Cherry vs Proceed Finance: Dental Patient Loans 2027

Pick the lender by case size and payout rules, not by brand

For most dental offices the real decision is which patient lender's terms fit their case mix, because both Cherry and Proceed Finance fund the patient and pay the practice up front. Cherry's pages describe shorter plans, 1 to 60 months, with qualifying 0% offers and a soft credit check. Proceed Finance is built for larger, longer loans: its provider page lists $1,500 to $75,000 with terms up to 12 years. The treatment plan in front of a patient decides which structure fits, so start there.

Neither name has been renamed, merged or discontinued as far as we could find. Proceed Finance operates through Med-Den Funding, LLC, which its site describes as a wholly owned subsidiary of Optum Bank, Inc. (company page). Cherry describes itself as "a financial technology provider and platform — not a bank or a lender" (comparison article). We did not find a corporate change for either company, but both ownership and lending-bank claims come from the companies' own pages, so confirm them in your contract.

Financing matters because volume is tight. One-third of dentists reported insufficient patient volume in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to ADA. When a patient cannot pay the full bill at once, the lender you pick determines whether that case is accepted, how fast cash arrives and how much reconciliation your team does afterward.

Key Takeaways

• Cherry publishes more patient-side detail: an APR range of 0% to 35.99%, terms of 1 to 60 months, and a soft credit check.

• Proceed Finance publishes patient examples, minimums by state and a 12-year term, but no practice fee on its provider page.

• Neither vendor publishes a practice-side rate on a pricing page we could open, so both are "Quote-based" in the cost table below.

• Payout clocks differ: Cherry says 2 to 3 business days, and Proceed says 1 to 2 business days after signed documents are reviewed.

• Cherry's merchant agreement lets it change fees by notice and can require the practice to refund a chargeback, plus finance charges. Read that clause before you sign.

How we evaluated these lenders

We scored the two lenders against seven criteria, weighted toward what a practice can verify before signing. The weights are our analysis, not vendor data. Practice-side cost gets the largest weight because a payout is only as useful as the fee behind it, and a vendor that will not state that fee leaves you forecasting blind.

We kept the trust-signal weight low on purpose. Cherry has a large public review base, but Proceed Finance has no Trustpilot or BBB profile we could open, so that criterion cannot separate them with confidence.

Side-by-side feature matrix

We read each vendor's own pages first and checked the claims against the independent sources in this guide. Where the vendor pages disagree with each other, we show both figures rather than picking one.

Cherry patient APR range: 0% to 35.99% according to Cherry (checked 2026)

Cherry's own figures do not agree with each other. Its dental page says loans go up to $50,000, while its comparison article says up to $65,000. Its 90% approval claim is also narrower than it reads. The disclosure ties "90% approval rate" to Pay-in-4 loans, and the same page says eligibility is not guaranteed. Treat the 90% figure as a short-term product claim, not a general approval rate.

What each lender costs your practice

Pricing checked October 25, 2026.

Neither vendor publishes a practice-side rate on a pricing page we could open. Cherry's merchant purchase agreement, last revised April 15, 2026, requires a per-funded-loan Transaction Fee but does not state the amount, and it points to operating instructions we could not open (merchant agreement). Proceed's provider page refers to "competitive provider fees" without a figure. A competitor-authored comparison quotes a starting merchant fee for Cherry, but we did not print that number because it does not come from a pricing page we could open.

Proceed's own patient example: 8.99% APR over 72 months according to Proceed Finance (checked 2026)

Our read: the patient-facing numbers are more complete on Proceed's page, but the practice-facing number is the one that moves your margin, and neither vendor publishes it. The fastest way to compare is to ask each lender for the per-loan fee in writing, then run the same month of cases through both.

Worked example: a month of financed cases

Take a hypothetical practice that finances 20 cases a month at $5,000 each, which is $100,000 of financed production. If a patient takes Proceed's 72-month example, the published $91 monthly payment comes to $6,552 over 72 payments ($91 × 72), which is $1,552 more than the $5,000 principal, or about 31% extra. That is the patient's cost, and it is the number to show someone before they sign. On the practice side, every percentage point of fee on $100,000 of financed production is $1,000, so a fee you cannot see in writing can cost more than the difference between two lenders' headline rates. For the reconciliation check, suppose two of the 20 cases are denied or cancelled. That leaves 18 funded cases at $5,000, or $90,000 gross, and your bank deposit should match that figure minus the agreed fee. Cherry's help center says to log in at provider.withcherry.com, open the Settings tab and choose "Payments/Payouts Settings", so the payout configuration lives in the portal rather than in your practice system.

Credit checks, deferred interest and what staff say

The biggest risk in dental financing is not the APR on the page. It is the way staff describe it. In 2015 the CFPB ordered Springstone Financial to provide relief after dental office staff described a deferred-interest product as interest-free, and the consumers who relied on that description were charged. Springstone is not Proceed or Cherry, and the product was discontinued in 2014, but the lesson transfers. Springstone deferred-interest relief: $700,000 according to CFPB (2015)

The wider market is also growing. STAT News reported, citing a CFPB survey of five lenders, that buy-now-pay-later health loans rose from $10 million in 2019 to $230 million in 2021, according to STAT News (2023). That growth is why front-desk scripts matter. Both lenders run 0% or interest-free plans in some form, and both have plans where interest accrues from the start.

Our read: write a front-desk script that says the APR, the term and the monthly payment before a patient signs. Do not say "no interest" unless the disclosure for that specific plan says 0%. Cherry's disclosure describes 0% for qualifying borrowers, and Proceed's patient page says interest begins at closing, so the wording is different and staff should use the right one.

Vendor profiles: Cherry and Proceed Finance

Cherry

Facts from Cherry's pages: Cherry says it pays practices in 2 to 3 business days and that patients apply with a soft check. Its help center describes a Provider Portal, a Settings page and an iOS app for starting applications, with the practice scanning the patient's ID. It says the practice must deliver the service on time, generally the same day, and that Cherry pays the purchase amount minus a transaction fee by ACH. Cherry's comparison article says it has more than 60,000 providers, but that figure is self-reported.

Trust signal: the review score is an independent data point, and it is strong. Review score: 4.8 from 2,074 reviews according to Trustpilot (checked 2026). The page shows 89% five-star reviews, but its own AI-generated summary says some reviewers cited poor follow-up and confusion about billing structures. Those are the same complaints a practice should test in its own contract review.

Best fit: practices whose typical financed case is a shorter plan under $50,000, and who want a qualifying 0% offer for patients who meet the criteria.

Limitations: the terms cap at 60 months, so a large full-arch case may need a longer plan. The maximum loan amount differs across Cherry's own pages. The practice fee is not published, and the merchant agreement lets Cherry increase fees by notice for changes that apply to loans approved after the notice date.

Implementation: start an application in the Cherry app on an iOS device, scan the patient's ID and check the card details. Confirm with Cherry which practice-management systems connect, because the page claims same-day integration without naming one.

Primary evidence: Cherry dental page, Cherry help center, Cherry merchant agreement.

Proceed Finance

Facts from Proceed's pages: Proceed operates through Med-Den Funding, LLC, which it describes as a wholly owned subsidiary of Optum Bank, Inc., headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska, and founded in 2016 (company page). Its provider page lists loans from $1,500 to $75,000, terms up to 12 years, and minimums of $3,000 in Colorado and Georgia and $6,000 in Massachusetts. Its patient page says pre-qualification has no impact on the credit score, that a full application creates a hard inquiry, that there is no prepayment penalty, and that interest begins to accrue at loan closing (patient page). Its provider FAQ says funds "will usually settle the next business day after our review and approval of uploaded signed loan documents" (provider page).

Trust signal: we did not find a Trustpilot or BBB profile for Proceed Finance, and we could not verify its complaint history. Treat that as an open question, not a clean record.

Best fit: offices that finance large cases, need terms beyond 60 months, and have patients who prefer fixed interest and no prepayment penalty.

Limitations: the provider fee is not published. The pages we opened do not mention a 0% option. Loans are subject to minimums by state, and the full application produces a hard inquiry. A Cherry comparison article says loans may be made by Optum Bank, Customers Bank or Security First Bank, but we did not confirm which bank funds a given loan, so ask Proceed before you sign.

Implementation: patients pre-qualify online or in the office. The provider page does not list any practice-management integration, so you should confirm the file format and timing for the signed documents.

Primary evidence: Proceed providers page, Proceed patient page, Proceed company page.

Reconciling financed cases to payouts

This is where most practices lose track of money, because each lender pays on a different clock and fee logic. US Tech Automations can configure a proposed workflow for this step, though neither lender's integration is confirmed and nothing here describes a live deployment. The design assumes you can export case status, pull a bank feed and get the signed fee terms.

Workflow A is a proposed design. Its trigger is a case moving to "financing approved" in your practice-management system, which requires an export or API access from that system. Its action matches the patient, the treatment amount and the lender, then writes an expected-payout date from the lender's stated timing: 1 to 2 business days for Proceed Finance, 2 to 3 for Cherry. Its output is a daily expected-payout list. The human review point is a staff member confirming that the signed loan documents are on file before the case closes.

Workflow B is also proposed. Its trigger is a bank deposit whose amount or payer matches a lender. Its action compares the deposit against that day's funded amounts minus the fee in the signed agreement, which is the figure you must obtain in writing. Its output is an exception queue. The review point is the owner approving each variance, because a mismatch can be a refund, a denied case or an unposted fee.

Workflow C is a proposed refund log. Its trigger is a refund or cancellation entered in the lender's portal, which Cherry's help center says is started from the transactions tab. Its action records the case ID, reason and amount, then alerts the owner. Its output is the audit trail. The review point is the refund itself, because Cherry's agreement can require the practice to refund the affected loan amount plus finance charges after a chargeback.

Who this is for

Cherry fits an office that finances shorter, smaller plans and wants a qualifying 0% offer for patients who meet the criteria. Proceed Finance fits an office whose largest cases need terms beyond 60 months and whose patients can accept a hard inquiry at full application. Either lender fits an office that can get the fee in writing and reconcile payouts.

Red flags: you cannot get a practice fee in writing from the lender; your deposits do not match the funded amounts you can export; your team describes financing as "no interest" without reading the APR disclosure.

Decision checklist:

• Get the per-loan practice fee from each lender in writing, with the effective cost on a sample case.
• Confirm the maximum loan amount and longest term for your typical case.
• Ask whether any plan carries deferred interest, and which plan a patient would be offered.
• Confirm the payout date and who handles refunds and chargebacks.
• Confirm which practice-management systems connect and whether you receive a case export.

Where a simpler setup wins

Skip US Tech Automations if you finance only a case or two a month. The lender's portal and a monthly reconciliation spreadsheet already show every payout, and a workflow adds prerequisites you then have to maintain. Skip it if you use one lender with a native integration you already trust and your bank deposits already match. Skip it if the practice fee is still unknown, because a variance check cannot be calculated against a number you do not have.

Zapier, Make and n8n can run the same logic yourself. When you configure them, they can keep run histories, retries and error branches, and some support audit evidence. What you own is the rest: making the workflow idempotent so one deposit cannot match two cases, escalating when a match fails, controlling access to patient data and maintaining it when a lender changes its export. A proposed US Tech Automations design would set those controls and review points at configuration time, but it still depends on your exports and on a named person who clears exceptions.

Frequently asked questions

Is Cherry or Proceed Finance cheaper for the practice?

Neither can be called cheaper yet, because neither publishes a practice fee on the pages we opened. Ask each lender for its per-loan fee in writing, then run the same month of cases through both.

Which lender offers longer repayment terms?

Proceed Finance does. Its provider page lists terms up to 12 years, with examples at 72 and 144 months. Cherry's dental page lists 1 to 60 months.

Does either loan carry deferred interest?

Cherry's page, as quoted by an independent cost site, says there is "no deferred-interest cliff." Proceed's patient page says interest "will begin to accrue at loan closing," which means no deferred-interest product is described.

Does a pre-qualification hurt a patient's credit score?

No, not at the pre-qualification step for either lender. Cherry uses a soft check, and Proceed's pre-qualification has no impact on the score, but Proceed's full application creates a hard inquiry.

When does the practice get paid?

Cherry says 2 to 3 business days. Proceed says 1 to 2 business days after its review of signed documents, and it says funds usually settle the next business day after that review.

Who carries the loss if a patient stops paying?

Both lenders say they carry the repayment risk. Proceed says its loans are fully funded up front with no repayment risk to providers. Cherry's help center says the practice is not responsible if the customer does not pay, but its merchant agreement still makes the practice responsible for refunds and chargebacks.

Bottom line

Choose Cherry if your typical financed case is under $50,000, which is the maximum on its dental page, fits a 60-month term, and you want a qualifying 0% offer for patients. Choose Proceed Finance if your larger cases need terms up to 12 years and you can accept fixed interest and a hard credit inquiry at full application. In either case, get the practice fee in writing and reconcile the first month's payouts against your funded cases before you commit. To see how US Tech Automations configures this kind of payout check, see how US Tech Automations configures this.