When looking for an online loan, most applicants will use one of two methods. One, you can use an online lending network to get offers from multiple direct lenders and choose the best offer. Alternatively, you could skip the lending network and apply directly with the lender itself. In either case, you’ll sign a loan agreement from a direct lender, as lending networks don’t actually finance loans. However, using an online lending network can be a good way to connect with multiple lenders without having to fill out multiple applications. The choice to go with an online lending network or to apply straight with a direct lender is really up to you, based on your preferences and the amount of time you wish to invest. Lending networks can be a convenient tool, connecting you with multiple lenders at once from just one application. But, you’ll also potentially be putting yourself on the mailing lists of any and all of the lending partners that are part of the network. Conversely, finding a direct lender yourself and applying without the middleman means you’ll only wind up on one mailing list. At the same time, this strategy means doing all the legwork yourself, a task that could take up hours of your time as you fill out multiple applications for quotes to compare.