Three apps, three different jobs

If you're comparing Public, Chime, and B9, it helps to know they weren't really built to compete with each other. They solve different problems.

Public is mainly an investing platform. Chime is a fee-free digital bank. B9 is built around getting cash in your pocket before payday, plus everyday banking on top. If your gig income is irregular — some weeks flush, some weeks tight — which one actually fits depends on what you need most: a place to grow savings, a place to bank without fees, or a way to close the gap when a paycheck is still a few days out.

Here's how each one actually works.

Public: built for investors, not for gig cash flow

Public started as a stock trading app and has grown into a broader investing platform. It provides free stock and ETF trades, pays you to trade options, and gives traders access to crypto and bonds, as well as a high-yield cash account.

The headline feature for cash-strapped workers is the high-yield cash account. Public's High-Yield Cash Account offers a variable 3.3% APY, with no monthly fees or minimum balance, and up to $5M in FDIC coverage through partner banks. That's a genuinely strong rate for parking savings.

But there's a catch for gig workers specifically: to get the account, you need a Public Investing account. Public isn't built around advancing you money before payday, and it isn't a bank account you'd use to receive DoorDash or Uber deposits and pay rent out of day to day. Think of it less as "banking for gig workers" and more as "a good place to park extra cash once you have some to spare."

Chime: fee-free banking with overdraft cushion

Chime has become one of the most popular alternatives to traditional banks, and for good reason. It offers no-fee checking, SpotMe overdraft coverage up to $200, early direct deposit, tiered savings APY up to 3.75% with qualifying direct deposit, and the Credit Builder secured card — all with no monthly fees.

The standout feature is SpotMe. SpotMe covers your debit card purchases and cash withdrawals fee-free when you overdraft — eligible members start with a $20 limit, which may increase up to $200 based on factors like account history and direct deposit history. To even qualify, though, you need to receive at least one qualifying direct deposit of $200 per month.

That's the trade-off with Chime: it's genuinely fee-free for everyday banking, but it doesn't advance you cash ahead of a deposit the way a paycheck advance app does. SpotMe only covers you once money is already about to hit your account and you overspend against it — it's overdraft protection, not early access to unearned pay. Chime also isn't a bank itself; deposits are held at FDIC-insured partner banks.

B9: built around the gap before payday

B9 takes a different approach. Instead of starting with investing or with standard checking, it starts with the specific problem gig and hourly workers deal with most: the days between finishing a shift and actually getting paid.

B9 pairs a debit card account with paycheck advances tied to your direct deposit history. There are two membership tiers. The Basic plan runs $9.99 a month and provides fast cash advances up to $250 per pay period, withdrawal anytime including Cash App and Venmo transfers, and up to 5% cashback with the B9 Visa Debit Card. The Premium plan is $19.99 a month or as little as $6.99 if paid yearly, with fast cash advances up to $1,000 per pay period, immediate access to advance funds, credit monitoring tools, and priority customer support.

Membership fees aren't fixed for everyone, either. According to B9's own site, the subscription is $0 for clients whose direct deposit amount transferred to their B9 account is more than $5,000 a month, and fees are waived at that deposit level for both Basic and Premium plans.

Advance sizes grow with usage. As of recent data, B9 Basic offers advances up to $250 with an average approved advance of $67, and B9 Premium offers advances up to $1,000 with an average of $332. That's a useful detail: most people aren't pulling the maximum — the advance limit grows as your direct deposit history builds.

The advances aren't structured as loans. Advances are structured as a non-loan product: B9 describes them as not loans, not payday loans, and not personal loans, with no credit checks, no interest, and no late fees.

Side by side

If your biggest problem is "I want my extra cash to earn more than a checking account pays," Public's high-yield cash account is hard to beat on rate — but you'll need to open an investing account to access it, and it doesn't touch the paycheck-to-paycheck gap.

If your biggest problem is "I hate paying bank fees and occasionally overdraft," Chime is built for exactly that. Fee-free checking, a solid overdraft cushion through SpotMe, and early direct deposit cover a lot of ground — as long as you're consistently depositing at least $200 a month to stay eligible.

If your biggest problem is "payday feels too far away and I need banking that works with irregular gig income," B9 is built around that specific gap, combining an advance tied to your deposit history with a cashback debit card in one place.

It's not really "versus"

None of these apps are direct substitutes for each other, and plenty of people who drive, deliver, or work variable shifts end up using more than one — a Chime or B9 account for everyday spending and advances, and something like Public's cash account for money they've set aside and don't need to touch. The right combination comes down to whether your main problem right now is growing savings, avoiding fees, or getting through the days before your next deposit.

Whatever you choose, it's worth reading the actual fee schedule and eligibility rules before committing — advance limits, APYs, and qualifying deposit amounts on all of these apps can change, and the numbers that apply to you depend on your own deposit history and account activity.