Are you looking to make some extra money? With increasing numbers of people taking on side hustles or two jobs, technology is making it easier to earn more or build new income streams. Some estimates suggest that around 36% of U.S. workers are involved in the gig economy. Technology has been a significant driver in this growth, with apps designed to help you turn a hobby into a job, make money by taking surveys, or advertise your expertise online.
The best money-making apps put the power in your hands, allowing you to earn more on your terms. Whether you’re looking for a full-time career or to make a little extra money to stretch your budget, the apps here can help. The best money-making apps offer a simple sign-up process, flexible earning solutions and fast payments. Read on to start earning more this week.
Quick Look: Best Money-Making Apps
- Best for Local Jobs: TaskRabbit
- Best for Cash Back: Rakuten
- Best for Building a Business: Upwork
- Best for Instant Payments: Survey Junkie
- Best for Selling Used Items: OfferUp
- Best for Bill Negotiations: Rocket Money
- Best for Babysitting Jobs: UrbanSitter
- Best for Freelancing: Fiverr
- Best for In-App Rewards: Swagbucks
- Best for Rideshare Driving: Uber
Best Apps to Make Money
If you’re ready to start earning more, here are choices for everyone, from professionals looking to build clients online to people looking for a little extra cash this month.
1. Best for Local Jobs: TaskRabbit
TaskRabbit is an amazing resource for anyone with a practical skill set looking for local jobs. If you need the odd job to make extra cash, you can find jobs including furniture assembly, grocery shopping, helping people move or yard work. While most are one-time jobs, you can bid on and take as many as you want. The setup is simple, but you must complete a verification process.
- Pick up odd jobs
- Build regular clients, or earn extra cash as convenient
- No previous experience is required
- Useful for a variety of skills, from furniture building to moving or yard work
- Work with the local community
- $25 registration fee
- No guaranteed jobs or opportunities
2. Best for Cash Back: Rakuten
If you want to earn for everyday purchases and online shopping, add Rakuten to your list. Rakuten is one of the most popular cash-back apps and offers cash back at over 2,000 large retailers. You can get in-store coupons and app cash-back options. For payment, you’ll have a choice between a check or PayPal.
- Get 1% cashback or more
- Some stores offer up to 40% cashback
- Lots of options for cashback
- Earn more with a referral program
Cashback redemption quarterly
3. Best for Building a Business: Upwork
Upwork offers simplicity, streamlined communication and the potential for freelancers to earn more over time. You can build a regular clientele or create new offerings. Upwork is one of the best money-making apps, whether you’re picking up a side hustle or building a full-time freelance business.
- Simple setup
- Select from over 1,600 job categories
- Earn positive reviews to rank more highly in searches
- Attract clients based on total earnings or jobs completed
- Get ongoing projects or retainer clients
- Payment protection protects your income when work is completed
- Service fees are between 5% and 20%
- Payment is delivered 10 days after the billing period
- Clients can find lower rates, so you may have to drive down your prices
4. Best for Instant Payments: Survey Junkie
Survey Junkie is a free app that lets you take surveys that take 30 minutes or less to complete. You’ll get questions based on your demographic, and the app will match you with surveys you can complete whenever convenient.
By adding the Survey Junkie Pulse extension to your browser, you could earn extra points. Survey responses and digital activity are collected directly by the researchers and encrypted. According to Survey Junkie, you can control the level of privacy. Signup is free, and you’ll get instant payment via gift cards at popular retailers or PayPal.
- Earn money for taking surveys
- Get paid instantly
- Free to use
- Easy setup
- Submits data anonymously
- Presurvey identification can be glitchy
- Some survey invitations may be expired
- Some surveys have repetitive questions
- You could not be paid if you don’t meet the survey criteria
5. Best for Selling Used Items: OfferUp
OfferUp is a variation on Craigslist that allows you to sell used or new items. You can easily upload an image to sell items and then set a firm price or allow negotiation. You can also message buyers directly within the app. Choose to sell locally or ship products nationwide.
- Easily list new or used items
- Customize settings to include negotiation options
- Select local or nationwide delivery
- Sell unused items you have at home or source new or used items
- You’re responsible for delivery or shipping costs unless you charge extra
- Shipping adds a 12.9% fee or a minimum of $1.99
- Promote Plus means you may have to pay extra to have your item show up at the top of item lists
6. Best for Bill Negotiations: Rocket Money
Rocket Money can help you cut back on recurring payments. It analyzes your bills and subscriptions and helps you cancel unwanted subscriptions or negotiate lower bills.
Rocket Money has additional personal finance features like a spending tracker, and automated savings and credit score alerts to help you save more and take control of your finances.
- Get help negotiating lower monthly bills
- Easily cancel unwanted subscriptions
- Use personal finance features to take control of spending and savings
If it successfully negotiates a lower bill price, the app will take 30% to 60% of your savings for the first year
7. Best for Babysitting Jobs: UrbanSitter
Do you love children or babysitting? UrbanSitter allows you to connect with parents in cities around the U.S. You can sign up with the app, set your available times and rates and complete a background check. Parents also have to verify their identities to protect sitters. You can typically charge between $11 and $16 per hour for one child and more for additional children. UrbanSitter is free.
- Free
- Set your hours
- Set your rates
- Take on as much work as you want
- Not the highest-paying option
- You’ll have to build up regular clients over time
8. Best for Freelancing: Fiverr
Fiverr, like Upwork, allows entrepreneurs and freelancers to offer services in hundreds of categories. Choose from website design, copywriting, legal writing, data engineering or hundreds of other options.
Signup is simple. After approval, you create gig packages and tiers of services with a predetermined price. You’ll get paid as soon as the order is complete, although it may take up to two weeks to clear in some cases. The downside is that Fiverr takes 20%.
- Get jobs in hundreds of categories
- Create gig packages with set prices
- Build regular client services
Fiverr will take 20% of what you earn
9. Best for In-App Rewards: Swagbucks
Swagbucks lets you earn rewards for various in-app tasks like taking surveys or shopping online. You can earn rewards for groceries and take a photo of the receipt afterward. You’ll earn points for each task you complete, with 100 points equal to $1. Redeem points for gift cards, a check or a transfer via PayPal. Average users earn $1 to $5 per day.
- Earn money for simple in-app activities
- Average users earn $30 to $600 a month
- Get rewards for uploading grocery receipts
Low payments compared to other options
10. Best for Rideshare Driving: Uber
The classic rideshare app, Uber lets you sign up to be a driver and set your hours. You’ll get the convenience of earning while driving customers or delivering groceries. You can cash your earnings up to five times daily to put money into your bank account quickly.
- Set your schedule
- Drive passengers or deliver food to earn money
- You can make $10 to $20 per hour after expenses
- Get paid up to five times per day
- Car model and year requirements can limit opportunities for some people
- You’ll have to pay a service fee based on cost and time
- Earning potential is limited to local demand
- The app can have glitches
What Is a Money-Making App?
A money-making app is an app that allows you to earn money or rewards through cash back, rewards or side gigs. Money-making apps are tailored to various skill sets or activities. Some apps reward you for uploading receipts or taking surveys, while others make it easier to find part-time gigs working as a food delivery or rideshare driver.
These apps allow you to find jobs or make money from your phone. Some apps reward you for actions taken in the app, while others facilitate financial management, investing or finding jobs.
Pros and Cons of Using Money-Making Apps
Money-making apps have numerous advantages, but few will help you earn a full-time income. Here are the pros and cons.
- Easy to use
- Get started earning money from the first day
- Choose to work as much or as little as you like
- Get bonuses or other additional benefits
- Payouts may be small
- Difficult to earn enough to live on
- You might have to use multiple apps
- Not all apps pay equally for all benefits
How to Choose the Best Money-Making App
When choosing the best money-making app, factors to consider include reviews, user experience and payout amount. Carefully check how much you can expect to earn for the time you have available and how happy other users are with the payout and customer service.
Choosing the Best Money-Making App
These money-making apps offer diverse ways to build income streams. You can get paid for shopping online, taking surveys, playing games or building a full-time business. There’s no reason you need to limit yourself to one money-making app. Instead, try various options to see which are most profitable for your skills and location. If you find an app that works well for you, consider different options within that app. For example, you could offer various freelance services via Fiverr.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Many money-making apps are free. Some may charge a small subscription fee or a percentage of any money earned.
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Yes, it is safe to use money-making apps. These reliable services offer a way to earn more money in your free time.
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EarnIn, Swagbucks, EarnEasy and Google Opinion Rewards all pay daily. Depending on the earning amount, many other money-making apps may pay daily. Survey Junkie also provides instant point redemption.
