Hearth vs Service Finance Company comes down to one variable: your annual financed volume. Hearth charges a flat subscription ($1,499 to $4,999 per year as of mid-2026) with zero per-job dealer fees, so it wins once you finance roughly $36,000 or more per year. Service Finance Company costs nothing to join but takes a dealer fee on every funded loan, so it wins for low-volume contractors and for trades that need its FHA Title I and manufacturer promo programs.
Key takeaways
- Hearth costs a flat $1,499 (Essentials), $1,799 (Pro), or $4,999 (Elite) per year plus a one-time $99 setup fee, with no dealer fees on any funded job, per 2026 pricing guides from Build Folio and LoanFolk.
- Service Finance Company has free enrollment but charges a dealer fee per funded loan; industry fee guides put standard products around 0% to 6% and promotional 0% APR products at 8% to 15%.
- At a 5% blended dealer fee, the break-even against Hearth Pro is about $36,000 in financed volume per year; above that, Hearth is cheaper on every additional job.
- Hearth's lender network accepts FICO scores down to 550 and loans up to $250,000; Service Finance programs generally want scores around 600 to 680 depending on the product, per WalletHub.
- Service Finance Company is a Truist Bank subsidiary and an approved FHA Title I lender, which Hearth is not, so it can reach some government-backed loan scenarios Hearth cannot.
Quick verdict: Choose Hearth if you finance more than about $36,000 in projects per year, sell to homeowners with mixed credit, or want business tools bundled with financing. Choose Service Finance Company if you are new to financing and want zero upfront cost, you sell HVAC or windows through manufacturer promo programs, or you need an FHA Title I lender. There is no tie: your volume and your trade decide it.
Hearth vs Service Finance Company at a glance
| Feature | Hearth | Service Finance Company |
|---|---|---|
| Fee model | Flat annual subscription, no dealer fees | Free enrollment, dealer fee per funded loan |
| Typical annual cost | $1,499 to $1,799 for most contractors, plus $99 setup | $0 fixed; fees scale with financed volume |
| Dealer fee range | $0 per job | Roughly 0% to 6% standard, 8% to 15% promotional (industry guides) |
| Structure | Marketplace of 18+ lending partners | Direct lender (Truist Bank subsidiary) |
| FICO floor | As low as 550 (Hearth's own materials) | About 600 to 680 by program (WalletHub) |
| Loan sizes | $1,000 to $250,000, terms 2 to 12 years | Varies by program; 50+ loan plans |
| FHA Title I lender | No | Yes |
| Best-fit trades | All home improvement trades | HVAC, windows, doors, roofing, solar, insulation |
| Bundled software | Quotes, contracts, payments included | No, financing only |
Cost model: flat subscription vs dealer fees
The cost structures of Hearth and Service Finance Company are opposites, and this difference drives the whole decision. Hearth is a fixed cost: as of mid-2026, pricing roundups from Build Folio and LoanFolk list Essentials at $1,499 per year, Pro at $1,799, and Elite at $4,999, each with a one-time $99 setup fee. Whether you fund two jobs or two hundred, the price does not move.
Service Finance Company is a variable cost. Enrollment is free and there are no monthly minimums, but every funded loan carries a dealer fee that comes out of your payout. Service Finance does not publish its fee schedule; contractors see exact rates after enrollment. Industry fee guides such as OneClick Contractor and Build Folio put standard interest-bearing home improvement products at roughly 0% to 6% and promotional products (0% APR, same-as-cash, deferred payment) at 8% to 15%, because the lender recovers the homeowner's discount from you.
A concrete example: finance a $15,000 furnace replacement on a promotional plan with a 10% dealer fee and you hand back $1,500 on that single job, close to a full year of Hearth Pro. Finance the same job on a standard-rate plan at 3% and you pay $450, and the free-enrollment model looks fine. Your blended fee across the products you actually use is the number that matters. Our guide to dealer fees in contractor financing shows how to calculate it from your last 12 months of jobs.
Winner: depends on volume, and the next section gives the exact threshold.
The break-even math for 2026
The break-even point between Hearth and Service Finance Company is simple division: Hearth's annual price divided by your blended dealer fee rate. Using Hearth Pro at $1,799 per year:
- At a 3% blended fee: $1,799 / 0.03 = about $60,000 financed per year to break even
- At a 5% blended fee: $1,799 / 0.05 = about $36,000 financed per year
- At an 8% blended fee (heavy promo usage): $1,799 / 0.08 = about $22,500 financed per year
Add the $99 setup fee to year one, which nudges the first-year thresholds up by about $2,000 of volume at a 5% fee. The pattern is clear either way: if you leaned on promotional offers to close deals, two mid-size financed jobs can cover Hearth's entire annual cost. A single $30,000 kitchen remodel financed on a 0% APR promo at 10% costs $3,000 in dealer fees, more than Hearth Pro and Essentials combined. If you rarely finance and use only standard-rate products, you may never reach break-even, and paying per job stays rational. See our full breakdown of what Hearth costs contractors for tier-by-tier detail, and how 0% APR contractor financing really works for why promo fees run so high.
Winner: Hearth above roughly $36,000 per year at typical blended fees; Service Finance below it.
Homeowner approval odds
Approval odds differ because Hearth is a marketplace and Service Finance is a single lender. Hearth's own materials state its pre-qualification form runs a soft credit pull against a network of 18+ lenders and can return offers for FICO scores as low as 550. One application shops multiple lenders at once, so a decline from one lender is not the end of the conversation.
Service Finance Company underwrites its own loans. WalletHub's profile of the company puts typical credit score requirements at about 600 to 680 depending on the program. If Service Finance declines the homeowner, there is no fallback inside the platform; you either lose the financed sale or restart with another provider. For contractors whose customer base includes fair-credit homeowners, that gap is real revenue. We cover why the floor matters in FICO scores and contractor financing and how the marketplace model works in how Hearth's 18-lender network gets more homeowners approved.
One caution on the Hearth side: marketplace offers for weaker credit profiles come at personal-loan rates. Hearth advertises rates from 7.99% APR, but subprime approvals price well above that, and some homeowners will decline the offer they qualify for. Approval is not the same as acceptance.
Winner: Hearth, on both the 550 floor and the multi-lender fallback.
Loan products and trade fit
Product depth is where Service Finance Company earns its keep. The company, founded in 2004 and acquired by Truist in 2021, advertises more than 50 financing plans on svcfin.com, spanning standard installment loans, promotional same-as-cash offers, and deferred-payment structures, with programs built for HVAC, windows, doors, siding, roofing, solar, water treatment, and insulation. Many HVAC and window manufacturers route their subsidized promo financing through Service Finance, which is why dealers in those trades often carry it whether they like the fees or not. It is also an approved FHA Title I lender, opening a government-backed path for some homeowners that Hearth does not offer.
Hearth's lender network covers unsecured personal loans from $1,000 to $250,000 with terms of 2 to 12 years, per gethearth.com. That range fits nearly any residential job, from a $4,000 water heater to a $150,000 remodel, but the products are generic personal loans rather than trade-specific promo programs. If your close rate depends on saying "zero percent for 18 months" at the kitchen table, Hearth's standard offers will not replicate that pitch. HVAC contractors weighing manufacturer programs should read our roundup of HVAC contractor financing programs before deciding.
Winner: Service Finance Company for trade-specific and promotional products; Hearth for loan size range.
Speed, workflow, and bundled tools
Workflow is a quiet but daily difference between the two programs. Hearth bundles business software into the subscription: digital quotes, contracts, invoicing, and payment collection alongside the financing links you text or email to homeowners. For a small crew without a CRM, that bundle replaces one or two other paid tools. Funding through Hearth's lenders can arrive in as little as 24 hours after loan approval, per Hearth's site, though timing varies by lender.
Service Finance Company is financing only. Its dealer portal handles applications, loan documents, and funding, and contractors report fast ACH payouts once completion certificates are signed, but you bring your own estimating, contracts, and payment stack. If you already run Jobber, ServiceTitan, or JobNimbus, that hardly matters; if you run your office from a spiral notebook, Hearth's extras have real value. Our guide to invoicing and payment software for contractors shows what those standalone tools cost if you buy them separately.
Winner: Hearth for bundled tools; effectively a tie on funding speed.
Reputation and user sentiment
Reputation cuts both ways for these two companies, and neither has a spotless record. Service Finance Company holds an Average 2.9 out of 5 rating on Trustpilot as of mid-2026. Most reviewers are homeowners rather than contractors; recurring complaints involve payment processing and servicing friction, while contractors who post reviews tend to praise fast funding and reliable promo programs. Since the borrower relationship stays with Service Finance for years, its servicing reputation reflects on the contractor who introduced the loan.
Hearth's homeowner-facing Trustpilot reviews are mixed, and complaint boards such as ComplaintsBoard and the BBB record contractor disputes over subscription auto-renewal and charges after cancellation attempts. Some contractors also report that offers returned for their customers priced in the mid-teens APR even for good credit, which made the financing pitch harder. If you sign up, calendar the renewal date and read the cancellation terms up front. Field-level experiences are collected in our Hearth reviews from contractors roundup.
Winner: neither. Vet renewal terms with Hearth and servicing complaints with Service Finance before you commit.
Pricing summary by tier
| Plan or product | Cost as of mid-2026 | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Hearth Essentials | $1,499/yr + $99 setup | Financing marketplace, quotes, contracts |
| Hearth Pro | $1,799/yr + $99 setup | Adds payment processing and more seats |
| Hearth Elite | $4,999/yr + $99 setup | Multi-user teams, account management |
| Service Finance standard products | ~0% to 6% dealer fee per funded loan | Interest-bearing installment loans |
| Service Finance promotional products | ~8% to 15% dealer fee per funded loan | 0% APR, same-as-cash, deferred payment offers |
Hearth figures come from 2026 pricing guides (Build Folio, LoanFolk); Service Finance does not publish fees, so the ranges reflect industry dealer fee guides and will vary by product and enrollment terms.
Choose Hearth if, choose Service Finance if
Choose Hearth if:
- You finance more than about $36,000 in projects per year, where the flat fee beats per-job fees at typical blended rates
- Your customers include fair-credit homeowners who need the 550 FICO floor and multi-lender shopping
- You want quotes, contracts, and payments bundled with financing instead of buying separate tools
- You quote large projects, since the network lends up to $250,000
Choose Service Finance Company if:
- You are new to offering financing and want zero fixed cost while you learn your volume; our guide to offering financing as a new contractor covers this stage
- You sell HVAC, windows, or doors through manufacturer promo programs that route through Service Finance
- Your close rate depends on 0% APR and same-as-cash offers that Hearth's personal-loan network cannot match
- You need FHA Title I access for certain homeowners
Running both is allowed; neither program requires exclusivity. Some contractors keep Service Finance for manufacturer promos and use Hearth as the fallback for credit-challenged homeowners, accepting the overhead of two portals.
Final verdict
For most established contractors comparing Hearth vs Service Finance Company, Hearth wins on cost once financed volume passes roughly $36,000 per year, and its 550 FICO floor plus 18-lender fallback recovers deals a single lender would decline. Service Finance Company wins for financing beginners with unproven volume and for HVAC and window dealers whose sales pitch depends on manufacturer-subsidized promotional offers it uniquely carries. Run your last 12 months of financed jobs through the break-even formula above, and let your own blended fee rate make the call.
How we put this together
We compared published Hearth materials (gethearth.com loan terms, lender network, and FICO claims), Service Finance Company's own site (svcfin.com program and FHA Title I details), 2026 third-party pricing guides (Build Folio, LoanFolk, OneClick Contractor) for subscription tiers and dealer fee ranges, and review platforms (Trustpilot, WalletHub, BBB) for ratings and sentiment. Service Finance does not publish its dealer fee schedule, so those figures are attributed industry ranges, not quotes. Facts were last verified in July 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Does Service Finance Company charge contractors to enroll?
No, Service Finance Company enrollment is free and there are no monthly minimums. Its revenue from contractors comes from dealer fees deducted from each funded loan, so you pay only when a homeowner's financing actually closes.
What credit score do homeowners need for Hearth vs Service Finance?
Hearth's lender network returns offers for FICO scores as low as 550, per Hearth's own materials, while Service Finance programs generally want about 600 to 680 depending on the product, per WalletHub. Approval odds and pricing both improve sharply above 680 with either program.
Can a contractor use both Hearth and Service Finance Company?
Yes, neither program requires exclusivity, and running both is a common setup. Contractors typically use Service Finance for manufacturer promotional programs and keep Hearth for homeowners the single lender declines, at the cost of managing two portals and two paperwork flows.
Who owns Service Finance Company?
Service Finance Company has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Truist Bank since the acquisition closed in 2021. It was founded in 2004, operates nationally, and is an approved FHA Title I lender.
How fast does each program pay the contractor?
Both programs fund quickly once the loan closes and completion paperwork is signed, typically within one to three business days. Hearth states lender funding can arrive in as little as 24 hours, and Service Finance contractors report fast ACH payouts after the completion certificate.
Is Hearth worth it for a low-volume contractor?
Usually not below about $25,000 to $36,000 in financed volume per year, because the flat subscription exceeds what per-job dealer fees would cost. Our honest look at whether Hearth is worth it for small contractors walks through the low-volume math in detail.
