Hearth vs Service Finance vs GreenSky vs Wisetack: how the contractor financing platforms compare

First, the four models (the names matter less)

Every contractor financing option fits one of four models, and the model decides most of what you'll experience.

• Contractor-paid marketplace (Hearth is the best-known). You pay a monthly subscription; the homeowner applies through your link and is shown offers from several lenders; the loan is between the homeowner and the lender; funds go to the homeowner, who pays you. No dealer fee per job.
• Dealer-sponsored lender program (Service Finance, GreenSky, Synchrony, manufacturer programs). You enroll with one lender or platform; the homeowner applies at the quote; the lender pays you on completion. Standard-rate plans are usually free to you; promotional plans ("0% for 18 months", reduced APR for 10 years) carry a dealer fee of several percent of the job.
• Embedded pay-over-time (Wisetack). Financing built into field-service software such as Housecall Pro, Jobber and ServiceTitan; the customer applies from the invoice or estimate; the merchant pays a fee per transaction and is funded directly. Built for service tickets more than $60,000 remodels.
• Lender-paid marketplace (Acorn Finance, AL Elite). The homeowner or contractor submits a request; it's routed to multiple lenders who pay the marketplace for introductions; no contractor subscription; funds typically go to the homeowner (or to the contractor where a program is set up that way).

Hearth

Hearth is a software platform for home improvement contractors that bundles financing with quoting, contracts, invoicing and payments. Financing works as a marketplace: your customer pre-qualifies with a soft credit pull and sees unsecured personal loan offers from a panel of lenders, then completes the loan with the lender they choose. Hearth makes money from the contractor's subscription and from lenders, not from dealer fees on each job, so there's no per-job cost that pushes you to raise your price.

Where it fits: remodelers, roofers and other trades with mid-to-large tickets who want a no-dealer-fee option and are happy for the homeowner to receive the funds and pay them. Watch: the subscription is a fixed monthly cost whether or not jobs close; no 0% promotional plans of the kind dealer programs offer; because the homeowner is the borrower and receives the money, you're paid by the homeowner, not the lender. Reviews from contractors tend to split along exactly that line: those who close enough volume love the economics, those who don't resent the subscription. Confirm current pricing and lender panel directly with Hearth.

Service Finance Company

Service Finance Company (SFC), based in Florida and owned by Truist Bank, is a dealer-sponsored program heavily used in HVAC, roofing, windows and remodeling, including many manufacturer-branded programs. You enroll as a dealer; your customer applies at the quote, often with a quick decision; SFC funds you when the job is complete and the customer signs off. Standard installment plans typically cost you nothing; promotional plans (same-as-cash, deferred interest, reduced-rate long terms) carry dealer fees that vary by plan.

Where it fits: trades that sell on monthly payment and promotional offers and want the lender to pay them directly. Watch: the dealer fee on promo plans has to be priced in; approvals are from one lender's credit box, so a decline path matters; read the dealer agreement on pricing (charging financed customers more than cash customers is restricted). Reviews from contractors are generally positive on funding speed and support; homeowner reviews focus on deferred-interest surprises, which is a training issue as much as a product one. Confirm current plans and fees with SFC.

GreenSky

GreenSky is a point-of-sale lending platform for home improvement that partners with banks to fund loans and with contractors (merchants) to originate them. It became widely known for promotional plans with fees charged to the merchant and fast mobile applications. GreenSky was acquired by Goldman Sachs in 2022 and sold in 2024 to a group of investment firms, and its product line and merchant terms have changed over that period, so anything you read about it from more than a year ago should be rechecked.

Where it fits: contractors who want a large, established program with promotional plans and direct funding. Watch: merchant fees by plan, the current lender panel and approval rates in your area, and any minimums or exclusivity in the merchant agreement. The query "alternatives to GreenSky" shows up in search data because contractors who relied on it through the ownership changes went looking; Service Finance, Hearth, Wisetack and the marketplaces are the usual alternatives, each with the trade-offs above.

Wisetack

Wisetack is a pay-over-time product built into field-service software. Your customer sees a "pay over time" option on the estimate or invoice, applies in a couple of minutes with a soft pull, and the loan is funded by Wisetack's bank partners; you're paid directly and pay a fee per financed transaction. Because it lives inside the software you already use to run jobs, it's the lowest-friction option for service businesses doing many smaller tickets.

Where it fits: HVAC service, plumbing, electrical and other trades with tickets from a few hundred to the low tens of thousands, already on Housecall Pro, Jobber, ServiceTitan or similar. Watch: loan size caps may not cover a full replacement in a high-cost market; the per-transaction fee is simple but adds up on large jobs; approvals come from one program's credit policy. Confirm current limits and fees inside your software.

Acorn Finance, Synchrony and manufacturer programs

Acorn Finance is a marketplace: the homeowner submits one request and sees offers from several lenders; contractors can share a link without paying a subscription or dealer fee, and the homeowner receives the funds. Synchrony is a bank that runs branded home improvement financing through dealers, including many manufacturer programs (Trane, Carrier and others use Synchrony or Wells Fargo), with promotional plans and dealer fees. Manufacturer programs tie promotional rates to specific equipment, which is useful when the customer wanted that equipment anyway and a poor fit when the promo pushes a bigger system. Most contractors end up with one dealer-sponsored program for promotional offers and one marketplace for everyone else.

Side by side

Based on each platform's public descriptions of its model as of October 2026. Plans, fees, limits and lender panels change; confirm directly before enrolling.

How to choose

1. Match the model to your ticket. Under about $10,000 and inside field software: embedded pay-over-time. Mid-to-large tickets with a sales process: dealer-sponsored or marketplace.
2. Decide how much you sell on promos. If "0% for 18 months" is central to your pitch, you need a dealer-sponsored program and must price the fee. If not, a no-fee marketplace may be cheaper.
3. Decide who should receive funds. Lender-to-contractor funding simplifies collections; homeowner-funded means you invoice as usual.
4. Test the decline path. Run two or three real customer profiles through each pre-qualification and see who approves.
5. Read the agreement for exclusivity, minimums, termination and pricing rules.
6. Run two. Most contractors pair a promo-capable program with a marketplace. Our guide to best contractor financing companies covers the scoring, and how to offer financing to customers covers presentation.

Where AL Elite sits

We're a lender-paid marketplace. Contractors join at no subscription and no dealer fee; homeowners submit one request and we match it with lenders that fund their project in their state, with soft-inquiry options shown first; partner contractors get a profile and a "financing available" badge. The honest trade-off is the same as any marketplace: comparison and credit coverage rather than a single bank's branded promo. See contractor financing programs.

Frequently asked questions