Yes. Comparing lenders, using our tools and applying are free for borrowers. We are paid by lenders and financial companies, never by you.
- Smarter Loans
- About Smarter Loans
About Smarter Loans
Smarter Loans is Canada’s loan comparison platform, operating since 2016. We help Canadians discover, compare and apply for financing from 50+ vetted lenders — personal, business, auto, equipment, mortgages and home equity — with one application and no cost to borrowers. Lenders pay us, never you: here’s exactly how we make money.
2M+Canadians helped since 2016
2016Founded in Toronto
50+Vetted lending partners
What Smarter Loans actually does
1Compare real optionsLoan types and lenders side by side — real rates, amounts and eligibility from our lender data standard, plus verified borrower reviews, guides and calculators.
2Apply onceOne application, connected to many trusted lenders. We match you against each lender’s actual published criteria — by approval likelihood, not by who pays us most.
3Get fundedApproved applications are typically funded in 24–48 hours, directly by the lender you chose.
How lenders get listed (and stay listed)
These are the standards we work hard to ensure every listed lender meets — and being a paying partner never changes a rate, a review score or an eligibility fact.
- Licensed and in good standing with their provincial and federal regulators
- Rates, amounts and eligibility published as structured data — reviewed on a quarterly cycle, with the review date shown
- Verified borrower reviews that lenders cannot edit or remove
- Lenders that fall short keep their profile but leave our matching pool until their data is verified again
Lenders that meet the standard earn the Quality Lender badge — and can lose it. Read the full vetting standard · See how lenders earn badges
Our story
Smarter Loans was founded in 2016 in Toronto by two Canadian entrepreneurs, Rafael Rositsan and Vlad Sherbatov, after watching Canadians struggle to navigate online lending safely. They set out to build one place where borrowers could see verified lenders, real terms and honest reviews before applying. What started as one of Canada’s first loan comparison sites now connects borrowers with 50+ licensed lenders across every province and territory.
Milestones
- 2016 — Launches as one of Canada’s first loan comparison platforms
- 2017–2019 — Expands into business loans, auto financing and mortgages
- 2021 — Surpasses 50 verified lender partners across Canada
- 2022 — Launches lender recognition badges and the customer review program
- 2023 — Introduces calculators, tools and expanded education resources
- 2024 — Ships proprietary lender integrations (30+ lenders via API) for faster applications
- 2026 — Rebuilds the platform on a structured lender data standard, and launches Smarter Loans Research with the first quarterly Lending Demand Index
Founders
Vlad Sherbatov
PRESIDENT & CO-FOUNDER
Co-founded Smarter Loans and leads lender relationships, editorial standards and research — including the expert reviews published across the platform.
Rafael Rositsan
CEO & CO-FOUNDER
Co-founded Smarter Loans in 2016 to bring clarity and trust to online lending in Canada, and leads the platform’s growth, partnerships and product direction.
Editorial team
DIRECTOR OF CONTENT
Covering Canadian fintech and personal finance since 2017 — trends analysis, industry surveys, and regulatory updates.
HEAD WRITER & EDITOR
10+ years across Canadian, U.S. and U.K. financial markets; former hedge fund sector; Masters in Finance (University of Edinburgh).
Behind the platform: our design, engineering and growth team (Alex Von, David Shaw, Michael Glenn, Yair Korok) builds and runs everything you see here.
Contributing experts:
Sean Cooper
Ramon Ray
Jared Lindzon
Canadian LendersAssociation
A network of experienced financial journalists and industry experts contributes research, company reviews and industry studies across the platform.
Smarter Loans Research
First-party data on how Canadians actually borrow — starting with the quarterly Lending Demand Index, built from aggregated, privacy-safe application data. Explore the research hub
Featured in
Yahoo Finance
Smarter Loans Unveils 2026 Guide to Canada’s Fastest Personal Loan Providers
April 28, 2026
Read the article
Hardbacon
Smarter Loans Review: Is It Wise to Borrow Outside the Box?
January 10, 2023
Read the articleIs Smarter Loans free to use?
How do lenders get listed on Smarter Loans?
Every lender goes through our vetting standard - licensing, verified terms and review integrity - and must keep its rate and eligibility data verified to stay in our matching pool.
How does Smarter Loans make money?
Funded-deal revenue share from lenders, featured placements, and disclosed referral links - none of which change the rates you are offered. See our How We Make Money page for the full breakdown.
Is Smarter Loans a lender?
No. We do not lend money or make credit decisions. We match your application to licensed lenders most likely to approve it, and the lender funds you directly.
