Selecting the right loan origination system involves more than simply making a technological decision; it's a financial strategy. The pricing model associated with a loan origination software (LOS) is as important to the upfront cost as it is to its long-term potential, scalability, and operational efficiency.
A loan origination systems comparison can help determine the right pricing model to make more educated decision-making that balances capabilities and costs.
This article reviews the most popular pricing models, including subscription, per-user, tiered, and one-time licensing, and explains the importance of the total cost of ownership (TCO) and return on investment (ROI).
Why Lenders Are Modernizing Towards Loan Processing Automation
Despite present economic challenges and inflation, small business lending continues to increase. During the second quarter of 2025, the market grew by 7.5%.
According to Allied Market Research, the U.S. small business loan market is projected to be worth $349.64 billion by 2033, up from $245.3 billion in 2023. Globally, digital lending is expected to be a key driver of growth and reach $20.5 billion by 2026.
Borrowers today expect digital experiences, and competition in small business lending is intensifying as fintechs and non-bank platforms grow. Smaller banks can now compete with larger institutions by adopting advanced loan origination platforms.
To stay competitive, smaller banks and credit unions need a solid digital foundation. Adopting a loan origination system helps level the field and meet borrowers’ expectations for seamless online service.
An effective system automates workflows, integrates with key third parties, ensures security, and enables data-driven lending decisions, allowing banks to process more loans without adding staff. For these reasons, it’s essential to perform a loan origination systems comparison to choose the right model for your financial institution.
Loan Origination Systems Comparison of Pricing Structures
A loan origination systems comparison is integral to determining how each solution delivers value through cost-effectiveness, scalability, and flexibility of your lending practices. A misaligned pricing model can result in unnecessary expenses, a lack of operational flexibility, and limitations in scaling. The right model will deliver more successful outcomes in the long run.
The following pricing models can guide your bank's loan origination systems comparison and evaluation process.
Subscription-Based Models
A subscription-based model is one of the more common loan origination systems used by banks specializing in mortgage lending and commercial lenders. These systems are typically found in SaaS (Software as a Service) and cloud-based software solutions.
As with other types of subscriptions, banks and lenders often pay a recurring fee for continued access to the loan origination system. The fee structure can be monthly or annual and is often based on volume or usage.
Banks that adopt a subscription-based pricing model receive ongoing support and have lower upfront costs. If the vendor makes updates to the software, you'll usually have access to those with a subscription, meaning your system benefits from the latest technology or advancements.
The downside is that your bank will have the continuous operational expense of a subscription fee, but it's easy to budget for.
Benefits Summary:
- Predictable costs
- Easy to scale and add users, products, or loan types
- Always up to date, which keeps systems compliant and secure
- Access to real-time support and dashboard analytics
Considerations
In a loan origination systems comparison, a subscription model clearly offers flexibility and predictable costs. At the same time, the cumulative cost over many years may surpass a one-time license. Ensure the long-term value of this model by first analyzing the total cost of ownership over several years.
Ideal for: Commercial mortgage lenders and banks, credit unions, and fintech firms embracing digital lending for the first time and wanting an agile system to manage the entire loan process
Per User Models
In a loan origination systems comparison of the per-user model, loan origination software costs depend on how many bank staff have access privileges or use the platform. This type of model often considers the bank's loan volume or premium features. Additional charges for API integration may apply.
Per-user loan origination models are more common for small-scale lenders. Fees are easy to calculate based on the number of employees accessing the system. Another advantage is that lenders can allocate access to specific areas.
For example, a system may allow loan officers to assign specific roles to certain users and limit or expand functionality where needed.
Benefits Summary:
- Easy to calculate costs
- Lenders can assign specific user roles and access
- Customizable
Considerations
If your bank has multiple, separate departments handling different lending processes, such as underwriting, document management, risk assessment, and loan servicing, costs can be higher since it would likely entail more users accessing the platform.
Ideal for: Smaller financial institutions with a limited number of staff who will use the platform
Tiered Models
Tiered pricing is a hybrid model that pulls elements of both subscription and per-user pricing models. A lender can select a plan that considers the institution's loan volume, functionality requirements, features, and automation level. A more complex loan lifecycle or higher loan volume typically increases costs in a tiered pricing model.
Benefits Summary:
- Flexible, allowing banks to pay only for the key features needed
- Scalable and easy to upgrade as business volume increases
- Configurable for customized workflows or integrating AI-powered underwriting tools
Considerations
Most lenders' strategies revolve around growth. Ultimately, scaling from one tier to another adds to the cost of the platform. When making loan origination systems comparisons, it's vital to consider growth goals and future increases in borrower demand.
Best for: Mid-size financial institutions with steady growth in loan volumes needing an adaptable, configurable solution
One-Time Licensing Models
In a one-time licensing model, the lender pays a single, large upfront fee to purchase and host the loan origination software internally. When evaluating a one-time licensing model, note that it can be tailored to a bank’s specific loan process and functionality needs.
The disadvantages are maintenance fees or costs to upgrade the system. A financial institution usually also needs internal IT infrastructure and staff for implementing this pricing model.
Benefits Summary:
- Full ownership and control over the system’s data and security
- Minimal ongoing expenses after the initial cost, unless upgrades are needed
- Easier to tailor to your bank’s specific needs
Considerations
The major distinction when making a loan origination systems comparison of one-time licensing to other models is that your bank will need a higher upfront investment. Your bank's IT team will likely need to handle any updates to the software and ensure the platform stays up to date with regulations to remain compliant.
Ideal for: Successful, larger financial institutions with robust IT resources
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Loan Underwriting System Pricing Model
After you’ve made a loan origination systems comparison of pricing models, there are various factors to consider before choosing a platform. You need to examine the business value gained from your system as well as the full lifecycle cost.
Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) in a Loan Origination Systems Comparison
TCO is more than just the initial payment of a loan origination system. You also need to include:
- Set-up and onboarding costs of training team members
- Costs of integrating with CRM systems, third-party APIs, and credit bureaus
- Compliance tools for staying up-to-date with regulatory changes
- Expenses related to maintaining the system
In addition to direct costs of automation, take into account any gains from greater operational efficiency and shorter loan processing times resulting from your loan underwriting system. The fewer manual data entry steps your team has, the lower the long-term expenses, even though you may have higher upfront costs.
Return on Investment (ROI) For a Loan Origination Systems Comparison
For a comprehensive assessment of ROI, it's vital to look for measurable improvements across the entire loan origination process, such as:
- Faster approvals through automation, a reduction of manual tasks, and fewer errors
- Better user experience through digital self-service options, more transparent communication, and faster loan processing
- Reduced risk for credit decisioning through built-in risk management and audit trails for better explainability
- Higher productivity through more loan applications produced
ROI also includes intangible gains like better decision-making and enhanced operational efficiency.
Direct and Long-Term Business Impacts of a Loan Origination Systems Comparison
When weighing pricing in a loan origination systems comparison, it's crucial to view the full scope of benefits. Not only do you need to evaluate how it impacts your lending operations over the long term, but it's also wise to determine how it aligns with your strategic goals. It should create positive ripple effects across your entire organization.
Greater Efficiency Through Automation
The best loan underwriting systems utilize AI-powered underwriting and alternative credit scoring to determine creditworthiness. They help streamline workflows and minimize human error.
Look for a system that supports configurable workflows, handles document collection and document processing, automates credit checks, performs a level of decision-making your bank is comfortable with, and allows e-signatures and other loan processing tasks.
Doing so will allow for greater efficiency and free staff for more complex loans and customer relationship-building.
Scalability and Flexibility
An effective system will have configurable and modular features that allow for product line expansion, adding new users and channels, and handling increasing loan volumes without the need to overhaul the system.
Look for a system that supports growth without significant cost increases.
Regulatory Compliance & Risk Management
A loan origination system should provide built-in compliance tools, support audit readiness, and protect against risks.
Look for a platform with a proven record in delivering these essential features.
Seamless Integration and Data Insights
Loan processing automation should integrate well with your bank's internal systems as well as third-party vendors and providers, APIs, credit bureaus, CRMs and so on.
Once you’ve thoroughly done your due diligence with a loan origination systems comparison, look for software that renders seamless integration with third parties for AI-driven data analytics. The system should also include an interactive dashboard to provide real-time views throughout the entire loan lifecycle.
Training and Support
When migrating to a new loan origination platform, ensure that the vendor you choose has a strong record for ongoing training and support.
It's also vital to look for platforms with a strong track record in minimal downtime, so your system stays up and running.
Conclusion
Choosing the ideal underwriting platform after a loan origination systems comparison entails more than a search for an affordable software-based solution. It aligns technology, cost, and business needs for sustainable success in your lending portfolios over time.
Your bank will be better positioned to make a prudent decision by understanding each of these pricing models and the benefits each provides. Ultimately, the best loan processing solution should offer a balance of automation, scalability, and compliance. It should also have a user-friendly design that supports all stages of the loan origination process.
The best loan origination software provides long-term client value, increases loan volumes without needing to increase staff, improves the borrower experience, and positions lenders to succeed. Before committing to a pricing model, a loan origination systems comparison with a side-by-side cost projection over three to five years, considering both operational efficiency gains and vendor support quality, can help determine the right one for your bank’s needs.
FAQs About Loan Origination Systems
1. What is loan processing automation?
It’s an AI-powered technology that can manage the entire end-to-end loan lifecycle, from loan application processing to loan approvals to risk management and loan disbursement and servicing. It streamlines workflows for greater scalability and efficiency, so lenders are able to process more loans without significantly increasing their overhead.
2. Which pricing model is best for small lenders exploring loan underwriting systems?
After analyzing a loan origination systems comparison, you’ll most likely find that a subscription-based or per-user model is the most affordable and flexible solution for smaller lenders or credit unions, as it offers more predictable costs and easy scalability.
3. How can my bank calculate the total cost of ownership (TCO)?
TCO includes software fee, setup, integrations, compliance modules, and operational savings from automation. Lenders should analyze costs over a 3-5-year period to determine the total cost of ownership.
4. Why is scalability important in loan underwriting systems?
The ultimate goal for any business is growth. A loan origination systems comparison can help you determine which is the most scalable and will help increase loan volumes without the need for increasing staff. This can more efficiently and cost-effectively help grow your loan portfolio.
5. What features should our bank look for when making a loan origination systems comparison?
Key features should include end-to-end loan management, including underwriting, document management, CRM integration, and real-time analytics for smarter decision-making and superior customer experience. It should also be scalable and user-friendly. Vendors should provide training and support for easier adoption.
The Biz2X platform is designed to give lenders flexibility across pricing models while offering cloud-based scalability and maintaining compliance and data security. Contact us for a demo to learn what our loan origination software can do to grow your lending business.
