Better Options for Fast Cash in 2025

Varo is a more affordable alternative to payday lenders like Speedy Cash. It offers cash advances from $20 to $500 with no credit check, no interest, no late fees, and no tipping prompts, just a flat fee between $1.60 and $40.

You’ll get up to 30 days to repay, giving you more time than typical payday loans. To qualify, you’ll need at least $800 in direct deposits over the past 30 days and an active Varo Bank account.

• Varo is a more affordable alternative to payday lenders like Speedy Cash. It offers cash advances from $20 to $500 with no credit check, no interest, no late fees, and no tipping prompts, just a flat fee between $1.60 and $40.

  You’ll get up to 30 days to repay, giving you more time than typical payday loans. To qualify, you’ll need at least $800 in direct deposits over the past 30 days and an active Varo Bank account.

• Pros

  
  
  
  
  
  • 30 day repayment window

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  • No monthly membership fee

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  • Same-day advances without extra fees

  
  
  
  

  Cons

  
  
  
  
  
  • Fees can run as high as $40 depending on borrowed amount

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  • Low starting advance limits

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  • Must have Varo bank account

  
  
  
  

• Loan amount	Up to $500
  Loan Term	15 to 30 days
  Turnaround time	Instant, once qualified

Cleo offers cash advances from $20 to $250 with no required credit check or interest charged on the loan. They appeal to freelance workers specifically by not asking for employer verification or timesheets. Advances are easier to navigate through the app with a $5.99 subscription, but you can apply through customer service for free, without one.

Cleo also allows you to take a new advance just 24-hours after paying off your previous advance. And you can reschedule your payment one time, if your finances don’t allow you to pay back the money at the agreed upon time.

• Cleo offers cash advances from $20 to $250 with no required credit check or interest charged on the loan. They appeal to freelance workers specifically by not asking for employer verification or timesheets. Advances are easier to navigate through the app with a $5.99 subscription, but you can apply through customer service for free, without one.

  Cleo also allows you to take a new advance just 24-hours after paying off your previous advance. And you can reschedule your payment one time, if your finances don’t allow you to pay back the money at the agreed upon time.

• Pros

  
  
  
  
  
  • New advance available 24 hours after payoff

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  • One-time due date extension

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  • No credit check or employment verification

  
  
  
  

  Cons

  
  
  
  
  
  • $5.99 monthly subscription fee

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  • Non-subscribers must contact customer service to apply for cash advances

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  • $3.99 express fee for same-day funding

  
  
  
  

• Loan amount	Up to $250
  Loan Term	Next deposit
  Turnaround time	3 to 4 days or instant for a fee.

EarnIn is a cash advance app that lets you borrow up to $750 of your earned wages before payday with its Cash Out feature. This borrowing limit is significantly higher than most cash advance apps, and unlike payday loans, there’s no interest or financing fees to use Cash Outs.

To qualify for EarnIn Cash Outs, you need to be employed, have regular direct deposits and earn a minimum of $320 each pay period. You can transfer $150 a day to a linked bank account or more than $150 per day to an EarnIn card. Regular transfers are available in one to three business days or in minutes for a fee.

• Not available in: Connecticut

• EarnIn is a cash advance app that lets you borrow up to $750 of your earned wages before payday with its Cash Out feature. This borrowing limit is significantly higher than most cash advance apps, and unlike payday loans, there’s no interest or financing fees to use Cash Outs.

  To qualify for EarnIn Cash Outs, you need to be employed, have regular direct deposits and earn a minimum of $320 each pay period. You can transfer $150 a day to a linked bank account or more than $150 per day to an EarnIn card. Regular transfers are available in one to three business days or in minutes for a fee.

• Pros

  
  
  
  
  
  • No credit check required

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  • No interest or mandatory tipping

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  • Free credit score tracking included

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  • Cash Out more than $150 per day with an EarnIn card

  
  
  
  

  Cons

  
  
  
  
  
  • Verification of employment earnings required

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  • Same-day (Lightning) transfers attract a fee

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  • Can only qualify with employment income

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  • Not ideal for gig workers

  
  
  
  

• Loan amount	Up to $150/day, with a max of $750 between paydays
  Loan Term	1 to 4 weeks
  Turnaround time	1 to 2 business days or within 30 minutes for a fee

Albert is a banking app that offers cash advances up to $1,000. While that is a lower amount than Speedy Cash’s payday loans, there are no interest charges, late fees, inactivity fees or monthly membership fees. And if you qualify, you may be able to borrow up to three cash advances per pay period if you maintain a good repayment history.

With the $8 monthly paid membership Genius, you can get instant delivery for free and access additional perks like investing and investing advice. Without the paid membership, you can pay a fee of $6 for instant delivery.
Just know that when you create an account with Albert, you’re automatically enrolled in the Genius free trial, which you must cancel after 30 days if you don’t want to be charged $96 for the annual membership fee. Most of Albert’s negative reviews are related to the automatic paid membership enrollment and the inconvenience of it.

• Albert is a banking app that offers cash advances up to $1,000. While that is a lower amount than Speedy Cash’s payday loans, there are no interest charges, late fees, inactivity fees or monthly membership fees. And if you qualify, you may be able to borrow up to three cash advances per pay period if you maintain a good repayment history.

  With the $8 monthly paid membership Genius, you can get instant delivery for free and access additional perks like investing and investing advice. Without the paid membership, you can pay a fee of $6 for instant delivery.
  Just know that when you create an account with Albert, you’re automatically enrolled in the Genius free trial, which you must cancel after 30 days if you don’t want to be charged $96 for the annual membership fee. Most of Albert’s negative reviews are related to the automatic paid membership enrollment and the inconvenience of it.

• Pros

  
  
  
  
  
  • No credit check required

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  • Gives you 10 days to repay the overdraft

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  • Saves you from overdraft fees

  
  
  
  

  Cons

  
  
  
  
  
  • No customer service phone number

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  • Mixed customer reviews

  
  
  
  

• Loan amount	Up to $1,000
  Loan Term	Within 6 days of overdraft, with possible 7-day extension
  Turnaround time	Instant

Brigit offers cash advances with delivery speeds as fast as 20 minutes, up to $250 per pay period. It also has overdraft protection features, alerting you when it thinks you’re about to overdraft, and you set it to automatically deposit funds into your account to overdraft fees.

But Brigit isn’t free if you want cash advances — it charges a $8.99 to $14.99 monthly membership fee monthly membership. There’s also an extra fee if you want same-day funding. However, there are no interest charges or late fees and you have the option to change your cash advance due date up to three times.

• Brigit offers cash advances with delivery speeds as fast as 20 minutes, up to $250 per pay period. It also has overdraft protection features, alerting you when it thinks you’re about to overdraft, and you set it to automatically deposit funds into your account to overdraft fees.

  But Brigit isn’t free if you want cash advances — it charges a $8.99 to $14.99 monthly membership fee monthly membership. There’s also an extra fee if you want same-day funding. However, there are no interest charges or late fees and you have the option to change your cash advance due date up to three times.

• Pros

  
  
  
  
  
  • Same-day delivery available

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  • Overdraft protection features

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  • No interest or late fees

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  • Change due date up to 3 times

  
  
  
  

  Cons

  
  
  
  
  
  • $8.99 to $14.99 monthly membership fee monthly membership

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  • Low $250 max advance

  
  
  
  

• Loan amount	$50 to $250
  Loan Term	Until your next payday, but can extend
  Turnaround time	1 to 3 business days or instant with a Premium subscription or for a fee.

Unlike Speedy Cash, OppLoans only offers online installment loans. But with rates capped at 195% APR and terms from 9 to 18 months, it can be a more affordable alternative to Speedy Cash. OppLoans also reports payments to credit bureaus to potentially improve your credit score with timely payments and offers higher loan amounts than Speedy Cash.

But monthly income requirements can be high in some states, and you must be paid with direct deposit to qualify. You’ll also need to make at least $1,500 each month to qualify. OppLoans rates and availability vary widely by state, so you may have to do some comparison shopping to see if OppLoans actually is a more affordable option for you. Like many short-term lenders, it’s faced lawsuits for charging higher interest rates than legally allowed in Washington, DC.

• Not available in: Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia

• Unlike Speedy Cash, OppLoans only offers online installment loans. But with rates capped at 195% APR and terms from 9 to 18 months, it can be a more affordable alternative to Speedy Cash. OppLoans also reports payments to credit bureaus to potentially improve your credit score with timely payments and offers higher loan amounts than Speedy Cash.

  But monthly income requirements can be high in some states, and you must be paid with direct deposit to qualify. You’ll also need to make at least $1,500 each month to qualify. OppLoans rates and availability vary widely by state, so you may have to do some comparison shopping to see if OppLoans actually is a more affordable option for you. Like many short-term lenders, it’s faced lawsuits for charging higher interest rates than legally allowed in Washington, DC.

• Pros

  
  
  
  
  
  • Loans up to $5,000

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  • Potentially less expensive than Speedy Cash

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  • Reports to credit bureaus

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  • Overall positive customer reviews

  
  
  
  

  Cons

  
  
  
  
  
  • Problems with regulators in DC

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  • Rates vary by state

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  • Strict income requirements

  
  
  
  

• Loan amount	$500 – $5,000
  Interest rate type	Fixed
  APR	160% to 195%
  Loan Term	9 to 18 months
  Turnaround time	As soon as the same business day

Cash App is a very popular banking app, namely for its convenient peer-to-peer (P2P) payment services which allow you to quickly and easily send money to friends and family. But that’s not all it’s got — you can also invest in stocks and crypto, get paid early, earn discounts with the Cash Card, and possibly borrow with its latest feature.

Qualified users can take out small loans with the Cash App Borrow option, which offers small loans up to $200 with a 5% interest rate, repaid within four weeks. But since it’s still a new feature, not all of its eligibility requirements are clear. You’ll likely need to be an active user, make regular deposits, have good credit and be in an eligible state.

• Cash App is a very popular banking app, namely for its convenient peer-to-peer (P2P) payment services which allow you to quickly and easily send money to friends and family. But that’s not all it’s got — you can also invest in stocks and crypto, get paid early, earn discounts with the Cash Card, and possibly borrow with its latest feature.

  Qualified users can take out small loans with the Cash App Borrow option, which offers small loans up to $200 with a 5% interest rate, repaid within four weeks. But since it’s still a new feature, not all of its eligibility requirements are clear. You’ll likely need to be an active user, make regular deposits, have good credit and be in an eligible state.

• Pros

  
  
  
  
  
  • P2P system

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  • Invest in stocks and crypto

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  • No membership fees

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  • Top-ranked app

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  • Small loans for qualified users

  
  
  
  

  Cons

  
  
  
  
  
  • Low $200 maximum advance

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  • Interest charges and lates fees

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  • Not all users eligible for Borrow

  
  
  
  

• Loan amount	$20 to $200
  Loan Term	Same day
  Turnaround time	Same day

Possible Finance offers short-term loans of up to $500 with terms up to 2 months that you can apply for on your phone. Similar to a banking app, you can borrow these small loans right from the app. No matter how much you borrow, the term is always four payments over eight weeks. And unlike Speedy Cash’s payday loans,
Possible Finance does report payments to two credit bureaus, so there’s an opportunity for you to build a credit history and improve your credit score. Funding can also be as soon as one business day.

However, rates vary by state, with costs likely ranging from $15 to $20 per every $100 borrowed — a slightly lower APR than Speedy Cash in some cases. But in a few states, APRs can be around 460%, so it may be wise to compare other options before going with Possible. And it’s only available in 16 states.

• 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

• Possible Finance offers short-term loans of up to $500 with terms up to 2 months that you can apply for on your phone. Similar to a banking app, you can borrow these small loans right from the app. No matter how much you borrow, the term is always four payments over eight weeks. And unlike Speedy Cash’s payday loans,
  Possible Finance does report payments to two credit bureaus, so there’s an opportunity for you to build a credit history and improve your credit score. Funding can also be as soon as one business day.

  However, rates vary by state, with costs likely ranging from $15 to $20 per every $100 borrowed — a slightly lower APR than Speedy Cash in some cases. But in a few states, APRs can be around 460%, so it may be wise to compare other options before going with Possible. And it’s only available in 16 states.

• Pros

  
  
  
  
  
  • Convenient borrowing

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  • $500 limit, like Speedy Cash

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  • Reports to two credit bureaus

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  • Delivery as soon as one business day

  
  
  
  

  Cons

  
  
  
  
  
  • Limited state availability

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  • High APRs

  
  
  
  

• Loan amount	$50 – $500
  Interest rate type	Fixed
  APR	150% to 460%
  Loan Term	2 to 8 weeks
  Turnaround time	As fast as 1 business day