Best tribal loans: six direct lenders compared

We compare the tribal lenders whose loan amounts, APRs, and terms we could confirm from published sources. Six meet that bar today. Four others we looked at are listed below with the reason they are not in the table, including one that has closed.

Written and fact-checked by the Tribal Loans Apply Editorial Team. Last reviewed October 12, 2026. Facts checked against lender disclosures, independent reviews, and public records.

APR Range Disclosure. Most tribal loans cost between 200% and 800% APR; a few products start lower and some go higher. Actual rates depend on the lender, the product, your state, loan amount, repayment term, and underwriting. These are high-cost loans — read the full terms before accepting any offer. For comparison, federal credit union payday alternative loans cap at 28% APR.

Tribal lender comparison table

Lender	Loan amount	APR	Term	Product	Notes
Plain Green Loans	$200–$4,500	About 199%–699%	6–26 months	Installment	Lends in about 26 states; first-time limits are lower. Settled with Minnesota's Attorney General in September 2026 over rates near 700%.
Big Picture Loans	$200–$3,500	About 250%–789%	4–18 months	Installment	Published APR figures vary widely by source, loan size, and term.
Spotloan	$300–$800	Up to 490%	Up to 10 months	Installment	Smallest maximum loan on this list. Some sources report a credit check at application.
MaxLend	$100–$3,750	471%–841%	Up to 9 months	Installment	Highest published APR range on this list. Does not lend to active-duty service members.
Uprova	$300–$5,000	From 34.5% to over 700%	9–36 months	Installment	Two products: a personal loan near 35% APR for stronger applicants and a tribal installment loan that can exceed 700% APR.
Mobiloans	$500–$3,000 limit	73.7%–405%	Revolving	Line of credit	Charges a cash advance fee per $20 drawn plus a fixed finance charge each billing cycle.

Figures are lender-published or reported by independent reviewers, checked October 12, 2026. Lenders change terms often, so confirm the APR and total cost in your loan agreement before you sign.

Lender-by-lender summary

Plain Green Loans

Chippewa Cree Tribe of the Rocky Boy's Reservation, Montana

Product: Installment
Amount: $200–$4,500
APR: About 199%–699%
Term: 6–26 months

Lends in about 26 states; first-time limits are lower. Settled with Minnesota's Attorney General in September 2026 over rates near 700%.

Big Picture Loans

Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, Michigan

Product: Installment
Amount: $200–$3,500
APR: About 250%–789%
Term: 4–18 months

Published APR figures vary widely by source, loan size, and term.

Read the full Big Picture Loans review

Spotloan

BlueChip Financial, owned by the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, North Dakota

Product: Installment
Amount: $300–$800
APR: Up to 490%
Term: Up to 10 months

Smallest maximum loan on this list. Some sources report a credit check at application.

Read the full Spotloan review

MaxLend

Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation (Three Affiliated Tribes), North Dakota

Product: Installment
Amount: $100–$3,750
APR: 471%–841%
Term: Up to 9 months

Highest published APR range on this list. Does not lend to active-duty service members.

Read the full MaxLend review

Uprova

Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake, California

Product: Installment
Amount: $300–$5,000
APR: From 34.5% to over 700%
Term: 9–36 months

Two products: a personal loan near 35% APR for stronger applicants and a tribal installment loan that can exceed 700% APR.

Read the full Uprova review

Mobiloans

Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana

Product: Line of credit
Amount: $500–$3,000 limit
APR: 73.7%–405%
Term: Revolving

Charges a cash advance fee per $20 drawn plus a fixed finance charge each billing cycle.

Read the full Mobiloans review

Which tribal lender fits which borrower

No tribal loan is cheap, so "best" here means the least costly structure for your situation, not a recommendation to borrow. Based on the published figures:

Smallest need, shortest payoff: Spotloan caps loans at $800 with terms up to 10 months, which limits how much interest can build up.
Recurring small gaps: Mobiloans is a line of credit, so you only pay fees on what you draw. Its published APR range of 73.7% to 405% is lower than most installment lenders here, but fees add up if you carry a balance.
Larger amounts over a longer term: Uprova lends up to $5,000 over 9 to 36 months. Its lowest rates go to stronger applicants; its tribal installment loans can still exceed 700% APR.
Avoid if you can: MaxLend publishes the highest range on this list, 471% to 841% APR, and Big Picture Loans has published rates reaching about 789%.

Longer terms lower the monthly payment but raise the total cost. At 400% APR, $1,000 repaid over 6 months comes to about $406 a month and $1,433 in total interest ($2,433 repaid in all). The same loan over 12 months comes to about $344 a month and $3,131 in total interest ($4,131 repaid in all). Model your own numbers in the payment calculator.

Other lenders we checked

These lenders came up in our research but are not in the comparison table. Each has a review page explaining why.

Lendgreen Not in our comparisonWe could not confirm current loan amounts or APRs from a reliable source. Its parent, LDF Holdings, settled a $37.35 million class action in 2024 that cancelled about $1.4 billion in borrower debt.
Greenline Loans Not in our comparisonWe could not confirm current APRs from a reliable source. Greenline does not lend in 20 states plus Puerto Rico, and its former brand Quick Help Loans was part of the 2024 LDF Holdings settlement.
Minto Money Not in our comparisonMinto Money does not publish its APR before you apply, which fails one of our inclusion rules. Loan agreements shared publicly by borrowers show APRs near 780%.
Blue Trust Loans ClosedBlue Trust Loans is permanently closed and no longer accepts applications.

How we chose these lenders

A lender appears in the comparison table only when it names its sponsoring tribe, its loan amounts, APR range, and terms are confirmed by published sources, it is currently accepting applications, and it is a direct lender rather than a matching service. We check figures monthly and record the date on every table. Our full process is in our editorial standards.

We do not list lenders as members of the Native American Financial Services Association. NAFSA does not publish a public member list, so membership cannot be confirmed independently.

Before you choose any lender on this page

Check whether you qualify for a federal credit union Payday Alternative Loan. PALs are capped at 28% APR. Borrowing $500 for 6 months at 28% costs about $42 in interest, compared with about $717 at 400% APR. See more options in alternatives to tribal loans.

Frequently asked questions

Which tribal lender has the lowest APR?

Among the lenders in our comparison, Uprova's personal loan product starts around 34.5% APR for stronger applicants, and Mobiloans publishes a range of 73.7% to 405% APR on its line of credit. Most tribal installment loans cost several hundred percent APR.

Which tribal lender lends the most?

Uprova lends up to $5,000, the highest maximum in our comparison. MaxLend lends up to $3,750 and Big Picture Loans up to $3,500. Most lenders offer less to first-time borrowers.

Is Blue Trust Loans still open?

No. Blue Trust Loans is permanently closed and no longer accepts applications. If you still have a balance with it, keep records of every payment and contact the servicer listed in your loan agreement.

Are these lenders NAFSA members?

We do not say. The Native American Financial Services Association keeps its membership applications confidential and does not publish a member list, so membership cannot be verified independently.

How often is this comparison updated?

We check published loan amounts, APR ranges, and terms monthly and show the date on each table. The current figures were checked October 12, 2026.

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