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Are you a business owner frustrated with waiting for payments? We explore the most useful cash advance apps designed for self-employed business owners like you. Get a quick boost (up to $500 in minutes!) to cover bills until your next invoice or sale clears.
Are you a small business owner or entrepreneur looking for a way to access extra cash?
Whether you’re paying business bills, covering unexpected operational costs, or grabbing a well-earned bite to eat on the way home after a long day, cash advance apps can offer a faster and easier alternative than other traditional lending options.
Forget applying for a business loan or grabbing cash out of the till. With the right cash advance apps, you can get the funds you need when you need them.
Most cash advance apps require a recurring deposit – but not necessarily from the same income source. So whether you’re using your own regular business income or making money as a self-employed freelancer, you’ll have options.
Read on for our top recommendations and tips to borrow the most money possible.
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Why are cash advance apps useful for self-employed business owners?
One of the primary advantages of using a cash advance app as a self-employed business owner is convenience.
Most apps are easy to apply for and offer simple sign-up options to get started quickly.
Apps like MoneyLion talk a big game with cash advance limits advertised at $250. However, most of the time, your initial borrowing limit will be much lower – like MoneyLion’s $25 for new users or Chime’s $20 overdraft limit for new users.
These cash advance amounts can be increased with app usage and on-time payments, so it’s handy to borrow twenty or thirty bucks knowing your limit will increase over time.
Benefits of cash advances for self-employed business owners also include:
- Get paid early: As a self-employed business owner, you might be able to pay yourself a wage any time you like. But when the business account or petty cash is running low, a cash advance app can top up your checking account in a pinch.
- Bridge the gap between sales or invoices: As a business owner, you know that the battle to stay on top of cash flow is never-ending. If you’re waiting on invoices to process or sales to clear, a cash advance app can help cover urgent expenses.
- Last-minute transactions or purchases: Whether you need to pay to keep the company car on the road or any other business cost, cash advance apps help out when you need to purchase something crucial for your business.
| 🤓 Overdraft Apps Tip: Many cash advance apps let you borrow against your future earnings. The amount you borrow is automatically deducted the next time you get paid so you’re essentially borrowing from yourself which can be a hassle-free way to manage your money as a business owner. |
Cash advance apps help you sidestep alternative business lending options that come with sky-high fees, ridiculous interest rates, and unreasonable repayment terms.
Although your advance limit may start on the low side, continued use and on-time repayments can help you unlock higher amounts to support your business costs.
What are the best cash advance apps for business owners?
Cleo: $250 cash advances for self-employed business owners
Cleo is an AI-powered app that offers no-interest cash advances for up to $250 plus personalized financial advice delivered in a hilarious way.2
Seriously, check out Cleo’s gut-busting ‘Roast Me’ feature 😂
Cleo uses artificial intelligence to get you to pay attention to your finances. The app helps you track your spending, save automatically, and even earn cash-back rewards.
As a self-employed business owner, you can qualify to borrow up to $100 as soon as you download Cleo and meet eligibility requirements. Your cash advance limit can quickly increase to up to $250 as you build up a track record of on-time repayments and ongoing regular deposits in your bank account.
How to borrow money from Cleo as a business owner:
- Be at least 18 years old
- Be a legal resident of the United States
That’s it!
Your eligibility is determined by a lot of different factors that can change, but your earned income is important, so it’s helpful to have a pattern of recurring and consistent deposits.
Cleo will tell you if you’re eligible for a cash advance the same day as you download the app.
| 🤓 Overdraft Apps Tip: New Cleo users can borrow $70 right away which is a higher limit than most other cash advance apps and helpful for business owners in need of quick funds. |
Get Started in 2 Minutes (And Borrow up to $250) >>> Check Out Cleo’s Sass 👈
Empower: Enjoy cash advances up to $250 with no credit check
Empower lets you borrow up to $250 as a business owner with 0% interest, no late fees, no credit check, and a flexible repayment date. 3
Like other apps for self-employed business owners and entrepreneurs, Empower considers your income, your spending habits, and any recurring bills to determine your borrowing limit.
As a new user, you can be approved for an initial amount of $75 – which is a pretty handy initial limit compared.
Once you’ve been approved, you can choose to have your money deposited into your bank account within minutes with Empower claiming 98% of advances land in external accounts within 15 minutes.
If you’re not looking to commit yet, you can test the Empower app with a 14-day free trial.
How to borrow money from Empower as a business owner:
- Be at least 18 years old
- Be a legal resident of the United States
- Have a consistent source of income in your linked primary checking account
There’s no credit check to request a cash advance. Like Cleo and MoneyLion, you’ll boost your chances of an approval based on the transaction history of your checking account – the more examples of consistent, regular deposits, the better!
Enjoy up to $250 of your wages early >>> Check out Empower 👈
MoneyLion: Borrow up to $1,000 to support your short-term business expenses
MoneyLion’s Instacash is a cash advance service that lets you borrow up to $500 with no credit check, no interest, and no monthly fee.4
To request an advance, download the MoneyLion app and link a qualifying checking account, then find out if you’re eligible within moments.
To start off, you may unlock around $10 but there’s wiggle room to increase your advance limit (we qualified for $150 our first time using the app!) With recurring deposits in your linked account, you’ll increase your limit to $50 and up to $500 (this usually takes 3 – 8 weeks of activity to reach the maximum limit.)
Need a little more to support your business costs? Link your RoarMoney account (MoneyLion’s $1/month online checking account) with recurring direct deposits to unlock up to $1,000 in Instacash.5
How to borrow money from MoneyLion as a business owner:
- Be at least 18 years old
- Be a legal resident of the United States
- Have a checking account with proof of recurring deposits OR a Roar Money account with direct deposits enabled
MoneyLion will review your linked account to confirm it meets their minimum qualification requirements. To boost your chances of being approved, the following factors will help:
✓ An account that’s been open for at least 2 months
✓ Proof of regular deposits from income or paychecks
✓ Positive account balance without periods of negative balances
Get cash advances up to $500 with no interest >>> Check out MoneyLion 👈
What other features do cash advance apps offer for business owners?
As a self-employed business owner or entrepreneur, you’re juggling plenty of responsibilities at the same time.
While some cash advance apps only offer access to funds, the apps on this list come with extra tools that make it easier to manage your money, budget for the next quarter, and even save or invest your business profits.
For example:
- Cleo automatically categorizes your monthly earning vs. spending in helpful charts so you can identify small, frequent charges that add up over time (like regular business lunches or Amazon orders). Try Cleo 👈
- MoneyLion can connect you with personal loan offers up to $50,000 to help you cover major business expenses or expand your business and take the next step in your growth. Try MoneyLion 👈
- Empower offers a full featured banking app with no minimum balance. You can use the Empower VisaⓇ debit card at nearly 40,000 in-network ATMs with no fee, and earn up to 10% cashback on certain purchases. Try Empower 👈
Whichever cash advance app you choose to support your short-term finances, make sure you compare their extra features to fully support your financial health and goals.
WAIT! Why borrow quick cash when you can earn it?!
Cash advance apps can be a great tool for getting a little extra cash when you need it, but you’ll need to repay it – plus fees – wihtin a week or two. Did you know there’s an easy way to earn extra cash that’s yours to keep?
KashKick is a wildly popular service that lets you earn money for playing games, completing surveys, signing up for trial offers and more. (You’ll even earn cash for just completing your profile!) You can earn cash today and withdraw your earnings through PayPal once you’ve reached $10. You can earn over $100/month with KashKick – and you don’t need to spend a dime or take out your credit card to do it.
There are dozens of high-paying offers available on KashKick, and if you’re into playing new games on your phone, you can earn some serious cash for doing what you love. Though offers change regularly, there are currently1 more than three dozen offers available where you can earn cash – sometimes over $100 – just by downloading and playing popular games like Coin Master, Monoply Go, Bingo Blitz, and more. These games are all free to download, and no in-app purchases are required to earn with KashKick.
Get paid to play on your phone >>> Check out KashKick
- Apps Like FloatMe: Go From $50 to a $500 Cash Advance - January 12, 2025
- Credit Convey App Review: Cash Advances up to $200 But Watch Out For High Fees - December 10, 2024
- Money App Review: Borrow Up to $250 With Impressive High Limits for New Users - December 10, 2024
- As of February 13, 2024. Offers may change and may not be available to all users. Eligibity requirements apply. See KashKick's Terms of Service for full details.
- Subject to eligibility. Amounts range from $20-$250, and $20-$100 for first time users. Amounts subject to change. Same day transfers subject to express fees.
- Subject to eligibility. Amounts range from $20-$250, and $20-$100 for first time users. Amounts subject to change. Same day transfers subject to express fees.
- Instacash is an optional service offered by MoneyLion. Your available Instacash Advance limit will be displayed to you in the MoneyLion mobile app and may change from time to time. Your limit will be based on your direct deposits, account transaction history, and other factors as determined by MoneyLion. See Membership Agreement and help.moneylion.com for additional terms, conditions and eligibility requirements.
- Increased Instacash limit with Safety Net requires recurring direct deposit into RoarMoney account. Instacash is an optional service offered by MoneyLion. Your available Instacash Advance limit will be displayed to you in the MoneyLion mobile app and may change from time to time. Your limit will be based on your direct deposits, account transaction history, and other factors as determined by MoneyLion. See Instacash Terms and Conditions for more information and eligibility requirements
