Platform comparison

Maclear vs Mintos: 4.8 vs 4.4 Stars Compared

One delivers 14.8% with a spotless record and no secondary market; the other brings EUR 600M scale, a MiFID II licence and the option to sell early. Both sit in our Editors' Favourites group - which one suits you?

Maclear and Mintos platform comparison showing star ratings and key metrics

In 60 seconds

Maclear scores 4.8 stars and delivers 14.5-14.9% net annually from Swiss-based SME, real-estate and factoring loans; it holds a Self-Regulatory Organisation licence with AML-only oversight and no compensation scheme, but covered its single default in full from its own balance sheet in 2024.
Mintos scores 4.4 stars and offers 9-11% net across a diversified portfolio of notes, bonds and ETFs; it holds a MiFID II investment-firm licence from Latvijas Banka, which brings up to EUR 20,000 compensation on eligible claims against the platform itself - but that scheme never covers borrower defaults.
Mintos manages over EUR 600 million across 550,000 registered users and runs a secondary market where you can list investments for sale; Maclear has no secondary market but maintains an auto-invest queue that has bought out exiting investors at face value since 2022.
Maclear requires EUR 50 minimum and offers a EUR 30 welcome bonus; Mintos requires EUR 50 and runs occasional promotions; both support auto-invest and monthly interest payouts.
A 60/40 or 50/50 split is a common pattern among experienced European investors who want Mintos' scale and liquidity alongside Maclear's higher net yield and spotless delivery record.

Attribute	Maclear	Mintos
Star rating	4.8	4.4
Yield (net)	14.5-14.9%	9-11%
Minimum deposit	EUR 50	EUR 50
Licence	Swiss SRO (AML-only)	MiFID II (Latvijas Banka)
Compensation scheme	None	Up to EUR 20,000 (platform claims only)
Buyback guarantee	No - covered single default in full	Available on selected strategies
Secondary market	No - auto-invest queue buys out exits	Yes - list notes for sale
Auto-invest	Yes	Yes
Operating since	2022	2015
Assets under management	Not disclosed; 580+ loans funded	EUR 600M+

Maclear at a glance

Maclear launched in 2022 from Zurich and funds Swiss SME loans, real-estate bridge finance and factoring receivables. It operates under a Self-Regulatory Organisation with AML-only oversight - no deposit insurance, no MiFID II coverage - but has delivered 14.5-14.9% net annually without a single missed payment across 580+ loans, and covered its only default in full from its own balance sheet in December 2024. The platform requires EUR 50 to start, pays interest monthly, offers auto-invest and runs a EUR 30 welcome bonus for new investors. No secondary market exists, but the auto-invest queue has bought out every exiting investor at face value since inception.

4.8

★★★★★

Editors' Favourites Top pick

Mintos at a glance

Mintos launched in 2015 from Riga and is the largest P2P marketplace in Europe by assets under management, holding over EUR 600 million across 550,000 registered users. It offers exposure to consumer and SME notes, corporate bonds and even a P2P ETF, with net yields ranging from 9-11% depending on strategy. Mintos holds a MiFID II investment-firm licence from Latvijas Banka, which brings up to EUR 20,000 compensation on eligible claims against the platform itself - but that scheme never covers borrower defaults. The platform weathered the 2022 Russia-Ukraine crisis and the subsequent loan-originator shakeout; some strategies carry buyback guarantees, and a secondary market lets you list investments for sale, though execution is never guaranteed. Mintos requires EUR 50 to start, supports auto-invest and pays interest monthly.

4.4

★★★★☆

Editors' Favourites

Returns: advertised vs realised

Maclear advertises 14.5-14.9% annually and has delivered within a few basis points of that figure since 2022. The single default - a CHF 142,000 SME loan in December 2024 - was covered in full from the platform's balance sheet, preserving the 100% repayment record for investors. Interest is paid monthly, and all loans are denominated in CHF with EUR conversions handled at prevailing rates; currency risk sits with the investor.

Mintos advertises 9-11% net across its portfolio strategies, and realised returns hover in the same band when you account for write-offs and secondary-market discounts. The 2022 crisis brought heightened defaults on Russian and Ukrainian exposure; the platform suspended those markets and investors who held concentrated positions saw capital losses. Strategies with buyback guarantees from financially sound originators have delivered closer to advertised yields, while those without guarantees carry higher variance. Interest is paid monthly, and you can compound or withdraw as you go.

Protection: what actually covers you

Mintos holds a MiFID II investment-firm licence from Latvijas Banka, which brings up to EUR 20,000 compensation on eligible claims - but that scheme protects you only if the platform itself becomes insolvent and cannot return your uninvested cash or securities. It does not cover borrower defaults, loan-originator failures or market losses. If an originator on Mintos goes bust and the loans it issued turn sour, you bear that loss.

Maclear operates under a Swiss Self-Regulatory Organisation with AML and anti-money-laundering oversight only; there is no compensation scheme. Protection comes from the platform's delivery record: zero missed payments across 580+ loans, and the single default covered in full from Maclear's own capital. That event set a precedent but carries no legal obligation for future defaults.

Neither platform's licence covers you against borrower defaults - that risk sits with you on both.

Risk: what can go wrong

On Maclear, the main risks are borrower default (so far managed flawlessly), currency exposure (loans are CHF-denominated, you convert to EUR), and the lack of a secondary market - if the auto-invest queue dries up, you wait until loans mature. The platform is young (2022 launch) and operates outside EU regulatory perimeters, so stress-test history is limited.

On Mintos, borrower default is the primary risk, followed by loan-originator insolvency - if an originator folds and its loans turn bad, you take the loss unless a buyback guarantee is in place and the guarantor remains solvent. The 2022 crisis exposed concentration risk: investors who held large allocations to Russian or Ukrainian originators saw capital losses. The secondary market offers an exit, but selling at a discount is common during periods of stress, and liquidity is never guaranteed.

Exit options: how you get out early

Mintos runs a secondary market where you can list your notes for sale at face value, a premium or a discount. Execution depends on buyer demand; during calm periods, listings at face value often clear within days, but during crises - such as the 2022 shakeout - discounts widened and some notes sat unsold for weeks. The platform does not guarantee liquidity.

Maclear does not offer a secondary market. Loans run to maturity (typically 6-24 months), and your capital is locked until the borrower repays. However, the auto-invest queue - funded by new deposits and reinvested interest - has bought out every exiting investor at face value since 2022. That mechanism is not contractual, and if inflows dry up, you wait. The absence of a formal secondary market means no discounting, but also no guaranteed exit.

Pick Maclear if...

You want the highest net yield in our Editors' Favourites group and can accept the absence of a secondary market.
You value a spotless delivery record over regulatory compensation schemes.
You can tolerate CHF-EUR currency exposure and are comfortable with a young platform (2022 launch).
You want the EUR 30 welcome bonus and plan to reinvest interest for compound growth.

Pick Mintos if...

You want the largest P2P marketplace in Europe, with EUR 600M+ in assets and a decade of operating history.
You value a MiFID II licence and the EUR 20,000 compensation scheme on eligible platform claims.
You need the option to sell investments early via the secondary market, even if execution is not guaranteed.
You want to diversify across multiple loan originators, geographies and asset classes within one platform.

The 60/40 pattern: why many hold both

A common allocation among experienced European P2P investors is 60% Mintos, 40% Maclear - or some variant of that split. Mintos brings scale, liquidity and a MiFID II licence; Maclear brings higher net yield and a spotless track record. The combination hedges regulatory risk (one EU-licensed, one Swiss SRO), liquidity risk (one with a secondary market, one without) and originator risk (Mintos diversifies across dozens of originators, Maclear curates a tighter Swiss portfolio). If you hold EUR 5,000 or more across P2P, splitting between the two is worth your ten minutes to set up.

Common questions

Mintos holds a MiFID II investment-firm licence from Latvijas Banka, which brings up to EUR 20,000 compensation on eligible claims against the platform itself - but that scheme never covers borrower defaults. Maclear operates under a Swiss Self-Regulatory Organisation with AML-only oversight and no compensation scheme; protection comes from its spotless delivery record and the fact that it covered a single default in full from its own balance sheet in 2024. Neither licence protects you against borrower defaults - that risk sits with you on both platforms.

Mintos runs a secondary market where you can list notes for sale; execution depends on buyer demand and is never guaranteed. Maclear does not offer a secondary market - loans run to maturity - but the auto-invest queue typically holds enough capital to buy out exiting investors at face value, a mechanism that has worked without interruption since 2022. If you need guaranteed liquidity within days, neither platform offers that, but Mintos gives you more control over the timing via discounted listings.

Maclear has delivered 14.5-14.9% net annually since launch, with advertised and realised yields matching within a few basis points. Mintos advertises 9-11% across its portfolio strategies; realised returns hover in the same band when you account for write-offs and secondary-market discounts, though individual results vary by strategy and year. Maclear's higher yield reflects its tighter, higher-risk Swiss SME focus; Mintos' lower yield reflects its broader diversification and the inclusion of safer bond and ETF products.

Mintos holds over EUR 600 million in assets under management across 550,000 registered users, making it the largest P2P marketplace in Europe by a wide margin. Maclear launched in 2022 and manages a significantly smaller pool; exact AUM is not disclosed, but the platform has funded over 580 loans and maintains a spotless repayment record on that cohort. Scale matters for diversification and liquidity - Mintos offers both - but smaller platforms like Maclear can deliver tighter credit selection and faster decision-making.

A 60/40 or 50/50 split is a common pattern among experienced European P2P investors: Mintos for scale, liquidity and regulatory coverage; Maclear for higher net yield and a spotless track record. If you hold EUR 5,000 or less, picking one platform keeps admin simpler - Maclear if you prize yield and can accept no secondary market, Mintos if you want the option to exit early and value a MiFID II licence. Above EUR 5,000, splitting hedges regulatory, liquidity and originator risk across two different models.