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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Cleo AI vs MoneyLion

Cleo AI 4.7★ · Free to download 60
Winner MoneyLion
MoneyLion 4.8★ · Free to download 70

MoneyLion has a slight edge over Cleo AI due to more consistent functionality and better customer service, despite both apps sharing similar issues with cash advance fees and fluctuating amounts.

Full reviews: Cleo AI · MoneyLion

Both Cleo AI and MoneyLion offer cash advances and budgeting tools, but users report Cleo AI frequently suffers from critical signup bugs and poor customer support. MoneyLion, while not perfect, appears more reliable for its core features and has a broader range of financial tools.

Head to head

Features (Cash Advance & Budgeting) tieR6R9R10R14
Cleo AI Cleo AI is appreciated for its cash advance feature, which some users find helpful in a pinch and with low interest or flexible payback times R14. However, many users criticize the inconsistency of advance amounts, which can drastically drop even after timely repayment R10R18R25. There are also complaints about fees, with users noting a $10.99 fee per withdrawal and a $14.99 fee for expedited advances, with no option for standard 3-4 day delivery R6R9R27. The budgeting feature, while conceptually good, is often described as clunky, difficult to categorize, and prone to crashing .
MoneyLion MoneyLion is highly praised for its Instacash feature, with users receiving money instantly and finding it helpful for unexpected expenses . Some users report receiving high advance offers R96. However, a significant drawback is the fee structure, with users complaining about a fee for every $100 advanced and the inability to withdraw larger amounts in a single transaction, leading to multiple fees R73R96R97. Like Cleo AI, users also experience inconsistent advance amounts, with some seeing their limits drop without warning . The app also offers credit builder loans, though some find them to be a 'money grab' with no real return R97.
Ease of Use & Reliability edge: MoneyLionR4R7R13R16
Cleo AI Cleo AI faces severe issues with its signup process, with numerous users reporting that the Plaid bank connection screen fails to load, preventing them from creating an account R4R7R13R16. This makes the app non-functional for many. Beyond signup, some users find the UI clunky and experience lag or crashes when interacting with features like budgeting .
MoneyLion MoneyLion generally offers an easy-to-use interface, with users describing it as straightforward and convenient . However, some users report issues with accessing their accounts, such as problems resetting passwords or being unable to log in after signing up . There are also complaints about the app's constant requests for reviews being annoying .
Customer Support tieR1R15R30R31
Cleo AI Cleo AI's customer support is a major pain point, with users reporting no support, difficulty reaching live agents, and being stuck with an unhelpful AI bot R1R15R30R37. Even when reaching support, users find them clueless about the app's features or unable to resolve critical issues like the broken bank linking process R37R31.
MoneyLion MoneyLion's customer service also receives significant criticism. Users report long hold times, unhelpful chat agents who disconnect or provide canned responses, and difficulty deleting accounts . Some describe the chat as 'useless' and accuse agents of making excuses or ignoring messages .
Price/Value tieR6R9R22R27
Cleo AI Cleo AI users frequently complain about 'fees on top of fees' for cash advances, including a $10.99 fee per withdrawal and $14.99 for expedited service, with no free standard option R6R9R27. Some feel tricked into expensive subscriptions for higher advances that don't materialize . There are also reports of money being taken without the app being used R22.
MoneyLion MoneyLion users also express frustration with fees, specifically a fee for every $100 advanced, which adds up when larger amounts are withdrawn in increments R73R96R97. The 'tipping' mechanic is widely criticized as shady and inappropriate for a financial service . Some users feel misled by initial offers of high advance amounts that turn out to be much lower unless they open additional paid accounts . There are also reports of being charged monthly membership fees for services not received or used .
Pick Cleo AI if

You are looking for a budgeting app with a conversational AI approach and are willing to overlook potential technical glitches and inconsistent advance amounts .

Pick MoneyLion if

You need quick cash advances and appreciate a broader range of financial tools like credit building, and are prepared for potential fees and customer service challenges .

Evidence note: Recent reviews for Cleo AI are heavily skewed negative due to critical signup bugs, making it difficult to assess its core features for new users. MoneyLion's reviews, while also containing significant complaints about fees and customer service, indicate a more functional app for existing users.

Frequently asked

What are the main issues with Cleo AI's cash advance feature?
Cleo AI's cash advance feature is criticized for inconsistent advance amounts, which can drop significantly even with good repayment history, and for charging fees of $10.99 per withdrawal and $14.99 for expedited advances without a free standard option R6R10R18R25.
How does MoneyLion's fee structure for cash advances work?
MoneyLion charges a fee for every $100 advanced, and users report that they cannot withdraw larger amounts in a single transaction, leading to multiple fees for a single advance R73R96R97.
Are there common problems with signing up for Cleo AI?
Yes, many users report critical bugs during the Cleo AI signup process, particularly with the Plaid bank connection screen failing to load, which prevents them from linking their bank account and completing registration R4R7R13R16.
Is customer service good for either app?
No, both Cleo AI and MoneyLion receive significant complaints about poor customer service, with users reporting unhelpful AI bots, difficulty reaching live agents, long hold times, and agents who are unable to resolve issues or disconnect during conversations R1R15R30R37.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R6] Cleo AI 3/5 · US Fees on top of fees!: Fees on top of fees! Will only allow you to take a portion of your available advance amount. You get charged a $10.99 fee for each withdrawal. Once you make your first withdrawal you have to wait 24 hours on the dot to request the next one. Not convenient at all.
  2. [R9] Cleo AI 3/5 · US Fees: I wish the fees were bundled into one instead of always having to pay for each advance. Or give us a the advance all at once.
  3. [R10] Cleo AI 1/5 · US Matthew: They suck I paid my 80 advance and 80 boost back totaling 179 on time and then they cut my advance down to 20 with no boost with explanation and without anything changing feels like robbery
  4. [R14] Cleo AI 5/5 · US Great app: Love the app. Low interest on loans and it helped me when I was in a bind. If you short on funds this is the app you need if you have a checking account. Loan goes through in minutes. This is a life saving app. Thank so much for being there when I need it.
  5. [R4] Cleo AI 1/5 · US Pure trash: Couldn’t finishing signing up. Plaid screen wouldn’t pop up to let me connect my bank account. I got stuck on the connect your bank screen, which is frozen. App is useless I see why this app has a 4.7 rating. It’s trash
  6. [R7] Cleo AI 1/5 · US Useless: The Plaid window at signup never opens, so there’s no way for me to link my bank or finish signing up. What makes it even more frustrating is that a couple of hours later I received an email reminding me to finish linking my bank and complete my signup, as if the app actually works, lol. This app sucks. Save yourself the trouble!
  7. [R13] Cleo AI 1/5 · US Doesn’t work!: The signup process is broken. Tapping “Get started” just buffers “Loading…” and then returns to the same screen. The Plaid window never opens, which makes it seem like the app isn’t generating the required session/token to launch the bank connection screen. This looks like a server-side bug, not a user issue. I couldn’t even finish creating an account. FIX IT! Stole my information.
  8. [R16] Cleo AI 1/5 · US Non functional: It’s like they’re selectively choosing who they want to accept as a user. The startup process is bugged. As soon as I got done accepting the terms and conditions and then tried linking my bank account, the get started screen just looped. The plaid banking connection screen didn’t pop up at all. Useless and should be removed from App Store. #don’t-download
  9. [R1] Cleo AI 1/5 · US No support: No support
  10. [R15] Cleo AI 3/5 · US Compassion: I ran into a situation where I wasn’t able repay on my date which was already extended. I wasn’t able to pay do too a death in the family. I was immediately denied the extension. I have an excellent repay history and was shocked to the negative response I received. Also I requested a live agent and the system wouldn’t allow me to access the live agent. Talking to a computer that gives
  11. [R30] Cleo AI 3/5 · US AI BOT NOT AGENTS: The oil me hours and so many chats with the stupid bot before I could actually talk to a live person and get the help I needed. Cleo needs to revamp the bot cause it almost made me close my account out. Ian the agent was amazing. He is the only reason yall are getting more than 1 star from me.
  12. [R31] Cleo AI 1/5 · US Doesn’t work: I created an account, got all the way to end, but plaid didn’t pop up for me to add my bank account (screen is stuck on get started. I can’t get past that screen). THIS APP IS BROKEN and overly bugged! Support is no help. I deleted this app and reinstalled it multiple times.
  13. [R22] Cleo AI 1/5 · US Not worth it: Taking my money never used the app
  14. [R27] Cleo AI 3/5 · US Fix Advance Options: It is not ok that the only option to receive an advance is by paying $14.99 to have it expedited. This did not use to be the case. The service great to use when needed, but bring back the standard option to receive the advance in 3-4 days instead of immediately.
  15. [R18] Cleo AI 3/5 · US Inconsistent: I wanted to like Cleo, but the cash advance feature is extremely inconsistent. One advance might be $250, then after repaying it on time and in full, the next available advance suddenly drops to $25 with no explanation. It makes it difficult to rely on the app when the advance amount changes so drastically despite having a good repayment history. If advance limits are based on certa
  16. [R25] Cleo AI 1/5 · US DO NOT GET!! USE DAVE APP!!: It advertises up to 250$ in advance. when i first downloaded it I only got 50. It went up the second time to 100 and WENT DOWN DRASTICALLY to 30 and now i can only get 20 dollars in advance. I pay every single payment early or on time and I only ever need my date to be pushed back once. AFTER I PUSHED THE PAYBACK DATE IT ONLY GIVES YOU AN ADVANCE FOR 30. I will be clo
  17. [R73] MoneyLion 1/5 · US Not worth it: Theres a fee for every 100.00 you advance. Not worth it.
  18. [R96] MoneyLion 5/5 · US Cash borrowing: Receive the money instantly for a small fee like similar apps. This would have to be my favorite app out of all it gave me the highest offer for borrowing. Although one thing I can’t stand is you aren’t able to withdraw more than $100 per transaction which means paying the $7.99 fee each time and it definitely adds up… A higher withdrawal amount would be nice
  19. [R97] MoneyLion 2/5 · US Instacash only: The only positive thing about this app is the instacash but even that is a money grab. They offered me $600 but in increments of $100 and charged for each withdrawal, so to get that $600 cost about $670 or so. The credit builder loan is garbage. Something else to get your money with no real return and after reading reviews I see I’m not the only one with this opinion. I understand
  20. [R37] Cleo AI 1/5 · US Horrible Customer Service: It took 7 months to actually get a non-canned response. Their team doesn’t know it’s own app they’re supporting… I was legit redirected to their AI which was saying I had to go to them. Goofy. Their team doesn’t care about fixing their own problems. The features the market for their builder plan, like the debt tracking, the credit monitoring, the on-time credit reporti

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store