The honest broker for getting by
Most sites that rank financial products get paid to send you to the most expensive one. Rung is built the other way around. We publish what every product really costs. We say who it's wrong for. And we point to the cheaper move — even when that move earns us nothing.
Why we exist
When money is tight, the products within reach — payday loans, cash-advance apps, lease-to-own, debt settlement — are the ones most likely to cost the most and be explained the least. People don't need another lead-gen funnel dressed up as advice. They need a straight answer and a way up.
That's the whole idea behind the name. Each product is a rung, not a destination. The goal is to help you reach the next one and, eventually, climb off the ladder entirely.
The three rules we hold ourselves to
The real cost, in dollars
Not "fees may apply." The actual number you'll pay over a year, in plain figures, on every product.
When it's wrong for you
Every product page says who it's wrong for, out loud — even when we'd earn by staying quiet.
A way off the ladder
Each page points to the next step up and the cheaper move. Fewer products over time, not more.
Who's behind it
Rung is an independent publisher. Our guidance is written by consumer-finance writers and reviewed by credentialed experts — accredited financial counselors and educators — before it's published. See our editorial policy for how that works, and how we rate for the rubric behind every ranking.
We're not a lender, a bank, or a broker, and nothing here is legal or financial advice. Read how we make money for the full picture on the one tension that funds this site — and how we keep it from bending what we tell you.