Unlock is a home equity sharing company that allows homeowners to access their property’s equity without monthly payments.
Several companies offer home equity sharing agreements similar to Unlock’s, and there are alternatives for tapping into your home equity.
Use this guide to determine which Unlock competitors or alternatives might be best for your goals as a homeowner.
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How does an Unlock HEA work?
With Unlock, you sell the company a portion of your home equity, plus a share of your property’s future appreciation.
In exchange, you get a lump-sum payment, which you can use for any purpose.
Many homeowners use these arrangements to pay for home repairs, renovations, or other costs they might be facing.
You then have 10 years to buy back your equity. You can do this in one large payment at the end of your term or via partial buyouts over time.
Unlike typical equity products like home equity loans, there are no monthly payments.
Unlock competitors
The number of companies offering home equity sharing agreements is small. We’ll compare Unlock to two popular competitors: Hometap and Unison.
Each varies slightly in its geographic service area, credit score requirements, and investment amount.
credit score
550+
600+
620+
500+
minimum investment
$30,000
$20,000
$30,000
$30,000
max investment
$500,000
$700,000
$500,000
$600,000
term length
10 years
10 years
30 years
30 years
Unlock vs. Hometap
- Access your equity quickly and flexibly
- No monthly payments
- Assigned a dedicated Investment Manager
- Get an online cash estimate in under 2 minutes
- Accepts bankruptcy resolved over 1 year ago
- Excellent (6,400+ Trustpilot customers)
What makes it a good alternative to Unlock?
Hometap is based in Boston, Massachusetts, and has operated since 2017.
Hometap is available in more states than Unlock and offers a wider funding range than any of the listed companies. This makes it an excellent option for both small and large needs.
Unlock vs. Unison
- Investments from $30,000 to $500,000
- Term length of 30 years
- Get a cash estimate in just 60 seconds
What makes it a good alternative to Unlock?
Unison was one of the first companies to introduce a home equity investment on the market. This helped it become the most widely available option, serving homeowners across 29 states.
The 30-year term of Unison’s agreement is significantly longer than Unlock’s 10-year term. It gives homeowners more flexibility and can benefit those using the funds for a longer-term project or need.
Unlock vs. Point
- No payments for up to 30 years
- Funds can be used on anything you need
- No income requirements
- Get an online cash estimate in just 60 seconds
- Accepts bankruptcy resolved over 2 years ago
- Excellent (4,600+ Trustpilot Clients)
Point offers longer terms (30 years) and lower fees, making it ideal for homeowners seeking time and cost savings, while Unlock provides more flexible partial buyouts and clearer upfront transparency, though at higher fees and shorter 10-year terms.
Read our full head-to-head comparison here: Point vs. Unlock Comparison: Which Stands Out?
About our contributors
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Written by Aly YaleAly Yale is a freelance writer with more than a decade of experience covering real estate and personal finance topics.