Best buy-now, pay-later apps like Affirm

Written by:
Amy Kalin Edited by:
Updated
•6 min read
Young woman sitting outside of her apartment, looking up companies like affirm on her cellphoneImage: Young woman sitting outside of her apartment, looking up companies like affirm on her cellphone
Editorial Note: Intuit Credit Karma receives compensation from third-party advertisers, but that doesn’t affect our editors’ opinions. Our third-party advertisers don’t review, approve or endorse our editorial content. Information about financial products not offered on Credit Karma is collected independently. Our content is accurate to the best of our knowledge when posted.

As a buy-now, pay-later option, Affirm lets you split purchases into smaller installment payments over months or even years. You can use Affirm with a range of retailers including Expedia and Dyson, but it’s not an option everywhere so you may need to find an alternative. 

Best app like Affirm for ongoing spending: Afterpay

Why Afterpay stands out: Over time, Afterpay users who make their payments on time can qualify for financing for multiple orders at once. Afterpay’s terms range from six weeks to 24 months, and its shorter payment plans are interest-free. 

Afterpay doesn’t report its accounts or payment activity to the major credit bureaus in the U.S., so using Afterpay won’t affect your credit. 

Pros

  • Interest-free financing options
  • Qualify with a soft credit check
  • Special discounts available

Cons

  • Longer terms only available with some retailers
  • Late fees can be pricey
  • Monthly payment plans not available nationwide

Read our full review of Afterpay to learn more.

Best app like Affirm for longer payment terms: Klarna

Why Klarna stands out: Although Klarna has two interest-free options (Pay in 30 and Pay in 4), it also has longer-term options. Its “Pay over time” plan gives you up to 24 months to repay your purchase, but that option comes with interest charges. You can use the Klarna app at its partner stores, any retailer that accepts Apple Pay, and the Klarna card or virtual card at any retailer that accepts Visa. 

Klarna only reports its longer-term Pay over time accounts to the credit bureaus — they could show up on your credit reports, and paying late or defaulting could have a negative impact.

Pros

  • Repayment terms as long as two years
  • Qualify with soft credit check
  • Interest-free options may be available

Cons

  • Late fees may apply
  • Some plans are not available nationwide
  • APRs can be in the double digits

Read our full review of Klarna to learn more.

Best app like Affirm for no-interest financing: Sezzle

Why Sezzle stands out: You can qualify for a short-term financing plan through Sezzle with just a soft credit check, which doesn’t affect your credit. Its short-term payment plans are interest-free, Plus, you can take advantage of special promotional offers and earn Sezzle Spend discounts for future orders. 

Sezzle may report its monthly plan accounts to the credit bureaus, possibly impacting your credit. It also has a Sezzle Up program you can opt into to intentionally ensure credit reporting that may help you build credit with on-time payments.

Pros

  • Interest-free financing options
  • Longer repayment plans available
  • Offers the ability to reschedule payments

Cons

  • High late fees
  • Down payment may be required

Read more in our full review of Sezzle to learn more.

Best app like Affirm for credit card users: PayPal Pay in 4

Why PayPal Pay in 4 stands out: When you use PayPal’s Pay in 4 payment plan, your purchase is backed by PayPal’s purchase protection program. If an item isn’t delivered or is significantly different from how it was described, you may be eligible for a full refund. 

Pay in 4 allows you to finance purchases between $30 and $1,500 without affecting your credit, and you can repay the purchase amount without interest over eight weeks in bi-weekly installments. 

PayPal only says it reports Pay Monthly accounts to the credit bureaus (it doesn’t mention credit reporting for Pay in 4). 

Pros

  • Interest-free financing is available
  • Purchase protection included

Cons

  • First payment due at time of purchase
  • Not available to residents of Missouri
  • Not available with all retailers

What you should know about apps like Affirm

Apps like Affirm offer buy-now, pay-later payment plans you can use to split up the cost of a purchase into weekly or monthly installments. These plans are a short-term financing option, and may be interest-free on certain repayment plans. 

The BNPL provider pays the merchant for your purchase total upfront, then you make installment payments to the BNPL according to your plan’s terms. 

How do apps like Affirm impact your credit? 

How BNPL apps like Affirm affect your credit varies by provider. Some, such as Flex Pay and Klarna, report  some or all accounts and payment activity to the credit bureaus, while others may not report at all. 

In some cases, if you miss a payment or an account that ends up in collections, the BNPL may report your negative account standing to the credit bureaus, which can significantly damage your credit. 

Can apps like Affirm lead to debt? 

BNPL companies like Affirm can be useful alternatives to credit cards or personal loans for short-term financing. ButBNPLs can tempt users to take on more debt than they might realize. The quick application process and point-of-sale processing makes it easy to enroll in a payment plan. Missing a payment can lead to hefty late fees in some cases, and longer repayment plans tend to have higher APRs that can increase your overall costs.

FAQs about apps like Affirm

Yes, for all plans issued on or after May 1, 2025, Affirm reports payment plans and payment activity to Experian and TransUnion. For plans issued before that date, Affirm reports the payment plans and payment activity only to Experian. 

Buy-now, pay-later companies provide short-term financing options that allow you to pay for a purchase in installments. Depending on the plan, you could qualify for interest-free financing, but longer repayment terms tend to charge interest. 

With buy-now, pay-later companies, you can make a purchase upfront before you have the cash saved, allowing you to lock in great deals or discounts. Some BNPL plans include interest-free financing, so they can be cheaper than some credit cards. On the downside, there is the potential for interest and late fees, and BNPLs can cause users to build debt. 

Credit reporting policies vary by company. Although Affirm reports payment plans and payment activity to Experian and TransUnion, not all BNPL apps report to the credit bureaus. For example, Afterpay doesn’t report to any credit bureau in the U.S. 

Applying for a BNPL service usually involves a soft credit check, which doesn’t affect your credit. But some BNPL companies report payment plans and activity to the credit bureaus, and missed payments or defaults could hurt your credit. 

Our methodology: How we pick the best personal loans

Credit Karma’s editors evaluate the best personal loans by reviewing key features of dozens of popular lenders. Those features fall into three important categories:

  • Affordability: We start by checking if a lender’s rates are competitive: are they higher than average or are they lower than many competitors? From there, we analyze if fees — particularly an origination fee — may make your loan more unaffordable. Last, we’ll check if the lender offers rate discounts for items such as automatic payments that may reduce your rate.
  • Customer-friendly features: Taking out a personal loan is a big financial commitment, so we prioritize lenders that make things easier for you. For instance, do they offer a wide range of loan amounts for people with different borrowing needs? Do they offer at least several loan terms to give you more flexibility with your monthly payment? And, crucially, can they fund your loan quickly? A lender will also get bonus points for offering direct payments for debt consolidation or other customer-friendly features.
  • Transparency: We believe personal loan terms should be easy to find and decipher. Prequalification, which lets you check what rate you may qualify for without a hard credit inquiry, is particularly important. We also check to see if a lender has been recently penalized by regulators.

*Approval Odds are not a guarantee of approval. Credit Karma determines Approval Odds by comparing your credit profile to other Credit Karma members who were approved for the personal loan, or whether you meet certain criteria determined by the lender. Of course, there’s no such thing as a sure thing, but knowing your Approval Odds may help you narrow down your choices. For example, you may not be approved because you don’t meet the lender’s “ability to pay standard” after they verify your income and employment; or, you already have the maximum number of accounts with that specific lender.