Apps Like Dave: 9 Alternatives Compared (2026)

The best apps like Dave are Chime if you want a bank account with a free cash advance, EarnIn if you’d rather keep your bank, and your employer’s pay-access program if your job offers one. Dave charges a fee on every ExtraCash advance, 5% with a $5 minimum, on top of a membership of up to $5 a month, and Dave faces a federal lawsuit over its advance marketing, fees, and tips. Our guide to earned wage access explains how paycheck advances work.

Eric Rosenberg, who founded Personal Profitability, wrote for Payactiv as a freelancer and later worked there as a marketing manager, until June 2026. Nobody at Payactiv reviewed this page. We held Payactiv to its own published fees and terms, the same standard we used for every other company here.

Personal Profitability may earn a commission from partner links on this page, at no cost to you. Partners don’t decide what we recommend or where it ranks. Fees and terms are each company’s as of 2026-10-24. Confirm them on the company’s site before you sign up.

Dave at a glance

Dave offers ExtraCash, an overdraft of $25 to $500 on a Dave account, with no credit check and no interest, for a 5% fee per advance plus a monthly membership fee. Dave says ExtraCash is neither a loan nor a cash advance, but most people compare it with cash advance apps, and so do we.

Dave	Published terms
Who it’s for	People who’ll open a Dave Checking account and an ExtraCash account at Coastal Community Bank.
Needs your employer?	No
Free path	None for the advance. The 5% fee applies however you take the money
ExtraCash fee	5% of each overdraft ($5 minimum and $15 maximum).
Delivery	Free to Dave Checking in seconds. Free ACH to another bank within 3 business days. 1.5% to an outside debit card within an hour
Membership	Up to $5 a month
Other fees	$5 a month inactivity fee on the ExtraCash account after 12 months with no activity
Max	$25–$500. Dave says “few qualify for $500”
How you repay	“ExtraCash is repayable on demand.” You agree to a settlement date when you take it
Credit check	None. Dave says its CashAI reviews 180+ data points instead
Legal matters	FTC and Justice Department suit against Dave and CEO Jason Wilk (pending). Baltimore and Montgomery County, Pennsylvania suits (pending).

Fees and terms verified 2026-10-24 from Dave’s ExtraCash fee schedule (last updated July 6, 2026) and Dave’s homepage. Dave’s marketing pages describe the fee as “the greater of $5 or 5%” and leave out the $15 cap, which appears only on the fee schedule.

Why people look for Dave alternatives

People leave Dave because they can’t get a fee-free cash advance there, the $5 minimum makes small cash advances expensive, and the FTC case raises questions about how Dave sold the product.

Most cash advance apps let you skip the fee if you wait a day or two. Dave doesn’t. Dave charges its 5% ExtraCash fee on instant delivery to Dave Checking and on a three-business-day ACH to your own bank alike. And the $5 minimum hits hardest on the smallest advances. Take $25 for a week and you’d pay Dave $5, a 20% fee that works out to about 1,043% APR.

Then the membership. Dave charges up to $5 a month for ExtraCash and its other services, whether you borrow that month or not. That’s up to $60 a year before your first advance.

Then the lawsuit. The FTC sued Dave in November 2024, alleging that Dave advertised advances “up to $500” that few members got, charged an undisclosed Express Fee of $3 to $25, and defaulted members into a 15% tip. The Justice Department took over the case in December 2024 and added Dave’s CEO as a defendant. Dave disputes the claims. Dave’s current fee schedule shows no tips and caps the fee at $15.

Dave app pros and cons

The Dave app’s biggest pros are no credit check and a fee capped at $15, and its biggest cons are a fee on every cash advance and a monthly membership. To apply, you download the Dave app, link your bank, and open an ExtraCash account and a Dave Checking account. Dave is worth paying for only when you need a larger advance instantly, since the $15 cap makes $300 to $500 cost 3% to 5%, while a $25 advance costs 20%.

Pros

• No credit check, no interest, and no late fees.
• Dave caps the ExtraCash fee at $15, so a $500 cash advance costs 3%.
• You receive the money in Dave Checking in seconds with no express fee.
• Dave Checking pays you up to two days early with direct deposit, and Coastal Community Bank insures deposits through the FDIC up to $250,000.
• The membership also covers Dave’s Income Opportunity Services and Financial Management Services features.

Cons

• No fee-free cash advance. Dave charges the 5% fee, with a $5 minimum, on every ExtraCash advance.
• A monthly membership of up to $5, a subscription fee you pay even when you don’t borrow.
• Dave says “few qualify for $500,” and ExtraCash is “repayable on demand.”
• A $5 monthly inactivity fee after 12 months without activity on the ExtraCash account.
• A pending FTC and Justice Department lawsuit, plus suits from Baltimore and Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

Apps like Dave compared

Seven of these cash advance apps like Dave work without your employer, and two need your employer to sign up. Every one of the nine gives you a way to get money before payday for $0, which Dave doesn’t. The cost column shows the dollar fee and the APR for a $100 cash advance repaid in 14 days.

App	Bank account included?	Free path	Speed fee or subscription	Max	$100 for 14 days	The catch
Chime MyPay	Yes, Chime Checking.	Scheduled advance within 24 hours	3% instant ($2 minimum and $5 maximum).	Up to $750 advertised. Limits $20–$1,000.	$0 scheduled. $3.00 instant (78% APR)	Needs a $200+ direct deposit into Chime
Chime SpotMe	Yes, Chime Checking.	Every overdraft is fee-free	None. Tips optional	$20 to start, up to $200.	$0	Covers debit purchases, not a cash transfer.
Current Paycheck Advance	Yes, Current account.	Wait up to 3 days	Instant Access Fee shown only in the app	$25–$1,000.	$0 if you wait. Instant fee not published	Needs a $200+ payroll deposit into Current each month
EarnIn	No, keeps your bank.	Standard transfer in 1–2 business days	Lightning Speed $3.99–$8.99. Tips optional	$200 a day and $1,000 a pay period.	$0 standard. $5.99 instant (156% APR)	Bank debit on payday. Two state lawsuits
MoneyLion Instacash	Yes, MoneyLion Spend.	Standard delivery to Spend	Turbo 7.5% to Spend (capped at $14.99). 9% to another bank	$500 ($1,000 with qualifying direct deposit).	$0 standard. $7.50 Turbo (196% APR)	No standard delivery to an outside bank
Albert Instant Advance	Yes, Albert Cash.	Advance lands in Albert Cash free	Fast transfer out costs the greater of $5.99 or 1.75% (cap $25).	$25–$1,000.	$0 inside Albert. $5.99 to move it fast	Due in 6 days
Gerald	No	Free bank transfer	None advertised	$40–$200	$0	You must buy something in Gerald’s Cornerstore first
Branch	Yes, Branch Wallet.	Instant to Branch Wallet	$2.99–$4.99 to a debit card (W-2 workers)	50% of projected earned wages, up to $1,000 a pay period.	$0 to wallet. $2.99–$4.99 to a card (78%–130% APR)	Your employer has to offer it
Payactiv	Optional Payactiv Card	ACH in 1–3 business days. Payactiv Card with $200+ direct deposit	$2.49 to its card without direct deposit. $3.49 to other cards	Up to 50% and $500 a pay period in most cases	$0 by ACH. $2.49–$3.49 instant (65%–91% APR)	Your employer has to offer it
Dave ExtraCash (for comparison)	Yes, Dave Checking.	None	Membership up to $5 a month. The fee is 5% per advance ($5 minimum and $15 maximum).	$25–$500	$5.00 (130% APR), or $6.50 to an outside debit card (169% APR).	A fee on every advance

Fees and terms verified 2026-10-24. To get the APR, divide the fee by the cash advance, multiply by 365, and divide by the days until you repay. A $0 path costs 0% APR at any speed.

Apps like Dave with a bank account built in

If you like Dave because the account, the debit card, and the cash advance live in one app, these four companies offer the same setup, and all four let you take the money for free.

Chime MyPay: best for Dave members ready to switch banks

Chime MyPay is the closest swap for a Dave member. You get a checking account, a debit card, and a cash advance in one app, and Chime charges $0 for a scheduled cash advance that arrives within 24 hours. Instant delivery costs 3% of the cash advance, with a $2 minimum and a $5 maximum, and Chime charges no subscription or membership fee for MyPay. On a $100 cash advance, that’s $0 or $3 at Chime versus $5 at Dave every time.

Chime advertises up to $750 of your pay, and its footnote lists credit limits of $20 to $1,000 per pay period. Chime says most members start between $50 and $100. You’ll need a qualifying direct deposit of $200 or more into Chime within the past 36 days and an activated physical card. Chime calls MyPay a line of credit from The Bancorp Bank or Stride Bank, runs no credit check, and doesn’t report your payments. We found no lawsuit over MyPay. Source: Chime MyPay.

Chime SpotMe: best for small overdrafts with no fee

Dave sells ExtraCash as an overdraft on a deposit account, so compare it with an overdraft that costs nothing. Chime’s SpotMe lets eligible members overdraw a Chime Checking account by $20 to start, rising to $200 or more over time, with no overdraft fees and no interest. Your next qualifying deposit pays the balance back. Tips are optional, and Chime lets you tip only after you repay, so leave it at $0.

SpotMe covers debit card purchases and cash withdrawals from your Chime account, so you can’t send the money to another bank the way you can with ExtraCash. To qualify, you need $200 or more in qualifying direct deposits each month, plus Chime Plus or Prime status and an activated card. For a gas fill-up or a grocery run a few days before payday, SpotMe does the job Dave charges $5 for. Source: Chime SpotMe.

Current Paycheck Advance: best for a bigger free advance

Current Paycheck Advance offers $25 to $1,000, double Dave’s ceiling, and charges nothing if you wait up to three days. Current says the product is “not a loan or credit product” and runs no credit check. You need at least one eligible payroll deposit of $200 or more each month into a Current account, and Current won’t count peer-to-peer transfers, mobile check deposits, or cash. Current collects the cash advance from your next payroll deposit.

Current’s terms say you have “NO OBLIGATION TO REPAY,” but Current blocks new advances until you do. Current doesn’t publish its Instant Access Fee. You’ll see it in the app, and Current says it varies with the size of the cash advance, so you can’t price instant delivery before you sign up. If you’ll wait three days, though, Current costs $0 where Dave costs $5 to $15. Source: Current Paycheck Advance.

MoneyLion Instacash: best for a bank-and-advance app with no required membership

MoneyLion pairs a Spend account with Instacash advances of up to $500, or a higher limit of up to $1,000 with qualifying recurring direct deposits into Spend. Standard delivery to Spend costs $0, and you don’t need a paid membership for Instacash. Turbo delivery costs 7.5% of the cash advance to Spend, capped at $14.99, or 9% to another bank. MoneyLion doesn’t offer standard delivery to an outside checking account, so the free path keeps the money inside MoneyLion.

MoneyLion’s legal record looks like Dave’s. The CFPB won a stipulated final judgment against MoneyLion on November 24, 2025, with $1.75 million in consumer redress. New York’s AG sued in April 2025, alleging “more than half” of MoneyLion’s advances carried APRs above 500%, and that case is pending. Baltimore and Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, sued MoneyLion and Dave on similar theories. Use only the free delivery, and Instacash costs nothing. Source: MoneyLion Instacash.

Albert Instant Advance: best for spending the advance on a debit card

Albert offers $25 to $1,000, and your advance lands in an Albert Cash account for free, where you can spend it with Albert’s card. That makes Albert the most Dave-like setup with a $0 path. You don’t need a subscription for the cash advance, and Albert charges no interest or late fees. Moving the money out costs nothing by ACH in two to three business days, or the greater of $5.99 or 1.75% for a fast transfer, capped at $25.

Two cautions. Albert wants repayment six days after you advance, with one extension of up to seven days, so plan for a short window. And Albert offers a separate “Instant line of credit” from FinWise Bank, with draw fees and possible late fees, in the same “Instant” menu. Pick the cash advance, not the line. Albert’s paid plans run $19.99 to $39.99 a month, and you don’t need one for the cash advance. A private class action against Albert has a settlement pending final approval, per the Center for Responsible Lending. Source: Albert cash advances.

Apps like Dave that keep your current bank

If you don’t want a new checking account, EarnIn and Gerald send money to the bank you already use.

EarnIn: best for Dave members who don’t want to open an account

EarnIn lets you Cash Out up to $200 a day and $1,000 a pay period from wages you’ve already earned, with no subscription and no new bank account. The standard transfer to your linked checking account is free and arrives in one to two business days. Lightning Speed costs $3.99 up to $75, $5.99 from $75.01 to $150, and $8.99 above $150 in most states. EarnIn charges no mandatory fees on a standard transfer, and tips are optional, so tip $0. On a $100 cash advance, EarnIn costs $0 if you wait and $5.99 if you don’t, versus Dave’s $5 either way.

EarnIn debits your bank account on payday, so a late or short paycheck can trigger an overdraft fee at your bank. EarnIn faces suits from Colorado’s AG (filed August 27, 2026) and D.C.’s AG (filed November 19, 2024), both alleging Cash Out is an unlicensed loan, and EarnIn doesn’t operate in Connecticut. Our EarnIn review and our list of apps like EarnIn cover the details. Source: EarnIn’s fee table.

Gerald: best for small advances if you’d shop its store anyway

Gerald advertises advances of $40 to $200 with “no interest, no fees, and no late charges,” a free bank transfer, and no credit check. Gerald’s homepage lists no subscription. On paper, that beats Dave’s 5% fee and membership on every small advance.

Gerald makes you spend first. Gerald’s footnotes say you must spend part of your advance in its Cornerstore, a buy now, pay later marketplace, and link a debit card before you can transfer the rest. If you’d buy household items there anyway, the cash advance costs nothing. If not, you’re buying something you didn’t plan to buy to reach your own advance. Gerald reassesses your advance after you repay or after 30 days unused. We didn’t find a full fee schedule beyond the homepage. Source: Gerald.

Cheaper apps like Dave if your employer offers one

Employer pay-access programs cost less than Dave and don’t pull repayment from your bank, because your employer repays the provider through payroll.

The CFPB’s December 23, 2025 advisory opinion says employer-repaid “covered EWA” isn’t credit under federal lending law. Dave’s ExtraCash, repaid from a Dave account, falls outside that definition. Check your payroll app or ask HR before you pay Dave’s fee again.

Branch: best for shift workers who want a wallet and a card

Branch gives Dave members the same wallet-plus-card setup, run through an employer. You can take up to 50% of your projected earned wages in a pay period, up to $1,000, with $500 per request. Instant delivery to your Branch Wallet costs $0, and so does an ACH to another bank in three to five business days. Instant delivery to an outside debit card costs $2.99 to $4.99 for W-2 workers and 2% (minimum $2.99) for 1099 accounts.

Branch charges employers nothing and charges you no membership. The Branch card gives you eight free in-network ATM withdrawals a month, then $2.00 each, and a dormant account can cost up to $5.00 a month after a year of inactivity. That’s the same idea as Dave’s inactivity fee, so close the account if you stop using it. Source: Branch transfer fees.

Payactiv: best for workers whose employer already uses it

Payactiv charges $0 for an ACH transfer in one to three business days, and $0 for a real-time transfer to the Payactiv Visa Card if you get $200 or more per pay period by direct deposit. Without that deposit, the card transfer costs $2.49, and transfers to other cards, Venmo, PayPal, or Walmart Cash Pickup cost $3.49. Payactiv charges no monthly fee and no tips, and employers pay nothing.

You can’t sign up on your own, and your employer’s settings decide your limit. Payactiv’s FAQ says up to 50% and $500 a pay period in most cases. Check your benefits first, since UKG Wallet, Paychex, Paylocity, and Paycor all run on-demand pay through Payactiv. Our Payactiv review and our apps like Payactiv guide compare it with DailyPay and other employer programs. Source: Payactiv pricing.

What Dave ExtraCash costs as an APR

A typical Dave ExtraCash advance costs about 130% APR over two weeks, and small cash advances cost far more, because Dave’s $5 minimum fee doesn’t shrink with the amount.

ExtraCash advance	Dave’s fee	Repaid in	APR equivalent
$25 to Dave Checking	$5.00 (the minimum)	7 days	1,043%.
$25 to Dave Checking	$5.00	14 days	521%
$50 to Dave Checking	$5.00	14 days	261%
$100 to Dave Checking	$5.00	14 days	130%
$100 to an outside debit card	$6.50 ($5 plus 1.5%).	14 days	169%
$200 to Dave Checking	$10.00	14 days	130%
$500 to Dave Checking	$15.00 (the cap)	14 days	78%
$100, plus one $5 month of membership.	$10.00	14 days	261%

Fees and terms verified 2026-10-24. Over a year, the cost adds up. Take a $100 ExtraCash advance every two weeks and pay the full $5 membership, and you’ll pay Dave $130 in fees plus $60 in membership, or $190 a year to reach your own paycheck a few days early. The same 26 advances cost $0 on Chime’s scheduled MyPay or EarnIn’s standard transfer.

For context, the CFPB’s 2024 data found the average paycheck advance was $106 and the average fee, when a worker paid one, was $3.18. That’s an illustrative 109.5% APR over about 10 days, and Dave’s $5 minimum sits above that average on any advance under $100. Our earned wage access fees guide runs the same math on more providers.

The Dave lawsuits and where they stand

Dave faces one federal case and at least two local government suits, and none has reached a ruling on the merits or a settlement as of October 24, 2026.

• FTC and DOJ v. Dave, Inc. and Jason Wilk (C.D. Cal., No. 2:24-cv-09566): the FTC filed on November 5, 2024, under the FTC Act and the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act. The Justice Department filed an amended complaint on December 30, 2024, adding the CEO and seeking civil penalties. The FTC’s case page lists the status as pending. The Center for Responsible Lending’s tracker says the court denied Dave’s motion to dismiss and the case is in discovery. Source: FTC case page.
• Baltimore v. Dave: Baltimore announced its suit on December 30, 2025, alleging ExtraCash is an unlicensed loan that charges more than 10 times Maryland’s 33% APR cap. The case sits in federal court in Maryland, where the city has asked to send it back to state court. Source: Baltimore mayor’s office.
• Montgomery County, Pennsylvania v. Dave: filed in 2026 in the county’s Court of Common Pleas under Pennsylvania’s consumer protection law. We found this case only in the Center for Responsible Lending’s tracker and press coverage, not in a county release.
• Russell v. Dave (C.D. Cal.): a private class action over ExtraCash. The court denied Dave’s motion to dismiss, and the case is on appeal to the Ninth Circuit, per the same tracker.

Some websites claim Dave already paid a settlement in the FTC case. We found no such settlement on the FTC’s site or in the court record summaries we checked. The lawsuits don’t stop you from using Dave, and none has found that Dave broke the law. They’re a reason to read the fee schedule before you tap. Our explainers on whether earned wage access is a loan and on earned wage access laws by state cover the wider fight.

How to choose between apps like Dave

Choose the app with a free path that fits how you bank, and decide in this order.

1. Check for an employer program. If your job offers Branch, Payactiv, DailyPay, or a payroll provider’s on-demand pay, use it first. Payroll repayment means nobody debits your bank.
2. Decide whether you want a new bank account. If you liked Dave’s all-in-one setup, Chime, Current, MoneyLion, and Albert each pair an account with a free cash advance path. If you’d rather keep your bank, look at EarnIn.
3. Compare free paths, not instant fees. Dave has no fee-free cash advance. Every other app on this page has one. Wait a day and you keep the $5.
4. Count the membership. Dave’s membership fee of up to $5 a month costs you even in months you don’t borrow. Chime, Current, EarnIn, and Albert don’t require one for a cash advance, and MoneyLion’s membership is optional.
5. Match the amount to the need, and check eligibility. Dave caps you at $500 and says few qualify for it. Current, Albert, and MoneyLion advertise up to $1,000, but every company sets your limit from your deposits, and most new users start lower.
6. Cancel what you don’t use. If you switch, close your Dave membership and your ExtraCash account so you don’t pay $5 a month for nothing or trigger the inactivity fee.

If your bank charged you overdraft fees, ask for a refund before you pay any app. Our guide on how to get overdraft fees refunded has a script, and an overdraft line of credit from your bank may cost less than ExtraCash. Our ranking of the best earned wage access apps covers more options.

When none of these apps like Dave fit

If you’d need one of these apps every pay period, a $400 starter emergency fund will save you more than any app swap. Dave and its rivals move your paycheck a few days earlier. They don’t add money to it.

• Start a small buffer. The Federal Reserve found that 37% of adults wouldn’t cover a $400 expense with cash or its equivalent in late 2025. Our emergency funds guide shows how to build one, even $20 a paycheck at a time.
• Use no-fee stopgaps. Ask the biller for a few days, sell something you don’t use, or pick up a shift. Our list of ways to get money in a hurry has more.
• Never use a payday loan instead. A payday loan costs more than ExtraCash. Our earned wage access vs. payday loan comparison shows the gap.
• Trim a recurring bill. Cutting one subscription can cover a month of Dave’s fees. Our guide to cutting monthly expenses lists where to look.

Apps like Dave: FAQ

Keep the $5: pick an app like Dave with a free path

If you want Dave’s all-in-one setup without the fee on every cash advance, switch to Chime and use MyPay’s scheduled cash advance or SpotMe. If you’d rather keep your bank, EarnIn’s standard transfer costs $0. If your employer offers Branch or Payactiv, start there. Compare the full field in our guide to the best earned wage access apps, our earned wage access hub, and our lists of apps like EarnIn, apps like Brigit, and apps like MoneyLion. Then put the $190 a year you’d have paid Dave into a buffer.