MoneyLion review: is the MoneyLion cash advance app legit?
MoneyLion is a legitimate cash advance app, and Gen Digital Inc. has owned MoneyLion Inc. since April 2025 is the company behind it.
- Biggest advance
- $1,000
- Fee per month
- None
- Fast transfer cost
- $7.50 on $100
- Complaints to the CFPB
- 4,093
MoneyLion on file
- Owner
- Gen Digital Inc. (NASDAQ: GEN) has owned MoneyLion Inc. since April 2025
- Issued by
- ML Plus LLC (the Instacash provider listed in the Instacash terms)
- Product
- Besides Instacash cash advances, the MoneyLion app offers loans, banking and a credit builder membership you pay for
- Subscription
- None, optional
- Fee for a fast transfer
- With Turbo, sending the advance to a MoneyLion Spend account costs 7.5% (no more than $14.99); an outside account costs 9% instead
- Tips
- Optional tip requested
- Time without a fee
- A MoneyLion Spend account gets funds in 1-2 working days (the pricing page lists 1-5); external accounts have no free standard delivery.
- Credit checks
- Instacash requires no credit pull or credit check; eligibility depends on your linked checking account and direct deposits
- Time to get the money
- A MoneyLion Spend account gets standard delivery in 1-2 working days (the pricing page lists 1-5); Turbo delivery arrives within minutes for a fee
Taken from what MoneyLion publishes, CFPB complaint counts and public enforcement files. All sources are listed at the foot of the page
MoneyLion fees and costs
Convert MoneyLion's fees to a yearly rate using the calculator on our cash advance apps page.
Good to know about MoneyLion
- Gen Digital, which owns Norton and Avast, has owned this company since April 2025
- Free standard delivery works only with MoneyLion's own Spend account; external accounts require the paid Turbo option
- Moving your direct deposit to MoneyLion Spend raises the base limit from $500 to $1,000.
- Optional tips are requested by the app, though Instacash has no monthly fee.
- New York AG and Baltimore suits called Instacash a payday loan, and a CFPB lawsuit was settled in 2025 for $1.75 million redress.
States where MoneyLion works
The MoneyLion pages we read give no list of states. Ask which license covers your state and check it on NMLS Consumer Access before you share bank details.
MoneyLion complaints and lawsuits
The CFPB database lists 4,093 complaints naming MoneyLion Inc. Most common issues: your report contains information that is incorrect; account management tasks; someone tries to collect a debt you do not owe. Check the CFPB count
- 2022 · CFPBThe CFPB sued MoneyLion for trapping consumers in paid memberships and violating Military Lending Act rates; under a November 2025 settlement, consumers got $1.75 million in redress. Source
- 2025 · New York Attorney GeneralMoneyLion was sued by the New York AG, which argued fees and tips made Instacash illegal payday lending. The case was remanded to state court in November 2025; we could not confirm how it ended. Source
- 2025 · City of BaltimoreBaltimore sued MoneyLion because Instacash tips and fees allegedly exceed Maryland's 33% APR cap and involve deceptive marketing; we could not confirm how it ended. Source
Short on cash before payday?
Talk to a specialist about lower-cost ways to cover the gap in your state. Talk to someone about cheaper options: 855.947.5189
This line reaches a debt and loan options specialist. We are not MoneyLion and cannot reach your MoneyLion account.
MoneyLion alternatives: apps like MoneyLion
| App | Fee a month | Biggest advance | Fast transfer on $100 | CFPB complaints |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MoneyLion (this record) | None | $1,000 | $7.50 | 4,093 |
 EarnIn | None | $1,000 | $5.99 | 290 |
 Albert | None | $1,000 | – | 788 |
 Klover | $4.99 | $750 | $9.49 | 49 |
 Chime SpotMe | None | $750 | $3 | 29,493 |
– means the company does not publish it. Complaint counts are totals, not rates: a bigger company draws more. Open any name for its full record.
Questions about MoneyLion
Is MoneyLion legit?
Since April 2025, Gen Digital Inc. has owned MoneyLion Inc., which operates the real cash advance app MoneyLion. You can get up to $1,000, and there is no monthly charge. Records show 3 government or court actions involving MoneyLion, while 4,093 complaints against MoneyLion Inc sit in the CFPB complaint database.
Who owns MoneyLion?
Since April 2025, Gen Digital Inc. (NASDAQ: GEN) has been the owner of MoneyLion Inc. ML Plus LLC is the lender listed on the loan (the Instacash provider identified in the Instacash terms).
Does MoneyLion check your credit?
According to MoneyLion, Instacash involves no credit pull or credit check; instead, what counts is the checking account you link and the deposits paid into it.
How fast does MoneyLion send the money?
MoneyLion says a MoneyLion Spend account receives standard delivery in 1-2 working days (its pricing page lists 1-5); Turbo delivery comes within minutes for a fee.
Has MoneyLion been sued or fined?
Trapping consumers in paid memberships and Military Lending Act rate violations caused CFPB to sue MoneyLion in 2022; November 2025 saw a $1.75 million consumer redress settlement. MoneyLion was sued in 2025 by the New York Attorney General; the New York AG case called Instacash unlawful payday lending via fees and tips, went back to state court in November 2025, and has no confirmed outcome. In 2025, the City of Baltimore sued MoneyLion, claiming Instacash fees and tips surpass Maryland's 33% APR cap and involve deceptive marketing; the outcome remains unconfirmed.
Where the MoneyLion facts come from
- Gen Digital Inc. (NASDAQ: GEN) owns MoneyLion after closing the acquisition in April 2025investor.gendigital.com
- ML Plus LLC and related MoneyLion entities offer Instacash; A MoneyLion Spend account usually gets free standard delivery in 1 to 2 working days.; MoneyLion states that repaying an Instacash advance is not a legal obligationmoneylion.com
- Standard limit for Instacash; A higher limit becomes available when you use MoneyLion Spend direct deposit.; Paying for a MoneyLion membership can lift the limit to $700.moneylion.com
- Instant transfers to MoneyLion Spend carry a Turbo fee.; You pay a Turbo fee for instant delivery to outside accounts.; Tips are optional and will not change your eligibilitymoneylion.com
- Complaints logged in the CFPB database for MoneyLion Inc., across every MoneyLion product and not only Instacashconsumerfinance.gov
- In 2022, the CFPB sued MoneyLion under the CFPA and the Military Lending Act; The CFPB matter ended through a stipulated final judgment entered on November 24, 2025.consumerfinance.gov
- The New York Attorney General sued MoneyLion regarding Instacash in April 2025; The NY AG claims instant fees hit $8.99 on a $100 advance, which is about 234% APRag.ny.gov
- In November 2025, the NY AG case returned to New York state court.courtlistener.com
- Instacash fees and tips prompted Baltimore to sue MoneyLion in October 2025.baltimorecity.gov