TL;DR: Brigit review: the real cost of the $8.99-$15.99 subscription, the Express fee, the FTC settlement, and how it stacks up against Dave, EarnIn and Chime Spo.
Brigit Review: Is the Cash Advance App Worth the Subscription?
Brigit review: the real cost of the $8.99-$15.99 subscription, the Express fee, the FTC settlement, and how it stacks up against Dave, EarnIn and Chime Spo
Brigit works as advertised, but the subscription is mandatory to unlock the cash advance feature, and it keeps charging every month whether or not you use it. For occasional, small emergencies, a tip-optional app like EarnIn or a no-fee option like Chime SpotMe is usually cheaper.
Brigit is a subscription-based app that offers small cash advances, budgeting tools and a credit builder loan. The advance itself is the headline feature, but it sits behind a monthly subscription that costs $8.99 to $15.99, according to Brigit's own homepage. That subscription is the single biggest factor in whether Brigit is worth it for a given user, and it's easy to miss when the app markets itself around "instant" cash.
This review breaks down what Brigit actually charges, what its cash advances range from, what regulators found when they investigated the company, and how it compares on price to Dave, EarnIn and Chime SpotMe.
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What Is Brigit?
Brigit is a personal finance app built around three features: a cash advance (branded "Instant Cash"), a budgeting/overdraft-prediction tool, and a separate credit builder loan product. Access to the app's core features requires a paid monthly subscription, which Brigit's own homepage lists as $8.99 to $15.99 per month depending on the plan.
Once subscribed, eligible users can request a cash advance. Brigit's homepage states advances range from $25 to $500, depending on eligibility — not every user is approved for the full amount.
How Much Does Brigit Actually Cost?
The subscription is where Brigit's real cost lives. At $8.99 to $15.99 a month, a full year of the subscription runs roughly $107.88 to $191.88 ($8.99 × 12 to $15.99 × 12) — well over $100 a year — even in a year where the advance feature is barely used.
On top of the subscription, Brigit offers an Express transfer option for getting the advance instantly rather than waiting for a standard transfer. Brigit does not publish an exact figure for this fee on its own site; third-party reviewers have reported it falling somewhere in the $0.99 to $5.99 range. That lack of a published number is itself worth flagging — it's the least transparent part of Brigit's pricing.
One user on Reddit described paying about $100 in fees on a $300 advance once the subscription and Express fees were counted together over time. That's a single anecdote, not an official company statistic, but it illustrates how the recurring subscription can add up faster than a one-off advance fee would suggest.
Brigit's FTC Settlement, Explained
In November 2023, the Federal Trade Commission announced an action against Brigit resulting in $18,000,000 in refunds for consumers the FTC said were harmed by deceptive promises about cash advances. Part of the FTC's complaint centered on Brigit marketing "instant" advances of up to $250 that many users could not actually access at that amount.
The FTC has followed up with further consumer payments since: a November 2024 release noted more than $17,000,000 sent to affected users, with additional rounds reported since. Anyone weighing whether to hand Brigit bank account access should know this history before signing up.
Pros
- Advances up to $500 for subscribers, per Brigit's stated range
- A dedicated credit builder loan product, separate from the cash advance, for users trying to build credit history
- Budgeting/overdraft-prediction tools bundled into the same subscription
Cons
- The $8.99-$15.99 monthly subscription is mandatory and keeps charging whether or not an advance is used
- The Express transfer fee is not published as an exact figure by Brigit
- Advance amounts (the $25-$500 range) depend on eligibility — new users are rarely approved near the top of that range
- The 2023 FTC settlement and follow-up refund rounds are worth weighing before signing up
How Brigit Compares to Dave, EarnIn and Chime SpotMe
Dave also charges a membership fee, but its own site describes it as up to $5 a month for ExtraCash and related services — notably less than Brigit's $8.99-$15.99 range.
EarnIn takes a different approach: tips are optional, including a genuine $0 option per EarnIn's own site, with access capped at $150 a day (and $1,000 per pay period). For someone who can tip $0, EarnIn can cost nothing in fees at all, which no subscription-based app can match.
Chime SpotMe covers up to $200 in overdraft with no monthly fee, according to Chime's own SpotMe page — useful for a smaller, occasional gap rather than Brigit's larger $25-$500 range.
The right pick depends on how often the advance feature is actually needed: Brigit's subscription only pays for itself if it's used enough to outweigh the $107.88-$191.88 a year it costs to keep it active.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Brigit cost per month?
Brigit's own homepage lists the subscription at $8.99 to $15.99 a month, depending on the plan — which works out to roughly $107.88 to $191.88 a year.
What is the maximum Brigit cash advance?
Brigit states advances range from $25 to $500, depending on eligibility. Not every subscriber is approved for the full $500.
Was Brigit fined by the FTC?
Yes. In November 2023 the FTC announced an action leading to $18,000,000 in consumer refunds over allegedly deceptive marketing of Brigit's cash advances, including a promised $250 "instant" advance many users could not access. Follow-up FTC releases report more than $17,000,000 sent to affected consumers since.
Is Brigit cheaper than Dave or EarnIn?
Dave's own site lists its membership fee at up to $5 a month, less than Brigit's $8.99-$15.99. EarnIn lets users tip as little as $0, which can make it free in fees entirely. Chime SpotMe charges no monthly fee at all for its $200 advance limit. On subscription cost alone, Brigit is the most expensive of the four.
Our Verdict
Brigit delivers what it promises — a cash advance, a credit builder loan and budgeting tools — but the mandatory $8.99-$15.99 subscription is the real cost of entry, adding up to well over $100 a year before a single advance fee is considered. The undisclosed Express fee and the 2023 FTC settlement over "instant" advance marketing are both worth knowing before signing up.
For frequent users who lean on the advance every month, Brigit can still make sense. For anyone who only needs occasional help, a tip-optional app like EarnIn or a no-fee option like Chime SpotMe covers the same emergency for less — which is why this review treats Brigit as a last resort rather than a first choice.
