Does Hearth charge a dealer fee per loan?
No. Hearth is a flat annual subscription — most companies invest between $2,000–6,000/yr depending on the level of service, plus a one-time $99 setup fee. Financing offers come from third-party lenders and the contractor pays no per-transaction fee.
How do approvals compare between Hearth and Acorn Finance?
Hearth shows soft-pull personalized offers from an 18-lender marketplace serving a wide credit spectrum. Acorn Finance: Soft pull for prequalification ('Prequalification is a soft credit check and will not impact their score. A hard inquiry is only performed once they choose and proceed with a lender.'). Serves 'good and bad credit borrowers'; no published minimum score.
Which trades does Acorn Finance serve?
Home improvement, remodeling, HVAC, roofing, landscaping, solar 'and more — if it is a legitimate home service or improvement project, we can likely finance it.' Works with licensed contractors in good standing (credentials verified at onboarding). Claims 25k+ contractors.
Can I switch to Hearth mid-season?
Yes. Onboarding is self-serve; most contractors send their first financed quote the same week. There is no per-loan fee to model — one flat subscription.
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Harper, your AI assistant
Harper answers the calls you miss, captures leads after hours, and introduces monthly-payment options automatically — so no job inquiry slips through while you're on site.
Concierge onboarding
Hearth's concierge team sets financing up inside your sales process and trains your team, so offering payment options is seamless from day one.