Brigit lets you access up to $250 per pay period and get advances within minutes for free by linking a qualifying debit card. It also features automatic overdraft protection and identity theft protection.
But with a high membership fee of $8.99 a month, Brigit isn’t the most competitively priced option and its $250 maximum is lower than other apps. If you’d rather skip the monthly fee or need a bigger cash advance amount, choose from these other options.
One of Brigit's biggest advantages is its overdraft feature, but Chime has that too. It's called Chime SpotMe, and if you already use Chime, it's a great option to check out. It offers small, no-fee advances from $20 to $200 to protect you from overdraft fees. However, your limit starts at $20 and may increase to the max $200 over time with regular deposits and a positive account balance.
SpotMe has no obligation to tip, and there are no fees. The only requirement for SpotMe is that you've deposited at least $200 into your Chime account in the last 34 days. In addition to Chime SpotMe, the Chime app offers early paycheck access, no-monthly fee checking accounts, secured credit cards and saving tools. In addition to Chime's banking and overdraft features, it gets pretty decent reviews across the app stores, BBB and Trustpilot.
Chime is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided by The Bancorp Bank, N.A. or Stride Bank, N.A., Members FDIC. Direct deposit: Early access to direct deposit funds depends on the timing of the submission of the payment file from the payer. We generally make these funds available on the day the payment file is received, which may be up to 2 days earlier than the scheduled payment date. SpotMe: Chime SpotMe is an optional, no fee service that requires a single deposit of $200 or more in qualifying direct deposits to the Chime Checking Account each at least once every 34 days. All qualifying members will be allowed to overdraw their account up to $20 on debit card purchases and cash withdrawals initially, but may be later eligible for a higher limit of up to $200 or more based on member’s Chime Account history, direct deposit frequency and amount, spending activity and other risk-based factors. Your limit will be displayed to you within the Chime mobile app. You will receive notice of any changes to your limit. Your limit may change at any time, at Chime’s discretion. Although there are no overdraft fees, there may be out-of-network or third party fees associated with ATM transactions. SpotMe won’t cover non-debit card transactions, including ACH transfers, Pay Anyone transfers, or Chime Checkbook transactions. See Terms and Conditions.
If you're a freelancer or gig worker with multiple side hustles, Cleo is made for you. Unlike Brigit, Cleo doesn't require you to have income from the same employer and it doesn't have a minimum income requirement. As long as you have consistent income, you could qualify for cash advances.
Cleo cash advance amounts start at $20 to $70, but that could increase to $250 over time. Cleo also packs features to help you budget and track your spending and bills better. Cash advances are available on the Cleo app through its paid plan which costs $5.99 a month. If you need a same-day transfer, it's an additional $3.99.
Available in all states
Pros
No payslips or W-2 forms required
No credit checks or interest charged
Free AI financial planner, bill tracker and low balance alerts
Cons
Monthly fee to access cash advances
Borrowing amounts are limited initially
Mixed customer reviews
Loan amount
Up to $250
Loan Term
Varies
Turnaround time
3 to 4 days standard transfer. Same day with $3.99 express fee.
Loan amount
$20 - $250
Turnaround time
3 to 4 days standard transfer. Same day with $3.99 express fee.
Albert's cash advances have no fees, and you don't need a paid membership to access its cash advances, unlike Brigit. In fact, most of Albert's features are accessible with the free membership. It offers cash advances up to $250, and depending on your eligibility, you may be able to get multiple cash advances per pay period if you have a good repayment history.
There are no late fees, inactivity fees, interest charges and tipping is optional. Albert also offers a debit card, early paycheck access, budgeting tools and saving features. To access investing options, you'll need the paid membership Genius, which is $14.99 per month ($96 annually). And the paid membership is still about $2 less than Brigit's. But know that when you get Albert, you're automatically enrolled in a Genius 30-day trial membership. If you don't cancel the membership before the trial ends, it charges you the $96 yearly fee.
Cash App is chock-full of mobile banking features. A top-ranked banking app in app stores, Cash App offers free peer-to-peer payment services, a Cash App debit card linked to your account, direct deposit, investing, buying and selling crypto and much more. There's also no membership fee, unlike Brigit's monthly fee.
If you need quick cash, Cash App might offer a solution too. One of its latest features is called Borrow, offering qualified borrowers small loans up to $200. It's still in the early stages and not available to all users, but the loans have a four-week repayment period and a 5% monthly fee (equivalent to 60% APR).
However, Cash App's reviews aren't great. It's received thousands of complaints on its BBB profile, and the vast majority of reviews on Trustpilot are negative. Many users mention issues with refunds, encountering scam profiles and poor customer support.
Dave is a membership-based app, but unlike Brigit, its membership only costs $1 a month. Dave's cash advances also have a higher maximum through its feature called ExtraCash, up to $500 per pay period. The Dave app also has Dave Banking, offering an account with no overdraft fees or minimum deposit to open the account — a great alternative to Brigit's overdraft protection. Another feature called Side Hustle can help you find local jobs for extra cash.
However, Dave's delivery speed may be slower than Brigit. Getting your funds may take one to three business days. If you want instant delivery, there's a fee from $1.99 to $13.99, depending on the size of your advance. Brigit delivers cash advances as soon as 20 minutes after the request.
MoneyLion doesn't require a monthly membership fee, unlike Brigit, and members of its free membership may be eligible for advances up to $500. Several other paid membership options are available, such as RoarMoney for $1 per month, which may increase your max cash advance to $700 per pay period. Sign up for the Credit Builder Plus program, which costs $19.99 per month, and you can get an advance as high as $1,000. However, qualifying for the highest cash advance amounts can take a few weeks.
On the downside, MoneyLion's multiple membership tiers can be confusing. There may be too many options and too much overlap, making it difficult to choose the right plan.
Available in: Alabama, Arizona, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming
Pros
Higher cash advances than Brigit
Paid membership not required
Multiple financial services available
Cons
Costly $19.99 credit-builder membership
Benefits not entirely clear with all membership tiers
May take weeks to qualify for max cash advance
Loan amount
Up to $500 or $1,000 with RoarMoney account
Loan Term
Due by your next pay date
Turnaround time
Up to 5 days or instant for a fee of $0.49 to $8.99
Loan amount
$50 - $500
Turnaround time
Up to 5 days or instant for a fee of $0.49 to $8.99
Unlike Brigit or the other alternatives on this list, Possible Finance isn't a cash advance app. Instead, it offers short-term installment loans. One of the biggest advantages with Possible Fiance is that it reports its loans to two of the three credit bureaus, so with timely payments, you may increase your credit score — a perk that doesn't normally come with payday loans or cash advance apps.
There's no credit check, and costs and loan amounts do vary by state. Possible's installment loans are only available in 16 states. Plan on around $15 to $20 per $100 borrowed. But watch out — in some cases, you may face a 460% APR, which is comparable to pricy payday loans.
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
Pros
Reports to credit bureaus
No credit check
No membership fees
Borrow loans in the app
Cons
APRs can get high
Costs and loans vary by state
Loan amount
$50 - $500
Interest rate type
Fixed
Loan Term
2 to 8 weeks
Turnaround time
As fast as 1 business day
Loan amount
$50 - $500
Turnaround time
As fast as 1 business day
How does Brigit compare?
Brigit has a host of financial budgeting and spending tools, automatic overdraft protection up to $250 and instant delivery within 20 minutes of a cash advance request — for an additional instant transfer fee.
Unfortunately, the $8.99 monthly membership fee may not be worth it. Many other apps don’t require a monthly membership to get small loans or cash advances with regular turnaround, such as Possible Finance, Albert and MoneyLion.
And some users complain that the advance amounts they qualify for — such as $50 — are too low to justify the monthly subscription fee. It may only be worth it for those who take out frequent cash advances or want Brigit’s credit builder program and $1 million identity theft protection.
Bethany Hickey is a personal finance writer at Finder, specializing in banking, lending, insurance, and crypto.
Bethany’s expertise in personal finance has garnered recognition from esteemed media outlets, such as Nasdaq, MSN, Yahoo Finance, GOBankingRates, SuperMoney, AOL and Newsweek. Her articles offer practical financial strategies to Americans, empowering them to make decisions that meet their financial goals. Her past work includes articles on generational spending and saving habits, lending, budgeting and managing debt.
Before joining Finder, she was a content manager where she wrote hundreds of articles and news pieces on auto financing and credit repair for CarsDirect, Auto Credit Express and The Car Connection, among others.
Bethany holds a BA in English from the University of Michigan-Flint, and was poetry editor for the university’s Qua Literary and Fine Arts Magazine.
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