Updated 27 September 2026. Every price, amount and term below comes from the lender's own app listing, website or tariff, and each row links to it.
Which loan apps in Kenya are worth your time? The honest answer starts with what each lender publishes, and that turns out to be very different from what most "best loan apps" lists quote. We checked all 12 loan apps on PesaMarket against their Google Play or App Store listings, websites and tariff guides on 27 September 2026, and against the Central Bank of Kenya's (CBK) licence directories.
The spread is wide. Chapeo publishes an APR of 11% to 22%. Zenka's own listing allows up to 4432%. A 7-day Little Pesa loan costs 4.75% flat, while a Branch loan can't be shorter than 62 days.
So "best" depends on how much you need and for how long.
We removed a lot from the old version of this page: market-share rankings we could not trace to a published survey, a "32 licensed lenders" count (CBK's July 2026 directory lists 252), and rates for apps that no longer publish them. What's left is shorter, but you can check every figure.
How we built this comparison of loan apps in Kenya
We used only primary sources: the lender's app listing, website, FAQ, terms or tariff guide, and the CBK directories. Where a lender publishes nothing, the table says "not published". Where two of a lender's own pages disagree, we show both.
For licences, we used the CBK Directory of Digital Credit Providers (updated 9 July 2026, 252 lenders) and the CBK directory of microfinance banks (February 2026). CBK doesn't print licence numbers, so we give the legal name and the "Date Licensed" instead. Banks are licensed under the Banking Act, not as digital lenders.
Loan apps in Kenya compared: the table
Read "price as published" literally. Some lenders quote APR, some a daily rate, some a one-off fee. They aren't directly comparable, which is why the worked example further down puts four of them on the same KSh 10,000.
| App | Lender and licence | Price as published | Amount (KSh) | Term | Late fee | Source, as of |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tala | Inventure Mobile Ltd t/a Tala, CBK digital credit provider (DCP), licensed 30 Jan 2023 | 0.3% to 0.6% interest a day, APR 109.5% to 219%, no access charges | 1,000 to 50,000 credit limit | Up to 120 days | One-time 8% of the outstanding amount | Google Play, updated 17 Sep 2026 |
| Branch | Branch Microfinance Bank Ltd, CBK microfinance bank. The app developer is Branch International Financial Services Ltd, which is not a DCP | APR 20% to 211% (2% to 18% a month) plus a 6% processing fee | 1,000 to 300,000 (listing also says "from Ksh 500") | 62 days to 1 year | Not published ("some customers may incur late bank fees") | Google Play, updated 8 Sep 2026 |
| Zenka | Zenka Digital Ltd, CBK DCP, licensed 27 Mar 2023 | Play: interest fee 2.45% to 39% of the principal, APR 30% to 4432%, processing fee KSh 0. FAQ: commission "starting from 5%" | Play: 500 to 200,000. FAQ: 500 to 30,000 | Play: up to 91 days. FAQ: 61 days in 2 instalments | 1.5% of outstanding principal per day late | Google Play, updated 31 Aug 2026; Zenka FAQ, read 27 Sep 2026 |
| Little Pesa | Little Pesa Ltd, CBK DCP, licensed 27 Mar 2023 | 4.75% flat (7 days), 6.75% (15 days), 8.75% (30 days), deducted upfront. Play: 18.75% flat for 62 days, maximum APR 110%. KSh 60 M-PESA disbursement charge | Website: 1,000 to 250,000. Play: up to 200,000 | 7, 15 or 30 days (website); 62 days (Play) | One automatic rollover at 2% over the prevailing rate, then default | Little Pesa, read 27 Sep 2026; Google Play, updated 7 Aug 2026 |
| Okolea | Okolea International Ltd, CBK DCP, licensed 27 Mar 2023 | APR 30% to 120% (maximum 10% a month). Example includes a KSh 450 processing fee on KSh 10,000 | 1,000 to 50,000 | 91 to 365 days | Not published | Google Play, updated 9 May 2026 |
| Senti | Senti Capital Ltd, CBK DCP, licensed 6 Mar 2024 | One-time service fee of 10% to 15% of principal (the same listing elsewhere says 15% to 20%), APR 90.17% to 192.5% | Up to 70,000 (minimum not published) | 61 to 120 days | One-time 7.5% extension fee after a 7-day grace period | Google Play, updated 9 Apr 2026 |
| Chapeo | Chapeo Capital Ltd, CBK DCP, licensed 6 Mar 2024 | 0.03% to 0.06% interest a day (APR 11% to 22%) | 1,000 to 100,000 | 91 to 121 days | Not published | App Store, read 27 Sep 2026 |
| iPesa | Site names Risine Credit Ltd (CBK DCP, licensed 27 Mar 2023). Its terms name Ipesa Tech Ltd, which is not in the DCP directory | APR 36% to 72%, service fee 0% | 500 to 50,000 | 91 to 180 days | 2% per day | ipesa.top and FAQ, read 27 Sep 2026 |
| Absa Timiza | Absa Bank Kenya PLC, commercial bank | 8.75% access fee plus 20% excise on the fee (30-day loan) | Up to 150,000 (minimum not published) | 30 days | 10% penalty on outstanding principal | Timiza FAQ and tariff, January 2026 |
| MCo-op Cash (salary loan) | Co-operative Bank of Kenya, commercial bank | Appraisal fee 8% (1 month), 10% (2 months), 12% (3 months), plus 20% excise on the fee, plus credit-life insurance of 0.034% a month | 1,000 to 500,000 | 1 to 3 months | No fee published; listed with CRB if unpaid after 30 days | Co-op Bank MCo-op Cash, read 27 Sep 2026 |
| Equity Eazzy Loan | Equity Bank (Kenya) Ltd, commercial bank | Not published on the product page. The one-month T&Cs dated Dec 2023: appraisal fee up to 5% plus 20% excise, plus variable interest | 100 to 3,000,000 | Up to 24 months | Rollover appraisal fee up to 5%; no other late fee published | Eazzy Loan page, read 27 Sep 2026; T&Cs, 19 Dec 2023 |
| HFCB Whizz | HFCB (formerly HF Group), commercial bank | Play says "Maximum APR 9.061% per annum", but its own example (KSh 90.61 on KSh 1,000 for one month) is a monthly rate. Interest deducted upfront. Tariff: 6% processing fee | 1,000 to 250,000 | Up to 1 month under KSh 30,000; 1 or 3 months above. Tariff: up to 6 months | 26% late payment fee (base not stated) and 30% a year penalty interest | Google Play, updated 29 May 2026; HFCB tariff 2026 |
Two lenders contradict themselves. Zenka's Play listing and its FAQ disagree on the amount, the term and the price, and Senti's listing gives two different fee ranges. When that happens, the figure on your loan offer screen before you accept is the one that binds you.
What KSh 10,000 costs on four apps
Take Wanjiru, a representative case rather than a real customer. She needs KSh 10,000 and expects to repay in about two months. Here is what the published prices mean for her, using each lender's own formula. This is our arithmetic, not a quote; her actual offer depends on her risk profile.
- Tala: 0.3% a day for 60 days is KSh 1,800. At 0.6% it's KSh 3,600. Tala's own example: KSh 10,000 for 120 days at 0.3% costs KSh 3,600.
- Branch: the shortest term is 62 days. At the lowest APR (20%) interest is about KSh 340; at the highest (211%) about KSh 3,584. The 6% processing fee adds KSh 600. Branch's own example uses 196% APR: KSh 3,260 interest for 62 days.
- Zenka: a one-off interest fee of 2.45% to 39% of the principal, so KSh 245 to KSh 3,900, on a term of up to 91 days (Play). Zenka's example: KSh 1,000 for 61 days costs KSh 390.
- Senti: a one-time service fee of 10% to 20%, so KSh 1,000 to KSh 2,000, on a term of 61 to 120 days.
Notice the ranges. The cheapest and most expensive Branch offer differ by more than KSh 3,000 on the same amount. That's why you should read the total on the confirmation screen, not the headline rate in the listing.
How app limits grow: what lenders actually publish
None of these lenders publishes a starting limit, a limit schedule or a review cycle. The "KSh 500 first loan, KSh 3,000 by the third" tables that circulate online don't come from any lender. Here is what Tala, Branch and Zenka do say, word for word:
| Lender | What it publishes about limits | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Tala | "Early and on time payments will help you qualify for larger loans in the future." You get ongoing access "if you clear your outstanding balance and keep your Tala relationship in good standing (some exclusions apply)". | Tala FAQ; Google Play, 17 Sep 2026 |
| Branch | "Pay your loans on time to increase your loan limit and loan size." Interest ranges from 2% to 18% a month "depending on your risk profile". | Google Play, 8 Sep 2026 |
| Zenka | "Build your limit up to KSh 200,000 by making your loan repayments on time." The FAQ adds: "The fastest way to receive higher amounts is to build credit with a positive repayment history." | Google Play, 31 Aug 2026; Zenka FAQ |
So the one lever every lender names is repaying on time. Tala's listing also claims "most customers double limits in months", but it gives no data behind that, so treat it as advertising. Each review below has a longer section on its lender's limit rules.
Which loan app should you pick?
For a week or two, Little Pesa publishes flat prices for 7 and 15 days, and Tala charges by the day ("only pay for days you need", says its listing). Absa Timiza and the MCo-op Cash salary loan are one-month products from banks, with fees you can calculate before you borrow.
For two to four months, compare Tala, Zenka, Senti, Chapeo and Okolea on the total cost of the offer you actually get. Chapeo publishes the lowest APR of the digital lenders in the table (11% to 22%), but we found no published late fee for it.
For larger amounts over a year, Branch goes to KSh 300,000 and Equity's Eazzy Loan to KSh 3 million over up to 24 months, but Equity doesn't publish a current price on its product page.
If your need is under a month and you're on Safaricom, don't skip the M-PESA products. M-Shwari charges 7.5% plus excise, 9% in all, for 30 days (Safaricom M-Shwari page, updated 28 May 2024), and KCB M-PESA quotes 8.80% or 8.93% depending on which page you read. Our Fuliza vs M-Shwari vs KCB M-PESA comparison has the sources, and the Fuliza guide covers the overdraft.
Check the lender before you borrow
A licence tells you CBK can hold the lender to account. Search the lender's legal name in the CBK DCP directory, not the app name: "Tala" is listed as Inventure Mobile Limited. If an app isn't there, isn't a bank and isn't a microfinance bank, don't borrow from it. Our list of reported scam loan apps shows how the fake ones work.
Defaults get reported. Tala's FAQ says long non-payment is reported to credit reference bureaus, Zenka's FAQ says it checks and reports to Metropol, TransUnion and Creditinfo, and Co-op Bank lists unpaid salary loans after 30 days. If you're worried about a listing, start with our guide to what CRB is and how listing works.
Head-to-head comparisons and reviews
- Tala loan review: price, late fee and how the credit limit grows
- Branch loan review: the microfinance bank licence and the 6% fee
- Zenka loan review: why its FAQ and Play listing disagree
- Tala vs Branch vs Zenka: the three side by side
- M-Shwari vs Branch: a 30-day bank loan against a 62-day app loan
Need money today? See your options on Money Now. It asks a few questions and points you to lenders that fit.
Sources
All accessed 27 September 2026 unless a date is given.
- Central Bank of Kenya, Directory of Digital Credit Providers, updated 9 July 2026: legal names and licence dates of Tala, Zenka, Little Pesa, Okolea, Senti, Chapeo and Risine Credit.
- Central Bank of Kenya, Directory of Licensed Microfinance Banks, February 2026: Branch Microfinance Bank.
- Lender listings, sites and tariffs as linked in each table row. Play listing "updated" dates are the dates Google Play shows.