MoneyLion is a banking and cash advance app that offers interest-free cash advances up to $500 per pay period with no monthly fee. It also offers subscription-based plans for additional features, such as its Credit Builder Plus membership. If you open a RoarMoney banking account, you can potentially increase your advance amount to $1,000 per pay period. But its instant transfers are expensive, and some users have complained about app glitches.
Our list of apps like MoneyLion includes a range of interest-free cash apps for people with less-than-perfect credit — and offers a range of features that could help you budget better and save money.
MoneyLion and Cleo are similar in that both offer a range of budgeting features that let you track your spending, view upcoming bills and get low balance alerts. And with Cleo's paid version, which costs $5.99 a month, you can request cash advances in the app, get overdraft protection and earn cashback to your Cleo wallet.
But unlike MoneyLion, Cleo has an AI assistant which can answer questions like, 'How much did I spend on Starbucks this month?' or 'What's my average food cost?' It can also present data in graphs, so you can see where your money is going. So, if you like to have more control over how you view your finances, Cleo could be a good choice.
EarnIn is an app that allows you to access money you've already earned before payday. It's a popular choice for those looking to avoid overdraft fees or payday loans. The app works by connecting to your bank account and tracking your hours worked. You can then withdraw up to $150 per day for free, with an option to tip what you think is fair.
One unique feature of EarnIn is its rewards program. By using the app's Tip Yourself feature, you can earn rewards for good financial habits, such as saving money or budgeting wisely. These rewards can be redeemed for cash or used to cover future tip requests.
Albert is a financial services and banking app that offers up to $250 cash advances between paychecks. Unlike MoneyLion, there's no mandatory repayment date, which means you can borrow money and pay it back when you can. And when you set up direct deposit with Albert Cash, you can get paid up to two days early.
What makes Albert different from MoneyLion is its Genius feature. Genius is a built-in service that can answer your questions about investing, credit cards, student loans and more. Just provide Genius with a few details, and it creates your custom investment portfolio. But Genius costs $14.99 a month, and you must sign up for a free 30-day trial if you want cash advances. Existing users may fall under a previous monthly pricing plan, which ranged from $8 to $16
Available in all states
Pros
Offers budgeting, loans and investment help
Paid membership not required for advances
No late fees or inactivity fees
Cons
Must sign up for a free trial of Genius
Instant transfer fees not listed
No phone support
Loan amount
$25 to $250
Loan Term
Within 6 days of overdraft, with possible 7-day extension
Brigit is a cash advance app that offers advances up to $250 per pay cycle. The monthly membership fee is free to use but you won’t get access to any features. To access Brigit’s features, such as instant cash, credit monitoring or more, monthly membership is $8.99 for Brigit Plus and $14.99 for Premium. This is pricey compared to MoneyLion, which doesn't charge a monthly fee, but included in this price are some value-added features that some users may find useful.
For starters, Brigit lets you extend your repayment date if you've had two consecutive on-time payments. Brigit's monthly fee also includes free overdraft protection, up to $1 million in identity theft protection and a credit builder program. By comparison, MoneyLion's credit builder program costs $19.99 a month.
Available in all states
Pros
Store up to three payment extensions at a time
Monitors your bank account for low balances
Budgeting tools to help track your spending
Cons
Monthly subscription fee of $8.99 to $14.99 monthly membership fee
Not everyone will qualify for $250 advances
Some users report it's hard to cancel the service
Loan amount
$50 to $250
Loan Term
Until your next payday, but can extend
Turnaround time
2 to 3 business days or instant with a Premium subscription or for a fee.
Loan amount
$50 - $250
Turnaround time
2 to 3 business days or instant with a Premium subscription or for a fee.
Dave is a banking app that helps you avoid overdraft fees, budget your money, and build your credit. Like MoneyLion, Dave offers interest-free cash advances of up to $500 to cover unexpected expenses between paychecks. However, what sets Dave apart is its focus on financial coaching and education.
With Dave, you can access personalized financial insights and recommendations to help you improve your financial health. The app analyzes your spending patterns and offers suggestions for saving money and avoiding unnecessary fees. Additionally, Dave offers a Side Hustle feature that helps you find additional ways to earn money outside of your regular job.
Cash App Borrow is a short-term loan feature for select Cash App users. Borrow lets you borrow up to $200 for a 5% financing fee and gives you four weeks to pay it back. This makes it more expensive to use than MoneyLion, but eligibility requirements appear to be more lenient.
Cash App states that selection is based on your state of residence, your credit score, if you have a Cash Card and your Cash App usage. Users say they gained access after uploading cash and sending payments. Because it looks like direct deposits aren't required as with most cash apps, Borrow could be ideal for gig workers who get paid in cash.
Possible Finance calls itself the payday loan alternative, offering same-day, short-term loans up to $500 through the Possible app. Unlike MoneyLion, Possible Finance charges a $10 or $15 financing fee for every $100 borrowed, depending on the state. So, for a $100 loan with a four-week repayment period, the APR is 195.53% — the same as most payday loans.
But unlike payday loans, Possible Finance reports your payments to two of the three major credit bureaus, which could help build your credit score. But due to the high cost, it's best to limit the amount of loans you take out Possible Finance. And some users report their credit scores dropping after taking out too many loans.
Available in: Alabama, California, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington
Pros
No credit check required
More flexible loan repayment terms
Reports activity to the three major credit bureaus
B9 is a cash advance app that lets you get paid up to 15 days early or borrow up to $500 per pay period against the wages you've already earned. But compared to MoneyLion, it can be costly. The basic plan, which lets you access up to $100, costs $9.99 a month. And the Premium Plan, which offers $500 advances, costs a hefty $19.99 a month. And same-day transfers cost 2% of the amount transferred.
But B9 could work for you if you're a non-resident and want to take advantage of getting paid up to two weeks early. B9 allows you to use an ITIN to sign up and offers customer service in Spanish. But for advances of $500 or less, MoneyLion and other apps could be easier on your wallet.
Available in all states
Pros
Get paid up to 15 days early
Borrow up to $500 per pay period
Non-residents may qualify with an ITIN
Cons
History of mixed customer reviews
Few additional features compared to other cash advance apps
Monthly fee makes it expensive for occasional advances
Loan amount
$30 to $500
Loan Term
Not Stated
Turnaround time
Instant
Loan amount
$30 - $500
Turnaround time
Instant
How does MoneyLion compare?
If you’re looking for a free cash app packing a range of features, including a banking account, investment account, crypto trading feature and credit builder program, MoneyLion could work for you. Unlike other apps, there’s no monthly fee for cash advances, but standard advances to an external bank account take two to five business days.
But if you need money same-day, its instant transfer charges are steep — costing $8.99 per $100 transferred — making it almost as expensive as a payday loan. But if you don’t need advances right away and you want to increase your advance amount up to $1,000 by opening a RoarMoney account, MoneyLion could actually be more economical than other cash advance apps.
But if you do a lot of instant transfers and don’t care about MoneyLion’s other features, you’ll likely save by choosing another cash advance app that doesn’t charge such high instant transfer fees.
Pros
No monthly subscription fee
Standard transfers are free
Other banking and financial services available
Can potentially borrow up to $1,000 per pay period
Automatic round-up feature with debit card
Cons
Standard transfers take three to five business days
Instant advances cost $1.99 to $8.99
Each $100 instant advance costs $8.99
Funds delivery to an external account takes 2 to 5 business days
Kat Aoki was a personal finance writer at Finder, specializing in consumer and business lending. She’s written thousands of articles to help consumers make better decisions on their home loans, bank accounts, credit cards, cryptocurrency and more. Kat is well versed in working with leading brands in the real estate, mortgage and personal finance industries, and her expertise has been featured on Forbes Advisor, Lifewire and financial comparison sites like iSelect and realestate.com.au. She holds a BS in business administration from California State University, Sacramento and enjoys hiking and yoga in her spare time. See full bio
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Sarah Barness is the Head of Content at O.school and freelance writer at Finder, keeping up with the latest products in the industry to present readers with unbiased reviews and guides. She has over eight years of digital media industry experience in fast-paced newsrooms in New York City and Los Angeles. Before Finder, Sarah was ranked as a top-viewed HuffPost editor and writer. She was also a lifestyle senior editor for A Plus, a digital media publication founded by Ashton Kutcher. Sarah holds an MFA in creative nonfiction from The New School, as well as a certificate in editing from Poynter ACES. See full bio
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