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Updated July 2026.
Verdict: Choose EarnIn if you can prove pay you already earned (including tracking or submitting hours) and want lower fees than Dave’s $5/month membership fee plus 5% fee on every ExtraCash advance. Choose Dave if EarnIn’s work-tracking model does not fit, you want ExtraCash inside Dave’s money app, you need Connecticut coverage, or free instant to Dave Spending matters more than EarnIn’s Lightning Speed fee. For most people who qualify for both, EarnIn wins on cost. Dave wins on banking-style convenience and nationwide availability.
Key takeaways
- EarnIn often costs less on same-day money (Lightning Speed fee $3.99 or $5.99), but only if you can prove earned wages and hours.
- Dave is simpler for many bank-history users, but you pay a $5/month membership fee plus a 5% advance fee on every ExtraCash draw.
- Typical amounts matter more than marketed maxes: EarnIn often starts near the mid-$80s/day; Dave’s long-run ExtraCash average is about $73.
- App Store and Google Play ratings are strong for both. Our Overdraft Apps scores are close.
Dave vs EarnIn at a glance
| Spec |  Dave |
 EarnIn |
|---|---|---|
| Max advance | Up to $500 | Up to $150/day |
| Typical amount | About $73 average ExtraCash (few see $500) | New users often ~$85/day before limits grow |
| Main fees | $5/mo membership fee + 5% advance fee | Lightning Speed fee ~$3.99-$5.99 (+ optional tips) |
| Overdraft Apps score | 8.8 / 10 | 8.9 / 10 |
| App Store / Google Play | 4.8 / 4.6 | 4.7 / 4.7 |
| Tips | No | Optional |
| States | Available in all 50 states and DC | Not available in CT |
| Best fit | Banking-style ExtraCash + free instant to Dave | Earned-wage Cash Out if you can track hours |
Fee labels and ratings as of July 2026. Confirm live offers in-app.
How much can you borrow?
Marketed maxes are not what most people get. On EarnIn, new users often land near about $85/day before limits grow toward the $150/day and $1,000 per pay period ceilings. Because of the daily cap, a larger shortfall may take more than one day. On Dave, ExtraCash markets up to $500, but the long public average we track is about $73, and few users qualify for the top amount. If you need a reliable $250+ in one draw, check the live offer in both apps before you commit to either membership or work-tracking setup.
EarnIn: how it works
EarnIn
EarnIn Cash Out is an earned-wage product. You are accessing pay you already earned but have not been paid yet, not just borrowing against a bank balance. There is no monthly membership fee. Most people who need money today pay a Lightning Speed fee ($3.99 at or under $75, or $5.99 above). Tips are optional and prompted in the flow. EarnIn is not available in Connecticut.
Beyond Cash Out, EarnIn is mainly focused on early access to earned pay rather than a full banking suite. That keeps the product simple if you qualify, and limiting if you wanted Dave-style spending tools in the same app.
How EarnIn eligibility works
EarnIn is not a normal bank-history cash advance. It is built around wages you already earned but have not been paid yet. Your available Cash Out is tied to that earned pay, not only to what sits in your checking account.
To qualify, you usually need a linked bank account with pay deposits, plus a way for EarnIn to confirm your work. That can mean connecting a work email, using timesheets, or turning on location / hour-tracking tools so EarnIn can see hours you worked. If you cannot track or submit hours in a way EarnIn accepts, the product often will not work for you at all.
Works well for: people with steady payroll or gig work who can prove hours and are fine checking in with EarnIn’s work tools. Poor fit: anyone who cannot verify hours, Connecticut residents (not available in CT), and people who only want a simple bank-link advance with no work tracking.
As of July 2026, EarnIn rates about 4.7 on the App Store and 4.7 on Google Play. Our Overdraft Apps score is 8.9 out of 10. That score blends cost, speed, how easy it is to get an advance, app-store feedback, and trust signals from public disclosures. Tip prompts and a 2024 D.C. attorney general enforcement action are trust flags to check in the live terms.
Want the full product write-up? EarnIn Cash Out review.
Next, here is how Dave compares if EarnIn is not a fit, or if you want a different fee or banking setup.
Dave: how it works
Dave
Dave ExtraCash sits inside the wider Dave money app. It markets advances up to $500, works in all 50 states and D.C., and can send free instant funds to a Dave Spending balance. After an FTC settlement ended tipping, pricing became a $5/month membership fee plus a mandatory 5% advance fee on every ExtraCash draw.
Dave is usually easier to try if you already have bank activity Dave can read, and you do not want to track hours for an earned-wage app. Extra features around ExtraCash include Dave’s spending account and broader money-app tools, which is the main non-fee reason people pick Dave over EarnIn.
As of July 2026, Dave rates about 4.8 on the App Store and 4.6 on Google Play. Our Overdraft Apps score is 8.8 out of 10. That score blends cost, speed, how easy it is to get an advance, app-store feedback, and trust signals from public disclosures. Past tip and marketing issues from the FTC settlement are part of that trust picture.
How Dave handles payback
Many cash advance apps give you more room if you cannot pay back on time. Dave is different. Many users say Dave makes it much harder to delay or skip a payback than other apps do. Dave also removed terms language that used to call ExtraCash “non-recourse” (meaning Dave said it would not chase the money like a normal loan) and that used to say it would not send unpaid advances to outside debt collectors. Reports of Dave suing people or using collectors are still rare. If payback timing matters to you, other apps usually give more flexibility and lower risk than Dave.
Want the full product write-up? Dave ExtraCash review.
What $50 and $100 cost
Most people compare the speed fees they will actually pay, not the slowest free path.
| Advance size | Dave all-in (illustrative) | EarnIn all-in (illustrative) |
|---|---|---|
| $50 | ~$7 total $5 membership fee + $2 advance fee (5%) |
~$3.99 total Lightning Speed fee (+ optional tip) |
| $100 | ~$10 total $5 membership fee + $5 advance fee (5%) |
~$5.99 total Lightning Speed fee (+ optional tip) |
Dave: A $50 ExtraCash advance is about $7.50 all-in in a month you borrow once ($5 membership fee + $2.50 advance fee). A $100 advance is about $10. Instant to Dave Spending has no extra delivery fee.
EarnIn: Most same-day users pay a Lightning Speed fee: $3.99 ($75 and under) or $5.99 (over $75). Tips are optional.
Key differences
EarnIn wins when you can prove earned wages and hours and want lower same-day fees than Dave’s membership fee plus percentage advance fee. Dave wins when you want a banking-style ExtraCash product, nationwide coverage including Connecticut, or free instant to a Dave balance without EarnIn’s work-tracking setup.
App ratings and Overdraft Apps scores are useful context. Use fees, typical amounts, and eligibility fit to decide.
Choose Dave if
- You want ExtraCash inside Dave’s spending and money-app features
- You cannot track or submit hours the EarnIn way
- You need Connecticut coverage, or free instant to Dave matters more than the Lightning Speed fee
Choose EarnIn if
- You can prove wages already earned and will use EarnIn’s work/hour tools
- The Lightning Speed fee ($3.99 / $5.99) beats Dave’s $5 membership fee + 5% advance fee for your amount
- You want a higher pay-period ceiling than Dave’s typical ExtraCash amounts
- Familiar ExtraCash product with nationwide availability
- Free instant to Dave Spending and clearer banking-style extras
- Mandatory $5/month membership fee plus 5% advance fee; typical amounts often far below $500
- Stricter payback rules than many peers; past FTC tip/marketing settlement
- $0 membership fee and a flat Lightning Speed fee that often undercuts Dave’s 5% advance fee
- Higher pay-period ceiling when earned-wage tracking works
- Will not work if you cannot verify earned wages and hours
- Daily caps, CT unavailable, tip prompts, and added trust flags in our scoring
Bottom line
If EarnIn can see your earned hours and the Lightning Speed fee beats Dave’s membership fee plus 5% advance fee, pick EarnIn. If work tracking fails, you want Dave’s money-app setup, or payback flexibility matters more than brand familiarity, pick Dave or keep shopping.
Want more options than Dave or EarnIn?
Filter the full cash advance directory by fees, limits, and speed.
FAQ
Is EarnIn cheaper than Dave?
Usually yes on same-day cost when you can qualify: Lightning Speed fee is $3.99 or $5.99 versus Dave’s $5 membership fee plus 5% advance fee. Confirm both live quotes.
Does EarnIn work without tracking hours?
Often no. EarnIn is built around wages you already earned and usually needs a way to confirm your work hours.
Does Dave still use tips?
No. Tips were removed after Dave’s fee reset tied to an FTC settlement. Pricing is now a $5/month membership fee plus a mandatory 5% advance fee.
How much does a $50 or $100 advance cost on Dave vs EarnIn?
Dave: A $50 ExtraCash advance is about $7.50 all-in in a month you borrow once ($5 membership fee + $2.50 advance fee). A $100 advance is about $10. Instant to Dave Spending has no extra delivery fee. EarnIn: Most same-day users pay a Lightning Speed fee: $3.99 ($75 and under) or $5.99 (over $75). Tips are optional.
