Apps Like Brigit: 14 More Options for Quick Cash

Brigit is a financial app designed to help you bridge the gap between paychecks. Brigit offers several free banking features but is best known for offering up to $250 in cash advances until your next payday with no interest charges. 

But not all Brigit customers can borrow the full $250, and some are offered loans as low as $20 or even nothing at all. And Brigit reached a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission over allegations that the company’s promises of $250 advances were “deceptive” and that the service was exceptionally difficult to cancel. 

If these developments make you question whether Brigit is the right choice for you, here are ten apps like Brigit and nine more options.

At a Glance: Apps like Brigit

Eight more cash advance apps like Brigit

Fintech — the sector in which cash advance apps operate — is booming. There are tons of apps to choose from. Here are some of the best that are currently available.

_{Disclaimer: Some or all of the products featured in this article are from our partners who compensate us. This may influence which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. However, this does not affect our evaluations. All opinions are our own.}

Best when you need access to a Genius: Albert

• Albert offers advances up to $250
• No credit check
• No interest or late fees
• It’s free for basic services like balance monitoring
• The “Genius” program is available and includes banking, investing help, debit card, bill negotiation
• “Genius” costs $14.99 per month

Pro tip: If you’re paying for Genius, contact Albert and tell them you want to be billed monthly. Otherwise, you’ll be charged for an entire year at once.

READ MORE: Albert review

Best AI platform: Cleo

Cleo is the banking app with attitude. It will roast your spending habits or praise you for making smart choices. Cleo offers quite a few services, but cash advances of up to $250 require a “premium” membership that costs $5.99 per month. If you need the money immediately, expect to pay another $4 for instant transfers. And don’t expect to be able to borrow the full $250 immediately. Most customers have to work their way up to the maximum.

• Cleo offers advances up to $70 for your first advance
• Advances are only available to premium subscribers
• Premium membership costs $5.99 per month
• No credit check
• No late or interest fees

READ MORE: Cleo review

Best for a low monthly fee: Dave

Dave is one of the most recognizable apps, with its commercial campaigns featuring a cute cartoon bear. Dave Extracash allows members to advance up to $500 without interest or credit checks, but a Dave membership is required. However, Dave is one of the most affordable options with its $1 monthly membership fee.

As with most apps, you won’t initially be able to borrow the full $500. The average customer starts out with a borrowing maximum of about $120, and you’ll have to pay a separate fee if you need an instant transfer.

• The Dave app offers advances up to $500 with ExtraCash
• No credit check
• Membership costs $1/month
• Express delivery fees range from $1.99 to $9.99 for instant transfers to a Dave Spending account and $2.99 to$13.99 for instant transfers to an external debit card
• Also offers banking services, balance monitoring, and credit building through Level Credit

Best for multiple advances per pay period: Earnin

Earnin allows you to advance yourself wages you’ve already earned. Earnin is unique because you can request multiple advances over a single pay period. You’re allowed to advance yourself up to $100 per day, with a maximum of $750 per pay period.

• Earnin offers advances up to $100 per day
• No credit check
• No late fees or interest fees
• Transfers take one to two business days unless you opt for the Lightning Speed program, which charges from $0.99 to $3.99 per transaction
• Offers “balance shield,” which keeps you from accidentally over-drafting your checking account
• Employers can opt-in to “Daily Pay” which allows employees to get access to the money they earn as soon as they’ve earned it

Best for free trial: Empower Cash Advance

Empower offers cash advances ranging from $10 to $250 with no interest, late fees or credit checks. Empower offers a free 14-day trial, but after that period ends, there is an $8 per month subscription fee. 

• Empower offers advances up to $250
• No credit check
• Membership costs $8 per month
• No fees
• Also offers banking services (with a connected debit card)

Best for very small advances: FloatMe

FloatMe offers small loans (or “floats”) of up to $50 per pay period. However, the loan maximum is small in proportion to the subscription fee, which recently increased to $3.99 per month, and new members may only be eligible to “float” themselves $10.

• FloatMe offers advances up to $50
• No credit check
• Membership costs $3.99 per month

READ MORE: FloatMe review

Best chance to win money: Klover

Klover offers paycheck advances up to $200. There is no monthly membership requirement and they don’t charge interest and fees. However, Klover mines data. If that makes you uncomfortable, you’re better off choosing another option.

• No credit check
• Daily sweepstakes allows users to win up to $100
• Klover awards “boosts” for completing activities. Boosts can be redeemed for higher cash advances

READ MORE: Klover app review

Best for extra features: MoneyLion Instacash

MoneyLion’s Instacash program offers advances up to $500 (or $1,000 if you subscribe to other MoneyLion products. Any type of income or recurring deposits, including government benefits, can help you qualify. No monthly fee and no credit check is required for Instacash. However, it will probably require access to your current bank accounts and you’ll have to pay a fee from $1 to $19.99 for “Turbo” transfers.

MoneyLion’s other services include banking, financial planning, credit building, investing cash back and more.

• MoneyLion offers advances up to $500 with Instacash program
• No credit check or interest charges
• Membership costs anywhere from $0 to $19.99. The cost will depend upon how many services you opt into
• Services include Instacash, banking, investing, financial planning, credit building and cryptocurrency 

Best for longer repayment terms: Possible Finance

Possible is a little different than the others. It offers short-term installment loans with a longer repayment period. These don’t have to be repaid from your next paycheck and there’s no monthly subscription fee. The disadvantages: Fees are high and Possible is only available in some states.

Though interest rates on a Possible Finance loan are high, averaging around 150% APR, they’re still less than what you’d pay a payday lender. Possible will likely run a soft credit check, but says your credit score will not be a factor for approval and it will not run a hard credit check after you complete a loan application.

• Loans up to $500
• There is a soft credit check
• Fees vary between $10 to $25 per $100. The amount is determined by your state regulations and how much you borrow

2 online banking apps

In addition to cash advance apps, there are also mobile banking apps.

These banking platforms offer most of the features of a traditional bank, but also have the added perk of cash advances or overdraft protections.

Chime 

Chime offers a spending account (with a Visa debit card), a savings account, access to a large ATM network, a Chime-branded credit card, and credit builder products. Chime charges no foreign transaction fees. Its “SpotMe” program will spot you some cash before payday if you need to  make a purchase that your bank balance won’t cover – up to $200.

The idea is to keep your account from overdrafting and having to pay various fees.

Initially, if you qualify for SpotMe, you’ll only be given a $40 limit. Over time as you build up a history of paying back those advances promptly, your limit will increase. If you don’t qualify for SpotMe but bank with Chime, you have other options. Several cash advance apps work with Chime.

Varo

A lot of online banking apps are “backed” by actual banks. This way, they can offer FDIC insurance to their customers and help them feel safe. Varo is the first online banking app to be granted national bank status by the FDIC. 

Varo offers an array of products to help you save money, including a checking account, a savings account, paycheck advances, and credit-building products. The checking and savings accounts are free to use. There’s no minimum to open an account. There are no overdraft fees, returned payment fees or even maintenance fees.

Varo’s paycheck advance program is called Varo Advance. Varo does charge a fee to advance yourself cash until payday. The amount you are charged depends on how much advance you need. Advances are capped at $500. Fees range from $1.60 to $40.

3 peer-to-peer lending apps

Peer-to-peer (P2P) lending apps are platforms that connect borrowers and lenders. With these apps, the lender is usually an individual or small group of individuals who combine their resources to help someone else out. 

There are a lot of P2P lending platforms and apps out there. Here are three of the best:

SoLo Funds 

SoLo Funds uses social clout as one of its major factors in deciding how much risk a borrower poses to potential lenders. 

The process starts when a borrower posts a request to the platform. It is up to the borrower to make their request seem as “desirable” as possible to potential lenders. Many borrowers do this by offering large “tips” to lenders, agreeing to high interest rates, etc. The borrowers browse the posts and fund the requests they like best.

Over time as users borrow and repay their loans, they build a “SoLo Score”. The higher the score, the more they will be allowed to borrow, and the better they will look to lenders.

LenMe

LenMe also employs a social aspect to its platform. With LenMe, however, it is the lender that competes for the borrower’s attention. 

The process starts like Solo Funds: a borrower posts a loan request, and LenMe assigns a loan score based on credit scores, debt-to-income ratio and LenMe borrowing history. Then, instead of the borrower trying to make their request seem as desirable as possible, the lenders compete to offer the best terms and rates. The borrower chooses which offer they like the best. 

READ MORE: LenMe review

PockBox

PockBox operates a little differently than SoLo Funds and LenMe. Instead of connecting borrowers withpeers, PockBox connects borrowers to lending companies. 

The process begins with a person filling out a loan “application” and entering their banking information. PockBox compares the applicant’s data (credit score, banking history, etc.) with the lenders in its roster. Then, PockBox gives the borrower a list of lenders whose requirements match the borrower’s information. 

The borrower then submits their application to each potential lender on the list until they are approved for a loan.

READ MORE: Considering a payday loan? Pros and cons of payday loans you should know

6 employer-sponsored apps

These apps connect to your timecard and salary information. They allow you to get the money you’ve earned “as soon as you’ve earned it” (though this isn’t quite literally true) instead of waiting for payday. Here are a few of the most popular employer-sponsored cash apps out there. If your boss isn’t already a member of one of them, ask them to join!

One@Work (formerly Even Instapay)

• Get up to half of your next paycheck before payday
• No fees, but your employer must participate
• Get your money via direct deposit or Walmart Money Centers

Branch

• Get up to half of what you earn within your current pay period
• Users get a “branch card” which can be used like a debit card. Their branch accounts can also be connected to outside accounts, Google Wallet, and Apple Pay

Axos Bank Direct Deposit Express

• Technically, this isn’t an advance. Instead, your paycheck hits your bank account as soon as Axos is notified of the impending transfer. Usually, banks wait to put funds into your account until after a paycheck has cleared the ACH process
• You need an Axos Bank account to take advantage of this program

Dailypay

• Get as much as you’ve earned so far in your pay period. The only cap is the amount of your next paycheck
• You need to have an existing bank account to use this app

Flexwage

• Get “a portion” of your wages early. Flexwage does not specify how much “a portion” is
• You’ll get your advance deposited onto a Flexcard, which is a Visa debit card

PayActiv

• This is another app that will let you access “a portion” of the wages you’ve earned in a given pay period
• Advances can be directly deposited into an existing bank account or onto a pre-paid card

What you need to know about Brigit

Brigit offers cash advances up to $250 to tide you over until your next payday. They don’t charge interest or fees, but you do have to have a monthly subscription, which costs $9.99 per month.

READ MORE: Brigit review

FTC settlement

On November 2, 2023, the FTC announced that it had taken action against Brigit, alleging that the company made cancelling a paid subscription exceptionally difficult and called the company’s promises of free “instant” cash advances of up to $250 deceptive

Brigit agreed to settle the FTC’s charges. This led to a proposed court order that requires the company to pay customers $18 million in refunds, stop its deceptive marketing promises and simplify the cancellation process.

The proposed settlement order must be approved by a federal judge. The money would  be used to refund Brigit customers. 

“Brigit trapped those consumers least able to afford it into monthly membership plans they struggled to escape from. Companies that offer cash advances and other alternative financial products have to play by the same rules as other businesses or face potential action by the FTC.”

Sam Levine, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection

Apps like Brigit are better than payday loans

Payday loans are designed to trap you in a debt cycle that is nearly impossible to escape. Payday lenders charge egregiously high interest rates (some as much as 600% or more!) for a short-term loan you repay from your next paycheck, and they have incredibly expensive fees. Many payday loan borrowers are forced to roll over their loans or request payday loan extended payment plans. More than 90% of payday loan borrowers end up regretting their original payday loan.

On the other hand, apps like Brigit are designed to help you build financial stability. They won’t allow you to borrow more than you can afford to pay back immediately. They rarely charge interest or fees. Eligibility is simple. And most of them offer extra services like banking, financial advice, etc.

The bottom line

If you need money fast, don’t turn to a payday lender. An app like Brigit can be an affordable alternative. But Brigit won’t be the best choice for everyone. Luckily, there are plenty of other options available. It’s important to find the app with the best features for your financial situation.