When you find yourself facing a financial crunch and require some extra funds to tide you over until your next payday, a plethora of mobile apps is at your disposal to provide assistance. Among these, EarnIn stands out as a popular choice for obtaining a cash advance. With a substantial membership of over 2.5 million users, EarnIn enables you to secure up to $500 for each pay cycle.
But it’s crucial to remember that EarnIn is only one choice among many applications that promise salary increases. Numerous alternatives in the market may offer more extensive banking functionalities or prove to be more advantageous depending on your specific financial needs.
In this quest to assist you during your financial challenges, we have curated a list of the best apps similar to EarnIn. These alternatives can serve as a reliable source for quick cash injections, giving you the helping hand you require when it’s needed the most.
- Chime $200
- Brigit $250
- Dave Extra Cash $500
- MoneyLion $500
- Albert Instant Cash $250
- Payactiv
- Empower Cash Advance $250
- Varo Advance $250
Best apps is EarnIn right now
Explore a range of viable options to EarnIn in the world of finance apps. Discover alternatives that not only offer interest-free cash advances but also incorporate various tools to enhance your financial well-being, enabling you to steer clear of costly overdraft fees. It’s essential to exercise caution and responsibility when engaging with these apps. Even though these cash loans don’t charge interest, they are still a type of borrowing, and if you find yourself living paycheck to paycheck, then relying too much on them can cause financial instability.
The intention behind these applications is to offer superior choices when compared to traditional payday loans that often come with exorbitant interest rates. However, it’s crucial to bear in mind that financial stability requires more than just accessing such apps. Building a solid budget and establishing an emergency fund should remain at the forefront of your financial strategy, ensuring that you are well-prepared for unforeseen expenses and financial challenges. In this way, you can enjoy the benefits of these alternatives without falling into a cycle of debt.
1. Chime
Chime is a financial technology company that offers banking services through its partner banks, The Bancorp Bank, N.A. or Stride Bank, N.A., Members FDIC.
Here are some key features of Chime:
- No monthly fees: Chime doesn’t charge any monthly fees for its banking services, including overdraft fees, debit card fees, in-network ATM fees, or foreign fees.
- Fee-free overdraft: Chime offers a fee-free overdraft of up to $200.
- Savings and checking accounts: Chime provides both types of accounts.
- Chime Checkbook: You can send checks to anybody at any time from your Chime account, even though Chime doesn’t provide personal checkbooks for writing checks.
- Chime App: Chime is a smartphone app that provides features including transaction alerts and daily account balance updates. It is meant for use with mobile banking.
- Credit Builder card: Chime offers a Credit Builder card issued by Stride Bank, N.A. to help members build credit.
- FDIC insured: Your funds are FDIC insured up to $250,000 through The Bancorp Bank, N.A. or Stride Bank, N.A., Members FDIC.
Chime is not a bank but a financial technology company that partners with banks to provide its services. The goal of Chime is to provide financially beneficial services to its customers, including as fee-free overdrafts up to $200, accounts with no monthly service costs, and the ability to get paychecks up to two days early via direct deposit. Chime is committed to building a diverse workforce and being “member-obsessed”.
2. Brigit
Brigit is a financial health analyzing application that offers various products such as instant cash, credit builder, and more. It is a real company based in New York, New York, that has offered cash advances since 2019. Brigit offers paycheck advances up to $250 in exchange for a monthly subscription fee. With over 114,000 reviews on Google Play and over 215,000 reviews on the Apple app store, the app has received ratings of 4.6 and 4.8 stars, respectively. Brigit obtains third-party account information through collaborating with one or more third-party service providers. In order to help customers keep track of their income and outgoing costs, identify impending debts, and discover methods to lower monthly expenditures, Brigit analyzes their spending and provides budgeting tools. In order to help users avoid overdraft costs, Brigit also provides overdraft fee protection.
Key features of Brigit include:
- Instant Cash: In return for a monthly membership fee, Brigit provides paycheck advances of up to $250.
- Credit Builder: By informing credit bureaus of their on-time payments, Brigit’s credit-building solution assists customers in establishing credit.
- Brigit’s Finance Helper: This free tool assists users in keeping track of their income and outgoing costs, identifying impending invoices, and figuring out how to cut monthly expenditures.
- Earn & Save: Brigit’s free Earn & Save tool assists users in locating methods to make money, such as doing online surveys, playing games, and working full- or part-time employment.
The Brigit app can be downloaded on a smartphone and an account must be created before using it. Brigit is accessible on Google Play and the Apple app store. Users must register for an account on the Brigit app, link their bank account, and submit a request for an advance in order to be eligible for the Instant Cash advance. After examining the linked account, Brigit assigns consumers a score that indicates whether they are eligible for an advance or not. Users will upgrade to Brigit Plus and become paid subscribers if they meet the requirements. Users of Brigit can resolve any concerns via email or chat, and the platform also provides basic customer assistance.
3. Dave
Dave is a mobile fintech platform that offers a range of features to help users manage their finances.
Some of the key features of Dave include:
- Extra Cash: This function gives consumers a pay advance to help with little crises or to fill a financial shortfall. In contrast to several rival businesses, Dave offers advances to temporary or part-time employees who don’t get paid on a regular basis.
- Checking account: The Dave Spending account functions like any other checking account, with no penalties associated with overdrafts, late payments, or minimum balance requirements. The Money Pass ATM network gives users access to 37,000 surcharge-free ATMs.
- Budgeting: Dave lets users organize their expenses to keep track of how much they spend in a category. It may also notify users of upcoming expenses and whether they might have a low account balance.
- Rewards: Users can earn cash back if they frequently use the Dave debit card. Offers from retailers will be listed on the app.
- Have Goals: Users can create and monitor private or public goals for their personal finances. Private goals cannot be shared, however public objectives can be shared with anybody who has the Dave app.
- Dave Side Hustle: Using this program, users can look for remote work possibilities. Through the app, users may create a profile and look for local or completely remote side gigs.
Since its establishment in 2017, the Los Angeles-based startup Dave has provided financial advances. With over 450,000 reviews on Google Play and over 600,000 reviews on the Apple App Store, the app has received ratings of 4.4 and 4.8 stars, respectively.
4. MoneyLion
MoneyLion is a financial app and mobile banking service that offers personalized tools, tips, and offers to help users control every money moment in their life.
Here are some key features of MoneyLion:
- Instant cash: This is a cash advance product for existing MoneyLion customers that allows advances up to $500.
- Managed Investing: MoneyLion provides managed investing, which does away with conventional barriers to investing like investment minimums and management fees, in order to empower millions of Americans who might not have access to traditional investment strategies.
- Credit Builder Plus: This is a subscription service that includes a credit builder loan that requires no credit check, as well as other features like mobile banking, investment accounts, and up to $500 cash advances.
- Personalized Financial Tools: To assist users in taking charge of every financial moment of their lives, MoneyLion provides personalised financial tools, offers, and advice.
- Curated Content: MoneyLion provides curated money-related content to engage, educate, and empower customers.
With input from over 28,000 reviews, MoneyLion has a 4.6 star out of five Trustpilot rating thanks to good client ratings. Nevertheless, the business has also been inundated with complaints; in the last three years, close to 1,300 have been submitted.
5. Albert
Albert Banking App is a financial management app that offers a range of features to help users manage their finances.
Some of the key features of the app are:
- Smart Savings: The app analyzes users’ income and spending patterns to identify opportunities for savings. It then automatically transfers money to a savings account to help users reach their savings goals.
- Cash Advance: Albert can provide cash advances based on users’ paychecks.
- Budgeting: The app helps users create a budget and tracks their spending to help them stay on track.
- Investing: Users can invest their savings directly in the app, which offers a range of investment options.
- FDIC Insured: The app is not a bank, but it partners with Sutton Bank to provide banking services. Users’ deposits are FDIC insured up to $250,000.
All things considered, the Albert Banking App is a feature-rich financial management tool that provides a number of tools to assist users in managing their finances.
6. Payactiv
Payactiv is a financial wellness platform that provides employees with on-demand access to earned wages.
Here are some key features of Payactiv:
- Earned Wage Access (EWA): Payactiv created EWA in 2012, which allows workers to get an advance on their paychecks between pay periods. This feature helps employees avoid payday loans and other high-interest borrowing options.
- Financial Counseling: Payactiv offers financial counseling to help employees manage their finances and make informed decisions.
- Budgeting and Savings: Payactiv provides budgeting and savings tools to help employees plan and save for their financial goals.
- Bill Pay: Payactiv allows users to pay bills directly from the app. This service could cost $1 a day, but it’s capped at $5 a pay period.
- Send and Receive Money: Payactiv offers the ability to send and receive money with fellow Payactiv users.
- Security: Payactiv is a secure platform that protects users’ personal and financial information.
Payactiv is a Certified B-Corp and Public Benefit Corporation. It is the first EWA supplier authorized by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. All users can open a Payactiv account for free, and it comes with a ton of free features like bill payment, savings, coupons, financial counseling, and budgeting.
7. Empower
Empower Financial Services offers a range of features to help customers manage their finances and meet their financial goals.
Here are some of the key features of Empower
- Financial Services: Personalized financial guidance: Empower assists clients in achieving their financial objectives by providing individualized financial guidance. Rather than imitating an index such as the S&P 500, the company employs a portfolio selection process called Smart Weighting, which invests evenly in all sectors, and takes a holistic view of a client’s financial picture, not simply the assets it manages.
- Free Personal Dashboard: Empower offers a free Personal Dashboard to help customers manage their finances. The dashboard provides a comprehensive view of a customer’s financial accounts, investments, and spending, and offers tools to help customers track their progress towards their financial goals.
- Investment management: Empower manages nonretirement accounts, Roth, traditional, rollover and SEP IRAs and trusts. The company also offers socially responsible strategies, which screen U.S. equities based on environmental, social and governance factors.
- Banking services: Empower offers banking services with no minimum amount and provides all the services available at a full-service financial planning firm. Automated deposits are available and encouraged.
- Financial Roadmap: Empower’s Financial Roadmap takes a customer’s account and loan information to create a customized to-do list of financial tasks. Topics might include items like insurance analysis, retirement cash-flow planning, employer plan analysis, debt management review, and more.
- Tax efficiency: To assist clients in reducing their tax liability, Empower makes use of asset location, tax-loss harvesting, and tax efficiency.
- Access anywhere, at any time: Empower provides tools and guidance on finances to anybody, anywhere.
All things considered, Empower Financial Services provides a number of tools to assist clients in handling their money and achieving their financial objectives.
8. Varo
A variety of online banking services are provided by Varo, a digital bank. Founded in 2015, it became the first fintech startup in the United States to be granted a national bank license in 2020.
Here are some key features of Varo:
- No fees: Varo has no minimum deposit or balance requirements and charges no monthly fees.
- High-yield savings account: Varo provides a competitive 3.00% annual percentage yield (APY) savings account, with the option to transfer funds to a 5.00% APY after the first $5,000.
- Mobile app: Varo’s mobile app is available on all mobile operating systems and is optimized for easy use.
- Customer support: Varo offers three methods of contacting customer support: a multi-channel call center, email, and tickets in the Support section.
- Automated savings: Varo offers two easy ways to automate savings: by rounding up the change on every purchase and by setting aside a custom portion of each paycheck.
- Cash advance: Varo offers a low-fee cash advance product to help customers stretch to payday.
- Secured credit card: Varo offers a secured credit card for building credit.
Varo is a convenient option for someone with fairly straightforward finances. It is a mobile-only bank, so it may not be suitable for everyone. However, its high-yield savings account, no fees, and automated savings features make it an attractive option for those looking to save money and manage their finances easily.
Here is why we choose Top Best App like EarnIn
In curating our selection of top-notch EarnIn alternatives, we undertook a comprehensive assessment, scrutinizing more than a dozen cash advance applications and FinTech entities specializing in providing cash advances. Our evaluation encompassed crucial factors such as cash advance limits, associated fees, user-friendliness, and the presence of supplementary features. These considerations formed the basis for the inclusion of specific companies on our list.
It’s important to underscore that the placement and inclusion of these companies were not swayed by external influences; our author’s diligent research and unbiased perspective were the sole determinants in compiling this list of EarnIn alternatives. We firmly assert that the apps featured herein represent the finest options akin to EarnIn available at present.
Nevertheless, it’s worth noting that there exist a multitude of similar apps beyond our scope. Consequently, it is prudent to conduct your own research and due diligence when selecting financial applications and services, ensuring that your choices align with your individual financial needs and preferences.
Conclusion
In times of financial need, options like EarnIn can serve as a valuable lifeline, bridging the gap between your current funds and the arrival of your next paycheck. However, it’s essential to exercise caution and not become overly dependent on these applications.
These cash advance apps offer a more affordable alternative compared to traditional payday loans or high-interest personal loans. Nevertheless, it’s important to recognize that you’re essentially borrowing from your upcoming earnings. While they can help you sidestep exorbitant fees and the burdensome interest rates associated with conventional loans, they should be viewed as a temporary solution.
Incorporate these apps into your financial strategy to alleviate short-term cash shortages, but simultaneously, formulate a comprehensive plan for nurturing your emergency fund and expanding your savings. By doing so, you’ll establish a stronger financial foothold, reducing the frequency with which you need to resort to such tools and improving your long-term financial well-being.
