Dave’s ExtraCash advance runs $25 to $500, and Dave’s own fine print says few members qualify for the full $500. Since February 2025 every advance costs a flat 5% with a $5 minimum, on top of a membership of up to $5 a month, so a $300 advance costs $15 before you have spent a dollar of it. That fee replaced the old tips and express charges, the same ones the FTC sued Dave over in November 2024 and the Justice Department took up that December, alleging the app hid fees and rarely delivered the $500 it advertised.
So people leave Dave for one of three reasons: the 5% adds up, the limit stops at $500, or Dave’s CashAI simply says no. The seven apps below fix at least one of those. Three charge nothing per advance and nothing per month, two go past Dave’s ceiling, and all of them skip the credit check. Free delivery takes one to three days everywhere, about the same as Dave, and paid express starts at $0.49. Pick the gap that matters most to you and tap that card.
Cash Advance Apps Like Dave
Every app here is legit and beats Dave on at least one of price, limit or approval. Jump to a pick, then open the fine print before you link your bank.
EarnInCheaper than Dave: no membership, no per-advance feeNo required fees · up to $1,0002
CurrentBigger limit than Dave with no fee at allup to $1,0003
GrantSame $500 ceiling as Dave, no per-advance feeup to $5004
CleoBudgeting coach included, which Dave does not offerup to $2505
MoneyLionHigher total limit than Dave, no membershipabout $1006
BrigitAutomatic advances, which Dave makes you requestup to $5007
TiltFlat $8 a month instead of Dave’s 5%up to $5001. EarnIn
Cheaper than Dave: no membership, no per-advance fee
Best if Dave’s 5% fee is why you are leaving.
EarnIn lets you pull pay you have already earned, up to $150 a day, and unlike Dave there is no membership and no fee on the advance itself.
Connect the account your paycheck lands in
EarnIn verifies the hours you have worked
Take up to $150 a day, repaid automatically on payday
Want the fine print? Fees, speed, and what you really get
A $300 advance costs $0 here versus $15 at Dave. Free in 1 to 3 days, or $3.99 within the hour.
2. Current
Bigger limit than Dave with no fee at all
Best if Dave’s $500 ceiling is too low.
Current’s Paycheck Advance goes to $1,000, double what Dave tops out at, with no membership and no service fee once your paycheck lands in a Current account.
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
Zero fees versus Dave’s 5% plus membership. A $200 or larger payroll deposit has to be going into Current first.
3. Grant
Same $500 ceiling as Dave, no per-advance fee
Best if you want Dave’s range without the 5% cut.
Grant advances $25 to $500, the same range as Dave, with no interest and no late fees. The catch is the $9.99 a month Grant Plus plan the app steers you into; 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
First advances average about $66. Standard delivery is free in about 3 days, or $2 to $21 for express.
4. Cleo
Budgeting coach included, which Dave does not offer
Best if Dave’s budgeting tools felt thin.
Cleo is an AI money coach first and a lender second. The $20 to $250 advance is half of Dave’s range, but the membership buys spending roasts and bill tracking Dave does not have.
Subscribe to Cleo Plus 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
Plus is $1.99 to $5.99 a month, less than a couple of Dave fees. First advances are $20 to $100.
5. MoneyLion
Higher total limit than Dave, no membership
Best if you want past $500 with no membership.
Instacash charges no subscription and no service fee, which beats Dave on both counts, but each request lands near $100 even when your total limit reads $1,000.
Connect your bank
MoneyLion sets your limit from deposit history
Request in chunks of about $100, repaid next payday
Want the fine print? Fees, speed, and what you really get
No monthly fee and no 5% cut. Requests of about $100, free in around 2 days or $0.49 to $8.99 for Turbo.
6. Brigit
Automatic advances, which Dave makes you request
Best if you overdraft before you remember to open Dave.
Brigit watches your balance and can send $50 to $500 on its own before you go negative, something Dave makes you request by hand. The price is a monthly membership.
Subscribe to Plus or Premium
Link your bank
Auto Advance sends $50 to $500 before you overdraft
Want the fine print? Fees, speed, and what you really get
Plus is $8.99 and Premium $15.99 a month, so it only beats Dave if you borrow $200 or more most months. Auto Advance is the feature you are paying for.
7. Tilt
Flat $8 a month instead of Dave’s 5%
Best if you take a Dave advance every payday.
Tilt (formerly Empower) rolls a $10 to $500 advance into an $8 a month subscription with no per-advance fee, which works out cheaper than Dave once you borrow more than $160 a month.
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
Free for 14 days, then $8 flat. Two $300 Dave advances in a month cost $30 in fees; here they cost $8.
What to Look for in an App Like Dave
Dave’s weak spots are the per-advance fee, the membership, and how rarely the $500 shows up. Check these six things before you swap it for something worse.
- The per-advance fee. Dave takes 5% with a $5 floor. EarnIn, Current and MoneyLion take nothing on the advance itself.
- The membership. Dave bills up to $5 a month. Brigit and Cleo charge more, Tilt is $8, and EarnIn has none. If Cleo is on your list too, see our apps like Cleo.
- The real first advance. Dave admits few members get $500. Grant averages $66 and Tilt $98, so plan around the low number.
- Express cost. Dave charges 1.5% to push cash to an outside debit card. EarnIn is a flat $3.99, MoneyLion $0.49 to $8.99.
- How you get approved. Dave reads your bank data. EarnIn needs verified hours and Current needs a payroll deposit, so match the app to your income.
- Repayment day. Dave debits on the settlement date you agreed to. Make sure the new app lets you move that date if your check is late.
Apps Like Dave FAQs
EarnIn, Current and MoneyLion charge neither. EarnIn only asks for an optional $3.99 if you want the money within the hour, Current needs a $200 or larger payroll deposit, and MoneyLion’s Instacash pays out in chunks of about $100. Grant has no per-advance fee but steers you into a $9.99 plan, while Cleo, Brigit and Tilt all charge a membership. Dave charges both: up to $5 a month plus 5% of every advance.
Current goes to $1,000 once your paycheck lands in a Current account. EarnIn allows up to $1,000 per pay period, capped at $150 a day. MoneyLion’s Instacash limit can grow to $1,000, though each request is about $100. Keep in mind that Dave says few members qualify for its $500, and the same is true of every app here: the first advance is usually well under the ceiling.
Dave’s CashAI scores more than 180 data points from your linked bank account, including income, balance and spending patterns, and it lowers or withholds the offer when the deposits look thin or irregular. If that happened to you, pick an app that judges you differently. EarnIn approves from verified hours worked, Current from a payroll deposit into its own account, and Grant starts most people around $66 and grows from there.
Dave is still operating and your money is held at an FDIC-insured partner bank. The FTC sued Dave in November 2024 and referred the case to the Justice Department in December, alleging undisclosed express fees of $3 to $25, tips of up to 15% charged without clear consent, a $1 membership that was hard to cancel, and a $500 headline that few users ever saw. Dave replaced tips and express fees with the flat 5% charge in February 2025. If you would rather not wait for the outcome, EarnIn and MoneyLion have no per-advance fee to dispute in the first place.
Nothing stops you. Each app looks at your bank account on its own and does not check whether Dave already has an advance out. The problem is payday: two apps debiting the same check can leave you short and push you into a third one. If Dave is not covering the gap, a cleaner move is to switch to EarnIn or Current, which cost nothing to keep, rather than stack a second fee on top of Dave’s.
Cash Advance Apps Like Dave Can Help
Dave still makes sense for someone who borrows under $100 a few times a year, because 5% of a small advance is a small fee. The moment you borrow bigger or more often, the math turns. EarnIn and MoneyLion cost nothing to keep and nothing per advance, Current lifts the ceiling to $1,000 with no fee, and Tilt or Grant trade Dave’s percentage for a flat monthly price that wins once you pass about $160 to $200 a month.
Whatever you switch to, borrow the smallest amount that covers the bill and take the free delivery when you can wait. Cash advance apps are a bridge to payday, not a second income. If you find yourself needing Dave or its replacement every single pay period, the app is not the problem, and no fee schedule will fix that.
All seven at a glance
| App | Max advance | Monthly fee | Fastest funding | Best for | Get started |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
4.5 |
$1,000 ($150 a day) | $0 | ~1 hr for $3.99, free in 1 to 3 days | Best if you never want a monthly fee | |
5 |
$1,000 | $0 | Minutes for a fee, free in 3 days | Best overall with no credit check | |
4 |
$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 | |
4 |
$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 | |
4.5 |
~$100 per request (limit to $1,000) | $0 | Minutes for $0.49 to $8.99, free in 2 days | Best for no-subscription advances | |
4 |
$500 | $8.99 to $15.99 | ~20 min for a fee, free in 2 to 3 days | Best for saving on overdraft fees | |
4.5 |
$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 | $0 | ~1 hr | |
| 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.
