Financing · Financing Marketplaces
Acorn Finance Review
Free-to-contractor lending marketplace: customers compare offers from 20+ lenders
Quick verdict
Who Acorn Finance fits: Contractors who want to offer customer financing at no cost, let customers compare offers from many lenders, and are comfortable collecting payment from the customer after the loan funds. Trade-offs: Loan funds go to the customer, not the contractor; rates and amounts vary by lender and credit; few named software integrations.
Fees & terms
Free for contractors: Acorn says it charges no setup, platform, monthly or dealer fees, and its terms say it may be paid lead generation fees by its lending partners. Customers check offers from 20+ lenders with no credit-score impact; loan amounts, APRs and terms are set by each lender.
- Cost to contractor
- Free: Acorn says no setup, platform, monthly or dealer fees
- Customer APR
- Varies by lender and customer credit; set in each lender's own offer and disclosures
- Loan size
- Varies by lender; amounts and terms are set in each lender's offer
Affiliate disclosure: The link to Acorn Finance on this page goes to its own site and is not an affiliate link.
About Acorn Finance
Acorn Finance is an online lending marketplace that contractors use to offer customer financing at no cost to the contractor. It is the trade name of Headway Sales Inc., based in Sacramento, California, and its about page says it was founded in 2018 by CEO Giri Addanki. Acorn says it is not a lender and does not make loans or credit decisions; its terms say lending partners may pay it lead generation fees.
A contractor signs up online and shares a financing link, or offers Acorn inside partner software such as JobTread and AccuLynx. The customer checks offers from Acorn's 20+ lending partners, which Acorn says takes under a minute and has no credit-score impact; a hard credit check happens only when the customer proceeds with a lender. Acorn's partner page names personal-loan lenders such as LightStream, SoFi, LendingClub, Upgrade and Prosper, plus line-of-credit, secured-loan and merchant lending partners.
Acorn says partner lenders must deliver funds within 48 hours of approval. The money goes to the customer, and Acorn's contractor FAQ says the customer pays the contractor from the loan proceeds, within 1 to 2 business days after project approval. Loan amounts, APRs and terms come from each lender's own offer, so they vary widely with the lender and the customer's credit.
The trade-off: offering Acorn costs the contractor nothing, but you do not control which lender or rate the customer gets, and you collect payment from the customer rather than from a lender.
How it works
You sign up online at no cost and get a financing link to share, or use Acorn inside JobTread or AccuLynx. The customer enters their details and checks offers from 20+ lenders with no credit-score impact; the chosen lender runs a hard credit check when the customer proceeds. Acorn says partner lenders must fund within 48 hours of approval. The funds go to the customer, who pays you from the loan proceeds; Acorn's FAQ says contractors are paid within 1 to 2 business days after project approval. You pay no setup, monthly or dealer fees; Acorn may be paid by the lenders.
Pros & cons
What works
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No cost to the contractor
Acorn says there are no setup, platform, monthly or dealer fees for contractors. Its revenue comes from lead generation fees paid by lending partners, per its terms.
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20+ lenders in one application
Customers see offers from Acorn's 20+ lending partners, including personal-loan lenders such as LightStream, SoFi, LendingClub, Upgrade and Prosper.
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No credit impact to check offers
Acorn says checking offers does not affect the customer's credit score; a hard check happens only with the lender the customer picks.
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Fast funding requirement
Acorn says partner lenders must deliver funds within 48 hours of approval, and contractors are typically paid within 1 to 2 business days after project approval.
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Works inside some contractor software
Acorn has partner pages for JobTread, where loan offers appear in estimates, and AccuLynx, where offers appear on estimates and invoices.
What doesn't
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Money goes to the customer
Loan funds are paid to the homeowner, who then pays you, so you still have to collect for the job.
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Rates vary widely by lender
APRs, amounts and terms are set by each lender and depend on the customer's credit. Some partners are line-of-credit providers, so customers should compare the APR on every offer.
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Lighter software integration
Acorn names only a few software partners (such as JobTread and AccuLynx); otherwise you share a link rather than offering financing from inside your field-service app.
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Experience depends on the lender
Acorn does not make loans or credit decisions, so approval, funding and servicing depend on whichever lender the customer chooses.
Features & integrations
Key features
Integrations
Frequently asked
Is Acorn Finance really free for contractors?
Acorn says it charges contractors no setup, platform, monthly or dealer fees. Its terms say it may be paid lead generation fees by its lending partners, and its site says offers come from third-party advertisers that compensate Acorn.
How does Acorn Finance work for my customers?
The customer uses your link, enters their details and sees offers from Acorn's 20+ lending partners. Acorn says checking offers takes under a minute and does not affect their credit score; the chosen lender does a hard credit check when they proceed. Rates, amounts and terms come from each lender.
When does the contractor get paid?
Acorn says partner lenders must deliver funds within 48 hours of approval. The funds go to the customer, and Acorn's contractor FAQ says the customer pays the contractor from the loan proceeds within 1 to 2 business days after project approval.
Acorn Finance vs Hearth?
Both show customers offers from many lenders with a soft-pull check, and in both the loan money goes to the customer. Acorn is free to contractors. Hearth charges an annual subscription with no per-loan fee, and bundles quoting, payments and an AI call-answering assistant.
Acorn Finance vs GreenSky?
Acorn is a free marketplace of third-party lenders, and it does not make loans or credit decisions. GreenSky is a single bank-funded program where the contractor pays GreenSky a transaction fee on each financed sale, and its programs include deferred-interest promotional loans.
Other financing options
Wisetack
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GreenSky
Bank-funded point-of-sale home-improvement loan program for contractors
Hearth
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Service Finance Company
Truist-owned point-of-sale installment lender for home-improvement contractors, with 50+ programs
Foundation Finance Company
Home-improvement installment financing with first and second looks across credit tiers
Synchrony HOME
Synchrony Bank revolving credit for home projects, with deferred-interest and fixed-APR promotions