Comparison

EarnIn vs Payactiv

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

EarnIn

Access funds you've already earned before payday with this app. It offers same-day pay, overdraft protection, credit monitoring, and savings tools. Get up to $150 daily with optional expedited transfers for a small fee.

Highlights
  • Access up to $150 per day
  • Get paycheck up to 2 days early
  • Overdraft alerts and custom transfers
  • Free credit score tracking
  • Effortless saving tools
  • 24/7 live chat support
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

EarnIn is the original same-day pay app^ — with overdraft help, credit monitoring, saving, and more. GET UP TO $150 PER DAY* Access up to $150/day, with a max of $1,000 per pay period. Get your money in your bank in minutes for a small fee, or in 1-3 business days at no cost. NO MANDATORY FEES No interest, no credit check, no membership fees, nada.* Choose to pay a tip — only if you want.¹ ACCESS YOUR OWN CASH Tap into money you’ve already earned to pay bills in advance, keep your budget on track, and more. Why borrow money, take out a payday loan, or use a cash advance?^ GET PAID EARLY With Early Pay, you can get your paycheck up to 2 days early. Just $2.99 per expedited transfer to your primary bank.‡ HELP AVOID OVERDRAFTS With Balance Shield, you can get alerts & custom transfers from your own pay to help protect your bank balance.** TRACK YOUR CREDIT SCORE FOR FREE Your VantageScore 3.0® by Experian® is just a tap away.^^ EFFORTLESS SAVING With Tip Yourself, you can set yourself up to save every time you get your paycheck.² SAFE AND SECURE We use the latest in security technology to keep your data protected. BACKED BY 24/7 SUPPORT Our Live Chat team is available 24/7, 365 days a year. EarnIn is not affiliated with other money apps, loan apps, or instant cash advance apps such as Dave, Beem, Self, Varo Bank, Chime (SpotMe), Instacash, Float Me, Possible Finance, Albert, Klover, Ibotta, MoneyLion EarnIn EarnIn, P.O. Box 46 Palo Alto, CA 94302 _ ^ Expedited transfers available for a fee. Visit Earnin.com for full details. * Tips go to EarnIn and help us provide tools such as Credit Monitoring for free and keep Lightning Speed fees low. Your service quality and availability aren’t affected by whether you tip or not. ¹ EarnIn is not a bank. Transfer limits are based on your earnings and risk factors. Available in select states. Terms and restrictions apply. Helps avoid overdrafts but doesn’t prevent them. Visit EarnIn.com for full details. ² EarnIn is not a bank. Early Pay requires a Deposit Account with Evolve Bank & Trust or Lead Bank, both Members FDIC. FDIC insurance covers eligible funds should the bank holding your funds fail. Fees and restrictions apply. Visit EarnIn.com for full details. including FDIC coverage information. ³ Balance Shield provides free alerts when your bank account balance drops below the threshold you set in your EarnIn account. EarnIn is not a bank. Transfer limits are based on your earnings and risk factors. Available in select states. Terms and restrictions apply. Helps avoid overdrafts but doesn’t prevent them. Visit EarnIn.com for full details. ⁴ Your VantageScore 3.0 may differ from the score your lender uses. Visit Experian.com for full details. ⁵ EarnIn is not a bank. Tip Yourself accounts are held by Evolve Bank & Trust, 0% APY, no monthly fees. Terms apply. Visit EarnIn.com for full details. ⁶ Paid Testimonial. Compensation was provided for this testimonial, but the statements reflect a real EarnIn experience.

About

Payactiv

Access your earned wages before payday, pay bills on time, and manage unexpected expenses with user-friendly digital tools. This app helps you achieve financial stability and reach your financial wellness goals without predatory loans or interest.

Highlights
  • Early access to wages
  • Government payment early access
  • Spending and saving tools
  • Low balance alerts
  • Payactiv Visa Card
  • Integrated bill pay
  • Touchless payments
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

With Payactiv, access your hard earned wages before payday, pay bills on time avoiding late and overdraft fees, and handle unexpected expenses with our user-friendly digital tools. Payactiv provides you with the foundation to maintain financial stability and equips you with the necessary tools to help you reach your financial wellness goals and thrive—without payday loans or interest. Just your money at your fingertips. With Payactiv, you can expect: 1. Earlier access to your money: - Enjoy your paycheck up to 2 days early.1 - Receive government payments up to 4 days early.1 - Gain immediate access to earned wages.2 2. Spending and saving tools to achieve your financial goals: - Always stay informed about what's safe to spend. - Easily track your spending habits at a glance. - Receive low balance alerts. - Set up automatic transfers from earned wages. 3. The Payactiv Visa® Card*: A card designed without hidden fees: - No minimum balance requirements. - No overdrafts. - No monthly or inactivity fees. - Access surcharge-free withdrawals at 37,000+ MoneyPass® ATMs. - Enjoy free integrated bill pay. - Withdraw cash at tellers in participating banks. - Send and receive funds to other enrolled members with no transfer fees. 4. Convenience and security you can rely on: - Seamlessly use the card with Google Pay or Apple Wallet. - Utilize touchless payments at stores. - Benefit from Visa's Zero Liability protection.3 - Easily lock or replace lost or stolen cards. - Access 24/7/365 support in English and Spanish. *Central Bank of Kansas City does not administer, nor is liable for earned wage access. The Payactiv Visa Prepaid Card is issued by Central Bank of Kansas City, Member FDIC, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. Certain fees, terms, and conditions are associated with the approval, maintenance, and use of the Card. You should consult your Cardholder Agreement and the Fee Schedule at payactiv.com/card411. If you have questions regarding the Card or such fees, terms, and conditions, you can contact us toll free at 1 (877) 747-5862, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 1 Many (but not all) employers, government benefits providers, and other originators send direct deposits early with an effective date of 1-4 days later. Beginning with your second direct deposit of at least $5 from the same source, the Central Bank of Kansas City (CBKC) will post the funds to your Payactiv Visa Prepaid Card when we receive it, rather than on the effective date. This may result in your having access to the funds sooner. The date CBKC receives your direct deposit and the effective date are controlled by the originator. 2 Earned Wage Access requires employer participation. 3 Visa’s Zero Liability Policy does not apply to certain commercial card and anonymous prepaid card transactions or transactions not processed by Visa. Cardholders must use care in protecting their card and notify their issuing financial institution immediately of any unauthorized use. Contact your issuer for more detail.

Screenshots

EarnIn4 screens
Payactiv4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: EarnIn at weekly against Payactiv's every 2 months. EarnIn also leads on review sentiment (64% vs 36%) and ratings volume (457K vs 78K). Payactiv's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for EarnIn against 4.7 for Payactiv. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: EarnIn has 457K ratings behind it against 78K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 64% of EarnIn's written reviews are positive against 36% of Payactiv's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

EarnIn ships an update weekly, Payactiv every 2 months. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
EarnIn versus Payactiv: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEarnInPayactiv
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (457K ratings) — better4.7 (78K ratings)
Positive reviews63.9% of reviews — better35.8% of reviews
Number of ratings457K — better78K
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#55 — better#136
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.014.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size217 MB47 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperActivehours Inc.PayActiv Inc.

Customer experience

EarnIn

All ratings457,473 ratings
Positive94.7%
Neutral0.9%
Negative4.3%
Written reviews2,809 reviews
Positive63.9%
Neutral2.8%
Negative33.3%

Payactiv

All ratings67,229 ratings
Positive93.7%
Neutral1.6%
Negative4.7%
Written reviews748 reviews
Positive35.8%
Neutral7.1%
Negative57.1%

User reviews

EarnIn

From 457K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Saves time and money
  • 👍 Helpful for single moms and those living paycheck-to-paycheck
  • 💡 Allows choosing tip amount
  • 🚀 Fast cash advances
  • 👍 Transparent and ethical service

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Bank connection issues
  • 🐛 Inconsistent withdrawal limits
  • 🐛 Unexpected early withdrawals causing overdraft fees
  • 🐛 Unresponsive customer support
  • 🐛 Deactivation of accounts without explanation

Payactiv

From 78K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Quick access to money
  • 👍 Convenient feature
  • 🚀 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Helpful in emergencies
  • 👍 Wonderful app

Room to improve

  • 🐛 App crashes and freezes
  • 🐛 Hours/funds not updating properly
  • 🔒 Security and login issues
  • 💩 Poor customer service
  • 💰 High fees

Bugs and requests

EarnIn

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Inability to cash out during paid time off
  • Incorrect GPS tracking for non-standard work locations
  • Delayed bank account verification process

Requested features

4 requests
  • Reminder notifications before payback dates
  • Ability to manually update pay cycle changes
  • iPad app version
  • Improved communication on policy changes

Payactiv

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App not loading or logging in
  • Funds disappearing or not updating
  • Issues linking bank accounts and cards

Requested features

4 requests
  • Same-day access to funds
  • Reduce withdrawal fees
  • Improve app stability and reliability
  • Better customer support

In-app purchases

None

EarnIn

No in-app purchases

None

Payactiv

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is EarnIn free?
EarnIn is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Payactiv free?
Payactiv is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, EarnIn or Payactiv?
EarnIn is rated higher. EarnIn averages 4.8 out of 5 from 457K ratings, while Payactiv averages 4.7 from 78K ratings.
Do EarnIn or Payactiv have ads?
Neither EarnIn nor Payactiv shows ads.
Which is updated more often, EarnIn or Payactiv?
EarnIn ships an update weekly, and Payactiv every 2 months. Most recently, EarnIn was updated on September 24, 2026 and Payactiv on September 24, 2026.
Which is more popular, EarnIn or Payactiv?
EarnIn currently peaks at #55 in the App Store charts, and Payactiv at #136. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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