9 Best Loan Apps in May 2026

Cash advance apps, also called loan apps, make it easy to get small, short-term loans fast, regardless of your credit score. But their convenience and accessibility often come at a price. Best case, you use an app to cover a one-time emergency or unexpected expense. Worst case, you come to rely on cash apps to make ends meet and can’t keep up with fees.

Below, we analyze the top cash advance apps, describe how they work, who they work best for, how much they cost, and what we do and don’t like. We also cover loan app alternatives for bad and fair credit, like personal loans and payday alternative loans, and when they might make more sense.

9 top cash advance apps

Tip: Credible offers free credit score monitoring and debt tracking tools with no monthly subscription requirement. 

EarnIn's Cash Out

Best for users who need frequent access to relatively large cash advances and don't mind waiting one to three business days to avoid fees.

• Advance amounts: Up to $150 per day, up to $1,000 each pay period; limits increase to $1,500 per pay period if you use Live Pay with an EarnIn Card
• Membership or per-advance fee: No, but the app asks for tips
• Fee for instant advances: $2.99 to $5.99
• Credible rating: 4.9 / 5

EarnIn was the only instant-money app in our research that gives you daily access to cash advances. Plus, it offers relatively high advance amounts, if you're eligible. Additionally, it doesn't require a membership or per-advance fee. 

EarnIn Cash Out's main drawback is that you pay a fee for instant advances even if you send the money to an EarnIn banking account. 

Varo's Varo Advance

Best for existing Varo customers who don't frequently request advances but need more than two weeks to pay the money back.

• Advance amounts: $20 to $500 (new users limited to a max of $250)
• Membership or per-advance fee: 8% to 16% of the advance amount, depending on the size and frequency of deposits in your Varo account
• Fee for instant advances: None
• Credible rating: 4.5 / 5

Varo's top advantage is that you can receive your advance the same day without paying an extra fee. Additionally, Varo allows you to repay your advance within 30 days. But the app also has drawbacks. Its per-advance fees can be as high as $80 for a $500 advance for customers who don't have $800 in deposits to Varo that month. New users are limited to a maximum of $250 per advance. 

Still, if you're already a Varo banking customer, the Varo Advance could be a seamless way to access funds with a longer repayment period than most competing apps.

Chime's MyPay

Best cash app overall if you live in one of the 38 states (plus Washington, D.C.) that MyPay operates in.

• Advance amounts: $20 to $500
• Membership or per-advance fee: None
• Fee for instant advances: $2 to $5 (free within 24 hours)
• Credible rating: 4.3 / 5

Chime MyPay’s strengths are that it offers up to $500 in cash advances, doesn’t charge a monthly membership fee, your advance arrives within 24 hours for free, and repaying advances on time can improve your credit score. Chime’s weakness is its limited availability — you can’t use it in 12 states. 

If Chime is available where you live, it’s a good choice for early access to your paycheck without a monthly membership or instant delivery fees (for delivery within 24 hours).

Tilt Cash Advance

Best for users who plan to send their advances to an external account and want fee-free next-day access.

• Advance amounts: $10 to $400
• Membership or per-advance fee: $8 monthly subscription fee
• Fee for instant advances: Free to Tilt debit cards and Tilt paycheck accounts, or $1 to $8 or 3% of advance amount (for advances of $300 or more) to external accounts
• Credible rating: 4.1 / 5

One of the biggest advantages of Tilt (formerly known as Empower) is that free advances to external accounts typically arrive within one business day, which was one of the quickest among the cash advance apps in our research. It also has a very high TrustScore on Trustpilot — a near-perfect 4.9 out of 5.

The app's drawbacks are its $8 monthly subscription fee and the relatively low maximum advance amount.

Possible Finance

Best if you need more than two weeks to pay the money back.

• Advance amounts: $10 to $100 for one-time Single Advance, up to $300 for Possible Membership Advance, up to $500 for Possible Loan
• Membership or per-advance fee: $15 membership fee (not required for Possible Loan or Single Advance); per-advance fee of $10 to $25 for every $100 borrowed or a percentage of your advance (for Single Advance); no per-advance fee for Possible Membership Advance
• Fee for instant advances: Applies only to Single Advances (a non-member advance that is not a Possible Loan)
• Credible rating: 4.1 / 5

Possible Finance's payday loan alternatives have two strengths: You can repay in four installments over approximately four weeks or eight weeks, depending on the product type available in your state. And advances are typically available instantly (but can take up to five days if you choose ACH transfer). The downside is that the app charges very high fees for advances (or membership) compared to other apps we researched. Product type also varies by state — most states that offer Possible Loans don’t also offer Possible Advances, and vice versa. A key benefit of the Possible Loan is that it reports payments to the credit bureaus, enabling you to build good credit.

If you want to pay back your advance in installments instead of all at once, Possible Finance could be a good fit. 

MoneyLion's Instacash

Best if you have a RoarMoney checking account with recurring direct deposits.

• Advance amounts: $25 to $500 without MoneyLion checking, $25 to $1,000 if you have a RoarMoney checking account with qualifying direct deposits
• Membership or per-advance fee: None, but the app asks for tips
• Fee for instant advances: $0.49 to $6.99 to RoarMoney accounts or $1.99 to $8.99 to external accounts for advances up to $100. The app doesn’t specify costs for advances greater than $100.
• Credible rating: 4.0 / 5 

MoneyLion's main benefit is that it provides cash advances of up to $1,000 for qualified RoarMoney account customers. Additionally, the app doesn't charge a membership or per-advance fee. 

MoneyLion's biggest disadvantage is that it can take up to five business days for your money to arrive if you don't pay a Turbo Fee for an instant advance. Plus, the website isn’t clear about how much instant advances over $100 cost, which dinged MoneyLion in our transparency scoring category. If the maximum $8.99 fee for external accounts is per $100 advanced, MoneyLion would be one of the most expensive apps in this list. 

Brigit's Instant Cash

Best for frequent cash app users who would benefit from optional due-date extensions and Brigit's credit-building and protection tools.

• Advance amounts: $25 to $500
• Membership or per-advance fee: $8.99 to $15.99 monthly membership fee
• Fee for instant advances: Free for $15.99 subscribers or $0.99 to $5.99
• Credible rating: 3.9 / 5

Brigit's best features are its due date extensions and credit-building, budgeting, and credit and identity protection tools included with membership. The app's drawback is that it's one of just a few instant-money apps that require a monthly membership fee. 

Brigit might be the right fit for you if you need smaller cash advance amounts, want the protection of due-date extensions, and will use the app's available tools.

Albert's Instant Advance

Best for frequent cash app users with an Albert account who need multiple instant advances monthly and can repay quickly.

• Advance amounts: $25 to $1,000
• Membership or per-advance fee: $14.99 to $39.99 monthly membership fee
• Fee for instant advances: Free to Albert accounts or $5.99 to $19.99 to external accounts
• Credible rating: 3.1 / 5

Albert’s strength is that it offers large advance amounts (if you qualify) along with budgeting and savings features to track your finances, a feature that could be a valuable tool if you’re trying to strengthen your finances and move away from cash advances. Also, the app lets you request a seven-day repayment extension.

On the downside, the app has a short six-day repayment period, and its subscription fees are much higher than many competitors. Albert could be a good fit if you plan on taking out multiple advances a month, can repay your advance quickly, and already have an Albert account.

Dave's ExtraCash

Best if you have a Dave checking account.

• Advance amounts: $25 to $500
• Membership or per-advance fee: Up to a $5 monthly membership fee and per-advance fee that is the greater of 5% or $5 of your advance amount
• Fee for instant advances: Free to Dave checking accounts or 1.5% of the amount sent to an external debit card
• Credible rating: 3.0 / 5

One of Dave's top features is that it provides advances of up to $500, and instant advances are free if you send them to a Dave checking account. However, Dave's main drawbacks are that not all members qualify for ExtraCash, few members qualify for a $500 advance, and you have to pay both membership and per-advance fees. Also, Dave charges a $1.99 service fee for Cash Out Link transfers.

Dave might be a good fit if you only need cash advances once or twice a month, as the app's per-advance fee can become costly compared to other options if you need frequent advances.

What are cash advance apps?

Cash advance apps are lending platforms that offer cash advances to borrowers who qualify. They can be a temporary solution for borrowers who need small amounts of cash from time to time. In general, the apps are not banks but financial technology companies (“fintechs”) that partner with banks. For example, Albert partners with Sutton Bank. 

Cash advance apps usually don't offer advances of more than $500 at a time, and repayment is typically due on your next payday.

How do money-borrowing apps work?

The first step in using a money-borrowing app is to sign up — you'll typically need to link your bank account so the app can determine how much you're eligible to borrow. Most cash advance apps limit their advances to $500 or less, although there are some exceptions, including Albert, EarnIn, and MoneyLion. Other apps may limit your advances to, say, $250, but increase the limit over time if you prove to be a responsible borrower.

From there, your lender will approve or deny your cash request. If approved, the app will tell you how much cash you qualify to advance, what fees you'll pay, and when you need to repay the advance. If you accept the advance, you'll have to wait anywhere from a few minutes to a few days to receive your money. How fast you get the money typically depends on whether you send it to a bank account run by the app or an external account and/or whether you pay extra to expedite funds.

How to compare money-borrowing apps

Comparing money-borrowing apps can help you find a platform with features that best meet your needs. For example, if you know you'll need a cash advance in a week, how quickly an app can send you your advance may not be important. However, if you need money today, you'll want apps that offer instant or same-day advances.

Here are some criteria you should use to compare cash-advance apps:

• Borrowing limits: The maximum amount of money you can borrow might change depending on the app you use. And, in some cases, your maximum amount will be limited at first and increase over time.
• Fees: Money-borrowing apps typically charge you a monthly or per-advance fee to get cash advances. If you're paid weekly and think you'll need at least a few advances per month, it makes sense to use an app with a monthly fee that's lower than what you'd pay in total for advance fees each month.
• Funding time: There's a wide range of funding times among cash advance apps. If you have a set plan for when you're taking out a cash advance, longer funding times may not be an issue. However, if you tend to use cash advances without any planning, apps offering same-day or affordable instant advances may make more sense.
• Borrower requirements: Just like borrowing limits, fees, and funding times, cash-advance apps have varying requirements for borrowers. These requirements typically focus on the frequency and/or amount of your paycheck direct deposits, which state you're in, and, in some cases, whether you've paid off an existing advance from the app. Also, some apps require you to open a deposit or debit card account with their service.

In the larger sense, it's essential to keep an eye out for terms and conditions that could make a particular app not worth the time or hassle. For example, some apps might actually be hybrids of cash advance providers and “buy now, pay later” platforms that require you to make purchases from a virtual store before receiving your advance. 

Not all apps are created equal. Keep an eye out for the ones that come with unnecessary strings attached.

How to compare borrowing costs

Judging the total cost of using a loan app can be tricky. Because they charge fees rather than interest, it's difficult to get an apples-to-apples comparison with loans and similar types of lending.

Still, you can get a general idea of how much a loan app costs by looking at a combination of fees and length of repayment terms. Here's an example using a hypothetical cash advance:

• $200 advance
• $5 instant transfer fee
• 14-day repayment term (next payday)

If you plug these variables into a payday loan calculator — with $200 as the loan amount, the $5 instant transfer fee as the finance charge, and two weeks as the loan term — this cash advance would charge the equivalent of 65% APR. As a general rule, look for loan apps that offer low fees and give you more time to pay.

While the equivalent APR from the example above might compare favorably to a payday loan or title loan, it's still considerably higher than options that have longer repayment terms.

• Payday alternative loan (APRs capped at 28%, repayment terms up to 1 year)
• Small bank loan (APRs up to 36%, typical repayment term of 3 months)
• Personal loan (APRs up to 36%, typical repayment terms of 2 to 7 years)

Keep in mind the loan app scenario doesn't account for membership fees or other charges.

Methodology

Credible evaluated 11 cash advance lending platforms to find the best loan apps. We chose the best apps based on the following weighted categories:

• Instant funding fees: 20%
• Length of repayment term: 20%
• Advance amounts: 15%
• Membership or per-advance fees: 15%
• Trustpilot rating: 10%
• Transparency: 10%
• App rating: 10%

Credible’s team of experts gathered information from each app’s website. Each data point is verified by an editor to make sure it’s accurate at the time of publication. 

Learn more about how Credible rates lenders by exploring our personal loans lender rating methodology.

Pros and cons of loan apps

Details on the pros 

• No late fees: Generally speaking, cash advance apps don't charge late fees. Additionally, some apps let you extend your repayment date if you can't pay your advance by its due date.
• No credit checks: You usually don't have to pass a credit check to get cash from a money-borrowing app. As a result, it may be easier for some applicants to qualify compared to getting a credit card or personal loan.
• Some apps may be more affordable than payday loans: Cash apps can be better than payday loans when it comes to cost, but not always. To keep costs down, avoid tipping and paying extra for instant money, if possible. The Center for Responsible Lending found that APRs for cash advance apps were nearly as high as payday loans — 367% for an advance repaid in 7 to 14 days.

Details on the cons

• Subscription costs: Several leading cash advance apps charge a monthly membership fee to use their services. If you only take out one or two advances per month, these fees may not be worth it.
• Fees for same-day advances to external accounts: Cash advance apps typically charge a fee to send your advance instantly to an external account. If you get cash advances frequently, these fees can add up.
• More expensive than personal loans: While advances from a cash advance app are easier to get than personal loans, they tend to be more expensive. For example, a 30-day $500 cash advance from an app that charges a $15 monthly fee plus a $5 fast cash fee is essentially charging you a 49% annual percentage rate (APR) to borrow the money. Most personal loan interest rates top out at 36% APR (even if you have bad credit).
• May be as expensive as a payday loan: Depending on the app you choose and whether you expedite the money, you could end up paying as much as you would for a payday loan in some states.

Check Out: Personal Loan APR Trends

How to get funding through a cash advance app

Once you've downloaded the app and created an account, you'll typically follow these steps to get an advance:

1. Request a dollar amount through the app.
2. Receive an approval or denial.
3. Receive funding — either instantly (often for an extra fee) or within one to five days for free, depending on the app.
4. Pay back the loan with your next scheduled paycheck, direct deposit, via installments, or before a certain deadline. How you repay the advance depends on the app.
5. Apps usually allow you to take another advance once your previous advance is paid off.

Eligibility

Instant money apps have different rules for cash advance eligibility. For example, an app may require that you've received a certain amount of direct deposits into your bank account, a history of on-time cash advance payments, or a certain number of consecutive deposits.

Related: What Are the Requirements for a Personal Loan?

Funding time

Most cash advance apps have two options for funding: free and paid. The free option usually sends your cash at least a day after your request is approved, with some apps taking as long as five days. The paid option typically gives you access to the fastest funding times, but can be the most expensive way to borrow. For example, Tilt offers instant transfers for free to Tilt debit cards, but charges an $8 monthly subscription fee. Chime only charges $2 for instant delivery, and transfers within 24 hours are free. 

Related: How Long Does It Take To Get a Personal Loan?

Alternatives to cash advance apps

While cash advances can be helpful if you're in a tight financial spot, they aren't meant to be something you continually rely on to cover your expenses, said Dr. Severine Bryan, founder of financial education and coaching company Sev Talks Money.

If you need to borrow money but don't want to use cash advance apps, you have several other options. Most require a credit check, but even with bad credit, you could be eligible. 

Alternatives to loan apps include:

Personal loans

Personal loans typically provide low-interest access to a wide variety of funding amounts and repayment terms. Their repayment periods are typically two to seven years. Their combination of low rates and extended repayment terms (compared to advances from money-borrowing apps) usually leads to manageable monthly payments.

Personal loans tend to be a better fit if you're looking to borrow at least $1,000. Several lenders offer loan amounts starting at $1,000, and loans of up to $50,000 may be available.

Small bank loans

Getting a loan from a bank doesn't necessarily mean tons of paperwork, getting dressed up to visit a branch office, and making an expensive long-term commitment. Some banks offer small, low-cost loans, with examples including:

• Balance Assist from Bank of America: You can borrow up to $500 with a $5 flat fee and repay it in three equal monthly installments from a BofA checking account.
• Simple Loan from U.S. Bank: You can borrow up to $1,000 with a $6 fee for every $100 you borrow and repay it in three equal monthly installments from a U.S. Bank checking account.

The catch is that you'll need to become a checking account customer of the bank that's providing the loan if you aren't already. The cost of a small bank loan could compare very favorably with the cost of a loan app. For example, if you borrowed $400 with a U.S. Bank Simple Loan, repaying it on schedule in three months, the $24 fee would be equivalent to paying 35.65% APR.

Credit cards

Opening a credit card gives you access to a revolving line of credit you can borrow from up to your card's limit. Credit cards tend to work best when you pay your entire bill in full. Otherwise, any leftover balance accrues interest. The average credit card interest rate was 20.97%, according to the Federal Reserve, making credit cards a potentially less expensive way to borrow money than cash apps.

Compare: Personal Loan vs. Credit Card: Which Is Better

Payday loans

Payday loans should be used as a last resort, as their fees can equate to a 400% APR or more, depending on where you live. Because the fees are so high, payday loan borrowers often find themselves taking a new advance to pay back their old advance, which creates a cycle of debt, says Nia Adams, executive director at financial wellness consultancy Perspectives.

Payday alternative loans

Payday alternative loans (or PALs) are small, low-cost loans offered by some federal credit unions. Interest rates are capped at 28% on both types of PALs:

• PAL I: You can borrow between $200 and $1,000 and repay it in 1 to 6 months.
• PAL II: You can borrow up to $2,000, with no minimum loan amount, and repay it in 1 to 12 months. 

Similar to small bank loans, membership is required to get a payday alternative loan. You can apply for a PAL I 1 month after joining. With a PAL II, you can apply immediately after joining.

Title loans

Using the title to your car to secure a loan can provide a quick way to get cash, but it can also be expensive and risky. Car title loans may be due in 30 days, in some states, and fees can equate to triple-digit APRs. If you default, the lender can repossess your vehicle.

Similar to payday loans, rolling over a title loan can literally mean buying time. Lenders may charge fees to extend your repayment term, adding to the total cost of borrowing.

Learn More: Best Hardship Loans for Bad Credit