Research · 2026-Q4
What cash advance apps really cost
Every app on the same $100 advance, priced from its own published fees with one formula. On a 7-day advance with instant transfer, the median works out to 391% APR, from 156% (Chime SpotMe and MyPay) to 600% (Dave).
Published 2026-10-18. Updated every quarter; earlier versions stay online.
| App | Required monthly fee | Instant fee | Instant, 7 days | Instant, 14 days | Standard, 7 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chime SpotMe and MyPay Bank account feature | — | $3 | 156% $3 | 78.2% $3 | 0% $0 |
| Payactiv Employer pay-advance service | — | $3.49 | 182% $3.49 | 91% $3.49 | 0% $0 |
| Tilt (formerly Empower) Cash advance app | — | $5 | 261% $5 | 130% $5 | 0% $0 |
| EarnIn Cash advance app | — | $5.99 | 312% $5.99 | 156% $5.99 | 0% $0 |
| FloatMe Cash advance app | — | $7.50 | 391% $7.50 | 196% $7.50 | 0% $0 |
| MoneyLion Cash advance app | — | $9 | 469% $9 | 235% $9 | 0% $0 |
| Varo Advance Bank account feature | — | $20 | 487% $20 · 15 days* | 487% $20 · 15 days* | 487% $20 · 15 days* |
| Klover Cash advance app | — | $9.49 | 495% $9.49 | 247% $9.49 | 0% $0 |
| Dave Cash advance app | $5 | $1.50 | 600% $11.50 | 300% $11.50 | 521% $10 |
| Albert Cash advance app | — | — | — | — | — |
| Brigit Cash advance app | — | — | — | — | 0% $0 |
| Cash App Borrow Bank account feature | — | — | — | — | — |
| Cleo Cash advance app | — | — | — | — | 0% $0 |
| DailyPay Employer pay-advance service | — | — | — | — | 0% $0 |
| Possible Finance Installment loan | — | — | — | — | — |
What the numbers show
- The biggest driver is speed: the same advance with the free standard transfer usually costs far less, often $0 before tips, when there is no required membership.
- A required monthly membership weighs heavily when you take one small advance a month, and less if you take several.
- Shorter advances have higher APRs for the same fee, because you are paying the same dollars for fewer days.
Method
Fees come from each company’s own published terms, linked on its page and in the CSV, as of the date shown. APR = total cost ÷ amount × 365 ÷ days. We don’t estimate fees a company doesn’t publish. Full details: How we calculate.
Citing this report
Free to use with credit: Source: Cash Advance Clear, “What cash advance apps really cost” (2026-Q4), https://cashadvanceclear.com/research/cash-advance-app-cost-ranking-2026/. Licensed CC BY 4.0.