EarnIn is a financial app that offers a quick way to get an advance on your next paycheck without completing an application or paying fixed fees. You can connect your bank accounts to the app and get access to up to $750 of what you’re expected to earn each pay period.
While its basic service can be cheaper than a payday loan, EarnIn may not be for everyone. Our top picks for apps like EarnIn work similarly, but may offer stronger perks, faster turnaround time, or higher borrowing amounts.
- EarnIn’s Strengths: Earnin allows users to access up to $150 per day, with a maximum of $750 per pay period, without charging interest or mandatory fees.
- EarnIn’s Limitations: The app requires a steady paycheck and direct deposit setup, and is not available for gig workers or freelancers.
- Alternatives with Higher Limits: Some competing apps offer higher cash advance limits, such as up to $1,000, and may provide more flexible repayment options.
Our 8 top picks for apps like EarnIn
- If you want budgeting features: Cleo
- If you want to build a portfolio: Albert
- If you want for flexible repayments: Brigit
- If you don’t have direct deposits: Cash App
- If you want a cashback Visa card: B9
- If you are an hourly workers: ONE@Work
- If you want to boost your credit: Possible
- If you want to track your spending: Vola
Alternative for budgeting features
Cleo
While EarnIn excels at getting more of your earned paycheck faster, Cleo excels at helping you budget, spend, and save better – and offers cash advances from $20 to $250. With Cleo, you can track your spending, view upcoming bills, and get low-balance alerts. With its paid version, you can request cash advances in the app, get overdraft protection and earn cashback to your Cleo wallet.
Unlike EarnIn, Cleo has an AI assistant that can answer questions in natural language, like “How much did I spend on Uber this month?” It can also break down your finances into graphs so you can see where your money is going. While you can potentially pull more money with EarnIn, Cleo doesn’t require you to verify your income or upload timesheets to get cash, like EarnIn does.
| Loan Amount | $20 – $250 |
|---|---|
| Turnaround time | 3 to 4 days or instant for a fee. |
| Costs | $5.99 monthly membership fee to access cash advances |
| Loan Amount | $20 – $250 |
|---|---|
| Turnaround time | 3 to 4 days or instant for a fee. |
| Costs | $5.99 monthly membership fee to access cash advances |
Read review
Alternative for building a portfolio
Albert
Albert is a banking app that offers overdraft coverage from $25 to $250 with its Albert Instant feature. What makes Albert different is its Genius feature. Genius is a technology-driven, human-backed financial service that can build a custom investment portfolio based on your goals, but it costs $12.49 a month when billed yearly, or $14.99 a month when billed monthly.
Unlike other cash apps, Albert automatically enrolls all new borrowers in a free 30-day trial of Genius in order to use the app to get free advances. To prevent getting charged on the next renewal, you’ll need to cancel Genius within the 30-day trial period. And like most other cash apps, instant transfers attract a fee.
| Loan Amount | $25 – $1,000 |
|---|---|
| Turnaround time | Instant |
| Costs | Optional $14.99 monthly subscription to access budgeting and basic savings |
| Loan Amount | $25 – $1,000 |
|---|---|
| Turnaround time | Instant |
| Costs | Optional $14.99 monthly subscription to access budgeting and basic savings |
Read review
Alternative for flexible repayments
Brigit
Brigit is a no-frills app that offers $50 to $250 cash advances per pay cycle. Unlike EarnIn, the service costs $8.99 to $14.99 monthly membership fee per month. And if you’re short on cash and need extra time to pay, Brigit lets you extend your due date. You can ask for one extension for every two consecutive advances you pay back on time. By doing this, you can store up to three extensions for use at a later date.
| Loan Amount | $50 – $250 |
|---|---|
| Turnaround time | 1 to 3 business days or instant with a Premium subscription or for a fee. |
| Costs | Brigit Plus: $8.99/month; Brigit Premium: $14.99/month |
| Loan Amount | $50 – $250 |
|---|---|
| Turnaround time | 1 to 3 business days or instant with a Premium subscription or for a fee. |
| Costs | Brigit Plus: $8.99/month; Brigit Premium: $14.99/month |
Read review
Alternative for people without direct deposit
Cash App
Cash App Borrow is a feature inside of Cash App that allows eligible users to borrow up to $200 for any need. But it’s still a pilot program, and it’s apparently only available to select users with a history of adding cash to the app and possibly sending payments.
While it’s unclear how CashApp Borrow works, how much you can borrow is likely determined by how much money you deposit and keep in your CashApp account, borrow and repay. Unlike other cash apps, your ability to borrow doesn’t necessarily depend on having direct deposits. This makes it ideal for people who get paid in cash — or otherwise don’t receive income via direct deposit.
| Loan Amount | $20 – $200 |
|---|---|
| Turnaround time | Same day |
| Costs | 5% flat fee |
| Loan Amount | $20 – $200 |
|---|---|
| Turnaround time | Same day |
| Costs | 5% flat fee |
Read review
Alternative if you want a cashback Visa card
B9 pay advance app
B9 is one of the few cash advance apps that offers an FDIC-insured cashback Visa card. Additionally, B9 doesn’t charge fees or require tips when you request an advance.
But you’ll have to join either their B9 Advance plan at $9.99 a month or B9 Premium plan at $19.99 a month to access cash advance benefits. B9 isn’t the cheapest option out there, but it may be worth it if you need larger advances sooner.
| Loan Amount | $30 – $500 |
|---|---|
| Turnaround time | Instant |
| Loan Amount | $30 – $500 |
|---|---|
| Turnaround time | Instant |
Read review
Alternative for hourly workers
ONE@Work
One@Work (formerly Even) is a budgeting app that offers up to 50% advances on wages you’ve already earned through its Instapay feature. The service is free for employees if employers have configured these benefits in the Instapay app. A small fee will apply if not. On top of this, One@Work helps you stick to a budget by alerting you about upcoming bills and how much you need for them. Your employer determines how often you can take an Instapay and how much of your net earnings you can access.
| Loan Amount | Up to 50% of earned wages |
|---|---|
| Turnaround time | Same day if employer has configured this benefit. If not, small fee applies |
| Costs | Free |
| Loan Amount | Up to 50% of earned wages |
|---|---|
| Turnaround time | Same day if employer has configured this benefit. If not, small fee applies |
| Costs | Free |
Read review
Alternative if you want to boost your credit
Possible Finance Mobile Installment Loans
Possible Finance offers short-term installment loans for bad credit borrowers. While there’s no credit check, you can expect to pay up to $15 to $20 per $100 borrowed in fees when you take out an advance, depending on your state. But unlike EarnIn and other cash advance apps, it reports your payments to two of the three major credit bureaus to help you build your credit score. It also has same-day funding available if you have a Visa debit card. But it’s more expensive to use than cash advance apps, so you should compare other credit-building programs and decide if the credit-boosting feature is worth the cost.
| Loan Amount | $50 – $500 |
|---|---|
| APR | 150% to 460% |
| Turnaround time | As fast as 1 business day |
- Available in: Alabama, California, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington
| Loan Amount | $50 – $500 |
|---|---|
| APR | 150% to 460% |
| Turnaround time | As fast as 1 business day |
Read review
Alternative if you want to track your spending
Vola Finance
Vola is a cash advance app offering up to $500 in advances. It also offers spending analytics and smart graphs to help you manage your personal finances. Unlike EarnIn, Vola charges a subscription but requires no additional fees for any of its services.
You can also earn access to more benefits when you increase your Vola Score by remaining in good financial standing.
| Loan Amount | Up to $500 |
|---|---|
| Turnaround time | Within 5 hours or instant to Vola card |
| Loan Amount | Up to $500 |
|---|---|
| Turnaround time | Within 5 hours or instant to Vola card |
Read review
Methodology: How we chose these apps
Our team weighs each app against eight main factors: fees, membership plans, turnaround time, terms, financing options, how soon you can borrow, maximum borrowing amounts and overall perks. We also considered whether the app was available on Apple’s App Store and Google Play. Customer reviews on sites such as the Better Business Bureau and Trustpilot were factored in as well.
How EarnIn compares
As a cash advance app, EarnIn is a top runner. It has no membership fees or tip requirements, offers same-day funding and you can borrow up to $750 per pay period with its Cash Out feature. However, how much you can borrow is based on how much you make.
EarnIn isn’t for everyone, though. To request cash advances, you must verify your work email or hours worked by submitting timesheets and allow location tracking to verify you were at your job’s location. For some, this verification is too intrusive.
Pros
- No membership fees
- No tip requirements
- No credit check
- Borrow up to $750 per pay period
Cons
- Must have consistent pay schedule
- Mixed customer reviews
- Class-action lawsuit in 2021
- May need to submit timesheets and working schedule
Bottom line
Cash advance apps may be a more affordable alternative to high-interest payday loans. Compare cash advance apps to find one that works with your payment schedule to avoid taking on more costly debt.
