Apps Like Dave: 12 Cash Advance Apps Compared by What They Really Cost

Dave's ExtraCash costs 5% of every advance (at least $5), a monthly membership of $3 to $5, and 1.5% more if you want the money on your debit card right away. For $100 repaid in 14 days, that's $9.50–$11.50. The 12 apps below charge for different things: some only for instant delivery, some a monthly membership, some a fee on every advance, and some ask for a tip. The calculator adds it all up in dollars for the amount, date and state you choose.

Every fee here comes from the company's own pricing pages, terms and help center, checked on October 30, 2026. Where an app's own pages disagree, or it publishes only a range, we show the range.

What $100 for Two Weeks Costs With Each App

The total for a $100 advance repaid in 14 days, counting one month of membership where most people pay one to get advances. Sorted by the most each app could charge for instant delivery to your bank.

• ¹ MyPay pays into your Chime Checking account.
• ² Albert can also send an advance straight to your bank, for a fee it shows only in the app. This is the route whose price Albert publishes.
• ³ Free standard delivery goes only to a MoneyLion Spend account.
• ⁴ Varo pays the advance into your Varo bank account at once; there's no separate instant fee.
• ⁵ Express delivery arrives within 24 hours, not instantly.
• ⁶ Cash App's loan fee is shown only in the app.
• ⁷ Current's instant fee is shown only in the app.
• Instant into the app's own account instead: Dave $8.00–$10.00 into Dave Checking; MoneyLion $7.50 into MoneyLion Spend; Tilt $8.00 onto the Tilt debit card; Albert free into Albert Cash.
• Without the membership, instant to your bank: Dave $6.50; Brigit $0.99–$5.99; Tilt $5.00; Cleo $4.49–$14.99; FloatMe $7.50.
• APR is our arithmetic: the cost divided by the advance, times 365, divided by the days until it's repaid. The apps don't charge interest, but the rate lets you compare them with a loan.

Limits, Membership and Fees at a Glance

The Apps, One by One

Dave

ExtraCash works as an overdraft on a Dave account at a partner bank, so you need a Dave Checking account and an ExtraCash account, and its 5% fee (at least $5) applies however you receive the money. $100 for 14 days: $9.50–$11.50 instant to your bank, $8.00–$10.00 into Dave Checking, $8.00–$10.00 at standard speed, membership included.

• The 5% ExtraCash fee (at least $5) is charged on every advance, even with the free standard transfer. Dave says it removed the fee cap for some members in 2026.
• New members have paid $3 a month since June 2025, according to Dave's SEC filings; its disclosures say membership costs up to $5.
• You need a Dave Checking account and an ExtraCash account. Dave reports that advances are repaid in about 12 days on average.
• No tips, interest, late fees or credit check. An ExtraCash account with no activity for 12 months is charged $5 a month.

Legal status: The FTC sued Dave in November 2024, alleging it misled users and charged undisclosed fees; the Justice Department added Dave's CEO in December 2024. The court denied Dave's motion to dismiss in September 2025, and the case is pending. Baltimore sued Dave in December 2025 under the city's consumer protection law; that case is pending too.

EarnIn

EarnIn describes Cash Out as early access to pay you've already earned. You need a regular direct deposit, and there's no membership: you pay only for instant delivery and any tip you choose. $100 for 14 days: $5.99 instant to your bank, free at standard speed.

• Up to $200 a day and $1,000 per pay period ($100 a day in New York; one EarnIn help article says $150 in Maryland). EarnIn says new users start at about $85 a day on average.
• You need a regular direct deposit and to earn at least $320 per pay period. EarnIn's list of unsupported banks includes Chime.
• Tips are optional and you can choose $0. There's no tipping in Colorado or Wisconsin, where the instant fees are higher.
• In Indiana and Florida, Lightning Speed costs 5% of the transfer (at least $3.99); New York has its own tiers. Not offered in Connecticut.
• No membership, interest or credit check.

Legal status: Colorado's attorney general sued EarnIn in August 2026, calling its advances illegal high-cost loans; the case is pending. The District of Columbia's attorney general sued in November 2024. A federal court in Maryland has refused to dismiss a private class action's lending-law claims against EarnIn (rulings in August 2025 and August 2026); it is pending.

Brigit

Brigit pairs its advances with a Plus membership unless you email to ask for one without it, and its express fee depends on the amount in a way Brigit doesn't publish. $100 for 14 days: $6.98–$15.98 instant to your bank, $5.99–$9.99 at standard speed, membership included.

• Advances run from $25 to $500, and Brigit says most people qualify for $50 to $100.
• Brigit's help center lists Plus at $8.99 a month, while its terms say $5.99 to $9.99. Premium ($15.99 a month) includes free express delivery.
• Its terms say you can get an advance without a membership by emailing [email protected].
• Needs at least three recurring deposits from the same source and 60 days of account history. No interest, tips, late fees or credit check.

Legal status: Brigit agreed to an FTC order in November 2023 that required $18 million in refunds; the FTC sent a second round of payments in May 2026. Minnesota's attorney general sued Brigit in June 2026 under the state's payday lending law; the case is pending.

MoneyLion

MoneyLion charges no membership for Instacash, but its free delivery goes only into its own Spend account. Sending the money to another bank right away costs 9% of the advance. $100 for 14 days: $9.00 instant to your bank, $7.50 into MoneyLion Spend, free at standard speed.

• Limits: up to $500 with direct deposit to another bank, $700 with a Credit Builder loan and $1,000 with direct deposit into MoneyLion Spend. Each advance is capped at $100 ($200 into Spend).
• MoneyLion switched to percentage Turbo fees in October 2026; before that it charged flat fees of up to $8.99.
• Tips are optional. No membership is needed; the optional Credit Builder Plus membership costs $19.99 a month.
• Needs three recurring direct deposits from the same source into an account at least 60 days old. No interest or credit check.
• Fees differ in Connecticut, Maryland, Indiana and Wisconsin, and MoneyLion shows them only in the app.

Legal status: New York's attorney general sued MoneyLion in April 2025, calling Instacash illegal payday lending; the case is pending. Baltimore sued in October 2025. A November 2025 court judgment in a CFPB case over fees charged to servicemembers requires MoneyLion to pay $1.75 million in redress.

Tilt (formerly Empower)

Tilt, called Empower until August 2025, charges an $8 monthly membership that it waives if you ask, and delivers free onto its own debit card. $100 for 14 days: $13.00 instant to your bank, $8.00 onto the Tilt debit card, $8.00 at standard speed, membership included.

• Advances run from $10 to $500. Tilt says the average offer in the third quarter of 2026 was $96 for first-time customers and $178 for others.
• The $8 membership starts after a 14-day trial for first-time customers, and Tilt waives it if you email and ask.
• In Maryland and Wisconsin, instant fees are capped at $7.50. Not offered in Connecticut, Maine or Washington, DC.
• No interest, tips, late fees or credit check. Tilt says it reimburses overdraft fees its repayment causes.

Legal status: In October 2025 a federal court in California ruled that Empower's cash advance is consumer credit under the Military Lending Act and refused to send the case to arbitration; Tilt has appealed.

Albert

Albert puts advances into an Albert Cash account instantly and for free, with no membership needed; what costs money is moving the cash to another bank right away. $100 for 14 days: $5.99 instant to your bank, free into Albert Cash, free at standard speed.

• Advances run from $25 to $1,000, and Albert says few people qualify for $1,000. They're due six days after you take them; you can ask for up to 7 more days.
• You need an Albert Cash account, a linked debit card and Albert's automatic saving (Smart Money) turned on.
• In some states Albert Instant is a line of credit from FinWise Bank with draw fees that Albert doesn't publish, and it doesn't say which states.
• No membership is needed, and the advance has no interest, late fees, tips or credit check.

Legal status: In a class action over transfer fees charged to active-duty servicemembers, a court preliminarily approved a $5.2 million settlement in December 2025; Albert agreed not to charge them transfer fees until September 30, 2027.

Klover

Klover needs no membership and charges only for express delivery, at published maximums for each amount. Points you earn in the app, partly by sharing data, can pay part of the fee. $100 for 14 days: $9.49 instant to your bank, free at standard speed.

• Advances run from $25 to $750, and Klover says they average about $170. Its express fees are listed as maximums, and Klover points can pay part of them (500 points = $1).
• Klover's points program rewards you for sharing data such as receipts and survey answers, and its notice lists sharing with advertising partners.
• Needs three consistent direct deposits from your employer. No membership is needed, and no interest, late fees, tips or credit check.
• Connecticut and Maryland users can't pay for express transfers; Indiana and Wisconsin have their own fee tables.

Legal status: A federal court in Illinois refused to dismiss a private class action against Klover in March 2026; the case is pending.

Cleo

Cleo's advances come with a subscription in practice, its express delivery takes up to 24 hours, and Cleo publishes only the range of its express fee. $100 for 14 days: $10.48–$20.98 instant to your bank, $5.99 at standard speed, membership included.

• Advances run from $20 to $250 ($20 to $100 the first time), or up to $500 on the Builder plan with the Cleo card and $750 a month of direct deposit.
• You pick a repayment date 3 to 14 days out and can push it back up to 7 days.
• Cleo says subscribing is the simplest way to get an advance; its terms say you can get one without subscribing by emailing [email protected].
• Not offered in Connecticut or Maine. No interest or late fees, and Cleo says the law bars it from taking tips.

Legal status: Cleo agreed to pay $17 million in a March 2025 FTC settlement over claims that it misled users about how much they could get and how fast, and made cancelling hard. The FTC began sending $15.8 million in refunds on October 27, 2026.

Chime MyPay

Chime MyPay is a line of credit for Chime's own customers: you need a Chime Checking account with qualifying direct deposits. There's no membership, and only instant delivery costs money. $100 for 14 days: $3.00 instant into Chime Checking, free at standard speed.

• Advances of $20 to $750, and most members start at $50 to $100. Chime's footnotes allow a credit limit of up to $1,000 per pay period, while some of its pages still say $500.
• You need Chime as your bank: a Chime Checking account, an activated Chime card and qualifying direct deposits of $200 or more (usually two every 36 days).
• Some members are offered instant delivery free, and the instant fee is waived for servicemembers covered by the Military Lending Act.
• No membership, tips, interest or late fees, and Chime says it doesn't check your credit for MyPay. Not offered in Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, South Dakota, Washington or Wyoming.
• Chime's SpotMe is a different product: free overdraft coverage of $20 to $200 or more on card purchases, with optional tips.

Legal status: In May 2024 Chime agreed to a CFPB order ($3.25 million penalty and at least $1.3 million in refunds) over slow refunds when accounts closed; no action concerns MyPay itself.

Cash App Borrow

Cash App Borrow is a short-term loan from Cash App's bank, paid into your Cash App balance at once. It charges a flat fee on every loan, but Cash App shows the fee only in the app, so we can't price it here.

• A loan from Square Financial Services, a Utah bank, of $20 to $500 ($400 the first time). Cash App says the average first-time limit was $153 in October 2025.
• Cash App charges a one-time flat fee that depends on the amount and shows it only in the app, before you accept. You repay what you received plus the fee.
• The money lands in your Cash App balance at once. Moving it to another bank is free in 1 to 3 business days, or 0.5% to 1.75% instantly (another Cash App page says up to 2.5%).
• If you fall behind, a one-time $5 fee may apply, and after 7 days overdue Cash App's help pages say interest of 1.25% a week is added.
• Cash App says it doesn't check your credit score for Borrow, but its loan agreement says the bank may report the loan, and late payments, to credit bureaus. Not offered in Colorado, Iowa or Oregon.

Legal status: Block, Cash App's owner, agreed in January 2025 to a CFPB order over fraud and dispute handling (up to $120 million in redress plus a $55 million penalty), and in July 2026 to a $45 million settlement with 46 state attorneys general; neither concerns Borrow.

Varo Advance

Varo Advance is a line of credit for Varo Bank customers. It always arrives at once with no separate instant fee; instead, every advance costs 8% if you have $800 a month of qualifying deposits, or 20% if you don't. $100 for 14 days: $8.00–$20.00 at any speed.

• Advances start at $20 to $250 and can reach $700 with qualifying direct deposits (Varo's agreement lets it test up to $1,000). Varo says the average is $195.
• The fee is 8% of each advance if you get $800 or more in qualifying deposits this month or last, and 20% if you don't.
• You pick a repayment date 15 to 30 days out and can't change it. If your balance is short, Varo can take what's owed from later deposits or backup accounts you linked.
• It's a line of credit from Varo Bank: unlike the non-recourse apps, Varo can pursue an unpaid balance, and late payments may be reported to credit bureaus.
• No membership, tips, interest or late fees, and all fees are waived for servicemembers covered by the Military Lending Act.

Current

Current's Paycheck Advance needs a Current account that receives a payroll deposit. Standard delivery is free, but Current shows its instant fee, which varies with the amount, only in the app. $100 for 14 days: free at standard speed. Its instant fee is shown only in the app.

• Paycheck Advance runs from $25 to $1,000, depending on your payroll deposits and spending.
• You need a Current account that receives a payroll direct deposit of at least $200.
• Free delivery into your Current account takes up to 3 business days. The instant fee varies with the amount, and Current shows it only in the app.
• No membership, tips, interest or late fees; Current says it doesn't check your credit score or report advances to credit bureaus. Not offered in Connecticut, Maryland, Nevada, Wisconsin or Washington, DC.

FloatMe

FloatMe offers small advances of up to $200 with a $6.99 monthly membership, which it skips if you email and ask, plus a fee for instant delivery. $100 for 14 days: $14.49 instant to your bank, $6.99 at standard speed, membership included.

• Floats run up to $200. First-time approvals are $10 to $50 (FloatMe's help center says up to $100), and FloatMe says the average is $58.
• The $6.99 monthly membership is optional: FloatMe's terms say you can get a Float without it by emailing [email protected].
• Needs a checking account with deposits of $150 or more per pay period for two pay periods in a row; self-employment income doesn't count.
• No interest, tips, late fees or credit check. Not offered in Connecticut, Nevada or Washington, DC; Indiana and Maryland cap the instant fee.

Legal status: FloatMe agreed to a January 2024 FTC order, with $3 million for refunds, over charges that it made deceptive "free money" and instant-cash claims, made cancelling hard, and turned away people on public assistance while still charging them.

Cash Advance Apps With No Monthly Fee

EarnIn, MoneyLion, Albert, Klover, Chime, Cash App, Varo and Current don't charge a membership for advances. Most still charge for instant delivery or a fee on each advance, and EarnIn and MoneyLion ask for an optional tip. Chime, Cash App, Varo and Current pay advances only into their own accounts, so you need an account with them.

Dave, Brigit, Tilt, Cleo and FloatMe charge a monthly membership that most people pay; Brigit, Tilt, Cleo and FloatMe say they'll give you an advance without it if you email and ask.

Is an App Cheaper Than a Payday Loan?

Usually, but not always. A payday loan and a cash advance do the same job: cash now, repaid from your next paycheck. Where a state caps payday loans, the cap can be lower than what an app charges once its membership is counted. This table sets a $100 advance repaid in 14 days, sent instantly to your bank with one month of membership, against the most a payday lender licensed in each state could charge for the same loan.

In Ohio, Georgia and North Carolina payday loans aren't allowed at all, and in New York, Pennsylvania and Illinois rate caps keep licensed loans far below payday prices. The apps offer advances in those states too, saying their advances aren't loans; New York's attorney general disputes that in its lawsuit against MoneyLion. To see the limits in any state, or check a loan offer against them, use our loan offer checker. For how apps and payday loans differ beyond price, see our comparison of cash advance apps and payday loans.

Are Cash Advance Apps Loans?

Most of these apps say no. They describe their advances as non-recourse: you aren't legally required to repay, and they won't sue you or send the debt to collectors. A few are built differently: Dave's ExtraCash is an overdraft on a bank account, Chime MyPay and Varo Advance are lines of credit from banks (and Varo can pursue an unpaid balance), and Cash App Borrow is a bank loan that adds a fee and interest if you fall behind.

Regulators and courts don't all agree. In December 2025 the CFPB said that earned wage access paid through an employer's payroll isn't credit under federal truth-in-lending rules, without deciding on apps that work from your bank account, like these. New York's attorney general sued MoneyLion in April 2025, Minnesota's sued Brigit in June 2026 and Colorado's sued EarnIn in August 2026, each arguing that the advances are loans under state law, and the FTC and the Justice Department are suing Dave over its fees and marketing. In October 2025 a federal court ruled that Empower's (now Tilt's) advances are consumer credit under the Military Lending Act; Tilt has appealed. The FTC has also settled with Brigit (2023), FloatMe (2024) and Cleo (2025) over how they marketed advances and memberships.

What it means for you: most apps won't charge interest or late fees, but their fees can add up to a higher rate than a licensed payday loan, and protections that come with a loan in your state, such as payment plans, may not apply.

How to Keep the Cost Down

1. Take the standard transfer if you can wait a few days: it costs nothing extra with any app here. Dave, Cash App and Varo still charge their fee on every advance.
2. Ask about the membership. Brigit, Tilt, Cleo and FloatMe say they'll give you an advance without it if you email them; otherwise count it in the cost.
3. Leave the tip at $0 if money is tight. EarnIn and MoneyLion say a tip doesn't change what you can get.
4. Use one app at a time, for one payday. Several advances due on the same day can leave too little for rent and bills, and borrowing again to cover them is how the cost piles up.
5. If you're in the military, know your rights. The Military Lending Act caps covered credit at 36% APR, and a federal court has held that one app's advances are covered. Chime and Varo waive their fees for covered servicemembers, and Albert has agreed not to charge them transfer fees until September 30, 2027.

Need more than an app will advance, or longer to pay it back? See the loan options for your state.

Common Questions

How We Checked

We read each app's fee schedules, terms, help articles and App Store listing, plus regulators' releases and court records for the legal status. The APRs and totals are our arithmetic from those fees.

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