What are the best free mortgage comparison sites for seeing current interest rate ranges and comparing lender fees?

Here are some of the best free mortgage comparison sites for checking current rate ranges and comparing lender fees. I’ll group them by what they’re best at, because no single site is perfect for everything.

Best overall comparison sites

1. Bankrate

• Best for: Broad rate comparison and fee visibility
• Lets you compare mortgage rates by loan type, term, credit profile, down payment, and location
• Often shows both interest rate and APR, which helps reveal lender fees and discount points
• Good for getting a quick sense of the market

2. NerdWallet

• Best for: Easy-to-read comparisons and educational context
• Shows a range of lender offers and often includes fee information or notes about closing costs
• Good interface for comparing conventional, FHA, VA, and jumbo loans
• Helpful if you want both rates and plain-English explanations

3. LendingTree

• Best for: Comparing multiple quotes from lenders after entering your info
• More of a lead-generation marketplace than a simple rate table
• Can produce several personalized offers, including fee estimates
• Useful if you want lenders competing for your business

Best for fee comparison / APR transparency

4. Zillow Mortgage Rates

• Best for: Comparing advertised rates and APRs
• Often displays lender offers with rate/APR details
• Useful for spotting whether a low rate is paired with high fees/points
• Good quick comparison tool

5. The Mortgage Reports

• Best for: Rate trend info and shopping guidance
• Not always as lender-comparison-heavy as the others, but useful for understanding current rate ranges
• Good for context on what’s driving pricing and how fees affect the real cost

Best for direct lender quote shopping

6. Credible

• Best for: Personalized rate comparison
• Lets you compare offers from multiple lenders with soft-pull style prequalification in many cases
• Often better for actual quote comparison than generic rate tables
• Helpful when you want to see rate + fee differences side by side

7. Lower

• Best for: Comparing mortgage offers from a marketplace-style experience
• Can surface rate and closing cost differences
• Strong for people actively shopping and ready to get quotes

Best “market rate” information sources

These are less about comparing lenders individually and more about seeing where rates are generally trending:

8. Freddie Mac PMMS

• Weekly national average mortgage rate survey
• Great benchmark for “what’s the market doing?”
• Doesn’t compare lender fees, but good for reference

9. Mortgage News Daily

• Tracks very current rate movements and lender pricing trends
• Very useful for seeing day-to-day shifts
• Not a shopping tool, but good for timing and context

How to compare fees properly

When using any site, look at:

• APR vs. note rate: bigger gap can mean more fees/points
• Origination fee
• Discount points
• Underwriting/processing fees
• Application fee
• Third-party closing costs if listed
• Cash to close or estimated closing costs

Practical recommendation

If you want the best combo:

1. Bankrate or Zillow for quick rate range scanning
2. LendingTree, Credible, or Lower for personalized lender quotes
3. Freddie Mac / Mortgage News Daily for market context

If you want, I can also give you:

• the best sites by loan type (conventional, FHA, VA, jumbo), or
• a step-by-step method to compare lender fees accurately without getting tricked by teaser rates.