Bankrate’s HELOC resources are designed to help you understand home equity, check current HELOC rates, and compare lenders side-by-side before you apply. Instead of offering its own home equity line of credit, Bankrate acts as an advertising-supported marketplace and education hub, connecting you with banks, credit unions, and online lenders that issue HELOCs.

If you’re a homeowner trying to decide whether a HELOC makes sense, Bankrate’s calculators, rate tables, and editorial lender reviews can be a useful starting point. But you’ll also want to understand how the site gets paid and why not every lender (or offer) shows up there.

Bankrate HELOC at a Glance

What it is: An online comparison marketplace and education hub for home equity lines of credit (HELOCs), not a lender itself.
Key tools:
- HELOC payoff calculator
- Home equity calculators
- HELOC rates tables and indexes
- “Best HELOC lenders” rankings and lender reviews
Best for: Homeowners who want to comparison-shop HELOCs online and learn how HELOCs work before talking to a lender.
Cost to use: Free; Bankrate is compensated by some of the lenders it features (more on that below).
Coverage: National and regional HELOC lenders, with filters, Bankrate Scores, and editorial reviews; not every HELOC lender in the market is included.

How Bankrate HELOC Works

1. Learn the basics of HELOCs

Bankrate’s HELOC content library explains how HELOCs work, how they differ from home equity loans, and the pros and cons of borrowing against your home.

You’ll find articles that cover:

What a HELOC is and how draw and repayment periods work
How variable interest rates and margins are set
How HELOCs compare with lump-sum home equity loans
Specialized options like fixed-rate HELOC features and first-lien HELOCs

This makes Bankrate a helpful starting point if you’re still deciding whether a HELOC is the right type of financing.

2. Check today’s HELOC rates and averages

Bankrate regularly surveys lenders and publishes current HELOC rates and home equity loan rates, along with a HELOC index in its Data Center.

From these pages you can:

See current HELOC rates from specific banks and credit unions
Review sample terms (draw period, repayment period, minimum and maximum credit lines)
Track rate trends over time through Bankrate’s data and news coverage

Remember that the rates you see are indicative—not guaranteed. Your actual offer will depend on your credit score, equity, debt-to-income ratio, property type, and loan amount.

3. Compare “Best HELOC Lenders” and lender reviews

Bankrate maintains curated lists of “Best HELOC lenders” and “Best home equity lenders,” with a Bankrate Score for each lender based on factors like availability, affordability, and customer experience.

On these pages you can usually:

Scan a ranked list of HELOC lenders
See each lender’s Bankrate Score and product highlights
Review loan-amount ranges and basic qualification info
Click through to read a full editorial lender review

Bankrate also publishes a lender review methodology explaining how it evaluates home equity lenders and what goes into its proprietary scoring system.

4. Use calculators to estimate borrowing power and payments

The HELOC payoff calculator lets you model:

Monthly payments at different rates
How your payments change if rates rise
How fast you’ll repay the line under various scenarios

You can also use Bankrate’s home equity loan calculator to estimate how much equity you have and how much you could potentially borrow, even if you ultimately opt for a HELOC instead of a fixed home equity loan.

5. Apply directly with a lender

Once you’ve found a lender you like, you click through from Bankrate to the lender’s own site or application funnel. Bankrate itself does not underwrite the line of credit or collect your formal application; that happens with the lender you choose.

Key Features of Bankrate HELOC

Robust HELOC and home equity content hub

Bankrate’s home equity section includes HELOC explainers, rate trend coverage, and guides to getting the best rate or choosing the right lender, updated regularly as market conditions change.

Topics include:

“What is a HELOC?” and “HELOC vs. home equity loan”
Pros and cons of HELOCs
How HELOC and home equity rates are determined
How Fed moves impact home equity rates

For a homeowner who hasn’t used a HELOC before, this depth of content is a major plus.

HELOC calculators and data tools

Bankrate’s HELOC payoff calculator is especially useful if you want to see how rate changes or extra payments might affect your monthly budget and payoff timeline.

The Bankrate Data Center backs up the editorial content with rate indexes and methodological notes on how surveys are run and products chosen.

Curated “best lender” lists with clear criteria

Instead of dumping a raw list of every lender it tracks, Bankrate publishes curated rankings (for overall HELOCs, low/no-fee home equity products, home improvement, and bad-credit borrowers).

Each lender typically has:

A Bankrate Score
Basic eligibility details
Loan-amount ranges and CLTV guidance
Links to editorial reviews

For time-pressed borrowers, this helps quickly narrow the field.

How Bankrate Makes Money and Why It Matters

Bankrate is very explicit that it is an independent, advertising-supported publisher and comparison service. It earns money from sponsored product placement and from some of the companies whose offers appear on its site.

Key points from its disclosures:

Compensation can affect how, where, and in what order products appear within listing categories (except where prohibited by law, such as for many home lending products).
Its proprietary rules and whether a product is available in your area or fits your credit profile can also influence what you see.
Bankrate does not cover every financial product or HELOC lender on the market.

For you as a borrower, that means:

Bankrate’s HELOC marketplace is curated, not exhaustive. Use it as a starting point, not the only place you shop.
“Top” positions may reflect both editorial judgment and commercial relationships, along with availability filters.

Who Bankrate HELOC Is Best For

Bankrate’s HELOC marketplace and tools tend to work best for:

Rate-conscious homeowners who want to see a spread of HELOC rates, promo offers, and fee structures before contacting a lender.
DIY researchers who like to read detailed explainers and lender reviews and understand trade-offs before applying.
Borrowers comparing HELOC vs. home equity loan who want to use calculators and side-by-side guides to choose the structure that fits their budget.

You may need to look beyond Bankrate if:

You strongly prefer local, relationship-based lenders, such as community banks or neighborhood credit unions that might not show up in national comparison tables.
You want a single prequalification flow that returns multiple offers at once based on your specific financial profile (more like a loan marketplace that pre-screens you).

How to Use Bankrate HELOC Effectively

Here’s a practical way to get the most out of Bankrate’s HELOC tools:

Start with education
Read their “what is a HELOC,” pros/cons, and HELOC-vs-home-equity-loan guides so you’re clear on how the product works and its risks (especially variable rates and putting your home at risk).
Run the numbers with calculators
Use the HELOC payoff calculator to test different draw amounts, interest rates, and repayment speeds. Pay attention to what happens if rates rise or you borrow more during the draw period.
Scan current HELOC rates and best-lender lists
Look at both the general HELOC rates page and specific “Best HELOC lenders” rankings to build a shortlist of 3–5 lenders that serve your state and loan size.
Read lender reviews and check fine print
Before clicking “Apply,” read Bankrate’s editorial review for each lender, then confirm key details on the lender’s own site—margin over prime, intro rates, draw period, repayment term, closing costs, annual fees, and minimum draws.
Cross-shop off-platform
Finally, contact at least one or two lenders that don’t appear on Bankrate (local credit unions or regional banks) to see if you can beat the marketplace offers.

Bottom Line: Is Bankrate HELOC Worth Using?

Yes - Bankrate’s HELOC tools are a strong, free starting point for researching home equity lines of credit, understanding current rates, and narrowing down potential lenders. The combination of calculators, up-to-date rate data, curated “best of” lists, and deep editorial coverage makes it more robust than many generic comparison blogs.

However, Bankrate is still an advertising-supported marketplace that doesn’t list every HELOC lender, and compensation can influence how offers are displayed. Treat it as an informed guide and comparison snapshot—not a definitive list of the “best” HELOCs for every borrower.

If you pair Bankrate HELOC with your own rate shopping - especially with local lenders and a careful read of each HELOC’s fine print - you’ll be in a much stronger position to choose the right line of credit for your situation. And as always, consider talking with a trusted financial professional or housing counselor before putting your home on the line.

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