Alternatives · Updated October 2026

Loans like Plain Green

Plain Green lends $200–$4,500 at 448–700% APR (documented) under Chippewa Cree Tribe, Rocky Boy's Reservation ownership. If you are shopping for something similar, the goal is simple: pay less. Below are lower-APR options — starting with cheaper tribal lenders from our database, then genuinely cheaper non-tribal routes.

Why people look for an alternative to Plain Green

Plain Green is one of the oldest and most-litigated tribal lenders — its Think Finance ties produced about $1 billion in relief, and loans made before June 2016 were cancelled outright.

Documented APRs run 448–682%; a $700 loan can project to $3,686 repaid.
Refuses to put settlement offers in writing, per borrower reports.
Debt buyers are now collecting charged-off Plain Green balances (2026 lawsuit).
Available in only about 26 states.

We score Plain Green 3.0/10 on cost, terms, funding, complaints and legal standing. Read the full review for the sourcing behind each point.

Cheaper tribal lenders

Each tops out at a lower APR than Plain Green and is matched to what Plain Green borrowers usually need — the same kind of product, a loan as large, or a state Plain Green will not lend in. Still expensive last-resort loans, but less so.

Uprova Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake · $300–$5,000 Why it fits: lends up to $5,000, as much as Plain Green · tops out 151 points lower

334–549%lower ceiling

Active

Big Picture Loans Lac Vieux Desert Band · $200–$5,000 Why it fits: lends up to $5,000, as much as Plain Green · tops out 1 points lower

607.5–699%lower ceiling

Active

Mobiloans Tunica-Biloxi Tribe · $500–$3,000 Why it fits: tops out 295 points lower

73.7–405%lower ceiling

Active

Spotloan Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa · $300–$800 Why it fits: tops out 210 points lower

≈490%lower ceiling

Active

Tremont Lending Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians · $100–$750 Why it fits: tops out 205 points lower

≈495%lower ceiling

Watchlist

Ranked by APR ceiling — the rate most borrowers actually pay. Plain Green’s ceiling is 700%.

What the non-tribal routes cost against Plain Green

Borrow $1,000 for twelve months at Plain Green’s 700% ceiling and you repay about $7,028. Here is the same $1,000 through each cheaper route, and what switching would actually save you.

Credit-union Payday Alternative Loans (PALs) Capped at 28% APR

$1,000 costs $1,158 here versus $7,028 at Plain Green — you keep $5,870.

Bank small-dollar loans Typically under 36% APR

$1,000 costs $1,206 here versus $7,028 at Plain Green — you keep $5,822.

Earned-wage / cash-advance apps Fee or tip-based, ~0–~200% effective

$1,000 costs $2,373 here versus $7,028 at Plain Green — you keep $4,655.

Non-profit credit counseling Free or low-cost

Who qualifies for each route and how it works is on the non-tribal routes, cheapest first.

Every figure assumes the same $1,000 over the same twelve months, so the only variable is the rate. Run your own amounts in the payoff calculator.

Already paying Plain Green rather than shopping for a new loan? At 700% a payment below $583 on every $1,000 outstanding does not touch the principal at all — so refinancing into another tribal loan usually moves the problem rather than solving it. Check whether the loan is even enforceable where you live before you pay more into it: is a tribal loan legal in my state?, then how do I get out of a tribal loan?

All 17 lenders, side by side: what to borrow instead of a tribal loan.

TribalLenders Research Desk Updated October 1, 2026

We verify every figure against the lender's own disclosures, regulator alerts, and court records. We are not paid by the lenders we document. Here are the primary sources for this page: