is our top pick for a cash advance app due to its flexible loan amounts, lack of fees, and instant funding. However, if your employer offers Payactiv, that's probably a better choice for you. While many are promoted as free (or accept “tips”), these apps sometimes charge high fees. Even so, they are a cheaper alternative to tradition♋al payday loans.
To choose the best cash advance apps, we looked at factors like loan amounts, fees, funding time, company reputation, and borrower requirements. 🐼Inves♒topedia’s testing methodology included more than 200 individual data points measuring 10 leading services. Our top picks are good options for most people, but you may find that one of the others better suits your needs.
Best Cash Advance Apps of 2025
- Best Overall: Varo
- Best for Flexible Loan Amounts: 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询: Payactiv
- Best for Budgeting Tools & Resources: Dave
- Best for Lowest Suggested Tip: EarnIn
Best Overall : Varo
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Varo
- Loan Amounts: $20 to $500
- Time to Repay: Up to 4 weeks
- Fees: $1.60 to $40, depending on amount
We chose Varo because of its clear fee schedule, long repayment time, and instant funding without an extra fee. If you’re interested in other banking services, like a savings account or a credit builder card, Varo can help you there, too.
No tips or subscription fees
Instant funding
No risk of overdraft fees
Mixed customer service reviews
Requires an active Varo bank account
May take time to unlock up to $500
You can borrow up to $250 with Varo when you first join and work your way up to a $500 advance over time. There’s a t🍨ransparent fee schedule, starting at $1.60 and going up to $40 for a $500 advance. There are no other fees. Funds arrive in your account instantly.
To qualify for an advance, you need a Varo bank account (that’s where your funds will go), and you must have made at least $800 in direct deposits over the current month or the one before. You can choose two repayment periods (15 or 30 days). You can also make an extra payment before your due date. Funds are withdrawn automatically. There’s no risk of 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:overdrafts or ov✃erdraft fees. Varo will withdraw what it can from your account and try again later. The downside is you may not be able to borrow from Varo again.
Varo’s website is transparent and well-organized. It’s easy to find information about cash advances, repayment, fees🏅, etc. You can reach customer service via phone and chat. Your Varo account allows you to access other banking and financial tools from Varo, including savings accounts, a credit card and a line of credit, even a free tax filing s🔯ervice.
Varo was established in 2015 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.
Loan Amounts | $20 to $500 |
---|---|
Fees | $1.60 to $40, depending on amount |
Time to Repay | 15-30 days |
Repayment Method | Automatic |
Time to Fund | Instant |
Additional Services | Fee-free checking with a debit card Line of credit Interest-free secured card High-yield savings account |
Effective APR, w/out Tip | 104% |
Best for Flexible Loan Amounts : Payactiv
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Payactiv
- Loan Amounts: $1 to $1,500
- Time to Repay: Next paycheck
- Fees: $0 to $3.49, depending on disbursement type
If it were more widely available, Payactiv would be our first choice for a cash advance app. It features high borrowing limits, few fees, and instant funding. If your employer offers it, and you need a cash advance, this is the service to choose.
Multiple free ways to access wages
Access up to $1,500
No tips or subscription fees
Only available through your employer
Payactiv is only available through employers, which is too bad beꦐcause it has a lot to offer. You can borrow up to $1,500 through the service (your employer may set a lower cap), if you have direct deposit set up, and up to $750 without direct deposit. There are no tips or subscription fees; the only fee is for express transfer.
Payactiv offers several free ways to receive money, such as ACH transfer to your bank account (1-3 days) or instant transfers to a Payactiv credit card (again, with direct deposit set up). For a $3.49 fee, you can access your cash via a Visa+ digital wallet, Walmart Cash Pickup, or real-time transfer to a non-Payactiv debit or payroll card. Repayment comes out of your next paycheck following the advance.
Help is available within the app, or you can reach customer service by phone or email. Our researchers gave high marks for Payactiv’s online experience and educational resources. The app has a﷽dditional tools and features to encourage saving.
Payactiv can also give you early access to tip income and ♏mi𓆉leage reimbursements.
Payactiv, a 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Certified B-Corp, was established in 2012 and is headquartered in San Jose, California.
Loan Amounts | $1 to $1,500 |
---|---|
Fees | $0 real-time transfers with direct deposit $2.49 for real-time transfers to Payactiv Visa Card (without Direct Deposit) $3.49 for Walmart cash pickup or real-time transfers to other debit or payroll cards |
Time to Repay | Next paycheck |
Repayment Method | Automatic paycheck deduction |
Time to Fund | Many options are instant; ACH transfer takes 1-3 business days |
Additional Services | Payactiv Visa Card, which allows you to get paid early Partner discounts Bill pay |
Effective APR, w/out Tip | 6% |
Best for Budgeting Tools & Resources : Dave
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Dave
- Loan Amounts: $25 to $500
- Time to Repay: Next paycheck
- Fees: $5 subscription fee, 15% suggested tip
We like Dave because of its extra offerings, which include a high-yield savings account, where your nest egg can earn extra interest, and its side-hustle clearinghouse, where you can find opportunities to earn extra income.
Limits up to $500
In-app side hustle opportunities
Offers a high-yield savings account
No fee for instant transfers
Express funding can be expensive
Suggested tip is high (though optional)
With Dave you can get an advance of $25 to $500 deposited directly to your Dave checking account in 5 minutes. You can also send it to another bank acco🔜unt you control via ACH in up to three business days for a 1.5% fee. Dave doesn’t charge an express funding fee for instant transfers to your Dave checking account (many competitors do), nor does it charge a regular transfer fee, Instead, there’s a $5 subscription fee and a suggested tip of 15% (which is optional).
As with all of the cash advance apps we reviewed, repayment is automatic and🐼 occurs on a date you agree to when you set up the advance. Dave won’t overdraw your repayment account. On your settlement date, Dave will withdraw what it can and will continue to make withdrawals until your advance is repaid.♔
You have to hunt for it on the website, but Dave does have a customer service phone and an email address. There’s also a knowledge base with helpful articles and FAQs that answer many common questions in detail. The app even offers 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:side hustles, so you can earn extra cash that’s all yours.
Dave was founded in 2016 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.
Loan Amounts | $25 to $500 |
---|---|
Fees | $5 per month subscription 15% suggested tip |
Time to Repay | Next paycheck |
Repayment Method | Automatic |
Time to Fund | Varies: Up to 3 business days or 5 minutes |
Additional Services | Side hustle opportunities Dave spending account High-yield savings account |
Effective APR, w/out Tip | 26% |
Best for Lowest Suggested Tip : EarnIn
:fill(white):max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Earnin-logo-4c5b0d3d4cd14e15a458162dfb2335e6.jpg)
Earnin
- Loan Amounts: Up to $150 per day and $750 per pay period
- Time to Repay: Next paycheck
- Fees: Suggested tip plus express funding fees up to $5.99
Where other cash advance apps charge several different fees, EarnIn keeps it simple, with an express funding fee ($5.99) and a suggested tip. That’s it.
Can get set up and funded the same day
Can use your own bank account
Free credit score monitoring
Daily advance limits
Hard-to-find customer service details
With EarnIn yo🗹u can get an advance on your paycheck of up to $150 per day, for a maximum of $750 per pay period. There’s no fee for standard transfers, just a suggested tip. For instant transfers (“Lightning Speed”), there’s a fee of up to $5.99.
Repayment is automatic out of an account you designate and occurs on payday. If an overdraft occurs (Earnin says this is rare), the company will work with you to straighten it out and recover any overdraft fees.
Earnin has earned generally good ratings from online reviewers. In addition to cash advances, EarnIn offers an overdraft protection service and free 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:credit monitoring. The website ho🔥sts a collection of financial calculators to help you make better decisions with your money.
EarnIn was established in 2012 and is headquartered in Palo Alto, California.
Loan Amounts | $1 to $150 |
---|---|
Fees | Suggested tp; Up to $5.99 for express funding |
Time to Repay | Next paycheck |
Repayment Method | Automatic |
Time to Fund | Without fee: 1-2 days With fee: Under 30 minutes |
Additional Services | Credit monitoring Overdraft protection |
Effective APR, w/out Tip | 69% |
Compare the Best Cash Advance Apps
Cash Advance App | Loan Amounts | Time to Fund (Without Fee) | Express Funding Fee | Additional Fees |
---|---|---|---|---|
Best Overall | $20 to $500 | Instant | N/A | $1.60 to $40, depending on amount |
Best for Flexible Loan Amounts | Up to $1,500 | Many options are instant; ACH transfer takes 1 to 3 business days | N/A | $0 for real-time transfers with direct deposit, $2.49 for real-time transfers to Payactiv Visa Card (without direct deposit), and $3.49 for Walmart cash pickup or real-time transfers to other debit or payroll cards |
Best for Budgeting Tools & Resources | Up to $500 | 1 to 3 business days | N/A | $5 per month subscription |
Best for Lowest Suggested Tip | $1 to $150 per day (up to $750 per pay period) | 1 to 2 business days | Up to $5.99 | N/A |
Why Trust Us
Investopedia collected and anal🐟yzed over 200 key data points from 10 leading cash advance app providers to evaluate the most important factors for readers choosing a cash advance app. We used this data to review each service based on loan details, costs, borrower requirements, and customer experience. Investopedia developed this process to provide an unbiased, comprehensive review to ensure our readers make the right decision for their needs. Investopedia launched in 1999 and has been helping readers find the best cash advance apps since 2023.
How We Choose the Best Cash Advance Apps
To produce our list of the best cash advance apps, Investopedia researchers and editors rese🌳arched and evaluated 10 leading services, collecting 210 individual data points. We looked at 21 different factors for each service and assigned scoring weights to 17 of them to generate Investopedia’s star ratings. The 21 factors are organized into four broad areas, with the following cumulative weights.
- Loan Details: (35%)
- Loan Costs: (30%)
- Borrower Requirements: (5%)
- Customer Experience: (30%)
We also calculated an effective APR for each lender, which factored in costs like subscription fees and instant cash transfer fees, but we did not include 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:suggested tip amounts. For all services we chose the maximum loan amount and for services that require payment “from the next paycheck,” w🐠e assigned a 14-day term. Both of those choices pushed the effective APR down. We did not include this calculated figure in our ranking.
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Investopedia / Michela Buttignol
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