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There is no honest ranking, because "best" depends on your loan type, credit profile, timing, and what the lender is offering on the day you quote. The way to answer it for yourself is the Loan Estimate: get quotes on the same day from the lenders you are comparing, on the identical loan amount, program, property, lock period, and assumptions, and compare the rate, APR, origination charges, the services you can shop for, and cash to close. A complete comparison includes every line, not just the rate, and that is the method Patrick uses.

Six things, all on the same assumptions: the same loan amount and program, the same lock period, the same property and closing date, the same points and credits, and the same tax and insurance estimates. Then compare the rate and APR on page one, the origination charges in Section A, the services you can shop for in Section C, and the cash-to-close summary on page two. Two estimates with identical rates can still differ by real money in fees, which is the entire reason the form exists.

Patrick's Quick Answer: for some programs, yes. The USDA single-family eligibility screen is public and runs on address and household size, before any lender application and before any credit pull. A real loan still goes through lender underwriting and a credit inquiry at application, and a passing screen is not an approval.

• The public screen comes first: the USDA eligibility map at eligibility.sc.egov.usda.gov lets you enter the property address and household details to see whether the area and income picture may qualify for a USDA loan. It does not ask for your credit and it is not a mortgage application with any lender.
• What still requires a lender: income and debt underwriting, the credit history review, the property appraisal, and the full loan file all belong to the lender, and a formal application typically includes a credit inquiry. A quick pre-quote conversation can often happen without a hard pull, so ask which stage you are at before you apply.
• No promise: passing the public address and household screen never equals approval. Approval still depends on credit, debt-to-income, property eligibility, and the complete underwriting picture, which is exactly what a loan officer works through with you.

This question is also answered in the Ask Patrick library.