If you want to get stronger, you have to start by lifting an amount of weight that’s hard but doable. Then you can gradually increase the weight over time to build strength.
This same idea applies to earning money. If you’ve never made much, start with an idea that’s easy and slowly increase the level of difficulty as your skills improve. The more your skills improve, the more you can make.
This is where money making apps come into play — they’re a great way to improve your money making muscle.
You won’t get rich, but you can earn some spending money while building your overall financial strength.
To get started, here are the highest-rated money making apps available for iOS and Android.
Note: The reviews and ratings below were collected on May 3, 2022. We update this data periodically throughout the year.
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The Five Best Survey Apps For Making Money
One popular way to make money from your smartphone is by taking surveys.
To get started, just download one of the survey apps below. Then, when a survey is available for you to complete, you’ll get a notification.
After you take the survey, you’ll either earn points that are redeemable for free gift cards or cash rewards that you can transfer to a bank or PayPal account.
Here’s a list of our favorite survey apps, based on a combination of earning potential and user ratings. You can also check out our list of the best survey sites to learn about more options.
#1. Survey Junkie
| iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
| 4.5 with 52,667 reviews | 4.3 with 48,747 reviews |
Survey Junkie has been regarded as one of the best market research companies for years. With over 10 million members, high ratings from real app users, an excellent score on Trustpilot, and a minimum payout of just $5, Survey Junkie is a must-have money making app.
While there’s no official sign-up bonus, Survey Junkie offers new users a short list of high-value tasks to complete, such as filling out a general profile survey, confirming your email and watching a “how it works” video. These tasks can help you quickly earn the $5 minimum payout.
Minimum withdrawal: 500 points gets you a $5 transfer to your PayPal account, or the points can be redeemed for gift cards.
Survey Junkie
One of the most well-known and highest-rated online survey sites, Survey Junkie lets you redeem your points for gift cards or PayPal cash starting at just $5.
#2. Swagbucks
| iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
| 4.4 with 66,097 reviews | 4.2 with 89,848 reviews |
Swagbucks is a reader and personal favorite for good reason: while you have the ability to take surveys, there are also a number of other simple tasks you can do to make money, such as watching videos, playing games and getting cash-back for shopping online.
This variety of tasks makes it easy to earn. My personal favorite is cash-back shopping, where over the last year I’ve earned $235 in free Amazon gift cards.
The majority of those earnings came from getting 8% cash-back on a mattress and bed frame online.
Minimum withdrawal: There’s technically no minimum to cash-out, but most reward options start at $3 (including PayPal cash and select gift cards).
Put cash back in your wallet
Get paid to shop online, watch videos, take surveys and play games with this all-in-one rewards site. Redeem your points for gift cards and PayPal cash starting at just $3.
#3. Ipsos I-Say
| iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
| Just launched in January 2022 | 2.8 with 1,457 reviews |
Based in France, Ipsos is one of the world’s largest and most well-known consumer research companies. As with Swagbucks and Survey Junkie, the i-Say program is free to join and lets you earn money online by taking paid surveys.
What’s unique about i-Say is that it also has a product testing component: the company will sometimes send you free products to try out in exchange for your feedback and insights.
While these opportunities don’t come along every day, they can be a fun way to try new things — and the products themselves (which are yours to keep) are often worth more than the few minutes it takes to share your thoughts.
Minimum withdrawal: $10 for a gift card and $15 for PayPal cash.
Learn more and get started with Ipsos i-Say.
#4. InboxDollars
| iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
| 4.5 with 150,911 reviews | 3.9 with 110,805 reviews |
InboxDollars is another popular money making app that lets you earn through surveys as well as a variety of other tasks.
InboxDollars is actually owned by the same company behind Swagbucks. However, there are some differences in the ways you can earn on the platforms, including the fact that it’s one of the few sites where you can get paid to read emails.
InboxDollars also rewards you in real money (not points) for the activities you complete. The downside? There’s a $30 minimum to cash-out, though the $5 sign-up bonus can help you reach that milestone.
Minimum withdrawal: $30 to cash-out.
Read our InboxDollars review to learn more, or visit InboxDollars.com to claim your $5 bonus.
#5. YouGov
| iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
| 4.7 with 3,109 reviews | 4.3 with 39,853 reviews |
YouGov is a market research company known for its opinion polls about politics and recent events. When we tested YouGov, we found the survey inventory and payouts to be in-line with the other top survey apps.
The downside? Based on our testing, The $50 minimum withdrawal amount would require participating in two surveys per day for over 30 days. At the same time, the minimum to cash-out for a gift card is much lower at $15, which should take you between one to two weeks to earn.
Minimum withdrawal: $15 for a gift card or $50 for a cash reward.
Learn more in our YouGov review or visit YouGov to sign up and get started.
Best Investing Apps
When we think of money making apps, it’s all about turning minimal time, effort and resources into cash — all through your smartphone.
A select few investment apps fall into this category, in that you can earn money without investing a lot of time or cash. This may include a lucrative sign-up bonus, free shares of stock or the ability to automatically invest your spare change.
#6. Public
| iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
| 4.7 with 51,570 reviews | 4.4 with 39,194 reviews |
Public is one of our favorite apps for investing in individual shares of stock. What stands out about Public is its simplicity: the app offers a very clean and user-friendly experience, and forgoes more advanced features, like options and futures trading, that aren’t necessary for beginning investors.
They also have a generous sign-up bonus, giving you a free share of stock worth up to $70 in value simply for opening an account — no deposit is required.
Read our Public Review to learn more or visit Pubic.com to download.
#7. Fundrise
| iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
| 4.8 with 19,395 reviews | 4.2 with 1,717 reviews |
What stands out about Fundrise is that it allows you to invest in commercial real estate projects for as little as $10. You then earn passive income from quarterly dividends, as well as investment income once a property is sold.
Learn more in our Fundrise review or visit Fundrise to sign up and get started.
#8. Acorns
| iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
| 4.7 with 813,000 reviews | 4.5 with 204,038 reviews |
Acorns is a mobile app that allows you to automate your investing. It does this in a couple of different ways:
- By investing your spare change. One of Acorns’ main features is called Round Ups. Say you make a purchase for $17.20 (at any store). Acorns will then set aside 80 cents from your checking account and automatically invest that money into a mutual fund. It’s a way of helping you save, while also building up an investment portfolio a little bit at a time.
- Acorns Earn. Acorns has also partnered with hundreds of retailers to allow you to earn money any time you shop at a specific store. For example, say you spend $100 at Walmart. Acorns calculates a percentage of that $100 (which can be up to 10% for some retailers) and adds it to your investment account. This isn’t a “round up” — it’s free money.
You can build up a nice portfolio just by using Acorns Earn and investing your spare change. Eventually, that portfolio could go toward your retirement or earn you a nice side income.
#9. Coinbase
| iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
| 4.7 with 1,630,913 reviews | 4.1 with 693,059 reviews |
Coinbase is an investment app that allows you to buy and sell cryptocurrency, in the same way you’d buy and sell stocks. It’s got a decent sign up bonus that pays you $10 in Bitcoin when you buy $100 worth of any cryptocurrency available on the platform.
As a money making app, Coinbase has a feature called Learn and Earn, which allows you to earn free Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies for watching short videos about different aspects of the crypto world.
Over the course of 2021, I took each Learn and Earn opportunity that was offered to me and was able to earn $50 worth of free cryptocurrency. Since each Learn and Earn opportunity takes just a few minutes to complete, this was not only educational but also a quick and easy way to make a decent amount of free money.
Visit Coinbase to get started.
INVESTING
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The Best Money Making Apps For Earning Cash-Back
These money making apps offer you the chance to earn cash rewards and/or save money on the stuff you were already going to buy — usually in the 3-10% range. While that may not seem like much on an individual purchase, it can be significant on big-ticket items and can add up to hundreds of dollars per year when used consistently.
Here are our favorites based on a combination of earning potential and our experience using them over time. You can also check out our list of the best cash-back apps for more options.
#10. Capital One Shopping
| iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
| 4.8 with 46,531 reviews | 4.4 with 3,654 reviews |
Capital One Shopping tops our list as the best app in this category, though it’s important to note that you’re earning shopping credits that can be redeemed for gift cards rather than cash-back.
While you’ll also want to download the desktop browser extension, the Capital One Shopping app allows you to earn rewards when shopping online, easily apply coupon codes, and compare prices for the same products among other retailers — all from your phone.
Plus, when shopping in-store, you’re able to scan barcodes to look for online deals for that product.
Minimum withdrawal: Rewards can be redeemed for gift cards with no minimum withdrawal.
Learn more about how this free service works in our detailed Capital One Shopping review and sign up for the service here.
#11. Rakuten
| iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
| 4.8 with 258,646 reviews | 4.1 with 72,654 reviews |
Rakuten is one of the highest-rated cash-back apps, paying as much as 40% cash-back when you shop at over 2,500 stores (both in-store and online).
When you shop online, Rakuten (formerly known as Ebates) shares its referral commission with you any time you make a purchase through the provided link.
To make money with in-store purchases you have to link your credit or debit card inside the Rakuten app, and activate each cash-back offer. Then, just check out normally using your linked card.
You’ll get a check or a PayPal deposit from Rakuten once per quarter with your cash-back balance.
Minimum withdrawal: $5 is needed to cash out, with payments being issued automatically every three months.
Sign up with this link to get a $30 bonus when you make your first purchase, and learn more in our Rakuten review.
#12. Ibotta
| iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
| 4.8 with 1,443,763 reviews | 4.5 with 592,822 reviews |
Ibotta is widely recognized as one of the best cash back apps for groceries but has expanded into local retail and online cash-back.
It works like this: you use the app to scan the barcode of the product you purchased at the store and then upload a photo of your receipt. Often, you’ll have to watch a 15-second video clip to have the money posted to your account.
Both my wife and I use the app, often stacking one of the many similar apps to Ibotta to double-dip on rewards, and the 30 seconds it takes is always time well spent.
Minimum withdrawal: $20 in cash transferred to Venmo or PayPal.
You can earn a $5 welcome bonus by signing up with our link and uploading your first receipt. Learn more about how it works in our Ibotta review.
#13. Fetch Rewards
| iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
| 4.8 with 2,167,984 reviews | 4.6 with 409,018 reviews |
Unlike many grocery receipt scanning apps, Fetch Rewards works at any store, as you earn points whenever you buy products from a participating brand. There are no barcodes to scan or coupons to clip.
The big downside to Fetch is that you’re only allowed to redeem your points for gift cards. But with stores like Target and Amazon among the options, that’s not too much of a loss.
Minimum withdrawal: 3,000 points gets you a $3 gift card.
Learn more in our in-depth Fetch Rewards review or sign up for Fetch with this link to get 3,000 bonus points.
#14. GetUpside
| iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
| 4.8 with 187,740 reviews | 4.5 with 142,573 reviews |
GetUpside is a money making app that allows you to get cash-back on gas. In our testing of GetUpside, we were able to find gas stations that offered up to 35 cents per gallon.
The app is also quickly expanding beyond just gas, offering cash-back at certain retailers and restaurants.
Minimum withdrawal: You can withdraw at any time for a $1 fee. Once your balance reaches $10, you can withdraw for free.
Learn more in our GetUpside review or visit GetUpside.com to download the app and get started.
Best Gig Economy Apps
The gig economy has opened up dozens of legit earning opportunities that you can leverage with your smartphone. While we ranked the highest-paying gig economy apps and the best delivery driver apps, here are a few of our overall favorites.
#15. DoorDash
| iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
| 4.7 with 1,689,699 reviews | 3.1 with 119,075 reviews |
DoorDash allows you to earn extra money by delivering restaurant take-out orders. You’ll need a car, a driver’s license and valid insurance to become a Dasher.
With DoorDash, you do have to sign up for shifts (called dashes), and then stay online for a certain amount of time within that period.
That means you’ll have less scheduling flexibility than with Uber Eats (see below), but it also means you’ll usually have a more consistent flow of orders (because there are fewer drivers working at any given moment).
#16. Instacart
| iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
| 4.8 with 750,554 reviews | 4.1 with 105,120 reviews |
You can earn money by shopping for or delivering groceries with Instacart. Full-service shoppers with Instacart both shop and deliver the groceries. If you don’t have access to a car, you can be an in-store shopper only.
Similar to many gig economy apps, a big perk of working with Instacart is that you can set your own schedule. That said, peak times, such as weekends, often pay the most per hour.
Instacart shoppers get paid per order based on the time it takes to complete the order, as well as the distance (if delivering). Shoppers also get tips from customers.
#17. Fiverr
| iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
| 4.9 with 346,243 reviews | 4.7 with 271,883 reviews |
Fiverr is a freelance marketplace known for its wide variety of tasks offered.
What’s unique about Fiverr is that you’re the one designing the gig and posting it for others to buy. As such, you can create jobs you can fulfill entirely from your smartphone.
This could include video editing, proofreading and photo editing — among many others
To learn more, read our guide on how to make money on Fiverr, which details a step-by-step process for beginners.
#18. Uber
| iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
| 4.6 with 579,252 reviews | 4.6 with 2,748,189 reviews |
Uber gives you two ways to make money with a single app: ride-sharing as an Uber driver or delivering takeout food orders with Uber Eats. And with over 100 million active monthly customers in 900+ cities, there’s plenty of demand to keep you busy.
Being an Uber driver is the most famous side hustle in the world for a reason: Uber freelancers can earn solid money (earnings vary based on factors like location and demand), and you can work literally whenever or wherever you want, with no need to set a schedule. Just open the app, make yourself available and then accept the gigs that are sent your way.
Uber Eats is similar to DoorDash (mentioned above) in that you can earn money by delivering food orders from local restaurants using your car, scooter or bike — or even on foot in some cities. As with being an Uber driver, you can work as little or as much as you want — whether that’s a couple of deliveries in your downtime or a full workday.
Plus, whether you drive people or deliver food, you have the ability to request instant payout for a small fee — meaning you can get paid the same day you work instead of waiting around for a deposit to hit your bank account.
#19. Steady
| iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
| 4.7 with 17,740 reviews | 4.4 with 33,804 reviews |
Not sure which gig economy job you want to take on? Steady aggregates local gig economy and money making opportunities for you in one app. This way, you can see what’s available and find offers customized to your availability and skills.
The app has a strong community aspect as well, where other gig workers share best practices, tips to earn more and how much they’re actually earning.
If you’re brand new to the gig economy, Steady is a good choice to lead you in the right direction. Read our Steady app review to learn about all that the app has to offer.
#20. Rover
| iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
| 4.9 with 304,660 reviews | 4.7 with 15,015 reviews |
Rover is a pioneer in the pet care industry when it comes to pet sitting, dog walking, doggy daycare and boarding. The app allows you to connect with local pet owners in need of these services. Walkers report getting paid up to $20 per walk, while overnight sitters can make $40.
It’s ideal for those living in a more urban area, where they can often take out multiple dogs and travel short distances. For those not living in a city, boarding can help maximize your earnings.
Visit Rover.com.
Best Sharing Economy Apps
#21. Airbnb
| iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
| 4.8 with 567,512 reviews | 4.5 with 1,278,58 reviews |
If you have a second home or even a spare room, you should seriously consider renting out your unused space. I was surprised to learn that Airbnb estimates I can earn $750 per month simply by renting out an extra room at 50% occupancy in my home.
Not sure if it’s worth it to list your place on Airbnb? Airbnb has a helpful calculator that can provide estimated earnings.
Learn more about Airbnb hosting.
#22. Neighbor
| iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
| 4.5 with 1,740 reviews | 4.5 with 1,314 reviews |
If you don’t like the idea of hosting people, consider Neighbor, an app that allows you to get paid for renting unused space in your home. This could be an extra garage spot, driveway space, shed or basement.
While there is some work upfront — such as listing your space and connecting with clients — once the storage is set up, there’s very little work on your part.
Visit Neighbor to learn more and get started.
Best Odd Job Apps
From playing games to taking pictures of products at local retailers, these odd job apps are great for making extra money.
#23. Mistplay
| iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
| Not available | 4.2 with 265,462 reviews |
Branded as “the loyalty program for gamers,” Mistplay is an app that rewards you with points for playing video games on your Android smartphone (an iOS version is in development). In some cases, you’re required to provide Mistplay with feedback on the game itself.
Your points can be redeemed for gift cards to major retailers like Amazon, Starbucks and the Nintendo store. And it’s one of the few game apps that pay cash via PayPal.
Minimum withdrawal: 1,500 points, which is roughly equal to $5 in value.
Download Mistplay here.
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#24. Foap
| iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
| 4.5 with 16,401 reviews | 3.3 with 33,058 reviews |
Foap is a mobile app that allows you to make money by selling pictures you take with your phone.
What’s nice is that one photo can sell multiple times, which allows you to generate a source of passive income.
The best way to earn is through “missions,” in which Foap teams up with a specific brand to show how everyday people like you use their product.
Minimum withdrawal: There’s no minimum, but Foap pays you once per month via PayPal.
See also: Here are some more ways to get paid to take pictures with your phone.
#25. Bookscouter
| iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
| 4.1 with 527 reviews | 4.4 with 2,014 reviews |
A popular free app among book lovers, Bookscouter allows you to sell used books.
How it works is that you enter or scan a book’s ISBN number and Bookscouter provides a list of companies looking to purchase that title (and how much they’re willing to pay).
Those who earn the most know where to find used books for cheap (garage sales, library book sales, etc.), and use the app on-the-spot to find the ones that will fetch the highest profit margins.
#26. Field Agent
| iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
| 4.7 with 11,639 reviews | 3.8 with 8,028 reviews |
Field Agent is an app that allows you to make money by completing random local tasks, like taking pictures of products (to make sure they’re properly displayed) and completing mystery shopping missions to evaluate stores’ customer service. In that sense, it’s a form of mystery shopping (which can be a legit side hustle).
It’s also one of the best apps that pay you for walking.
This free app is best suited for those in urban areas, as you’re only paid on a per-task basis. Since you have to factor time and cost of travel into your net earnings, you’ll make more if you live near a high concentration of participating businesses.
Minimum withdrawal: $10 via PayPal.
Download Field Agent here.
#27. EBay, Craigslist and Other Selling Apps
Selling your stuff is one of the best ways to make money fast. Apps such as Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace (located in the Facebook app), and LetGo are great for selling items locally.
eBay is best-suited for selling items outside of your local area. While you have to ship the item, you can typically sell it for a higher price (as your group of potential buyers is greatly enhanced). This makes eBay ideal for collectibles and items that are in high demand (like iPhones).
Not sure what to sell? We did the research to find the 16 best things to sell online.
Further reading: Alternatives to Craigslist for selling stuff locally.
#28. Evidation
| iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
| 4.6 with 16,531 reviews | 3.9 with 18,685 reviews |
Evidation (formerly called Achievement) is a combination of a survey app and a fitness app. It works by syncing with other fitness apps you have on your phone, including:
- Apple Health
- Fitbit
- MapMyFitness
- MyFitnessPal
- And over a dozen others.
In addition to earning rewards via healthy activities — e.g., hitting 10,000 steps in one day — you can then earn rewards for answering health-related surveys.
Minimum withdrawal: You’ll need a minimum of 10,000 points to cash out, which gives you a $10 gift card to popular retailers.
Pro tip: Turn this into a passive income app by syncing it with an app like Apple Health, which tracks your activity and steps in the background.
#29. S’more
| iOS Rating | Google Play Rating |
| Not available | 4.3 with 61,626 reviews |
S’more, available only for Android devices, is one of the most popular ways to make money from your lockscreen.
With S’more, you can earn extra money by placing an ad on your phone’s lock screen. If you like what you see, you can swipe left to learn more. If not, just swipe right to open up your phone as normal. Either way, you’re earning some extra cash.
Users can expect to earn about $3 to $5 per month on average, with the option to cash out via PayPal. While not the most exciting way to earn money, over the course of a year you can save up around $50 to use as you wish.
Minimum Withdrawal: $1.
Download S’more here.
Money Making Apps Not Worth Your Time
We found plenty of apps that didn’t make the cut. Here are some of the most popular, along with why they’re worth skipping.
- ATM App. While it has an interesting premise — users can choose to match with brands and then get paid for interacting with them, in a form of “brand dating” — we found the earning potential to be very low. Learn more in our ATM App review.
- FourSquare Rewards. While you can earn a $25 gift card by allowing the company to collect your data for a year, the overall earning opportunities are limited. See our FourSquare Rewards Review to learn more.
- Google Opinion Rewards. It’s an OK survey app for those who use Google products such as Chrome, Android, Maps, and Google TV. However, surveys are very limited, which limits potential earnings to a few dollars a month. Learn more in our Google Opinion Rewards review.
- KaskKick. When we tested this app, our earnings came out to just $1.43 per hour. Learn more in our KashKick review.
- LifePoints. We found LifePoints to have an extremely high disqualification rate combined with a limited inventory. While it’s a legit site that will pay, there are better options. See our LifePoitns review to learn more.
- Lucktastic. This is a popular sweepstakes app, but unless you happen to be one of the very rare winners, there’s no way to cash out.
- OnMyWay. The app promises to pay you cash for safe driving, however, you must refer 250 users to unlock cash rewards. See our OnMyWay App review.
- Solitaire Cube. You earn very little (unless you pay to play).
- Sweatcoin. You can only earn money by referring friends to Sweatcoin — not by walking.
Money Making Apps FAQ
Selling apps, such as Craigslist and eBay, are your best bets for making money fast. Beyond selling, Uber Eats and DoorDash are also good options. These two apps enable you to make decent money on a per-hour basis, as well as to cash-out your earnings daily (for a small fee). These are among the highest and fastest-paying paying apps you’ll find.
When you’re evaluating money-earning apps, pay close attention to user reviews — and specifically the ones on the Google Play Store and iOS App Store. Unlike some other user review sites, companies can’t edit or delete reviews that appear on the official app stores. So if an app is a scam, chances are you’ll see that quickly based on user feedback.
Sort by negative reviews, and read through three to five to see the common complaints. If a lot of users have trouble withdrawing money or not getting responses from customer support, it’s best to avoid the app.
You can also search r/BeerMoney, a popular subreddit where people talk about their experiences with different money earning apps.
There are a number of different business models and app monetization strategies used by these companies to generate revenue.
– Online survey companies sell the data they collect to third parties seeking to improve their products and services.
– Coupon apps get paid by manufacturers when you use a coupon, and in many cases, also collect data to sell.
– Many gig economy apps take a percentage of revenue from each transaction.
– Cash-back shopping apps like Rakuten are among the highest paying apps for a reason: they earn a solid commission for sending you to retailers’ sites, which they then share with you.
Apps that give you money are always getting something in return — whether that’s your data, your feedback, your business or something else. Keep that in mind when picking which ones to use and make sure you’re comfortable with the tradeoff.
