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// editorial
How we review loan apps
One repeatable framework, applied the same way to every app — regulated or not, big or small. No paid placements. No referral commissions. No shadow rewrites.
1. RBI status check
Every app is mapped to its parent NBFC or bank. We check the RBI list of regulated entities, and if the app operates as a partner of a regulated lender, we say so explicitly. Apps with no traceable RBI-regulated entity are flagged Unregulated.
2. True APR, not headline rate
We compute the real cost of credit using the Newton-Raphson IRR on the actual cashflow series — principal disbursed, processing fee, GST, tenure, and total repayment. A loan that advertises "1.5% per month" often clears 45–60% APR once fees are added. The number we publish is the observed market range, not the rate the app shows on its landing page.
3. Permission audit
We document the Android/iOS permissions the app demands at install and at first loan request — contacts, gallery, SMS, microphone, location. Anything beyond what's needed to verify identity and process the loan is flagged.
4. Recovery practice review
We aggregate publicly reported recovery experiences from Play Store reviews, Twitter, Reddit r/IndiaInvestments, and reader submissions to SahiSujhav. We do not publish individual borrowers' names. Patterns of after-hours calls, contacts-spamming, or coercive language move an app from Caution to Avoid.
5. Verdict bands
- Recommended (4.0–5.0) — RBI-regulated, transparent fees, no permission overreach, no coercive recovery patterns reported.
- OK (3.5–3.9) — Regulated and broadly compliant; one or two concerns (fee spike, marketing claims) keep it below recommended.
- Caution (2.5–3.4) — Use only if you can read the KFS carefully and have a clear repayment plan. Real APRs often well above headline.
- Avoid (1.0–2.4) — Significant red flags on regulation, fees, permissions, or recovery practices. Borrow elsewhere.
6. Right of reply
Before publishing a new review or a major update, we invite the lender to respond to the specific concerns we plan to raise. We log the invitation date and the response status (pending / received / declined) on the review page. Substantive corrections are folded into the next revision with a dated change note.
7. Update cadence
Every review carries a Last reviewed date. Reviews are revisited on RBI policy changes, on app version updates that change fees or permissions, and on a quarterly minimum.
8. Editorial independence
SahiSujhav does not accept money from lenders, brokers, or app developers. We do not run referral links to loan products. Site funding is disclosed on the transparency page. Editorial decisions belong to bylined editors — see the team.
9. Conflict of interest
If an editor has any past relationship with an entity under review, the review is reassigned to another editor and the prior relationship is disclosed in the review page footer.
10. Corrections
Spot something wrong? Email hello@sahisujhav.in with the URL and the correction. We respond within 5 working days and date every fix.