Loans like Transform Credit

MoneyLion is a banking app with budgeting tools, paycheck advances and a credit-building product. The paycheck advance product is called Instacash, and if you qualify, you could borrow from $50 to $500 with no interest, fees or monthly membership. If you sign up for the paid membership, you may be able to unlock Instacash amounts up to $700.

The other borrowing product is called Credit Builder Plus, also requiring no credit check. It's like other credit builder loans, except you get a portion of the funds upfront — most lock it in a savings account until the end of your term. The maximum amount is $1,000 and payments are reported to all three credit bureaus. However, to access the credit builder loan, you must have a membership, which is $19.99 per month.

• Available in: Alabama, Arizona, California, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming

OppLoans is a short-term installment lender that reports loan payments to all three credit bureaus, allowing you to build your credit score if you make timely payments. Most other traditional personal loan providers also report payments, but they tend to prefer good credit scores — OppLoans doesn't have a minimum credit score requirement.

Transform Credit does offer a credit builder product for $5 per month, but like its short-term loans, you'd also need a cosigner. And its credit builder product isn't a loan but more like a savings account, so it's not helpful if you need to borrow.

OppLoans loan amounts and terms are small, allowing you to borrow up to $4,000 with short terms from 9 to 18 months. Rates are significantly higher than Transform Credit, from 59% to 160% APR though lower than most bad credit options. While OppLoans isn't available everywhere, it's available in 33 states — way more than Transform Credit.

• Not available in: Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia

If you find yourself constantly looking to expensive payday loans to avoid overdrafting or to get through tough times, then the Brigit app may be for you. Brigit offers automatic overdraft protection and can send alerts if you're about to overdraft.

Alongside its money-management features, it offers paycheck advances up to $250 with no interest or financing fees. It's also available in all 50 states, unlike Transform Credit. Like other cash advance apps, there's no credit check for the cash advance, but you will need a qualifying, positive bank account. But Brigit isn't free. It has a monthly membership fee of $9.99 per month.

• Available in all states

If you're just not sure what lender to go with, then Monevo could be a good first step. It's a connection service that helps you compare lender offers after a quick, free, soft credit check application. Monveo is partnered with over 20 personal loan providers with advertised rates from 5.4% to 35.99%, and all credit types are encouraged to apply.

There's no obligation to move forward with any of the lenders you're matched with if you use Monevo. But like other connection services, you may be sent marketing material from its lending partners — even after you've taken out a loan.

• Available in all states