Money IQ: Loan App Guides and Reviews
The editorial side of compareloanapps.com. Plain-English guides on how loan apps actually price, where they are legal, which ones to avoid, and the math behind the marketing.
Every Money IQ guide in one place
Filter by topic, or scroll the full library of loan-app explainers, APR breakdowns, scam teardowns, and state-by-state guides written by our named US-based editors.
The True Cost of Loan Apps: APR, Origination, Subscription
Loan apps stack four very different fee shapes on top of each other: a flat APR, an origination cut, a monthly subscription, and a "voluntary" tip the UI is engineered to make feel mandatory. The one formula that normalizes all four into a single number, applied to a $300 advance across five real apps.
By Jordan Leventhal · 11 min
Are Loan App Subscription Fees Worth It? The Break-Even Math
A single $100 advance under a $8.99 subscription pencils out at 468% APR. Spread across four borrows, it is 117%. The break-even math on every major subscription loan app.
By Jordan Leventhal · 10 min
Best Loan Apps for Gig Workers and the Self-Employed
The approval patterns gig workers and self-employed borrowers actually see across cash-advance apps, installment lenders, and bank-deposit underwriters in 2026.
By Jordan Leventhal · 11 min
Earned Wage Access: Employer-Partnered vs. Direct-to-Consumer
Employer-integrated EWA products run blended APRs near 110%. Direct-to-consumer apps can cross 400%. Same category, different economics.
By Jordan Leventhal · 10 min