LightStream vs Upstart:Which is more popular in the United States?
In October 2026, Upstart had more branded searches than LightStream among personal loan platforms in the United States. Upstart had about 110,000 branded searches, while LightStream had 74,000. Upstart made up 17.6% of all personal loan platform searches we track, and LightStream accounted for 11.9%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about personal loan platforms, Upstart appeared in three of the five answers and LightStream in none.
Who do people search for more?
Upstart, about 49% more searches than LightStream
Who does AI mention more?
Upstart, mentioned in 3 of 5 answers, LightStream in 0
Who does AI recommend more?
Upstart, the only one of the two named
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Top personal loan platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Upstart was mentioned in three out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. LightStream did not appear in any of the five answers.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Discover1st
SoFi2nd
Wells Fargo3rd
Happen Bank4th- Upstart5th
U.S. Bank6th
LendingClub7th
Prosper–
LightStream–
Avant–
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- Discover5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Upstart3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- SoFi3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- Wells Fargo3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Happen Bank2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- U.S. Bank2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- LendingClub1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- Prosper0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- LightStream0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- Avant0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about personal loan platforms
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which personal loan platform should I use in the US?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best personal loan platforms in the US?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best personal loan platform in the US for debt consolidation?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“personal loan rates”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“debt consolidation loan”
Not named in any answer:
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United States on October 19, 2026.
Is LightStream or Upstart more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for LightStream and Upstart by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all ten personal loan platforms we track, month by month, from searches in United States.
Share of searches by month for Upstart, LightStream. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Happen Bank | Upstart | LendingClub | Prosper | LightStream | SoFi | Avant | Wells Fargo | Discover | U.S. Bank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2025 | 0% | 13.9% | 37.8% | 10.2% | 16.9% | 7.6% | 7.4% | 4.2% | 1% | 1% |
| Dec 2025 | 0% | 11.6% | 31.4% | 10.3% | 14% | 7.7% | 9.4% | 9.4% | 1.9% | 4.2% |
| Jan 2026 | 0% | 11.9% | 32.4% | 10.7% | 14.5% | 8% | 7.9% | 9.7% | 1.9% | 2.9% |
| Feb 2026 | <0.01% | 11.1% | 36.8% | 9.9% | 16.5% | 7.4% | 9% | 6.1% | 1.8% | 1.5% |
| Mar 2026 | <0.01% | 14.3% | 31.9% | 10.5% | 14.3% | 7.8% | 10.7% | 5.3% | 2.3% | 2.9% |
| Apr 2026 | 0.57% | 14.2% | 31.7% | 10.4% | 14.2% | 7.8% | 10.4% | 5.2% | 4.3% | 1.3% |
| May 2026 | 0.37% | 14% | 31.4% | 10.3% | 14% | 7.7% | 11.5% | 5.2% | 4.2% | 1.3% |
| Jun 2026 | 3.6% | 12.1% | 32.9% | 10.8% | 14.7% | 9.9% | 8.9% | 5.4% | 0.88% | 0.72% |
| Jul 2026 | 11.5% | 17.1% | 25.5% | 10.3% | 13.9% | 9.4% | 7% | 3.4% | 0.84% | 1% |
| Aug 2026 | 14.5% | 21.7% | 17.8% | 10.7% | 14.5% | 9.7% | 6% | 3.6% | 0.87% | 0.71% |
| Sep 2026 | 20.1% | 16.4% | 16.4% | 12.1% | 13.5% | 11% | 6.7% | 2.2% | 0.81% | 0.66% |
| Oct 2026 | 21.6% | 17.6% | 14.5% | 13% | 11.9% | 11.9% | 5.9% | 2.4% | 0.7% | 0.58% |
How has branded search for LightStream and Upstart changed in the United States over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- The lead changed hands once in the 12 months ending October 2026: Upstart took it in July 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending October 2026, LightStream’s share of searches among personal loan platforms in the United States moved from 16.9% to 11.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 110K to 74K.
- Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Upstart’s share of searches among personal loan platforms in the United States moved from 13.9% to 17.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 90.5K to 110K.
How did search popularity change for United States personal loan platforms in October 2026?
3 changes
In October 2026, Upstart overtook LendingClub to rank 2nd among personal loan platforms in the United States, with 17.6% of the searches.
In October 2026, Prosper overtook LightStream to rank 4th among personal loan platforms in the United States, with 13% of the searches.
In October 2026, LightStream lost share of searches among personal loan platforms in the United States, from 13.5% to 11.9%.
How are LightStream’s and Upstart’s branded searches counted?
2 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using LightStream’s and Upstart’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
LightStream
1 branded search term
- lightstream
Upstart
1 branded search term
- upstart loans
Other head-to-heads among personal loan platforms
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