Instant money apps, or cash advance apps with instant approval, send you cash before payday and take it back from your next paycheck.
None of the seven apps below charge you interest or run a credit check.
But speed isn’t free. Same-day cash costs money on every app, and some charge monthly.
Then there’s the wait. Free delivery takes one to five business days.
Your first advance is usually small too. Grant averages about $66 and Tilt about $96.
Need cash today with no membership? EarnIn and MoneyLion take minutes. Current can take up to an hour, and only after your paycheck lands there.
Cash Advance Apps With Instant Approval: 7 Best Instant Money Apps
They decide from your bank activity and pay history. Here is how they compare on the thing that matters when you are short today: how fast the money lands and what instant delivery costs. Tap one to jump to it.
EarnInWithin 30 minutes from $3.99², or free if you wait. No subscription.No required fees · $200/day, $1,000/pay period¹2
MoneyLionMinutes for $0.49 to $8.99. No subscription.$100 a request6¹ EarnIn is not a bank. Access limits are based on your earnings and risk factors. Available in select states. Terms and restrictions apply. Visit Earnin.com for full details.
² Expedited transfers available for a fee. Visit Earnin.com for full details.
1. EarnIn
Within 30 minutes from $3.99. No subscription.Best if you want instant cash with no subscription.
EarnIn moves up to $200 a day¹ of pay you have already earned. Lightning Speed² lands it within 30 minutes for $3.99 to $8.99, or you wait one to three days and pay nothing.
Connect the account your paycheck lands in
EarnIn confirms earnings by work email or location
Take up to $200 a day, repaid automatically on payday
Want the fine print? Fees, speed, and what you really get
$3.99 to $8.99 gets a transfer within 30 minutes. Wait 1 to 3 days and the same advance is free.
¹ EarnIn is not a bank. Access limits are based on your earnings and risk factors. Available in select states. Terms and restrictions apply. Visit Earnin.com for full details.
² Expedited transfers available for a fee. Visit Earnin.com for full details.
2. Current
Up to an hour for a fee, once payroll lands there.Best if you will switch banks for instant advances.
Current pays advances of up to $1,000 into its own checking account within an hour for a small fee, or free in about three days, and there is no subscription.
Open a Current account
Route a $200+ payroll deposit into it
Advance up to $1,000, debited when your next check lands
Want the fine print? Fees, speed, and what you really get
Free in about 3 days, or within an hour for a small fee. The advance unlocks after a $200+ payroll deposit.
3. Grant
About an hour for $2 to $21.Best if a $66 advance within the hour is enough.
Grant fronts money against your next deposit with no interest or late fees. Inside the app you will be pushed into the $9.99 a month Grant Plus plan; the free route is to email support and ask for an advance without subscribing.
Link the account your pay lands in
Request an advance and pick free or express
Grant debits it when it sees your next deposit
Want the fine print? Fees, speed, and what you really get
Most first advances are about $66. Free in 3 days, or $2 to $21 to get it within the hour.
4. Cleo
Same day for $4.49 to $14.99.Best if you already pay for Cleo Plus.
Cleo’s advance comes with its paid plans: $20 to $250, delivered same day for $4.49 to $14.99 or free in 3 to 4 days, on a $5.99 to $14.99 monthly plan.
Subscribe to Plus, Pro or Builder
Connect your bank
Advance $20 to $250 based on your account activity
Want the fine print? Fees, speed, and what you really get
Plans run $5.99 to $14.99 a month. Same day costs $4.49 to $14.99, or free in 3 to 4 days.
5. MoneyLion
Minutes for $0.49 to $8.99. No subscription.Best if you want the lowest instant fee, no subscription.
Instacash needs no subscription. Turbo delivery lands in minutes for $0.49 to $8.99, and free transfers take one to two days to a MoneyLion account or two to five elsewhere.
Connect your bank
MoneyLion sets your limit from deposit history
Request up to $100 at a time, repaid next payday
Want the fine print? Fees, speed, and what you really get
Turbo costs $0.49 to $8.99 and lands in minutes. Free takes 1 to 5 days, up to $100 a request.
6. Brigit
About 20 minutes on an $8.99 plan.Best if the money should move before you overdraft.
Brigit’s express advance lands in about 20 minutes, and optional auto advances can land before your balance goes negative, on plans of $8.99 to $15.99 a month.
Subscribe to Plus or Premium
Link your bank
Optional auto advances can land before you overdraft
Want the fine print? Fees, speed, and what you really get
$8.99 to $15.99 a month. Express in about 20 minutes, or free in 2 to 3 days.
7. Tilt
Free in about a day on an $8 monthly plan.Best if free delivery by tomorrow is fast enough.
Tilt (formerly Empower) offers $10 to $500 on an $8 a month plan. Free delivery takes about a business day, the quickest free option here, and instant costs a fee that scales with the amount.
Link your bank and start the 14-day trial
Tilt reads your income and spending and offers an amount
Repaid automatically on your next payday
Want the fine print? Fees, speed, and what you really get
Cancel inside 14 days and pay nothing. Free in about a day, or minutes for a fee.
What to Look for in an Instant Money App
Speed is easy to advertise and easy to overpay for. Check these six before you tap instant.
- The instant fee itself. It runs from $0.49 to $21 per transfer depending on the app and the amount. MoneyLion has the lowest floor.
- The free wait. Anywhere from about a day to five business days. Tilt has the shortest free delivery here.
- Whether a membership gates it. Brigit and Cleo steer you to a monthly plan first. EarnIn never does.
- The day-one amount. First advances average $66 to $96 no matter what the maximum says, so instant fees buy speed on a small number.
- Where the money can land. Some instant fees are cheaper into the app’s own account, and Current only pays into its own.
- What approval is based on. Verifiable hours or steady deposits. Gig and cash income fails some checks, and no approval means no instant transfer.
Instant Money App FAQs
Current and MoneyLion both sell instant delivery, in minutes at MoneyLion and within an hour at Current: Current charges a small fee shown in the app, and MoneyLion’s Turbo costs $0.49 to $8.99. Brigit express takes about 20 minutes, EarnIn and Grant take up to 30 minutes and about an hour, for $3.99 to $8.99 and $2 to $21 respectively, Tilt is minutes for a fee, and Cleo is same day. If you refuse to pay for speed, Tilt has the shortest free wait at about one business day.
None of them are free at the instant tier. What you can avoid is the subscription. EarnIn, MoneyLion and Current charge no monthly fee, so the only cost is an express fee when you want it fast, and $0 if you wait one to five days. Cleo, Brigit and Tilt steer you to a paid plan first, and Grant steers you into its $9.99 Plus plan unless you email support for the free route.
No. All seven apps on this page decide from your bank activity and pay history rather than a credit inquiry. EarnIn, Current, Grant and Tilt also say the advance is not reported to the credit bureaus. EarnIn verifies hours worked, Current looks for a $200 or larger payroll deposit, and Grant, Cleo, MoneyLion, Brigit and Tilt read your deposits and spending. Instant approval means a quick decision, not a lenient one.
Less than the advertised maximum. Grant says its typical first advance is about $66, Tilt reports a $96 average first offer, Cleo starts new users at $20 to $100, MoneyLion pays up to $100 per request, and EarnIn caps you at $200 a day and $1,000 per pay period, with new users averaging $85. Current and Brigit also start small and raise the limit as they see your pay arrive on schedule.
No, and the gap is where people get caught. Approval is the app deciding you qualify, which usually takes minutes. Instant money is the delivery choice you make after that, and it costs an express fee everywhere on this list. Current adds one more step: the advance only unlocks after a qualifying paycheck has landed in its account, so approval today can still mean cash next payday.
Before You Pay for Instant Delivery
Instant approval is the easy part. Every app here decides from your bank activity and pay history, and none of them look at your credit. The real difference is what happens after the yes: pay $0.49 to $21 and the money lands the same day, or pay nothing and wait one to five days. That fee on a first advance that averages $66 to $96 is the number to judge, not the advertised maximum.
If you need it tonight, pick the app with the cheapest instant fee and no subscription. If you can wait until tomorrow, the free route on the right app costs you nothing. And if this is becoming a monthly habit, the cheapest fix is not a faster app, it is closing the gap that keeps sending you back.
All seven at a glance
| App | Max advance | Monthly fee | Fastest funding | Best for | Get started |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,000 a pay period ($200 a day)¹ | $0 | ~1 hr for $3.99², free in 1 to 3 days | Best if you never want a monthly fee | ||
| $1,000 | $0 | Minutes for a fee, free in 3 days | Best overall with no credit check | ||
| $500 (avg first ~$66) | $9.99 Plus (free advance by email) | ~1 hr for $2 to $21, free in 3 days | Best for a small first advance | ||
| $250 (first $20 to $100) | $1.99 to $14.99 | Same day for $3.99 to $14.99, free in a few days | Best to cover bills | ||
| ~$100 per request (limit to $1,000) | $0 | Minutes for $0.49 to $8.99, free in 2 days | Best for no-subscription advances | ||
| $500 | $8.99 to $15.99 | ~20 min for a fee, free in 2 to 3 days | Best for saving on overdraft fees | ||
| $500 | $8 (14-day free trial) | Minutes for a fee, free in about a day | Best if you borrow most months |
| App | Max | Fee | Speed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
4.5 |
$1,000/pay period, $200/day¹ | $0 | ~1 hr for a fee², or free | |
5 |
$1,000 | $0 | Minutes | |
4 |
$500 | $9.99* | ~1 hr | |
4 |
$250 | $1.99+ | Same day | |
4.5 |
~$100 | $0 | Minutes | |
4 |
$500 | $8.99+ | ~20 min | |
4.5 |
$500 | $8 | Minutes |
*Grant: a free advance is available by emailing support.
¹ EarnIn is not a bank. Access limits are based on your earnings and risk factors. Available in select states. Terms and restrictions apply. Visit Earnin.com for full details.
² Expedited transfers available for a fee. Visit Earnin.com for full details.









